FYI

Saw this in the Single Adopt China yahoo group. Not the book but a very interesting and thought provoking article was referenced. It can be found here. The article comes from the book above. It seems like an awesome book. It can be purchased here. They also have some other really cool adoption related items for purchase on this site and they take PAYPAL. It's worth checking out!

LID 11 Months Today

YeeHaaa! What can I say? Not much. No idea how much longer I have to wait. Another fellow single China adopter described her experience with the wait on her blog a few day's ago. She said that basically while each month brings her closer to her referral she also ends up having to push her expected referral time back by yet another month due to the minimal LID's worth of referrals issued that month therefore feeling like she is in a standstill. Well said and exactly how I feel!!

Warm Fuzzies

I am always looking for new blogs to read or anything involving China adoption for that matter. Here are two wonderful blogs worth checking out. Both of them leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling........ Blog one is the latest Love Without Boundaries Travel Blog. They do wonderful things (similar to "Operation Smile" around here. The children are beautiful. Blog two is about a wonderful woman who is living over in China and fosters quite a few babies all on her own with the help of volunteers. She actually seeks out babies from various orphanages that she hears about. These are babies that would benefit from any extra TLC available. She and her team of volunteers do amazing work!

100 Good Wishes Quilt Update

Here are the Pictures that Karri sent me of the top of Abby's quilt. I think it looks great so far. She still needs to do the backing. I want to again Thank everyone who took the time to send Abby and I a quilt square and a wish! This quilt represents a part of Abby's heritage. I promise to make sure that she will always know and cherish the Abundance of Love and Good Wishes that helped make this Quilt So SPECIAL. Now go ahead and scroll down. If you click on the picture it will get larger. Can you spot your square????

They are coming!

Congratulations to all you lucky Mommy's and Daddy's. I can't wait to see the pictures posted! For the rest of us according to Rumor Queen things may be looking up! I am crossing my fingers!

Referrals

The roller coaster ride continues. No referrals yet. Rumor has it maybe Thursday they will arrive. We all wait and hold our breath to see what this months cutoff date will be. Hang in there all you August LID'ers. This has got to be awful for you. My prayers go out to you as you wait...

Mean while it has been speculated that even though no referrals were received during the month of October this may not necessarily mean that the CCAA has skipped a month. I won't try and explain the rationale behind that statement because frankly I just don't get it. No referrals issued in October seems to me to be a skipped month no matter how much you try and sugarcoat it. Unless maybe........ a batch of referral's are issued the first AND the Last week of November. So the cliffhanger continues.............

Patience and Tolerance

Where are the referrals?

Gosh the rumors are all over the place right now! Not sure what to believe. Oh the power the CCAA has over us. Anyone else feel like this?

Christmas Stocking

Here is Abby's Christmas Stocking. The women who is making her 100 Good Wishes Quilt made it for her out of the left over fabric I had saved. I got the idea from another blog that I had read a long time ago. I asked her if she would be able to do this for me and she had no problem.



She sent me some pictures of the stocking today. I love it! It turned out beautifully don't you think?

She made the stocking reversible. I can't wait to see the quilt.......

Homestudy update done

My Homestudy update today was quick and painless. All in all I would say our meeting was 15 or 20 minutes long. Wow 500 dollars for that????? I think I may be in the wrong profession. I also told her that I had been thinking about moving. Still in my neighborhood but into a house verses the condo I currently live in. I really want a yard. So I asked her if it would be another 500 dollars to update my homestudy again for the move. She said, " Oh no! It would only be 300 dollars for that." ????????? Again I think I am in the wrong profession.

As far as any new info that I was able to get out of her...... Not so much! She told me that right now the wait for China referral was running around 11 (I don't think so) to 14 months (duh). I asked her to clarify some of the rumors that I had heard. She hadn't heard or didn't think the wait would go to 2 years. She hadn't heard that China was going to close down to singles but did seem to think that they were going to lower the quota for singles. She did not seem to know why the wait has gotten so long either but did tell me that It seemed like China was getting pickier with their approval process. With that being said though I wouldn't count on any of that being accurate. She is on the ditzy side. She thought I already had my referral! HELLO!!!!

