Everything step feels HUGE!!

Could I possibly be in Kazakhstan in ONE month? I've always said I work better under pressure and I feel each passing day is so very important. I try to get two or three things done each day in my preparations for travel.

I don't know why ... but every little step seems like a HUGE step to me. There are so many important details to consider. Packing for 6 weeks for me and the baby in just two suitcases is enough to give me a breakdown! Is my mass of required paperwork current and perfect ... because Lord knows ... every i must be dotted and every t must be crossed or is it i's crossed and t's dotted? I've done so much paperwork over the last two years that at this point, it's hard to tell! I think it must be BOTH! Ha!

Today, I went to an International Travel Clinic and got my Hepatitus A and Hepatitus B, tetanus, and typhoid shots. They also were kind enough to supply me with Cipro to battle traveler's diarrhea. I was "schooled" about health risks. DON'T DRINK THE WATER! Don't even brush your teeth with it. Don't open your mouth in the shower! I'm so paranoid now, I'll probably end up dehydrated! (smile)

My dear friend, Beth Gliatta, took me to Babies R Us and Target to do my "baby registry" this past weekend. I swear I don't know what I would have done without her ... her "Mama" expertise was invaluable! I didn't know boys and girls wore different diapers! Oh ... that's just the start of it! The whole experience made me feel quite inadequate! It was a little embarrassing ... so thank God she's a good friend!! I had no idea that picking out a stroller and car seat could be so exciting!! The experience kept me in butterflies and made me feel so much closer to being there ... Kazakhstan, that is. A baby shower is being planned by my work buddies for October 7th! I wonder if they have a clue what this means to me? Hmm ... I think they do.

One concern I'm facing is my I-171H ... all important document ... expires in mid-November. This could be mid-trip. I can't return home with the baby without a renewed one. BUT I'll be in Kazakhstan when the renewal arrives in my mailbox at home ... so it will have to be mailed overseas to me. Talk about faith.

I'm beginning to think that faith is what this is all about.