A Bicycle Built for Three

Husband officially started back to work this week.  It's been a settling-in process, but so far it's gone pretty smoothly.  Some of his former customers still remember him and seem happy to have him back.  As a result, we are finally ready to re-submit our home study; we hope to have everything ready before the new year. As we reach this exciting milestone, it's hard to believe how far we've come since this summer.  How has it already been six months since we made our first visit to the agency?  Those six months have been the longest and the shortest in my life.  Realizing how close we are to finally being on the table, knowing that a call could come anytime, is surreal.  However, it also creates a lot of self-doubt.  What if the call never comes?  What if it comes but it's not right?  What if it comes but doesn't become what we want it to be?  The questions can become overwhelming, and it's hard not to wonder what would have happ...

We've just returned from our annual Thanksgiving trip to my sister's house.  While the trip itself was hard (many hours in the car, a bit too much togetherness, and some less than pleasant driving through bad weather), it's always welcome.  We can't wait to say hello, and we dread when we have to say goodbye. The house is always full for Thanksgiving.  Including my brother-in-law's family along with our own, we typically have:  10 adults, five children, four dogs, numerous rounds of Rummikub, a constant stream of food, and laughter that fills the house.  It's loud and messy and overwhelming and warm.  It's not without its stressful moments, but what holiday isn't?  Family is family.  We are fortunate that both sides can come together and mesh so well. Over the last few years I've fantasized about us getting to come to Thanksgiving with our own child; I'd get to share parenting stories with my sister and her sister-in-law, and we'd sit bac...