I'm sad that it's been since January since I've blogged! I'm blogging for two of my classes this semester, which is taking up pretty much all of my blogging time... but it's spring break, so I'm taking a few minutes to catch up!

I finished writing my thesis a couple of weeks ago and will be defending it on Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April). I'm really excited, but also pretty nervous. With so much happening in the Anglican Communion since I submitted it, I'm going to have a lot to answer for that's not in there, so I'm trying to keep up on all the latest news. I guess that's one of the downfalls of being topical ;o)

The two big events on the horizon are Fuego's 30th birthday coming up the week after Easter (I can't wait to take a little holiday of my own and hang out with some good friends), and the "Phone Call" that could come ANY DAY NOW to let us know we have a baby!

We've been preparing now since last October, and pretty much everything is in order now. We've been officially approved by the agency -- everything is signed and filed -- so now we're just keeping a sharp ear out for the phone to ring.

When we signed our home study last Monday, our social worker told us that we could expect to wait about two or three weeks before the phone could start ringing, but it could be shorter than that as well. The initial wait is the agency getting our file out to the agencies around CA, after which they'll give us a ring anytime they have a potential match! When they call they'll give us a synopsis of the information they have on the child -- age, gender, any known disabilities, family situation, etc., and then if we think it might be a match, we set up a meeting where they give us the "full disclosure" on the child. If we still think it's a match, we get to meet them and the next stage is bringing them home (wow).

This has been quite a process for us and we're entirely stoked about it.

Ginger and Fred have been exercising every skill they have to prepare us during these past few weeks... it seems they can sense that we're close to having a major change in our family dynamic, and they are NEEEEEEDY right now. They give us constant attention, whine, yowl, lick, nip at our ankles, snuggle up to us on the couch and the bed, beg to be picked up and played with -- pretty much anything they can do to focus every bit of our attention that they can get on themselves. Since most of you know us pretty well, you've probably guessed that we love it.

I think fuego even posted some pictures of me "slinging" Fred whilst finishing my thesis. (That's a terribly under used word, "whilst," I rather like it =o). When I'm enmeshed in homework up to my ears, the last thing I need is a kitty biting my ankles, jumping repeatedly on my lap, patting his paws at my face and laying down on my keyboard. Unable to explain to my feline first born that "daddy is busy," I can't just shun his love when it isn't "convenient," so I tried out the baby's sling on him and he loves it. He goes to sleep for a couple of hours, I get to finish my homework for the night in peace, and everyone is happy. I realize that it is good that I'm finishing school in a month and a half since I don't think Fred would really understand why there would be a new pink primate in HIS sling rather than him when I'm doing my homework ;o)