July 3, 2007 started out like any ole day after Trip 1. It was pretty low-key. I'd finished most everything at work that had a big deadline, and was ready for a relaxing Independence Day off from work. I'm quite positive that I spent a few chunks of time, that day, thinking about my little boy, in the baby home in far east Russia. Hoping he was healthy and happy.

About 5 days earlier, I had posted about nesting...and being ready for a court date...and I was to the point that I felt like a completely broken record. I was afraid that you all would get tired of hearing me whine and leave me high & dry for someone a bit cheerier. On July 2, I tagged myself (pathetic, I know, but I had to do something other than whine!) and began filling out one of those silly surveys about what kind of salad dressing I like, whether or not I'd ever been knocked unconscious, and - if given the opportunity to change my name - what I would choose.

Either I got bored with the survey, or figured I would just finish it the next day...because it never got posted. I'm quite certain that my plan had been to just finish it and post it on July 3. But that afternoon, something happened that caused me to forget all about that survey until I just looked at my posting queue a minute ago. I won't go into the details, because you can go back & read all about it if you want to.

But I love these pictures, and am so glad that I had some co-workers (who also happen to be good friends) to share the moment with me.

A certain little boy had no clue that this crazy woman, who he had only met once...was crying over receiving official word that she would soon be his mama. While he played and ate and slept, he had no idea of all the last minute details that were being seen to in the 3 weeks following that phone call - and how his life would change at the end of that 3 weeks. I don't know that any of us had a true idea of how our lives would change. Oh, but I'm so glad they did.