Finally.

I'm sitting here waiting for the travel agent to call me back and trying to get my head together from the last few days.

We got our final approval to go get Loc.

It looks like we leave on July 17. YES, NEXT WEEK.

It's all happening so quickly -- more quickly than our agency predicted -- but I'm not complaining. So, we have a week to get visas, our second round of shots, our plane tickets, tie up loose ends at work, cut the grass, buy a stroller, pack, etc. etc. We're both out of our minds right now.

I got "The Call" while I was working at my company's annual convention. In fact, I was juggling a gazillion things at once, including trying to troubleshoot a snafu for a press conference that was starting in 15 minutes, when my agency director called and said, "Congratulations!"

Since then, it's been a whirlwind (could have used this weekend at home instead of being out of town, grumble, grumble), and today we got the travel date confirmed, and now I am really freaking out. How will I get everything done in time?

We had our travel meeting today with the other three couples who will be traveling with us. We're all getting along splendidly so far. They're getting tiny babies, so Loc will be the old man of the group. He plays with the babies at the orphanage, so I hope it'll help him to have some familiar faces around for the time we're there, and that we can all stay in touch as the kids grow up.

We'll first see Loc on July 20 for a couple hours, then we'll get him for good on the 21st. After that, we'll just be filing paperwork and hanging out, getting to know each other, until his passport is ready. We'll be in Vietnam about two and a half weeks, probably coming back August 3.

I can't believe it, but it's sinking in -- after all this waiting, it's almost time to go get him!