Big News!

We got the word this morning that our paperwork finally cleared Florida's ICPC process! The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children is a set of regulations designed to protect children who are moving to pre-adoptive, foster, or corrective placements outside of their home state. It is absolutely necessary, but it is also a administrative nightmare. Our paperwork has had to cross several desks and has been scrutinized by the powers that be. The paperwork entered ICPC on May 17th and emerged today, June 28th, just shy of six weeks. In the grand scheme of things, this is really fast. We were told to anticipate 3-6 months. Still, it has felt like an eternity as we have been talking with our new daughters, and anxiously waiting to meet them and hold them for the first time.

The waiting is almost over! Arkansas ICPC now has to approve our paperwork and send it on to the girls' adoption specialist. As soon as she gets it, we'll hit the road and head to Arkansas to bring our girls home! My agenda for today has changed significantly!

• Pick up our van from the shop where it was getting new brakes, new motor mounts, and a tune-up
• Buy crossbars for the luggage rack on the van so we can install our car top luggage carrier
• Wash the car top luggage carrier
• Get the suitcases out of the attic
• Locate our vacuum pack bags
• Start informing friends and family that we're coming to town
• Line up our housesitter
• Put fresh sheets on the girls' beds
• Make a welcome home banner for our housesitter to hang on our garage on homecoming day
• Wrap up all work-related details that I can
• Help Matt with his work-related details

This is one happy mommy!