We had our second to last home visit in this chapter of adopting Jaclyn. We were somewhat sleep deprived when the social worker arrived, and Jaclyn was getting ready to take her nap. She was her usual charming self, with a a pinch of carelessness due to her tiredness – which made our home life snapshot more realistic.
Twice a week in the morning Jaclyn puts her shoes on and says “Going to grammie and grampa! You stay here! You have a nice day too!” She spends 3-4 hours, and we get to work uninterrupted. Time flies when we both dive into invoices, shipments and taxes, and fulfilling orders. I’m amazed we haven’t mixed up any orders yet. I am overly cautions and triple check. It is costly and inconvenient to ship the wrong thing.
As she returns from her grandparents, for which I am grateful, and which time I try to not micromanage, we pay a sugar-high price. Growing up we had no candy or juice in the house. When Jaclyn drinks a lot of juice (when she usually drank milk) or eats cookies and popcorn for lunch, trying to take an afternoon nap is torturous. Her eyes are half closed but her body can’t settle down. She tried for 2 hours to fall asleep. I feel her pain, but we can’t turn back time. Sugar has consequences.
Life is hectic … yet wonderful. During these few hours of focused work, I remember the times we had no responsibility … just a few months ago. While that sounds delightful, the grand scheme of things paints a different picture. With Purpose. And Daily transformation. Also The excitement of the future. As a childless couple the happiest you can be is now. Trying to live in the present. Racing to gulp in the-happy-now… but that is psychologically tiring as we learned. If we get a moment of peace and quiet, and glimpse into the future, it looks so different than it did 2 years ago. It’s exciting and wondrous. And undoubtedly challenging in its own way.
In the mean time, our challenge is to take away the sugar temptations. Mama is onboard with it. I think she is finally believing me when I say, why I say “no more sugar!” as Jaclyn tried unsuccessfully to sleep there a few times.