After the songs are done, a snack is offered and the moms and dads enjoy some much needed adult conversation. This morning's discussion settled on labour (specifically pain...epidural vs natural, induction, c-section, etc.). I listened to the women chat about the subject, but stayed quiet as I really don't have anything to contribute. Sometimes, it makes me sad that I wasn't the one to carry Cassie or that I have never (and will never) experience pregnancy or giving birth.
I listened to them discuss the pain of labour and their capacity to forget how intense it was. One woman said, "it's incredible how much you forget the pain once you see your child". On this, I could definitely agree! I hadn't realised just how much I had forgotten about the adoption process. You forget just how long you laboured over hundreds of pages of paperwork. You forget how intense the pain of a failed IVF cycle or adoption match was. You forget that it took years of pushing through the system to get to your child. You forget how scared you were when you started your home study. You forget how much you cried when things didn't go as planned. Well, maybe you never truly forget these things, but when you look at your child you know it was definitely worth it!
This is what 16 months of so worth the wait looks like. :-)