Over The First Hurdle

It's official! We are DTC (Dossier To China) as of 01/20/06! The Agency sends out their travel guide as confirmation that your dossier was mailed and we received ours today. It covers everything from packing, to etiquette, bonding, and travel vaccinations (Measles and Typhoid and Rubella, Oh My!)

I have to point out that so far, G. has been content to leave the pouring over of materials and information to me. I have been appointed Handler of the Details. I read each handout and instruction sheet, all of the guides, all of the wisdom to be found on various message boards and then relay it to him in what I know must be excrutiating detail. Somebody's gotta do it. My motto is "If I have to read about it, he has to hear about it." Then, I gently instruct (read: nag, nag, nag) him on how best to accomplish the various tasks at hand. He does it or faces the wrath of me. All is well. What can I say, it works for us. Now before anyone... Bueler...Bueler... gets the idea in their pretty little heads that G. is not committed to this adoption, let me alleviate your fears by presenting Exhibit A.

I started making dinner and G. arrived home just a few minutes later. I showed him the letter confirming out DTC date and practically danced with glee. Although I am looking forward to perusing the travel guide, our current wait time to referral is estimated at 10-12 months, so we have time. G. seemed pleased that our documents have officially left the country, but then he noticed the travel details and you couldn't have pried them out of his hands for all the Toblerone in Switzerland. And let me tell you, the man loves his Toblerone. He spent the next hour reading it like it was the bible. But, maybe that's a bad analogy for us. Let's try again. He spent the next hour reading it like it was the first and only copy of a "Superman Meets Godzilla Who Just Battled The Silver Surfer" comic. Did I mention he really loves comic books. More than Toblerone. He's such a geek. Everyone knows that chocolate laced with honey and hazelnuts could kick Superman's and Godzilla's AND the Silver Surfer's ass any day of the week. He quoted, and he pointed, and he looked at average daily temperature charts for various cities in China. God, I could see the packing lists in his head. It was cute I tell ya.

Like the rest of us who have suffered through it, infertility has left it's scars on G. as well. It took him a little time to get used to the idea of adoption, but once he did he's been excited about it in a quiet kind of way. Like he didn't really believe it was going to happen. That travel guide made it real for him. I could see the realization come into his eyes that someday, there really will be a little person in our lives who adores him as much as I do. Who counts on him, and plays silly games with him, and pulls on his beard and his heart strings.

I heart the travel guide.