I am Moving!

I am moving!

In our marriage of almost 31 years, we have lived in 14 different homes. Most were rentals between Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and Michigan. We have bought 4 homes, each time selling to move up in space or to better accomodate our growing family. Currently we live in the farmhouse my grandparents built from the rugged ground up in a sparse neighborhood in the 1940's.

We have painted, scraped, remodeled, added on, and thoroughly lived in every space of this house. We switch rooms around about every 6 months, rearranging the way we utilize every inch of the place.

Now it's my turn.

I have been blessed to be married to a guy who has always supported my craftiness. I enjoy painting, sewing, cross stitch, decoupage, stamping and scrapbooking. I actually have the biggest room of the house for my hobbies, and I do share the space
by storing kids craft items too.

But now I am moving. I am moving into a much smaller space. I will have to downsize or reorganize alot of my stuff to fit into this new space. I may have to part with things I have had for years.

And I am thrilled!!

You see, by moving from my old "office" to my new (and much smaller) office, I am making the first huge step into physically preparing for our newest addition!

We are currently waiting for a foreign government to issue a visa for a special needs child. He is just over 2 years old, and we have been waiting for him since November. We are hoping the government that holds the keys to his future will make the decision really soon to issue a visa that will allow me to go get him and bring him home into our family.

By moving my office to the smaller room, the newest addition to the family will be on the ground floor with all the children, and as he learns to walk, he will not be hampered by stairways. He will have the noise of the house as he learns about us, and yet he will have the back room that will allow him some peace when he needs it.

We have chosen the material for his curtains, and we have discussed the paint colors and are ready to make a decision. He has a giraffe print rug and a toy box already full. We have stacking blocks, shape toys and plenty of soft stuffed animals to cuddle. I have made blankets, and have clothes from 6 mo to 18 months, separated in containers for easy access. We have toys to help him learn and grow, and plenty of folks ready to love and encourage that growth. We have contacts for his medical needs, and are ready to start the therapies that will help him gain strength. We are waiting. We are ready.

With every stroke of the brush as I painted my "new" office today, I kept thinking of this child that we have already fallen in love with. Will he love us? How long will he be afraid of all the "firsts" he will have to go through here? How long will it take him to attach to us, while detaching from his current caregivers? Is the emotional and physical neglect he has suffered already in his little life going to hamper his future growth and development? Can he sense that he is loved clear across the world by this family, and can we ever show him just how much he was wanted and treasured all these many months of waiting for him to come home?

I am so glad to be moving. With every box and shelf I carry to it's new home, I think of him. I picture exactly how his new room will look, and I can not wait to be done with the move and start putting his things in place. It will be warm, and comforting, and full of life.

And soon we will welcome him home. But it's not soon enough for me!