Awaiting CIS approval

Ahh, stalking the mailbox has become something I am not proud of but a way of life for both me and Cortney! He frantically checks it if he beats me home from work and I check it 10 times a day if I am off work! I know that the mail doesn't come until around 4pm but that doesn't keep me from checking it all day long. LOL We aren't expecting the immigration approval until around Aug 10th but we are always hopeful that it will come early. Getting that approval means having a completely finished dossier (after it is authenticated) and then we are ready to wait for a referral.
In the meantime friends and family have gotten really excited about the process. My sister and her friend Angie have spent a great deal of time planning the baby shower that will happen soon after the referral. They have thought of some very wonderful things that we are going to do at the shower. I am so excited that they are so excited!
Cortney and I started the process of getting our vaccinations for the trip. He started out with Hep A, B, and DTaP. I got the yellow fever and typhoid shots. We both still have a few more to get but we are getting them out of the way early. The Hep vaccines are series shots but hopefully we won't make it to the end of the series (6 months away) before we travel! They told us that it was no big deal if we didn't.
I try to think of how it will be on the other side of this process. I try to imagine a little person filling up my home with laughter, screams, toys and LOVE. I try to remember how hard it was on my sister when she had little ones and how she cried because she was so tired or when they were basically inconsolable. I am a first time mom and I am guilty of romanticizing motherhood. I am sure there will be nothing like 18 hours on a plane with my little angel to bring me back to reality!!! I can't wait!!
Here's hoping for a treasure in my mailbox very soon!