Waiting & "Nesting"

Dearest Little One,

Your mother is not a patient woman. I mean, I don't even have the patience to stand by the microwave and wait the ninety seconds it takes to heat up a slice of pizza; I find that I must be doing something to "fill the time" (like unloading the dishwasher) so those precious 90 seconds aren't wasted. How on earth am I supposed to wait the days, weeks and months that it will take to bring you home?

At first, I tried to fill my time by doing everything I could to be ready for you. As I'm sure you know by now, "tornado woman" ("T.W.")comes out when something needs to be done in a hurry. Let me tell you, my dear child, T.W. came out in spades when it was time to prep your nursery. Never before have things happened so quickly! When that was done, and the profiles were handcrafted (all 90 pages of them), I turned to our adoption agency. And bugged them. A lot.

"Has our profile been shown yet?" I asked whichever hapless Bethany employee happened to be at the front desk. I'm sure the receptionist had to refrain from rolling her eyes, because at that point we had only been officially cleared to be shown to birthmoms for a whopping two days. I'm telling you, my little one, that Patience. Is. NOT. My. Strong. Suit.

Once those options were exhausted, I turned my attention to cross stitching. I finished the cross stitch Santa that I had spent 8 years (on and off) working on! When that was finished, I started the process of working on a birth announcement cross stitch that will one day be hanging on the wall of your nursery. I think I got in over my head, but hey, if I can make it work and finish it, my next task is a full scale cross stitch monopoly board. Your mamma dreams big, little one!

Cross stitch only held my attention for a week or two, and then I turned my attention to organizing every single closet and cupboard in the house. At the moment, I've categorized and sorted the spice cabinet, tossed out 2 bags full of outdated items that were taking up space in the pantry, and gathered five large bags of clothes to donate to the local thrift store. When you combine the uncontrollable desire to organize everything in sight with the need to cook (and freeze) mass quantities of food, it all adds up to one thing: nesting.

At first, I thought I was nuts. I mean, I'm not physically pregnant, so how could I be feeling these urges to make my home perfect for our future baby? I consulted with my new friends on the adoption message board, and they assured me that I am not nuts. In fact, it's perfectly normal for an adoptive mother to be to completely go into nesting mode. Whew. I feel better now.

And now, my dear child, I'm off to wash, clean and sort the clothes that have been hanging in the closet of your room. Feel free to come any time! We're ready! And when I say I can't wait to meet you, I mean it!