One more week....

I began thinking today about just how life is going to change.... and it is going to change!  That is for sure.  Cameron is 11 and Anna is 7.  It's been over 5 years since we had a child as small as Sara in our home!  Gone are the lazy, relaxing days.... but she is well worth it.

Tim put up Sara's shelves today.  The things we got her from our last trip to Ethiopia look really good in her room.  Now that I have the shelves up though, I realize that I'm lacking a couple of pictures.  We'll look for them this week and I'll get them up before we leave.  I want her room to be completely done when we come home

Sara's things are laid out for the trip.  We figured that Tim would take a bigger suitcase this time, and that he and Sara would share.  That way we can still take two totes over with us.  We are both taking less in terms of clothing this time.  The laundry service at the hotel was cheap and great.  The turn around  time was wonderful.  You set it out on your bed in the morning, and by the evening it appeared back there completely clean.  It was great!  It will save us some much needed suitcase room as well!

We didn't skimp on Sara's clothes though.  It's so difficult to judge what size clothes she needs, so I just packed a bunch of different stuff, in hopes that something will work.  In my mind's eye, she is much bigger than Cameron and Anna were at her age.  Also, the clothes she was wearing at the transition home didn't really fit her, and were always layered, so who knows what size she really was.  She is now just over 18 months, and we brought her 24 month clothes.  I think we threw a couple 18 months in there as well.  I hope something works.  As for shoes....well, we didn't measure her foot while we were there, like we should have.   Shoes are important to a kid who is walking.  They reported she wears a size 1 shoe.  Ah... I don't think so.  We estimated about a size 5.  If those don't work, she'll be walking around in her socks until we get home.  Not sure what else to do. 

We haven't even gone yet, and I'm anxious to get home.  I don't like being away from the kids.  I know they are in great hands with my mom and Denis, and the kids love them being here, especially since they don't have to go to after school care with them here - but I don't like being away from THEM!  You miss out on a lot.  Luckily Cameron and Anna have a  program, but it is the week we get back... so we will get to go, and we will get to take Sara with us.  Hopefully that goes well. 

I'm nervous about the changes that adding Sara to our family will bring.  We have life pretty  much in a routine, and we are going to have to find a new routine.  It'll all be fine - I just need to find that routine again.  Mornings will be crazy - they already are, but add an 18 month old into the mix and they will be even more crazy.  We just got to the point where we don't have to assist Anna with baths at night.... well, we'll be helping out again for the next few years with Sara.  That's ok though... bath time is always fun. 

There are some routines I can't wait to establish... like Tim reading a story to Anna and Sara every night.  He reads to Anna (or lets Anna read to him) every night when she goes to bed.  It will be interesting to bring Sara into that tradition.  She won't get it for awhile, but I'm sure she will grow to love it... just like Anna.

We are getting our totes packed up!  I didn't realize how little you could fit in one tote.  They really don't hold all that much when you are packing kids' clothes and things like that.  We are doing our best to take as much over as we can though.  Thank you to all who have donated!  I'll have pictures up of the tote donations in a few days - once I get everything organized and packed into them.

Pray for us as we are at the end of this part of our journey!  We are very excited to bring our Sara Joy Edom Roach home and start the next chapter of our journey together!

In Christ,
Charity