Edited to add –

Just as I was posting this I got an email from our agency. We have a court date!! July 24th is our day. Please keep us in your thoughts as there won’t be much wiggle room if something delays the process.

Just two weeks from today!! Yay!!

I know, I know, I haven't been talking about Smiley at all since the big day 2 1/2 weeks ago. I've found that it's much harder to wait when your baby is half a world away then it was when the baby was just an abstract concept. It's easier for me to just put the whole thing away in a drawer in the back of my mind and pretend it's not there for a while.

If we weren't up against court closures I'm sure this wait would be easier than it is right now. My agency is confident that we'll make it through but as the days tick by and the rainy season approaches, I get more and more nervous and anxious. If I didn’t have an ulcer already I’d definitely be getting one right now. My mind keeps running through all the possibilities and while I know that waiting until November isn’t the end of the world, right now it feels close.

An adopting family from my agency is traveling this Friday to go pick up their adorable new baby girl and have promised to get pictures of Smiley for me. I ask them to give him a kiss for me and let him know I’ll come get him just as soon as I can. I can’t wait to get a couple of new pictures because right I have every feature and nuance of the two we have memorized and I could use some new ones to obsess over. (Did you know that between the two pictures I can clearly make out 9 out of ten fingers? Now I wonder a lot about that third finger on his right hand. I'm sure it's fine or it would have been mentioned in the paperwork but still... that's not weird right?)

It’s bizarre to have your child be in another country, far away and virtually a stranger. All the information I have about this boy is on two pieces of paper and it’s all very generic and sterile. I want to know if he’s a good eater (his size seems to indicate that he is…) and if he screams when he gets hungry or if he’s more of a fusser. Is he a cuddler like Princess or more independent like Cookie? Is he a good sleeper, does he like to have is diaper changed or will that make him cry? I wonder endlessly about things like this.

So, right now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for court date news and trying to get things done other than stare at the picture of my new son.