Seven Weeks (and lots of random stuff)
Seven weeks of PGN are now behind us. I have to remind myself to breathe. I know the saying is supposed to be that no news is good news, but there is still a chance that when the news comes it could be bad. It won’t be, but it still could be. Everyone on the guatadopt message board tries to get the whole PGN process down to a science. There is really no way of discovering what will happen with your case but it is still therapeutic to use other people’s good news to boost your mood about your own impending good news. Last week I heard that two cases were approved by PGN that had been submitted about 2 weeks before ours. They were approved around week 9. So, using that information I have deduced that in two weeks we will get approved by PGN. Another little “rumor” in the Guatemalan adoption world is that you are in PGN longer when you are going to get approved since your file needs to be signed off by some other people, steps that don’t take place when you get kicked out. Last time when we were in PGN (a LONG time ago, long before we got our PA) we were in PGN for 6 weeks and 2 days before getting kicked out. So unless we have been kicked out and our agency just hasn’t told us yet (our agency not giving us important information? NEVER! Ha!) our file has officially been in PGN longer than last time.
This whole uncertainty with our adoption time line is stressing me out at work. Everyone at work knows that we are adopting so it isn’t like I am keeping any secrets. Since I did just get promoted and I did just get back from being on leave for 6 months after Marcus came home, I haven’t been running around screaming about how I am planning on taking leave again as soon as William comes home. If people ask, I tell them that I am planning on taking time off. Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I? I know my boss has to know this as well. My part of the building is very small, just 7 of us all sitting in open desks, and we talk. I know she has had to have heard me talking about taking time off. Plus, she has two small kids of her own. I am betting that she was off work when they came home. She keeps giving me things to do though, which makes me think that she doesn’t know that I won’t be here at some point. We are hoping to have William home in November. She has now given me information about three (THREE!) overnight, out of town training courses that she wants me to consider attending. I mean, I don’t KNOW that I will be off work in November but I am certainly not going to be planning to attend training classes then. There is a huge event in February that I have to organize as part of my job description. I have been putting off doing some of the planning because there better not be any reason whatsoever that I am still here in February. I did have to start doing some of the planning though. Tomorrow I am going to go check out the venue where this event it supposed to take place. My boss wants me to go so I get an idea of how the place is set up so I can help to instruct people how to get around there when the event takes place. I am not going to be there! Anyway, I just am ready to get out of PGN. Once that happens I can sit my boss down and explain that in about 4-8 weeks my son will be coming home and I will be taking some time off so she can just stop suggesting I go to training or out of town events or be the sole planner for this February event.
Marcus is getting too smart for his own good these days. He used to have this minuscule memory which worked out great because I could easily distract him from whatever he shouldn’t be doing. Not so much now. The other night I had to take his book away from him (he LOVES his books) because it was time to get in the bath. Distraction by bath toys was not an option. The entire bath he cried out, “Aba!!!” (Aba is “A book”.) After that it was time to get him dried off and into his jammies and the whole time I heard, “Aba!!!!” Then it was time for snack. He didn’t want his snack. He made it clear he wanted, “Aba!!!” So for an hour it was “aba aba aba”.
We have been using and abusing Marcus’s smarts to the best of our ability. Marcus now has little “chores” that he “helps” us out with. It is his “job” to give the pooch her treats. Because our pooch has food allergies her treats are those little baby carrots. We open the fridge and Marcus does the rest. He opens the vegetable drawer, takes out a carrot, and gives it to the pooch. One of Marcus’s other “jobs” is to help set the table. Greg hands Marcus napkins, silverware, salt and pepper, parm cheese, or whatever else we need on the table, and Marcus takes them and puts them in the right spot, or at least generally in the right spot. I thoroughly plan to start saying here in a few years, “But you used to LOVE to set the table! I don’t know why you complain about it now!” Next week Greg is teaching Marcus how to mow the lawn.
I have a new kids book I would like to recommend. It was recommended by Adoptive Families Magazine. I happened to pick it up and figured it would be just like all my other kids books about adoption. Nope. It isn't about adoption at all. It is called, "We're Different, We're the Same". It is a Sesame Street book and it uses all the characters to show how they all have different bodies and body parts but even though they might look different, they all do the same things and actually have more alike than they do differences. It is a great book for all kids in my opinion.
Okay, enough talking about my kids. I am going to talk about me. I did something bad and I am ready to take full responsibility for it. Greg and I have intentions to move at some point in our lives. Our house is very nice. We like the area. The school district is great. We would be content living in our house forever. Still, there are things in a house I would prefer to have that just aren’t an option with our current house. We are in no hurry to get out of our house and obviously have some things to do to our house before even attempting to sell it (you know, like tend to our currently uninhabitable basement). I do like to check out listings of houses for sale from time to time. The other night I was doing this and happened to fall completely in love with a house. Logically, this house was totally wrong. It was an area that I wasn’t necessarily interested in. There was no garage and no master bath. With the price and the taxes, it would be stretching it a bit to even pay for the thing. Oh, and there was oil heat which was certainly no good on a tight budget. But there were some extreme positives. First of all, there was a little bit of land associated with it and a barn! I don’t have a clue what I would do with a barn but it would just be awesome to have one. It was about 6 miles from downtown. Land and that close to downtown? Unheard of. And it had a barn! It was about 1000 sq ft larger than our current house. Rather cool looking, contemporary style. In the yard was a barn in case you missed that part. I seriously became obsessed with this house. Greg is totally awesome and said that if I wanted we could make an appointment to look at it but we weren’t buying it. What was the point? So I stared at it all night last night. Then I got Greg to stare at it for awhile. I showed him the barn of course. Finally I decided we needed to look at it. I contacted someone today from the realtor company and was told that someone made an offer on the house, the offer was accepted, and although the sale wasn’t final the realtor really found no reason to be showing the house. The house had only been on the market for 10 days. Somehow I managed not to cry. It just wasn’t meant to be. Somewhere out there is another house and it will have even a better barn and it will be meant for me.
