Preparations

One of the most challenging issues I'm facing at this point in the adoption process is dealing with all the unknowns. Since I don't know the gender or the age of the child, it is quite difficult to do a lot of preparation ahead of time; however, I cannot just sit around doing nothing, so I'm trying to do whatever I can to make some progress prior to the referral. Once that referral arrives, then the mad rush to decorate the room and buy clothes, etc. will begin.

In July, I was inspired to go ahead and tackle the decoration of the spare bathroom for the baby. While visiting Len's daughter, I admired her decor for her son's bathroom, and inquired about it. After looking on E-bay, I found the shower curtain, trash can, tissue box cover, soap dispenser, rugs, and towels. Since the dogs and cats are "gender neutral," and I happen to love animals, this worked out perfectly. Last night I finished up the bathroom, and I am pretty pleased with the result. The most exciting thing. . . . . .I didn't have to repaint!!

Because I occasionally feel the need to pretend I'm creative, I free-handed a dog and cat based on the pattern from the shower curtain and framed them for the blank wall by the mirror. Considering my lack of talent, I was fairly impressed with the outcome.