I have to say that this has been a totally different experience for me, especially as a woman. With our last two children...I carried them in my stomach for a llllooooonnnnnngggg time. I felt every kick and every move. I could share the experience with everyone. My husband and family and friends could feel the babies move in my belly. People treat you different when you are pregnant. My husband said that I was so beautiful when I was pregnant. He says I am beautiful now (is he trying to backtrack? just kidding!), but, he said that I had a different look.

Friends throw showers, strangers look at you with that sweet smile. You get pampered in ways that you don't normally get pampered. You don't have to scream to the whole world "Hey...I am having a baby!!", you don't have to yell because they can see it. They could see it with me without a doubt. I was pregnant in every area of my body that is for sure!!!

But, with our baby boy that we are about to adopt, there are no sweet smiles from strangers, no showers (not that we need one or need new things..that is not the issue), no kicks from the belly, no special treatment from others, just papers to be signed and more papers.

It all sounds so selfish, I know. But, let me say that I am most certainly not being selfish. I am just expressing how I have noticed from others how differently you are treated when you are carrying a child than adopting one.

Then, I realize that it's ok...we don't need a shower, we have all the things that he needs. When we hold him in our arms for that first meeting, it will be like he is kicking my belly for the first time. And when he looks at us with those beautiful blue eyes, who will care if anyone got pampered? All of that will wash away. When they declare him legally as our son and he is home and united with his sisters, who will care then who smiled at us? We are a family and that is what really matters.

P.S. My husband says that I have that "look" like I did when I was pregnant. He says that I am glowing. Maybe it is because I feel so blessed to have what I have. How did I get so lucky?