Over the Moon

What a whirlwind the past couple of days has been! The joy and sense of relief that I feel is inexplicable. I spent all this time dreaming about an abstract child and now she is real. It's just extraordinary.

I have been overwhelmed by the love and support I have been given not just over the last few days but throughout the whole process. I still can't believe that the little girl everyone is falling all over is my daughter. It delights me to write that. My daughter. My entire family is over the moon about her. Her grandparents have put her picture on their phones and have shown her to just about everybody, including the parish priest. Her aunts and uncles are showing her picture to everyone they have ever met and are helping me plan her room and get ready for her arrival. Her cousins think she is the cutest thing ever and let's face it, it's true! It's just been so fun and it's always amazing to see how the impending arrival of a baby can breathe new life into a family. There is no child that could be more wanted or more anticipated than Grace is.

I had her medical information reviewed by an international pediatrician and they said everything looks pretty good. She's on the small side but her height, weight and head circumference are all in the normal range, the low side of normal, but still normal. She said her eyes were nice and bright and alert. There are no guarantees that everything will develop normally but that would be the case regardless of whether she was biological or adopted. I'm just relieved to know that there doesn't appear to be any big health issues but honestly, I'm not sure it would have made a difference if there was. Once I saw that face with those eyes as big as the moon, I could never imagine not bringing her home. All I need to do now is to officially accept the referral which I will hopefully mail off tomorrow. I just need to have a bunch of stuff notarized and then it will be good to go.

So last night I did something that I have been dying to do. I registered. I went with my sister Kate and it was really fun. A little overwhelming, but fun! Her color scheme will be pink and chocolate brown and her bedding has butterflies and flowers on it. I have no idea what color I will paint her room but I'm just so thrilled about the possibilities. This weekend I'm going through her closet to see what I have. I don't have a ton but I have picked up some crib sheets and wash cloths and towels along the way. I'm just excited to get started.

So my world is good these days. I'm happy and excited and just enjoying staring at her picture. I went to Vermont last Saturday to see my friend Brenda's baby Thomas who is a little love. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive and Grace's picture sat on the passenger seat on the way up and the way back. I'm just completely overjoyed with her!