I wonder....

how long it will be until I get that call??? Assuming that all goes well and no nasty mishaps occur (like those mentioned in my previous post) referrals should be arriving again at the very beginning of September. Today is August 6th - I reckon that means I will have about 30-35 more days of not knowing what my daughter (or son!) looks like. That is such a short period of time when you consider the 600+ days we have already waited. If you count the time spent prior to our file going to China, with interviews, home studies, workshops and the like, it is closer to 950 days waiting for this new little person to come into our lives. Thirty five days seems like a mere drop in the ocean in comparison!!

Today I bought the first few things for the care package which I intend to send to China as soon as our referral comes. I have bought two gorgeous soft toy rattles (which are in the shape of rather plump and colourful cows!), and a baby blanket. One of the toys will go in the care package, and we will keep the other. When we are meeting Alice, hopefully she will have her toy, and we will have it's 'twin', to help her to recognize that we belong together. I will also purchase a disposable camera for the care package, in the hope that it will be used in the period between allocation and 'gotcha day' to take photos of our precious little one. I am also going to put together a photo album of our family, home, pets and the like which will be labelled in Chinese, so that Alice's carer can explain to her who everyone is. I will probably include some lollies for the caregivers too, as I understand that these are pretty popular!!

So in some small ways I am preparing for this journey of a lifetime. I don't think anyhting I do in the next few months will completely prepare me for this life-changing experience we are about to undergo, but I don't care. BRING IT ON!!!!!