Updates

1. I got word yesterday that our agency got our official proposal for Sofie and it is in the mail! We should get it tomorrow!!! This is a huge step forward and it actually came earlier than expected! I was told that it would that the MOJ and Hague Convention 2-3 months to get the proposal to us... we got it within a month of Bulgaria receiving our request! Just two months after we mailed it off! We should receive the original documents in the mail before the end of the week too sign and officially accept Sofie. The next step is waiting for our court date!
2. Last weekend my sisters, bro-in-law, Jon and I did some much needed yard work in our/our mom's yard. It isn't completely done yet but we got all the big stuff done. We cut a bunch of over grown branches off our blue spruce in the front yard, trimmed back some juniper bushes that hadn't been touched in years, and pulled out four overgrown junipers from the front yard. We got all this done in the rain too! It looks like a big mud pit right now but there is now some potential! It is a great start for me to get it looking nice this spring and summer with Livi (and Sofie!) running around and exploring our huge yard!
3. Jon let his bosses know that he is interested in a advanced position. A position hasn't been posted yet but there was a notice sent out wondering who would be interested. This would mean a raise and the opportunity to do some teaching in the field of community living! It would be pretty perfect and is the next logical step up the ladder! Governments never move quickly but we are hoping that something comes of this!
4. We got to enjoy some good friends that we haven't seen in almost two years over for supper last night! We got to reminisce over our college years which was a lot of fun but made me feel really old!
5. My best friend in Winnipeg had a little baby boy on Sunday. I am so excited for her! Little Toby came in to the world almost 7 weeks early but he is doing so well! He is going to be such a little blessing. I really wish I could go out there to meet him... one day I will, if we ever have money again :)
6. My Lent has been going really well. I started reading my Henri Nouwen book and am allowing myself to start speak more freely about prayer... something I am not comfortable with. I have been doing really well on the self-denial part. To be honest, I didn't think I'd make it this far without sugar but it has been easier than I thought. I thought the beginning would be the most difficult part but I think I was wrong. I haven't had any sugary foods except for eating what I thought was a healthy nutty, berry granola bar on day 1, only to realize later that sugar was the number 4 ingredient. I haven't made that same mistake and have been fine with out it! I definitely have had my evening cravings but I just think of Sofie and what she is all going without! I've also been focusing, this week, on what God has done for me in my life. I am so blessed. No red meat and poultry has been a little more difficult than I thought. Funny how I thought the sugar would be harder than the meat. I just really need to plan all my meals better so I have all the protein I need and don't get shaky and eat something crappy. That seems to be when I crave the sugar most too. 8 days in to Lent so far! I'll expand on this more further in to lent I think. 
7. Livi used the big toilet tonight without having to use a stool to step up on. I haven't measured her in a few months but she must have grown! She is taking pride in how big she is too, saying things like "I'm growing up so big like Mommy!" or "I am big, just like Daddy! Right?" I love my little weirdo :)

It Is Finished

We have finished our move and are trying to settle in to our new home. The move went really well, even in the 35 degree heat! Our friends and family who helped were amazing! We were all packed up in to the truck in 2 hours and it only took half an hour to unload. They stayed and helped set up our beds, a bookshelf I had bought from Ikea and unpack most of my kitchen! Thank you so much everyone!!!

All our boxes are unpacked and I finished putting up the last of the pictures today :) The pictures have really helped me to feel more settled. I still have a bit of a unsettled feeling being here but I am pushing through it! There are so many things I love about being here. The yard is fabulous! After Livi gets her bottle in the morning, she asks to go outside :) We have eaten nearly every meal outside too :) I love the colors of the walls. (Thanks everyone who helped paint before we moved in!) I love how quiet it is! No cars and sirens to lull us to sleep. I love being able to go for a walk with Livi and not have to be constantly on guard for traffic. I love being close to my Mom and Maggy and having them so involved in Livi's life. I was able to help my Mom out yesterday by being home for her charges too when she was going to be late. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement!

I can't shake the weirdness of the situation though. I had moved out of this house at 17 and ten years later I'm back? Livi is sleeping in the same room I had as a teenager! The house has been completely renovated since I lived here last. There was never a basement suite when I was here, but it still is difficult telling people I've moved in to my Mother's basement suite. We went for a walk today and I had all these memories of the neighborhood and various houses where friends used to live. I wasn't the most well behaved teenager, so not all those memories were positive. I know that it was the right decision to move here and I even feel that it was a good decision, but I also know it is a sacrifice for Jon and I to not own our own home anymore, or to have a proper sized kitchen (there is no storage in our kitchen) and to live in such close proximity to my fabulously amazing and dysfunctional family!

Please don't think that I am ungrateful for this opportunity. We are truly blessed to be able to live so well while saving money for our adoption. We are paying some rent, just not a lot :) We also have the added blessing of my Mom's support/babysitting upstairs! This is going to be invaluable when we bring our next daughter home! I know it is a sacrifice on my Mom's part too. It is her contribution to our adoption. I'm sure many of her friends think she is crazy to have allowed such a scheme.

In major life changes I generally experience a bit of a psychological episode which I think I am mostly keeping at bay right now. In the past, I've become depressed, moody, anxious, unable to sleep and overly controlling etc... So far, I've been coping quite well... I think. I have an uneasy feeling, which I am contributing to this place not feeling like home yet. With the lack of storage in the kitchen and bathroom, I've had to "artistically" display many items I'd rather have hidden in a cupboard. It looks a little chaotic to me and will take some getting used to. I've also been having some CRAZY dreams too. I regularly have wild dream and intense nightmares but since we've moved my nights are filled with crazy, non-intelligible dreams. If this is as bad as I get, I'll be happy!

Olivia has been having a bit of a tough time with the move. For the first couple days, when she would get upset, she would ask to go home. It broke my heart. She has been very clingy for me in particular and she's had some pretty epic meltdowns. I must admit that I have allowed her to watch more cartoons this week than she has watched all year! I needed the break and she needed some quiet time :) She is loving the yard and the little pool we got her but she has also had a few very sad moments. Aside from her melt downs she took her first tumble out of her crib. I think she basically hit the ground face first too. She was bleeding from her nose and lip, has a big bruise on her forehead and rug burn under her nose. It was very sad :(

All in all, we are settling in as we expected. We are hoping it feels like home sooner than later. Our condo still hasn't sold, but I'm trying not to think about it. Nothing comparable is selling right now so we are starting to think of how much of a hit we are willing to take. There are so many unknowns with real estate! We need it to sell yesterday!

To Move or Not To Move...

So, we just found out that we are not going to get approved for the amount of financing we want until Jon has his position permanent. They acknowledge that, based on his income, we can afford more than we are asking for, but because he only has a contract and not a permanent position they don't want to lend us a mortgage. It is a bit annoying because I am very anxious to get a yard for Livi. It will happen though. I am confident.
Jon's position that he is currently working as auxillary has been posted already. It closes on the 16th and hopefully no one else wants it so it can be his quickly. If he doesn't get the position, he still has a job, he will just still be on contract. If that is the case, we are actually thinking of still selling our condo and moving in to my mom's basement suite in Chilliwack. Is that weird? It would sort of seem like a step back.

Honestly, the idea is very appealing to me. I'm really close with my mom and we have a great relationship. She has a really nice two bedroom walkout basement, with a huge back yard. I would have her there to support me with becoming a mom of two. I think I'm going to need all the support I can get with a child with special needs. The other bonus, of course, is the fact that we would save a bunch of money and be able to put that towards a bigger down payment or student loan debt. I guess we'll see what happens.