Under Contract

After receiving the offer last Tuesday (was it last week?) and spending some time going back and forth, our house is now under contract. We are set to close April 24th as long as everything goes well with the home inspection and appraisal! It has been such an answer to prayer

But after signing the papers, I went into complete overload. The pressure of working to get an acceptable offer, making decisions without Gabe, and the reality of moving were almost too much. It is very hard for me to turn my mind off on a normal day, so with so much going on I didn't sleep much for a few days. Thankfully, I have great friends who were able to calm me down.  I spent one night at a Joe Nichols concert and the next at a rodeo.  It was a great way to put my thoughts of scheduling and packing on a shelf and give myself time to reboot. And the topping on the cake is that I got some email contact with Gabe for a few days, so he's in the loop.

My life still has many unknowns, but at least I'm moving forward.  I am working with Gabe's old unit here in town to schedule shipping our household goods, my car, and the flight for Gibbs and me. And all are going to be at different times. But it's do-able.

The biggest decision now is whether or not to suspend our adoption.  We are given a 9 month hold for instances such as moving, having a baby, an emergency, or just any reason. During that time, we are not presented to any birthmothers and it doesn't count as time on our contract. We haven't made any decisions yet, but I did call and spoke with our coordinator and let her know what's going on in our life.  I've told her that we can't accept a baby before July. It was so hard for me to be ok with that, but it will take a month or more once I get to Hawaii to get a homestudy done again. Also, Gabe and I have been praying that we can prepare to be parents while we wait.  And part of being good parents is putting our child before ourselves.  And that starts now. Sure, I could say 'yes' to a baby tomorrow, but I'd be moving in April (out of our house), then moving again in June (to Hawaii). Not having stability for a child isn't good. It is so hard for me to make a conscience decision that keeps us from bringing home a baby sooner, but I know it's the right thing.