6 Days and Counting...

Alrighty. I forgot to mention that the other thing I had to do this past week was get 3 more shots. I'm now fully inoculated against just about everything for the next 10 years. Super.

Today I took Grace and Jack to see Kitt Kittredge which, I must say, was a fantastic movie. I didn't know how many big names were in it, and I think Joan Cusack is about the most hysterical actress alive. I really love American Girl, I just wish the products cost less because, as you can imagine, Grace marched out of the theater claiming to now NEED Kitt and her best friend Ruthie - at $90 each. Hmmm...

I think I'm actually finished shopping and am quickly becoming close to being ready to go. I must say that for me, I'm glad I only had 11 days to prepare. To add another week onto it would have been too much time. It seems counterintuitive since you'd think "the more time to prepare the better." However, my nerves are a bit on edge. I mean, I think that somewhere in the recesses of my brain my subconscious realizes that I'm going to AFRICA by MYSELF to bring home our FIFTH CHILD.

And while David is completely competent, the fact is that I've been the primary caregiver for almost 9 years and, even if he really really needs to, David doesn't exactly have the ability to call me and ask a question for 6 whole days. This is not bad; if a decision needs to be made about something, he'll make it. Aunt Heather and Uncle Michael are right across the street and are willing and available to help in any way should he need it. In a way, it's a good experience for him. And I've turned all responsibility over to him before --- several times. But I was always a phone call away. Even little things that aren't an emergency are easy for me to solve because I've experienced it all for so long. It's just easier sometimes for the wheel not to have to be invented because that sort of invention is rarely required.

In some ways I'm glad I'll be completely out of contact because David will get a taste of what it feels like for me when he's in Canada fishing for 7 days each summer with no access to cell phone towers or even email. At least he can receive an email or two from me in those 6 days. I have 7 days with no communication with him at all when he's in Canada!

Knowing that I'll be on the other side of the WORLD from my family (albeit with one special little member of it) is hard. Much as I beg to BE on the other side of the world from the chaos with frequency, the reality of doing it is a bit...well...nerve wracking. I think the best thing at this point is to just go and stop thinking about it already!

Without Kristin and Karen, I'd be pretty lost right about now. They are my lifelines. Kristin had so many amazing lessons learned to pass along from her recent trip to Ethiopia and Karen, as part of my travel group, has been a fantastic person to bounce ideas off of, and occasionally even commiserate with. I'm SO glad to be traveling with Karen!

So, in 6 days I'll leave for D.C. I'll spend the night at a hotel by the airport with my parents who are coming to see me off. At this time one week from now, I'll be on an airplane 1 1/2 hours in to a 17 hour flight to Ethiopia. And two weeks from tonight, our new daughter will be home and we'll be a family of seven. And for that, I can't wait.