- We were making approximately a dozen trips to Target a week.
- We had anxiety building in our stomachs as we put together the calendars of Daniel's care - school times, basketball games, practices, assignment due dates, etc.
- We were confirming our health care coverage overseas.
- We were making arrangements at the bank.
- We were packing clothes, converters, toys, etc.... Then unpacking and packing again... Pack, unpack, repeat. (Wait. Maybe that was just me.)
- We were securing notarized consent to give my parents temporary authority over Daniel and to allow him to fly overseas with my mother.
- We were e-mailing with our hotel to find out how much to expect our taxi to cost from the airport once we arrived in Poland.
- We were confirming with our agency all of the paperwork we should bring along and getting cell phone numbers from our lawyer and our guide/translator in Poland.
- We were teaching my parents how to use Skype.
- We were confirming FMLA arrangements.
- We were exchanging information with a family who had been in Poland the year prior who were gracious enough to let us borrow their pay-as-you-go cell phone for Poland.
- We were reassuring Daniel that even though big changes were coming, some things never, never change.
- We were shopping non-stop for clothes for Chris and trying to obtain some information about sizes from the orphanage.
- We were finding out about another couple that was going to be traveling and adopting at the same time as us - we would be in the same apartment building for our bonding period.
- We were wrapping up projects at work and training colleagues how to manage our workload while we were gone.
- We were fretting about caregiver gifts. (Most likely just me again on this one.)
- We were arranging pet-care for our cats.
- We were trying to see as many of our extremely well-wishing family and friends before we left town.
The last two weeks before take-off were overwhelming, to say the very least. We were anxious, but had little time to acknowledge our anxiety as there simply was no time. It was chaotic and things were accomplished and crossed off our to-do list in a haphazard manner, in no particular order.
Last year, we flew out of the States on February 1st. We arrived in Poland on the 2nd. We had a day of recovery on the 3rd. We met Chris on the 4th. He has been a a part of our lives from that day forward - and there has been no looking back.
My well-worn journals from Poland will be my reading material over the next few weeks. I am taking a cue from my good friend to do some revisiting to where we were one year ago. And to see how far we have come. I can't promise to be as resourceful or even as forthcoming, but I am going to try to reflect on our trip to Poland to complete our family. A trip that seems so very far away and just like yesterday at the same time. We'll see how I do...
9 comments:
Yes.
Like you said to Daniel, the really important things don't change.
It will be great to read about last year and make it part of you, part of the family.
Thank you for publishing your list. I'm trying to understand how Skype works. It sounds like Skyping from a computer is easy and free, but I don't understand how it works with the cell phones. If you have any insight into that please let me know if you can educate me. I have Verizon wireless.
jpfalzer@rochester.rr.com
Oh, Goodness Yes - Look Back! It helps you cherish that crazy ridiculous time, and the more you talk about it, especially with Chris, the more it becomes his birth story into his family. And yes, you will see how far you've come - all of you!
What a wonderful tribute to Daniel and Poland. I never wrote about my year reflections, but definitely thought about them and keep the dates in my calendar. Isn't it crazy to think about all that took place from the very beginning of your journey (getting that first form mailed) to now?
While reading your list, I kept saying....Yes, Yes, Okay, did that, Yup, Target - twice in one day!, re-packed, re-packed, re-packed!! Oh the madness! Thank you Sarah for your post! You gave me the confidence that everything is going to be fine! It's a little crazy at the moment and my To-Do list for "Once we get the call on return dates" stares at me all the time, but the love in our hearts never changes!!
Wow, I can't believe you actually remembered how many times you visited Target or Packed and repacked. I know I went through exactly the same process, I just couldn't remember all the things in as much detail as you did.
I'm overdue for another post, so I should probably head back to my blog and do something about it.
Thanks for the shout-out. :-)
And these are just the to-dos I can recall off the top of my head...
What I remember most were the days that I went to Target over my lunch break, on the way home, and then again after dinner. Yikes! I was a walking to-do list. Every time I crossed one thing off the list, I added another dozen.
Organized chaos. Or something like that. :)
How exciting to mark another milestone, like looking back at a year. Have you asked Chris if he remembers what he was doing a year ago? I've been keeping a journal since coming home so I can jot down things the kids say about their life in Poland. Both for myself and to share with the kids at a later date. Feb 14, 2010 will mark our 6 month anniversary home and I can't believe it's been that long already, and yet I say "only" six months?
I've enjoyed your wisdom, insights and reflections. Thanks!
Sarah, you captured so much emotion in just that list, thank you for sharing.
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