I got this text from my brother John last night, and so out of sisterly obligation I'm sitting down to write even though there's not much new to report.
Paperwork, paperwork! That's what's happening these days in our slow adoption journey. I've thought about strapping all the forms to David's stomach and posting our own version of those baby bump photos that seem to be a requirement for all pregnant members of the facebook community. But I have not spoken to David about this idea yet, and now that I've made it public he'll probably refuse. You'll just have to use your imagination.
The form I filled out last night took me on a walk down memory lane by asking for every address where I've lived since 1973 (i.e. since birth). I was surprised to see how long the list was -- 14 addresses! It brought back all sorts of emotions and memories of my childhood house a couple blocks from the beach, my teen years in Colorado with the mountains in view, my college houses busting at the seams with female students and estrogen, my apartment ("flat") in Germany, the house in PA where David and I lived after we got married ... and of course Peru, the reason we're plowing through the forms and thinking about our future kids a dozen times a day.
Since paperwork doesn't lend itself to the most interesting blog post, I'll make a book recommendation.
Our friend Christy told me about this book several months ago: The Broken Cord, by Michael Dorris. At the time we were considering adopting a pair of sisters from the orphanage in Peru. The younger sister has fetal alcohhol syndrome, a major theme of this book and the reason Christy suggested it.We've since decided not to pursue those girls, and so I wasn't going to read the book. But I picked it up off my shelf last weekend and have had trouble putting it down since! I'm learning about fetal alcohol effects and the Native American culture (which I'm ashamed that I know so very little about). I'm laughing and crying out loud. It's a compelling story, and he's an excellent writer. If you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend it. You can even borrow my copy in about 3 days when I'm finished.
Well, John, there you have it. That's the best I can do for now for a blog update, yo!
2 comments:
The paperwork baby bump pics would go viral. Do it!
I loved this post karen...so well written and heartfelt. : ) I don't know if you know me, but I"m an old friend of David's. He suggested your blog and I've been enjoying reading it. My parents adopted 8 children from different countries so I know a little of what you're experiencing. Actually, maybe I don't since I've never adopted...just been a birth child involved in having adopted siblings. Take care Karen and hope you meet you someday! : )
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