One Week

One week.  7 days.  A standard measurement of time that takes up the same amount of space on everyone's calendar.  The experience of this time, however, can change drastically depending on what is currently happening in one's life.  For the Denney family, those 7 days are the only thing remaining between a family of 3 and a family of 4.  Steve AND Maggie come home on August 4th, exactly a week from today.

I'm not even going to take the time right now to muse about the process of this adoption and all the emotions etc. that have been entangled in it (better saved for a time that I am not loathing to slip out of this chair and into my bed...which, by the way, is currently being occupied by a 10 year old boy who has been laying in his bed wide awake for the last hour and a half only to come into my room promising that he will fall asleep if he can share my bed...at 11:45 I couldn't care less ).  What I will say is that, as much as I have been blowing off and smoothing over comments like "Are you excited?" or "Are you running like mad to get things ready?" with an air of major motherly competency and coolness, the reality is sneaking up on me.  

This is huge for everyone.  Each family member has different emotions, insecurities, fears.  Feelings about coming, feelings about going, feelings about what is being lost or what is being gained.  Fitting in to roles that are expected or roles that are imagined.  Really, when it comes down to it, we are all a mess...a beautiful mess...a perfect composition in the art of "adding-a-member-to-your-family" mess. 

That being said,  we can't wait for you all to meet her!

From San Diego with longing and Uganda with love,

Ali