1 Down...

I just finished book number 1 and the book report! I missed my original goal of having it done by the end of June. And then I missed my back up goal of having it done by the end of the 4th of July weekend, but it is done and that is all that matters. I'm getting ready to crack open book number 2 now. I'm learning quickly that reading the books is a very important part of preparing for Baby Martin. I know I have complained that biological parents aren't given a reading list and a list of other tasks to complete (like CPR classes) before they can take their baby home from the hospital, but if I'm being honest, this whole process is helping me understand that life won't be filled with rainbows or unicorns and glitter once we are matched with a birth mother. I would rather be over prepared than naive.

Speaking of CPR classes, A) they are done! We are CPR certified. 2) Here is a small world story for you. I walk in to the New Berlin fire house, where we had our class, and the guy who is doing the class for us, is the guy who did our drug testing. He said he recognized the name when I emailed him to set it up. I did a double take when I walked in. We have been blessed with some incredibly generous people along the way. It makes the whole process feel more within reach when you start taking little chunks out here and there.

We continue to get some great encouragement from friends and family. As we are currently in a season of life where it is hard to remember schedules and it is easy to get grumpy about our situation due to a lack of sleep and incredible amounts of stress, it is sometimes easier for others to see the big picture for us than it is for us to see it. Comments like, "your commitment to your child and your dream is amazing," slaps me across the face and wakes me up to see the real impact this journey is having on us, our future child, and all of those who are witnessing it unfold. Sure, the end goal is to become parents, but there is so much more happening than that. We are in the midst of experiences that are strengthening our character, our relationship with each other, our future relationship with our child and our relationship with all of the people who are giving us support in so many different ways. Yes, it is a hard and long process. July 2006 is when this journey began for us. And I know I haven't handled the past 5 years well at times. I've had to give myself little attitude adjustments along the way. I feel like I need another one now. Instead of being stuck in a rut feeling sorry for myself that I spend my free time at a second job and my even less freer time reading assigned books, I can remember to slap myself across the face with the realization that I signed myself up for this and the driving force behind that was my beautiful dream.