Contagious Tears

Today was a pretty rough day in Pre-K. We had so many students crying that at one point I thought I might cry too. I think my ability to wait out this home study is wearing thin so I'm on edge. My husband even asked me if I was okay this morning and at that point I wasn't too bad. We haven't heard anything since August 17th. We got an email that day saying the first, and hopefully only, draft was suppose to be at our agency. They were going to proofread the report and, if everything was in order, send it back to our home study provider. She will make all the necessary originals and get one our way. Maybe it is in the mail. I've tried emailing both our home study provider and our agency. Maybe I should just call. I hate to be pushy, but I feel so uninformed. You know what I should do. Pray more and worry less!

Overheard

Just a little background before the story. My husband is now teaching elementary PE, which he has not taught before. I don't use the word "crap" in my conversations, but I just had to keep this story true to life. The following conversation was overheard in one of my husband's PE classes:

One little boy says, "Are we going to do this crap everyday?!"

Another little boy turns to him and says, "Look at yourself! You need to do this crap everyday."

First "First Day"

Today was full of emotion. My nerves at the unknown of a new school year. Parents tearing up watching their child starting school. Kids learning that what happens at home can't always happen at school, hence more tears. I had 14 students experiencing their first "first day" of school today. No hilarious stories yet. I am optimistic about this school year. Of course I am also hopeful that we will be much further along in our adoption journey by the time we wrap up this year. Maybe we will even have made our first trip. Why not be hopeful? I did make it through another first day.

Happy Birthday Momma!

Tomorrow is my momma's birthday. We had the privilege of having my parents and my grandpa over for lunch. I made a cake and decided to practice my piping skills. I know that is still my biggest weakness in cake decorating. I have made my momma many birthday cakes over the years, some of which I literally cried about because they were such tremendous flops. I would not call this cake a thing of beauty, but it was an improvement. And my mother loved it as all mothers do.

On the adoption end of things, we are still waiting on our Home Study report. We have been told that a first draft in currently being proofread by our agency.

School begins tomorrow, so my daily routine will change drastically. I'll try not to bore you with a Pre-K story every day for the next 180+, ( I have a husband for that chore) but some will be too hilarious to keep to myself. I'll try to post about the first day of school though. I think I am more nervous that the kids. So many new little faces starting their first ever day of school. It is a huge responsibility, but also a joy. So here is my joyful school is about to start face. Yeah, that might need some improvement too, but we did have a lot of fun.

Thinking

I watched the movie To Kill A Mockingbird over the last couple of evenings. It is my favorite movie and I can never make it through without tears. It has forced me to think about the world and home I live in and into which we will bring our child. I do not want to live in a cold place without human interaction. I want our child to know that there is right and wrong, not some fuzzy gray in between. I watched the commentary on the making of the film, which I had never done before, and the words from a lawyer they interviewed made the most sense to me. I cannot put things as eloquently as he did, but the idea was to make your home what you know it should be. Don't get so bogged down in the whole world and all the problems it contains. No one person can solve them. Yet people are not so isolated that what they do and say won't impact others. So uphold your beliefs for your family and be to them and for them what you desire for the world.

Adoption Reminders

We took a trip to get school supplies (yes, teachers buy school supplies too) yesterday and so many things reminded me of our adoption. I saw fabric in a craft store and thought of how we might decorate the room. I saw toddlers and wondered if our child would be about that size when we brought him/her home. I walked past the baby section in a store and got panicky about all the stuff we will have to buy. The best moment for me though was leaving a quick stop and wondering if the bathrooms in Russia could possibly be any dirtier! I'll be sure and let you know when I finally answer that most important question.

Perspective

I would like to write about how frustrated I am that we had our last home study visit almost 2 weeks ago and still no sign of a report, but I simply can't. I am frustrated, but my woes seem minor when I read about others and their seemingly endless wait to bring their child home. So here's to a 2 week wait. May I always keep things in perspective.