Speechless

We have officially checked-in for the flight of our lives!

Yes, I'm the girl who jumps on the airline's website exactly 24 hours prior to a flight in order to guarantee the best seats. You know, the seats you were unable to confirm when you purchased your tickets - like ours which landed us in a single file (duo) aisle format, one if front of the other. Well, now we have a great couples seat side-by-side where we can throw on our eyemask and plop in our earplugs and snooze away. And if that really happens, I will be one happy lady because the reality is that what I feel right now does not allow for sleep! After 18 months of waiting, it still doesn't feel like it's happening.

Considering I still have loads to do tonight, I will wrap this up with...

#1...THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for the texts in the middle of the night and emails and wall posts and calls (and more texts) from those other waiting mamas who 'get it', to our family who jumped onboard the minute we mentioned we're adopting and continue to wait on pins & needles along side of us, to our new Gladney family who have taken Baby N under their wings until we get there and to all our friends who have rooted us along the entire way and have all somehow morphed into an entire community of newfound aunts & uncles. A final thanks goes out to the WorldWideWeb. What in the world did adopting families do prior to the internet? I can't imagine this experience being the same without the power of the internet.

#2...We had some updates today prior to our trip and it appears we are the only family in-country next week. Our court date is not the 14th, but the 15th. And the best? It is very possible we will visit Baby N THREE (3) times!!!! The final visit would be the day after court. Do you know what that means? If we pass on Thursday, 7/15 and visit him on Friday, 7/16 - he is OURS and we are HIS!!! When I mentioned a family photo earlier it didn't include a post-court date shot. That may now be the case. *happy dance*

That will also assist in minimizing the big "ugly cry" that is inevitable as we board the plane while leaving him behind. By not having our court date be the last time seeing him (across the room), things are that much better right now. This is such a pleasant surprise and something I hope sticks for all families coming through. I was dreading seeing him in court without hanging with him, followed by our departure.

#3...We're hoping to have internet service and plan to update. If we're dropping a package for you, your kiddie should have it by Wed 7/14 and if all goes well with our tech side of things, we'll have photos for you all and video. The video may be sent when we return, unless it's something I can easily master and magically put together with our internet at hand.

So, to recap:

Tomorrow - 6pm flight to Cairo & hang for the weekend
Monday - arrive Addis
Tuesday - our first Baby N sighting
Thursday - COURT DATE
Saturday - midnight flight out and begin working our way back to NYC

Off to finish last minute details.

XOXO