We are number 7!!!!

In only five months we've moved from number 12 on the waiting list to number 7. I have to keep in mind that this doesn't necessarily mean that we will continue to rise so quickly. It feels exciting and scary at the same time. We are still working hard to move ourselves up north, and it feels like that has to happen before receive our little girl. Most of all, I can't stop thinking about her! And if feels wonderful to do so.

This past weekend we went backpacking and camping in Catalina with my family. I wondered what it would be like to have our daughter there, teaching her how to pitch a tent, how to push on and walk more even when she is tired, how to sit back and look at nature in a new way. I've realized that this is a part of parenting that I am really excited about, showing another person the world. I look forward to watching her face as she tastes something for the first time or sees a sunset or the ocean. I watch parents delight in the simplest tasks with their children and I can't really relate to that. I heard a new mother say the other day that her daughter likes to splash in the tub. She called it "incredible." I want to experience that. I want to delight in the uniqueness of my child.

Although I feel eager to meet our daughter, I don't feel a pressure. I wish she was here, but I can be patient. I feel ok being patient. While sitting around the campfire relaxing this weekend, my sister said, "I wish my niece was here," and she meant our daughter! I've kind of forgotten how this child changes everyone's role: aunt, grandmother, father, cousin. How nice it was to have someone else express a desire for her company. She will be so loved by our families, by her family, that will be so amazing to watch!

I am writing this blog to keep all of you connected to this process and this journey. I am also writing because I want her to hear my thoughts as I prepare for her arrival. I want to remember how it felt to anticipate and imagine. I can't believe we are number 7!