FlyGuy, Little Lassie, Fidget and I are in Virginia now. We will be here until mid-September. In the past, FlyGuy has worked from home (i.e. from the dining room table in the VA house), but this summer he will have to go back to Chicago every Thursday and Friday. That leaves LL and I to fend for ourselves in the Virginia wilderness. We have a very nice home here and a wonderful yard and pasture that LL and Fidget are enjoying immensely, but its very isolated. I’m jealous that FlyGuy gets to go to Chicago and he’s jealous that I get to stay here.

There are some other problems with being here that I will get into later, but suffice it to say I can’t wait until September.

More lamenting later.

p.s. Did I mention there is one radio station here? It’s a.m. and they routinely play traditional gospel. Traditional gospel sounds like what was sung around the campfire in the 1940’s. No joke.

Since my previous post we completed our last DCFS monitoring visit before the adoption is final. We were required to meet with our social worker on a monthly basis for 6 months. In a rather anti-climatic last chapter to our family creation story, we will now simply wait to receive a Letter from the court stating the adoption is final. The Letter should arrive the first week of August. I’m sure it will come with no fanfare, bells or whistles, but I’m equally sure no other letter in my life will be quite as important.

There is more to write about the last 6 months. I’ve tried to document the way FlyGuy, LL and I have woven our lives into one fabric, but all pictures, blog posts and journal entries seem woefully inadequate when describing what it feels like to give up a life we’d all known and start a new life together.

These last 6 months were not all smooth sailing because the changes we went through were, at times, uncomfortable, delightful, painful and healing. The details of our joys and struggles would fill all the pages in a library, yet we await one last page the postman will bring in early August that will say it all.

My letter to Little Lassie’s birth parents is done and mailed. We opened a p.o. box for correspondence and will soon know if they would like to meet with us. It will be our first post placement meeting. I have mixed emotions about this meeting, but in my heart I know it is the right thing to do for LL.

Things have been hectic at the house. It started at church yesterday when I threw my back out. I’m finding it very difficult to lift Little Lassie who at the moment needs lots of love and cuddles because she’s sick. My Little Lass was finally able to keep crackers down for lunch today and she is still smiley, but she has a fever and I can tell she’s feeling pretty bad.

FlyGuy is out of town on business, so LL and I are going through our magazine and mail pile that accumulated while I was in DC. (I can only read “Who Says Moo?” so many times before my brain turns to mush.) We spread out the mail and magazines on the floor and page through them together. At the end of it, the living room is covered in paper and together we take the papers over to the recycling bin. Its a nice way to spend an hour when going outside is not an option.

Bath time at the end of the day is a favorite time for Little Lassie and I. Here are some before and after pictures of our nightly routine. Watching her brush her teeth is a real treat. She’s very intent on doing a good job.

Before:

After: