How I am staying busy while waiting

No new news this week on the adoption front. Just can't stop staring at the pictures of my beautiful daughter. I am currently waiting on two key events on the adoption. First, the US Embassy needs to issue what they call "Pre-approval" based on the intial case file and the DNA results. The second step that should be happening right now is the Guatemalan Family Court process. This includes social worker interviews and having the case approved through the family court of Guatemala.
After these two steps are accomplished our case will move into PGN which is the final court (Procurderia General). Things are moving pretty well in PGN right now and it seems that the new cases are averaging about 6 weeks.

So, besides checking my email for an approval from the Embassy and reading the adoption family forums what am I doing to keep busy? Well, I started a new quilt project for Evvy's foster mother. I met someone else on the family forum who's daughter had the same foster mother (she just picked up her daughter last week) and she said that she is wonderful. I have the quilt cut out (there are about a bazillion small pieces to be sewed together). I started sewing this week and really need to stay focused on it to have it done before I go pickup my little girl.

I am also trying to do maintanence work around the house. I bought 10 tubes of concrete caulk to fill in cracks in my sidewalk (between the house and sidewalk/porch) and the basement walls. I feel like I am just gluing my house back together. My only consolation is that the previous owners had done patching before and the house is still standing. I still have some work to do. I have used 5 tubes so far. I also need to scrape, sand and paint the window frames in Evvy's room. This shouldn't take too much if I just get on it. I also need to hang pictures in Evvy's room. Also a friend gave me some big paper mache' butterflies that I am going to hang from the ceiling I think. They are just the right colors.

My friend Peggy is working on hand quilting a quilt for Evvy. It is BEAUTIFUL!! She is such a skilled quilter. She takes the tiniest, straightest stitches I have ever seen. Did I tell you how BEAUTIFUL the quilt is. Evvy is a very lucky girl to have so many pretty quilts. We will have to have a different quilt in each room, car, diaper bag so that they all get equal love. I know I love them all and all the people that have made or are making them.

I am really anxious to get this process moving. I want to hold my little girl and snuggle her. I see the pictures and how much she is changing already. I still can't even imagine how much my life is going to change. I try to imagine driving around with a little one in the backseat and waking up in the morning and trying to get both of us ready to go.

One thing that I am relieved about is that I think I have found my childcare provider. A friend from Church is watching Peggy's little girl part time and I asked her last week if she would be interested in another one to watch and she agreed. That takes a big weight off as I didn't really want to put her in a day care center. She has three little girls (9, 5, 3) and they are very sweet and adore Erica. Jeanne is a great lady. She actually has 3 older teenage boys also.

Here is a picture of a square of the quilt Peggy is making. Well I can't get blogger to upload the picture so here is the link to her blog http://quiltclogmom.blogspot.com/.

I'll try to update more later in the week or if I hear anything else.

Susan