Okay so here are the pics of the nursery. Plus an extra one of the proud owner of pictured room. This was taken last week by a traveling parent. Only a little over 3 weeks to go before I hold him…I finally feel ready now that the room is nearly done. Only a few more pieces of trim.

We finally got our power back on Saturday–early morning. We spent nearly 3 full days without power and it was awful–only because it was the hottest 3 days of the year. Thursday we topped out above 100 and with the humidity we had a heat index of about 110. It was nice staying at my dad’s house as his isn’t under attack by baby supplies nor is it managed by someone who is so completely unorganized that nothing really gets done. It inspired me to decrap my own house and get ready for grown up life with a baby who I am sure will be crawling really soon–too soon if you ask me.

We did get a lot of work done this weekend. We got over half of the trim painted and installed and finished up the floor for the most part–we still need to get the treshold pieces. We took up the dresser/changing table combo–that was a task. I measured so very carefully when I went shopping for the nursery furniture to make sure it would fit in the room. Well I did not even think about measuring the doorway upstairs as it is a tight squeeze. Well we did get it up there, not without a small scratch or two, but it was either that or cut the legs off and that would not have been good. So, it’s up there. I managed to single-handedly put the crib together. I had to take the mattress out twice–I forgot the bedskirt once–this also required me to take the bumper off too–which I had to do a few times, as I was not very proficient at putting it on–who knew it would be so tough? Can’t wait until a 3 am diaper change when the little one is all dressed in a one piece sleeper…check back for that story in about 6 weeks.

Anyway, the crib is done, the mobile set, the glider put together and in the room. The bookshelf is in and filled with what books I do have–which really aren’t as many as I thought I had–will need to buy more. Must have books. I’ve put his clothes away–again I will need more of somethings. Shopping will be fun…I will wait until I know his exact size and see what is up with how many outfits we go through a day. I will have to watch my spending as I am no longer employeed. We are a single income family. I may try to hit a few garage sales in the upcoming weeks. I might be able to find some good stuff then.

Now I have to brag about my little brother Jeff. He is a producer of a play that is getting ready to debut at a NY festival. You can read about him and the play here, and if you are in the NY area go see the play. They are hoping for a commerical production at some point.

Well 1 weekend down, 3 more to go until we leave to meet our son. I like the way that sounds. Hope eveyone had an awesome weekend.

I stole this from Danielle who stole it from someone else. I thought it would be fun to expose myself more than I already have on line. And my brain is a little mushy as our trip to Ethiopia is only 4 weeks away if everythings goes right. I am still in shock. Anyway here it goes….
Abc’s of me
Accent: I am from the midwest we have no accent…the rest of you do.
Bed I sleep in: A nice king size his/her bed. My side is soft his is firm. But who am I kidding the dogs get most of it.
Chore I don’t care for: All…I guess I most hate cleaning the litter boxes. But all chores suck or they wouldn’t be called chores.
Dog or Cat: Both–2 dogs and 3 cats. We also have fish. I might be saying had fish soon as we are still without power which means we are without filtration and air for our fish tanks. Sad…
Essential Electronics: Computer. My mp3 player when riding my bike.
Favorite Perfume: Don’t really wear it. I love Aveda’s carribean body scrub. I like smelling like the islands
Gold or Silver: Silver all the way.
Handbag I carry most: My brown Dooney & Burke barrell bag–I do usually only carry the matching wallet–I’m so not a “good” girl.
Insomnia: Not much. I can sleep pretty easily. But I have had a little bit of it with the adoption moving so fast.
Job Title: Woman of leisure–well for 4 more weeks then I wear the SAHM badge with honor–I am also a grad student.
Kids: One little boy–almost 4 mos old–waiting patiently for us in Ethiopia. Plus the furry kind. Oh, does my hubby count??
Living Arrangement: We live in the city, in a 4 bedroom solid brick house built in 1928 and not updated since 1968–the people we bought it from 6 years ago had lived there for 50 years. It was like moving into a time warp. We are slowly bringing it into the modern world. Did I say we are doing it slowly???
Most Admirable Trait: My complete goofiness and my never ending smiling.
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Depends on when childhood acutally ended.
Overnight Hospital Stay: 1990–ACL reconstruction–allergy to anethesia discovered
Phobia: None–I have tried to unearth one.. Boring!
Quote: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.–Abraham Lincoln
Religion: No organized affiliation. I subscribe to a menagerie of beliefs…
Siblings: Two younger brothers–32 and almost 31
Time I wake up: 5:30-6:30–habits are hard to break
Unusual talent or skill: I can carry 14 salad plates at one time and not drop one–I spent over 8 years waitressing–sad that this is my talent…
Veggie I refuse to eat: Eggplant.
Worst Habit: I kick off my shoes everywhere and never put them where they go.
Yummy stuff I cook: Everything. I am an awesome cook–I want my power back…
Zoo animal I like most: sea lions–I was kissed by one in 6th grade and have been infatuated with them ever since.

