When is Brett going to leave?

The basic answer is I DON'T KNOW! We could have been leaving Wednesday since we got the coveted last piece of paperwork from China in early August, but Judah (our oldest) is having hip surgery Wednesday so we just couldn't. You see, we thought this whole process would take much longer and we were expecting to get Amanda in October/November. The same day I scheduled Judah's surgery, I got an e-mail from our adoption agency announcing we were to travel in 5-8 weeks. I cried and cried. We wouldn't be able to do both and the stress of all of it coming at the same time just crushed me. That same day, God gave us a rainbow in the sky - sorta His promise to us that He would take care of it all. We've had rainbows every time a major life circumstance has happened (mostly Judah stuff).

So, we are looking at a travel date of September 2 or 9. We are in a way hoping for the 9th, but feel guilty for having Amanda have to stay in an orphanage one week longer. Judah is bed bound for three weeks while his hips heal. I feel like looking at those stress lists and wonder how high on the scale I am.

On a fun note, my church is having a toddler shower for us. It should be fun and a good thing to be able to focus on the joy of having a new child coming instead of the dread of a major surgery. Hopefully, I'll remember my camera!