quick logistical update (and E's perspective)

I wrote over a month ago about what needed to happen, and some of you are probably wondering how many of those steps have been completed.

We have tickets.  I have purchased almost everything that I think we'll need for the trip, which was a lot of errands.  In the last few days, we've gotten a lot of cleaning and organizing done around the house, which makes me feel a lot better.  I've started collecting donations to bring with me, both buying a bunch of books and toys and letting people on the internet know about it.  All three of us have been reading everything we can about adoption and Uganda and sisters.

(Here is Emerson's narrative of the situation, developed almost entirely on his own over the last couple of weeks: Emerson says that we are a family of ducks.  I am the Mama Duck, and I take care of all the little ducks.  He is my little duck, and we have four more little ducks, two guard ducks (the ones that look kind of like Shelties) and two, um, cat ducks.  But we are missing a little duckling!  Where could she be?  She is so far away that we cannot fly to her with our wings, we will have to get on an airplane.  The poor little duckling flew to the top of a big tree.  It is an evergreen tree, and the branches are poking her and she cannot get down.  The nurses can visit her, but they cannot help her down.  We will have to go all the way to Uganda, and then the strong Mama Duck and Daddy Duck and Big Brother Duck can all help the lost little duckling.  We will bring her down to our nest, safe on the ground.  Mama Duck will cuddle with all the little ducklings in the bed, and everyone will be safe and happy.)

Meanwhile, what part of the legal process has been completed while we've been working on this?  As far as we can tell, nothing.  Hopefully some of the "invisible" background work has been going on, but it's also possible that the orphanage workers have been working on other cases.  As long as work is getting done and the process is operating smoothly, at least for someone, I'm fairly satisfied; it was much more nerve-wracking when none of the children had come home yet.  And that would mean that once we arrive, our case will get strong consideration.  However, that does mean that at this point, Mark will almost certainly need to make two separate trips, and I am suspecting that Emerson's and my stay will be closer to four months than two.

So speaking of which, I need to go off and buy a lot of sunscreen!