Happy Birthday, Odin!

I've got mixed emotions about today. I am somewhat sad to be missing Odin's 1st Birthday, of course. I have thought of little else all day today, even while sitting in church listening to the sermon about the Church at Ephesus. I was awake at 1:05 this morning...thinking of our son and his birth mother...wondering what the wonderful ladies at SLC had in store for Odin's Big Day...wondering if his birth mother would visit him today...wondering if she is grateful to have him still in Taiwan today.

But, in keeping with the female tradition of being able to feel several different emotions at once, I am also happy today! I am happy that we are only 2 days away from boarding a plane to travel to the other side of the globe and pick Odin up! I am happy that he is safe and warm and well-fed. I am happy that he is with the ladies of SLC, knowing that they love him and take such great care of him. I am happy that he is with his friends...with Alex and Lucy and the other babies at SLC who are his constant playmates and sleepover buddies. I am happy that he is ours...that even as I type this there is a piece of paper somewhere in Taiwan that makes this little boy our son....OUR SON. Happy that no matter what, that's our boy.

I feel so lucky to be where we are in the process. We received the referral of Yueh-Hsu on September 21, 2007. The general rule after acceptance of a referral is travel in 4 to 6 months. We'll be picking him up 5 months and 11 days after referral. We're very much within the average wait time. There are two families we know of (Alex and Lucy's) who received referrals within days of us...and neither family has news of their decrees yet much less travel. I feel so blessed and lucky that it is our turn....and so sad at the same time for these other families.

I have been telling people all along that I hoped we would have Odin on his birthday. Ever since September when folks would ask, "So when are you going to get that baby?" I would answer them with, "His birthday is in February and we'll be thrilled if he's home by then!" Sure, it's not exactly the same as having him here in his high chair simultaneously chomping on a cupcake and wiping icing in his hair...but that day is coming...coming very soon...and I can't be too sad about that!