Things to do while you're waiting for THE CALL!

So many people have said to me that it must be torture waiting for this adoption. I guess it is sometimes, but really, we're usually so busy with EJ and her activities that the weeks fly by faster than they should.

However, I knew that the last few months of this would be torture, so here are some things I've been overscheduling myself with to keep my mind off the wait.

1. Cleaning the house! Yeah, I've been trying (sometimes more successfully than others) to downsize the quantity of miscellaneous "stuff" that one seems to accumulate over the years. I've been through the attic (and all of EJ's outgrown clothes and toys), the craft supplies, the dresser drawers, and about half of the kitchen cabinets. Still to do are the linen closet, the laundry room, bathroom cabinets, and my half of the closet.
2. COOK! Both K and I love to cook, so this one is easy. We've spent the last few weekends cooking meals that can be frozen for quick re-heating once we're back home with the baby.
3. Work out at the gym. I've been a little lax on this one for the last two weeks or so. I have been paying a lot of attention to a cardio workout, doing some running, elliptical machine, Zumba dance, and especially the stair climber (to help me get to the top of the Great Wall!). We both get good workouts in on Saturday morning at the Y, where EJ has 2 hours of swimming and gymnastics.
4. Think about baby names. Not that I'm ready to pick one yet, but at least I think or panic about it a lot.
5. Blog!!! I must spend an hour a day doing this now!
6. Read other people's blogs. I'm addicted. Especially to the Rumor Queen site and blogs focusing on traveling for adoption to China.
7. Scrapbooking. Except I haven't done this much lately. I try to do a book for each year of EJ's life, beginning each birthday. Well, she turned 7 last May, and that particular book is only up to the 4th of July for last year. One or two solid weekends and it will be caught up.
8. Puzzles. For some strange reason, we've been addicted to puzzles lately. It started when Santa brought E a 550 piece puzzle with three puppies on it (although her list specifically said three puppy puzzles - Santa decided to twist it up a bit). Then, we moved on to a 750 piece one, and we are now working on a 1000 piece one. Not sure where this pasttime came from, other than we've owned several large puzzles for years and hadn't cracked them open. Seemed like a good thing in this cold weather.
9. Quilting. Not that I've started this yet. Thank you all for the fabric! It's starting to slow down now, and I think I've got about 90+ squares with several more on the way. And in the process, EJ has decided I need to make her a Harry Potter quilt. I already have the squares, so that one should be easy to do. For the baby's quilt, I need to wash and dry all the fabric. Some people sent larger pieces, so I need to cut those down. And then, I need to work on the layout. I've been tinkering with a design that lays out the 100 squares in the shape of a heart, so I might try that. Of course, I need to buy background fabric and edging, etc. All in all, I don't think I'll be ready to stitch it until the end of this month.
10. Take up new hobbies and interests. Like I don't have enough things started! Last week, I attended a beading/jewelry-making class at a local bead shop. And EJ's dance instructor is going to offer a six-week session of tap dancing lessons for the moms. Why not?!? More exercise. Makes me sleep better.