I'm drowning in lists...and updates on the process

Lists, lists, everywhere!  

My life is consumed with lists right now!  I don't know how else I would keep it straight, but I literally have two sheets every day:  One for "to do's for AAI" and one for "to do's for AKI".  At the end of the day I re-write my list for the next day taking off the things that I accomplished and transferring over the ones that still need finished up, often adding new items to the list.  I literally can not walk out of the house without my binder now.  I feel the need to be prepared with all of my paperwork if a situation may arise while I'm out that I could accomplish something!  I'm always brain storming ways to accomplish the things on the list faster.  I feel as though I am constantly making phone calls to try to "sweet talk" someone into doing us a favor when it comes to paperwork.  I'm asking someone to print something, someone to let me use their copier, someone to let me fax something.  I'm asking someone to fill something out, make a deposit for me, sign something.  It's absolutely amazing when you step back for a second and look at it.  I told Lincoln yesterday, adoption could literally be a 40 hour a week job!!  

I have no idea how fast I'm accomplishing this paperwork compared to everyone else who adopts, but I feel as though I'm doing it as quickly as I can while continuing to be a good wife and mother.  I had to take a step back today because I was filling out our background check forms to be faxed and Hunter came up and hugged me and bumped my arm.  I kind of snapped at him and then realized how silly it was for me to snap at him when I'm working toward another child.  If I can't be loving to the ones I have, why in the world would I get another one?!  It did make me think.  Not that I'm going to be any less driven on accomplishing my lists everyday, but I am determined not to let them interfere with Hunter, Graysen, and Lincoln.  

Updates on the process

We should have most of our paperwork done for our home study by next Wednesday.  We are sill missing our references. (she said she would send them out this week...)  We will also be missing our certificate for completing our 10 hours of adoption education.  From what I understand they only send those out at the end of every month, and since we didn't get it until too late in April, we will have to wait until the end of May.  Somewhere in this month we will have our in home visit and then she'll write up our home study and we'll be ready to send off our 1-600A!  Yippy!

We are waiting for our educational packet from AAI.  They said there is simply a lot of stuff to read over, but nothing to complete.  About 2 weeks after they send us that, they will send us our Dossier packet!  Woohoo!  I can't wait to dive into that - I'm hoping that I'll have several of the items already due to gathering so much for the home study.  We shall see I guess...!!!