This whole uncertainty with our adoption time line is stressing me out at work. Everyone at work knows that we are adopting so it isn’t like I am keeping any secrets. Since I did just get promoted and I did just get back from being on leave for 6 months after Marcus came home, I haven’t been running around screaming about how I am planning on taking leave again as soon as William comes home. If people ask, I tell them that I am planning on taking time off. Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I? I know my boss has to know this as well. My part of the building is very small, just 7 of us all sitting in open desks, and we talk. I know she has had to have heard me talking about taking time off. Plus, she has two small kids of her own. I am betting that she was off work when they came home. She keeps giving me things to do though, which makes me think that she doesn’t know that I won’t be here at some point. We are hoping to have William home in November. She has now given me information about three (THREE!) overnight, out of town training courses that she wants me to consider attending. I mean, I don’t KNOW that I will be off work in November but I am certainly not going to be planning to attend training classes then. There is a huge event in February that I have to organize as part of my job description. I have been putting off doing some of the planning because there better not be any reason whatsoever that I am still here in February. I did have to start doing some of the planning though. Tomorrow I am going to go check out the venue where this event it supposed to take place. My boss wants me to go so I get an idea of how the place is set up so I can help to instruct people how to get around there when the event takes place. I am not going to be there! Anyway, I just am ready to get out of PGN. Once that happens I can sit my boss down and explain that in about 4-8 weeks my son will be coming home and I will be taking some time off so she can just stop suggesting I go to training or out of town events or be the sole planner for this February event.
Marcus is getting too smart for his own good these days. He used to have this minuscule memory which worked out great because I could easily distract him from whatever he shouldn’t be doing. Not so much now. The other night I had to take his book away from him (he LOVES his books) because it was time to get in the bath. Distraction by bath toys was not an option. The entire bath he cried out, “Aba!!!” (Aba is “A book”.) After that it was time to get him dried off and into his jammies and the whole time I heard, “Aba!!!!” Then it was time for snack. He didn’t want his snack. He made it clear he wanted, “Aba!!!” So for an hour it was “aba aba aba”.
We have been using and abusing Marcus’s smarts to the best of our ability. Marcus now has little “chores” that he “helps” us out with. It is his “job” to give the pooch her treats. Because our pooch has food allergies her treats are those little baby carrots. We open the fridge and Marcus does the rest. He opens the vegetable drawer, takes out a carrot, and gives it to the pooch. One of Marcus’s other “jobs” is to help set the table. Greg hands Marcus napkins, silverware, salt and pepper, parm cheese, or whatever else we need on the table, and Marcus takes them and puts them in the right spot, or at least generally in the right spot. I thoroughly plan to start saying here in a few years, “But you used to LOVE to set the table! I don’t know why you complain about it now!” Next week Greg is teaching Marcus how to mow the lawn.
I have a new kids book I would like to recommend. It was recommended by Adoptive Families Magazine. I happened to pick it up and figured it would be just like all my other kids books about adoption. Nope. It isn't about adoption at all. It is called, "We're Different, We're the Same". It is a Sesame Street book and it uses all the characters to show how they all have different bodies and body parts but even though they might look different, they all do the same things and actually have more alike than they do differences. It is a great book for all kids in my opinion.
Okay, enough talking about my kids. I am going to talk about me. I did something bad and I am ready to take full responsibility for it. Greg and I have intentions to move at some point in our lives. Our house is very nice. We like the area. The school district is great. We would be content living in our house forever. Still, there are things in a house I would prefer to have that just aren’t an option with our current house. We are in no hurry to get out of our house and obviously have some things to do to our house before even attempting to sell it (you know, like tend to our currently uninhabitable basement). I do like to check out listings of houses for sale from time to time. The other night I was doing this and happened to fall completely in love with a house. Logically, this house was totally wrong. It was an area that I wasn’t necessarily interested in. There was no garage and no master bath. With the price and the taxes, it would be stretching it a bit to even pay for the thing. Oh, and there was oil heat which was certainly no good on a tight budget. But there were some extreme positives. First of all, there was a little bit of land associated with it and a barn! I don’t have a clue what I would do with a barn but it would just be awesome to have one. It was about 6 miles from downtown. Land and that close to downtown? Unheard of. And it had a barn! It was about 1000 sq ft larger than our current house. Rather cool looking, contemporary style. In the yard was a barn in case you missed that part. I seriously became obsessed with this house. Greg is totally awesome and said that if I wanted we could make an appointment to look at it but we weren’t buying it. What was the point? So I stared at it all night last night. Then I got Greg to stare at it for awhile. I showed him the barn of course. Finally I decided we needed to look at it. I contacted someone today from the realtor company and was told that someone made an offer on the house, the offer was accepted, and although the sale wasn’t final the realtor really found no reason to be showing the house. The house had only been on the market for 10 days. Somehow I managed not to cry. It just wasn’t meant to be. Somewhere out there is another house and it will have even a better barn and it will be meant for me.
posted by Annie and Greg @ 9:06 PM
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