Doesn't my cup runneth over?

Oh, friends. My world is so much richer for them. Ones that I have the privilege of seeing and talking with fairly regularly and ones I don't so much. I'm even richer for the extra dimension of the whole 'blogoshphere' in that people I have never met nor have even actually spoken to read about my life, email me with encouragement and make me laugh about things I was probably crying about as I typed. Friends that I have known since young adulthood--newlywed couples just like us who have stayed in touch through the years and I count not just as dear friends but family. Friends I've met through the different military stations we've been assigned to and who have become far more than just Christmas cards each year. Friends I taught with and who wiped my tears of infertility, death, despair and frustration on a daily basis. Truly, I am blessed to call so many people who have and do make my life richer and happier friends. To know so many people are not just lifting me, but John and our still unknown daughter up is simply amazing and almost overwhelming. I am honored that so many people care.

We had our interviews this am, and Betty, our social worker, said this was one of the fastest home studies she's ever done. I asked her what she thought the reasoning behind the speed was and she very quickly replied, "You're so organized. It's amazing." Ah...sweet, sweet words. Especially since I often feel I am so UNorganized! She also told me that I was entertaining, captivating, very well-educated and reminded her so much of Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) that she couldn't believe it. Okay, okay...so she is a little bit delusional. STILL...she's a pretty smart gal, since she was so dead-on about me in most other things. Ha ha. In any event, she and I clicked from the first moment we talked, which is why I chose Bethany in the first place, and she is so excited for me and John you can see it all over her face! They have never had anybody adopt from Kyrgyzstan and she's super excited to see how it all goes. So, we got the official approval! Not that I doubted, but it is always nice to check those big things off the list. And that's pretty much the biggest! She visits on the 22nd, then writes her report and sends it to Immigration and that piece is done. Of course, the home study is only good for a year, so if this process takes longer, we will have to extend; however, she didn't seem too worried about the complexity of that, and the fee is only $350--better than the $1K that John estimated. He estimates that for everything. He's a little bitter about how Maryland nickels and dimes us for everything, but, hey...no sense in complaining because that's where we are and that's what we'll do.

We also got info on pictures of the rooms. Betty, our social worker said 'samples' would be fine, but Ally also emailed and said that we just needed to throw some toys in the planned room and that would be fine also. John's mom bought a beautiful bassinet several years ago (when we all thought we might actually be able to use it) and he's going to pick that up this weekend and we'll throw that in there as well. Problem solved.

In addition, we got the correct notary information. The sweet woman who did all the stuff for us yesterday is going to have to do it again, with the correct language--which was given to me this am by our social worker--and notary. Not a big deal, and like I said..I'd rather know now than later.

By the end of this month, we should just be waiting for our I600-A approval and we'll be good to go to turn in dossier. We DON'T take it to DC, as I thought--AA does all that. That's nice, one less trip for us. So, as asked before--doesn't my cup runneth over?