I…
I am totally in love with my son (who I have yet to meet) and my hubby
I want to hold my son and see his smile
I have a wonderful family who loves me and my baby
I wish I was better at saving money
I hate being in debt–even though I will always be (see above)
I miss my grandfathers
I hear the distant cry of my son waiting for me
I wonder if I will be a good mom
I regret unfortunately too much
I am not a good communicator–that goodness hubby loves to talk
I dance remember Elaine’s dance on Seinfeld–she looks good compared to me
I sing about as good as I dance, but I love to sing in my car anyway
I cry rarely
I am not always open with my feelings
I make with my hands food
I journal here and on paper when I need too–I use to do it more regularly
I confuse what I should want with what I really want
I need to lose 55 more pounds
I should give more
I start getting bored easily
I finish ummmm…nearly nothing. I am in a constant state of unfinish….

We got our tentative Embassy/travel dates yesterday. I can hardly believe that in less than 5 weeks we will be leaving for Ethiopia and meeting our son. Unbelieveable. And to top it off we have so much work to do but are now without power due to one hell of a storm last night with straight line winds over 70mph. Our power could be out until as late as Tuesday of next week. Yeah, not so good timing. I am certainly glad the gods are excited for us, but they could have tamed down their excitement or at least let us keep our power. My dad and brother both still have power so hubby, myself, and the two dogs are going to set up camp at my dads at least for today and tonight as the temps are going to top out at over 100 today with close to 100% humidity. Those of you from the midwest know what this feels like. In the city where we live the heat index is expected to hit 120. Not the best timing. But we will cope. I hope the cats will be okay as we aren’t taking them with us. They usually hang out in the nice cool basement anyway.
I am sure I have a fridge full of spoiled food as power has been out for well over 12 hours. I am hoping I can salvage somethings from the freezer, but who knows. Okay I have about 33 days until we are going to go to Africa and pick up our son. I still can’t believe it and I certainly am not ready yet. Well, I guess I really am as ready as I am going to be aside from some basic housekeeping details, like finishing up the nursery and putting the crib together and that kind of stuff. I am so excited I can hardly see straight. I just don’t know what to do now. Where to start? What do I bring with me? How in the hell will I sterilize the nipples when I am in Ethiopia, do I need to sterilize the nipples? HELP!!!!

I am sure it will all work out maybe. I just don’t know. There are so many unkowns that I can’t even begin to know where to start or what to do first. How will I get it all done? Will the world collapse if I don’t????

After dropping a nice amount of cash at Babies R Us, I came home to news that our court date will be July 24th. One more week and Noah is legally ours. How so very exciting!! Maybe two more weeks and then we will know when we will be traveling. Holy Shit. I think I’m ready and I most certainly know that I am not near ready. Oh well. Is anyone ever really ready? I hope not.