And now--hopefully!--the real waiting begins

Hi everyone! I am writing as all of our paperwork (aka dossier) makes its way via that beautiful (okay, maybe not so beautiful) UPS truck towards Virginia and the America World headquarters. Yes, you heard right: our dossier is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am. I say "I" simply because it's one of those weeks for Karl (work-related commitments four nights of the week on top of everything else) so we haven't communicated that much, I'm sorry to say. I'm sure he's thrilled, too, but we would both admit that while our family is in this together, I've taken the bull by the horns. We joke--truthfully--that our infant daughter would be eight by the time Karl got everything done for the adoption. I hope this doesn't communicate a lack of enthusiasm, just some realism about the organizational gifting of our dynamic duo. ANYWAY, we're done, we're done, we're DONE. There is just a little bitty piece of me that hates to say that until we hear from America World that it all looks good to go, but I'll try to have more faith! Thanks to everyone for their prayers. I'll update more as soon as Duni (our new family coordinator) lets up know if there are anymore updated timeframes now that the paperwork is in.

On another note, an America World family just received a referral for an infant girl today. This is the first news in this department since the referrals mid-October, so it is thrilling, both for Mel and Steve and the rest of us, that things may be moving again. GOD IS SO GOOD!

(The above "We're almost done!" pic was taken by our precious Kole since Daddy didn't get home until around 11 p.m and we dropped the package off to UPS around 6. Do you see the exhaustion in my face? I think I've gained at least 3 dozen new gray hairs over the last four months :) Just kidding...just two dozen. Thanks, Kole. He's a pretty terrific photographer for a four-year-old standing on a barstool! I just wish you could see from the picture just how thick the stacks really were!)