Donate old/ unused items.  Your house is getting ready to be hit by a tornado of child related products, the likes of which you’ve never seen or experienced before.  Make some space by clearing out all the non-essential clutter you have hiding in the closets.

Have a yard sale.  If you have some items that you can earn a little cash from, why not go ahead and have a yard sale?  You can use the money to help pay for some of your adoption related expenses.

Decorate the child’s room.  You may not know if you should be buying Disney Princess or Hanna Montana, but you can pick out furniture, and color schemes.  If you aren't into painting just yet, check out some of those static cling stickers for the walls.  They have a ton of different designs and themes, and once you are tired of them, they come right down!

Go shopping.  Again you may not know what size clothes to buy, but if you are adopting a child under the age of 3, you will need a high chair and other baby/ toddler items that can be picked out while you wait.  Other essential items like children’s shampoo, extra wash clothes, hairbrush, bubble bath, and so forth can also be bought ahead of time so you can focus on your child when he or she comes home, and not on your shopping list.

Make a scrapbook.  This can either evolve into your child’s Lifebook once he or she arrives, or be a great addition to your child’s Lifebook.  Looking through the book and seeing how anxious the family was to find just the right child to join their family can help an older child to feel more secure in the family and begin bonding with them.

Keep a journal.  The adoption process is such an emotional roller coaster that by the time you are finished with it, the entire experience feels like a blurry whirlwind of raw emotion.  Don’t lose those little moments, write a little something each night and you will cherish having saved those thoughts and feelings later on down the road, when you glance back at all of those little memories that had begun to fade.

Write letters to your child.  Tell him or her how nervous you are, how excited you are, how anxious you are to come together and be a family.  Even after the child comes home you can continue to write letters to your child and add a new one to his or her Lifebook every year.

Go on vacation.  Take some time away to enjoy life just as it is right now.  Leave your worries, fears, and anxiousness behind and enjoy your family just as it is. 

Read about adoption.  Keep yourself informed on adoption issues.  You can never know too much about adoption!  The more informed you are the better you will be at spotting potential problems and working your way around them.   

Related Articles:

• Choosing an Adoption Agency
• Adjustment Period for Private Infant Adoption
• Adoption Types, Costs, and Timelines

Image Credit: whatmegsaid