Enquiring minds want to know.....lately, the top two questions that I am asked in reference to MK happen to be about the adoption process and her birth family. Strangers as well as acquaintances will ask if the adoption was "hard". My direct response is not a simple one because, to me, it depends on how you look at it. The adoption process itself is busy. The paperwork is busy. The accumulation of notarized documents is busy. The communication with the necessary government officials is busy. Basically, what is known as the "paperchase" in adoption land is busy. For me, I liked this period because, though it was stressful at times, I felt as though I was getting somewhere, moving forward, I was working towards my ultimate goal of adding to our family. It is not hard, it is busy and it is not fast. Then the paperwork is over and the wait begins. The wait, and I am sure most would agree, is emotionally hard. But, then again, when getting pregnant, assuming one is trying to get pregnant, the wait to see if you are pregnant is emotionally hard too....then the disappointment sets in if the test shows a negative sign and the wait for yet another month to go by sets in, etc., etc. Adoption world is a similar road. Each month goes by and families wait to see if it is their turn yet, guess at when it may be their turn and dream about the child they long to have. The wait is emotional. The process is busy. As for birth family questions....many people will ask me if I ever think about what MK would be doing had she not been adopted. Honestly, not a lot. I will allow myself to wonder what MK's life would be like had she been adopted by another family....would she be the same child, would they make her laugh the way we do, would she be so silly, would she distribute the same prissiness that she shows with us, and the list would go on. Then I realize that God had a plan for her and us....He stepped in and brought us together, HE knew His plan for her and we are it. Her birthday was bittersweet as I did think, on that specific day, about her birthmother, the circumstances of MK's birth, the emotions that her birthmother had to have had - what were they? - I do wonder about that specific day. And on that specific day every year I am sure those thoughts will carouse through my mind as that is the one day of every year that I will share my daughter with a woman I will most likely never know. Sharing, one will be remembering giving MK life and the other will be celebrating the life that MK was given. But during our day to day life, the adoption card (as well as the cleft card) does not play into our lives and we really do not think about it unless someone asks. And I know MK will ask eventually and we will openly tell her everything and anything she wishes to know. However, we will not make anything up. The reality is that we don't have ALL of the answers to the questions she will have. Changing gears....MK's latest responses to questions always begin with a very long, southern accented "wellllll"....sometimes we get the "wellll, yes" and other times it is "welllll, no" but all the time it begins with the "welllll" and her hands are on her hips, eyes looking up as if she is truly pondering her answer. She is singing too....her current hit is "I love you mommy, daddy, Col-Col, Pryce"....and then repeat. She is talking to us more now and notices everything, especially if it does not meet her cleanliness standards. For example, today as we are riding in the car she says "oh no mommy, car mess". I looked over and the car beside us was one of those traveling billboards, you know, the multi-bright colored car with writing all over it. This puzzled her. As we approach the official 2 1/2 year old mark with her, I can hardly believe that she is growing up and changing so quickly. Time is flying....