“You’re Being Notarized”

Today I had to bring in some plumbers and electricians to get estimates on various repair projects. When I called one plumber to schedule the appointment, he kept asking me if I was related to so-and-so, who had a similar, but different, surname. Nope. When he showed up today for the estimate, the first thing he said to me was that he figured out why my name was so familiar. “You’re the one who writes for [XYZ] magazines,” he said – he’d seen my byline in some publications I frequently write for. “Just think” he said, “you’re being notarized.” I had to suppress a chuckle -- little did he know just how much I’ve been notarized lately!

It does seem that some days there are reminders everywhere of this adoption process. For one, I know I’m not the only future adoptive parent who suddenly feels surrounded by a herd of pregnant women. They’re everywhere! No offense to pregnant women. Some of my good friends have been or are pregnant women. But I swear that unbeknownst to me, the last 12 months were declared National Pregnancy Year.

Some reminders are in the unlikeliest of places. The other day when I was at the post office, there it was again – the letters DTV on a license plate! I’ve seen PAP on license plates, too. (And in certain medical exam rooms I’d rather avoid.) This phenomenon isn’t unique to adoption. When I was diagnosed with leukemia just about 8 years ago – and this reminds me, it was actually January of 2000 that I had my first inkling of a little problem when blood work came back abnormal; it just took three months to get a diagnosis, so I guess this is my “soft” anniversary date (an inside joke for you, um, PAPs out there). Anyway. I also started seeing acronyms for various leukemias and medical procedures everywhere I turned, and also on license plates. And now it’s adoption. For Pete’s sake, there’s even a channel on DIRECTV called “DTV” and every time I flip by it, I do an involuntary double-take, like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, was that something about Vietnam adoptions?!” Oh, just DIRECTV. Gets me every time.



So, yes, I’ve been notarized, PAP’d, DTV’d, and hopefully some day, AP’d and MOM’d.



One more thing about the plumber, by the way: I had a few plumbers in who estimated a repair job for my main bath/tub at several hundred dollars. But this other plumber, who may have gotten his terminology mixed up, was the only one who told me a simple, five-minute fix would take care of the problem – and it did. And he did not charge me a cent, even when I tried to insist. He just said to remember him the next time I needed a plumber. So for those of you who live near me (you know who you are), if you ever need a plumber, let me know, and I will pass along his name. He may notarize you, too!