The little things ...

It's nice in the middle of this big ol' process to have reminders of why we are doing all of this in the first place. I uploaded some photos from a fun day spent with friends yesterday. While sorting through them all, this one really stood out to me. Along with Georgia football and Halloween, we celebrated a friend's birthday. It seems at first to be a pic of John Harmon blowing out his candles, but do you notice what I did?



If you look at the chair in the back corner, you'll notice what caught my eye. When Brian and I went to our very first meeting with our adoption social worker, we arrived early for our appointment. We headed to REI right down the street just to spend a few minutes. We noticed this cute little boy's hat on the clearance rack and decided to buy it. It has been hanging on one of our chairs since that time and serves as a daily reminder when we eat as a family that he is already a part of it.

It again served as a reminder when I saw these fun pictures from our day with family and friends. There will be a day soon where he is a part of all of this. He'll cheer with his Daddy for the Dawgs, wear his Iron Man costume, beg his Mommy for a piece of candy every 5 minutes, and trade with his friends for his favorite candy. He will be in these pictures one day. We doubt it will be next Halloween, but certainly by the next. By then, we will have long forgotten about all of this paperwork and forms. The fundraising will be well behind us. It won't seem to matter at all then when he's here with us and in our photo albums.

But it matters a lot right now. We are in the final push to get these papers done and these funds raised. There are moments when I have all of the confidence that this will get done. Other moments allow doubt to creep in. Part of the rollercoaster that is the adoption journey. Just looking forward to the moment in the ride where he'll be wearing his hat!