We took a few down days, to process the adoption that didn’t happen, but then somehow swung back into action.

Friends had offered to swap the adult bed we had in the kids-to-be room for these great bunk beds, but Jay felt we might be tempting fate by moving on the furniture before we were sure about the kids. When the placement fell through I knew he was right to hold back. I figured we’d deep-six the bed exchange until better news.

Yet something got us going again, and the weekend was a flurry of disassembling, hauling, and assembling. (Hey! who just muttered “OCD” under her breath? Come on, be nice!)

Whatever diagnosis was responsible, it felt good to be taking action. There was the fun of discovering our friends’ adorable kid sheets: trucks, rockets, airplanes, gnomes. There was the bittersweet joy seeing their 14-year-old ready to put star wars sheets behind him and move toward adulthood.

But most of all, at the end of it, there was a real, live kids’ room in our house. Kind of like a sign on the roof: “Dear universe, we’re ready for what you have in store for us!”

We’re still dealing with our disappointment, after feeling like becoming dads was imminent.   But we’re also prepared for the next call. Who knows, it could be any day now!