Almost there...

I am going crazy lately. You see my home study is done and immigration received their notarized copy... but my copy for myself and the one I need notarized for my agency are M.I.A.!!!! I told my social worker I would be patient until this Friday (she mailed it on Sept. 23rd) and then I would need new ones sent to me. But, today my patience is gone and I just want to drive to their office and pick up new copies.
In the meantime I have been trying to not drive my doctor too crazy b/c he had to re-do our medical certificates b/c his notary did not put the proper language on the form for my dossier. I was nervous after I called and emailed him with no response. But, today he emailed me that he was available and had the new document ready if a notary could be there today. I grabbed my phone (thank goodness for the iphone) and I was able to find a notary experienced with dealing with international adoption paperwork and who would accept a paypal payment b/c the doctor was nearly 2 hours away from me at his hospital today. And, the mission was a success!!!! Whew...
So, once my home study makes it to me I can finally send everything to be authenticated. Keep your fingers crossed that the authentication process goes smoothly. Man o' man am I nervous about sticking all this paperwork in the mail. But, at least I am feeling a little closer. A quick side note I started listening to the basic amharic cd in my car today. But, for some reason the only thing that I can recall learning is "I am your mommy". It's okay though I have a long wait ahead of me so hopefully I will learn more in the meantime.

And, We're Back!!!

Woo-Hoo!!!
Okay so I took the summer off of adoption talk to make sure that I was confident and prepared- as much as one could be for the process. And, I say I b/c Hubby needed no said break :) But, I had some worries about finances, how my three kids would handle an edition, and I also had a hard time with all the choices available when you adopt.
When you get pregnant there is no choosing. You get what you get so to speak. There are no discussions on if you can help a child learn a new language or if you think a 4 year old would be able to bond with you. You don't worry about disrupting birth order or explaining your adoption choice with your family members.
So, after a few months off I discovered what I knew all along and what my husband never doubted and that is that we are adopting, and we are adopting not to save a child or to fill some empty void... but much more simply to have one more loving sweet face at our dinner table. We are adding an edition that will bring us joy and yes sometimes pain. We are bringing a new child with which comes a whole new dynamic for our family and we are THRILLED out of our minds to meet them someday.
With my time off I lost some ground on my paperwork etc... So, now I am trying to make up for lost time and scramble to get all my paperwork for the dossier done. Whew... it is a lot of paperwork. I also have to finish my classes for my home study. I have a lot to do before my busy season at work starts next month. And, I need to get this all done quickly b/c I am worried about my adoption being finalized before the tax credit ends at the end of 2010 (in case it is not renewed).
With that said, if any of you have tips on getting this paperwork done in a hurry I would love to hear 'em.