Documenting Excitement

Yesterday we watched the boys `One Year Video' which is a compilation of their first year. It makes me cry every time. This time watching, I thought of our baby who is yet to join our family. It is so hard to document `pregnancy' during an adoption so we will celebrate each and every step that we can. It's also hard because we don't know if we are actually `pregnant' (aka anywhere near adopting a baby) and if it's ever going to happen:( I do a first year baby book for each kid and start when I'm pregnant so this time it's a bit tricky. I have bought a scrapbook and our certificate for completing our 3 day seminar is the only thing in it. Hopefully one day, if we are so fortunate to bring a baby into our home, we can use this booklet to put in our baby book!

This is our `Dear Birth Parent' letter/picture package. The guidelines are very loose which I don't do well with. Tell me exactly how many pages, pictures, format etc and I'm good to go! All I know is it has to be regular 8.5X11" paper and has to be hole punched to go in a binder. There should be a letter from Gary and I and ample pictures to share about our lives and reason for adopting etc. It shouldn't be too long. Or too short.

It took a lot of time. Not the layout, just choosing the right words and pictures to put throughout. They warn you not to sound too perfect. They want you to use natural `action' type pictures. Oh my goodness. I don't want it to look too perfectionist-ish but I want them to know that we put time into it because we are so wanting a baby. It was so hard taking details out of my life because what if that one thing was the thing that would've been the connection? I can't look at it any more because you could spend forever trying to make it just right. This will have to do. (*NOTE: I reread the printed copy and there are at least 7 mistakes...where two words were combined together. Grrrr...oh well). There is my letter and Gary's, with words and pictures. Then, there is one page per person (Kai and Koen too) of a digital scrapbook picture page showing our interests etc. I hope that when they (adoption agency) see it they don't say that we did it wrong!!! As a side note, I have realized that my hair is in a pony tail in almost every single picture from the past 4 years.

And, because he's cute. Sunday's solitary outdoor activity; Blackberry picking (and eating).