What to do while we WAIT AND WAIT

All of us who are adopting and in the process of waiting for our referral know how agonizing this part of the wait can be. As I posted before, I am on a "Positive Energy" kick and have been doing projects and some other fun things to help pass the time as Justin and I wait for our referral of Miss Lucy. I am doing anything to keep my mind off of only thinking of this wait. I thought that I would share some of my ideas with you all. I hope you enjoy!!

PROJECTS TO WORK ON WHILE WAITING FOR A REFERRAL:

1. Work on your yard. I am constantly out in our yard picking weeds and planting new flowers. It is so rewarding to see how your hard work turns out. Justin's parents helped us get this beautiful flower bed started and I have done my best to keep it going. I LOVE having blooming flowers. They are very happy!!



2. Paint a toy chest for your child. I found this toy chest at a "flea market" in Canton, TX. It was just unfinished wood. Now it is a precious chest just for Miss Lucy. Justin and I painted it and put the letters on.


3. Give your animals or children some extra lovin. They are going to be put on the back burner for a bit while we all adjust to our new little bundles of joy being at home. So, I am trying to show Bruiser and Bianca an extra lot of attention for the time being.

Bruiser is going to be very jealous of his new sister.

Bianca is wondering, "Where is my sister??"


4. Spend some quality time with your family. I live 5 hours from my family, but we try and get together as much as possible. I am #2 out of four girls. These are my beautiful sisters. I love them so much. God blessed me with an amazing family!!


5. Organize your closets or office, or in my case your closets, office, and guest bedroom. This little project will keep anyone busy. I am still working on this, but here is my progress, which I think is pretty darn good.





6. Join a quilt swapping group. This is also a very time consuming project, but it is so much fun to get the squares and wishes in the mail. This is the square and information that I am sending out for the Vietnam Cultural Quilt Swap. My topic was the Ao Dai. Once again, I am more pleased with my information card than I am the fabric, but whatever.


7. Work on the nursery or child's room. I have posted plenty of pictures of Miss Lucy's nursery, so I am not going to make you all see it again except for this adorable "I Love Lucy" sign. This has been so much fun for me. It feels so much more real to me when I have a room set up. I know that some day it is going to be Lucy's room. I imagine her playing with her toys in her room, me changing her diaper, and just rocking her.


8. Prepare for the baby to come home. For Justin and I, that has meant power shopping. We have had so much fun picking out clothes and shoes for Lucy. Here are the shoes that we have gotten her. I am like every other girl and love my shoes, so I have stopped buying them for me so much and started buying for Lucy. Soon we will be able to start buying the stuff that we will need for travel. I can't wait for that day.

This shoe rack is filled all the way up with some of the squares having 2 pairs. You can't see the ones at the top that are black, but they sure are cute!! We LOVE shoes!!

Lucy's daddy loves Converse. These were the first pair of shoes he insisted she got.

Every girl in Texas needs cowboy boots!


9. Blog more. I wish that everyone would write in everyday. It is so exciting to me when there are new posts on the blogs that I follow. Other adoption blogs are inspiring and encouraging. They are kind of like having someone to lean on because we are all in the same boat and going through the same hard times.

10. Become happy and content with yourself. This is one that I am really working on and it is something that we should all be working on all of the time. I am working to become a better wife, Christian, and soon-to-be mom. I am a very lucky girl to have my wonderful husband, family, friends, home, and life. I am working on always being appreciative of what it is that I do have and not always wishing for more - not just more possessions, but more everything.

So, there are my suggestions. I know that they have helped me, so I thought that I would share with the group. I know that many of you are struggling with the slow passing of time as we wait and wait and wait. Always remember that you are not alone. There is someone feeling the same way as you. Most of all, remember that we all will eventually come out of this with a beautiful boy or girl who will be in our lives forever!! Thanks for all of the support!