Anyway one more bridge crossed! Now on to my refingerprints.

Home Study Update tomorrow!

I have been cleaning like crazy! I have my home study update tomorrow morning. I have to admit that redoing the required documents was a lot easier this time around since I didn't have to have them notarized. Still I'm just plain nervous. I haven't seen her in a year and with my added pseudo pregnancy pounds I am afraid she will say something. When I was in high school and stressed I didn't eat. Lost mega weight on my post "breakup diets". Okay now I know that was not healthy. Not to worry though cause now I eat when I am stressed and we all know there is a lot of stress going on right now. I also have a little more debt then before with adoption bills, home improvements, and the all important retail therapy. My net worth is still way positive and I also have more in my savings and retirement then I did last time so hopefully I will break even.

Oh and I most definitely plan on pumping my social worker to see what she knows or what her thoughts are about this ever growing wait.

On the lighter side

Surely none of our children will ever do this :)

In Need of an Attitude Ajustment!

Rumor has it that referrals due out sometime next week will only be issued for those logged in through August 23. While I am HAPPY for all of those lucky families, this is not good news for me. Remember I was logged in on December 7th. This means that I still have all of the waiting families that were logged in from August 24th through December 6th ahead of me. 2 months have now passed with August referrals issued. That means it will have taken the CCAA 3 months just to get through all of the referrals issued to families that were logged in during the month of August. That is ASSUMING that the CCAA finishes the month of August next month! So take 3 months for a months worth of referrals times the roughly 3 months left until my log in date plus next month for the rest of August and possibly another month to actually get into December and I am looking at 10 MORE months!!!!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, D*@# I hate this freakin uncertainty! Sorry but sometimes you just have to vent. Going to go be sick now........

100 Good Wishes Quilt Update

I'm so excited. Tomorrow I am sending off all of the quilt squares Abby and I received for her 100 Good Wishes Quilt. They are off to a wonderful lady in England who specializes in making these quilts. Pictured above is the fabric I finally found for the backing of the quilt. I found it on Ebay. The front of the quilt will be bordered in red as well. I can't wait to see it completed.

Thank you everybody that sent Abby and I all of the wonderful wishes and quilt squares!!!! We will treasure this quilt forever! I will be sure to post pictures once the quilt is completed. I will also be sure to post a picture of Abby wrapped up in her quilt once I finally have her home. I can't wait for that day!!!!

Somewhere................

FYI

If you go to abc.com you can watch entire episodes of some of your favorite shows that you may have missed. Pretty cool!

A new McDreamy fan

Okay so where have I been? I always find the good shows late. I watched the seasons premiere of Grey's Anatomy this year and got hooked. I bought the first season and watched it in 2 days. Then I rented the second season and finished that up yesterday. Now I am all caught up. Don't know how I missed it before. Even though it is a little unrealistic at times I really like it.

Another Halloween without Abby

I thought for sure that I would have Abby home with me for this Halloween. We all know that didn't happen...... Not to worry retail therapy always makes me feel better. I found these Treats for my future little Gremlin to wear next year.

This is Crazy!

How Smart Is Your Right Foot?

This is so funny that it will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying it at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot.
But you can't!!!

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction!!!

I told you so... And there is nothing you can do about it

LID 10 Months Today!

Wow! Ten months have now passed since I have been logged in with the CCAA. Now I'm smack dab in the middle of updating my homestudy and still have the redoing of my fingerprints and my I 171 to look forward to as well. I'm not liking the rumors or shall I say the speculations that are out there right now. If they prove true and it really does take the CCAA 2 or 3 months to get through each 1 months worth of LID's then I may very well have to update and redo the above paperwork yet again. Say it isn't so!!!!

Happy Moon Festival

The Autumn Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a popular celebration of abundance and togetherness dating back to China's Song Dynasty over 1000 years ago. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the Western calendar. At this time, the moon is at its fullest and brightest, marking an ideal time to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest, and reminding many of the lore of the mythical Moon Goddess, Chang O.

On this special day, people worship in temples and hold happy reunions at home. Sons and daughters will bring their family members back to their parents' house for a reunion. Sometimes people who have already settled overseas will come back to visit their parents on that day.
After nightfall they stroll under the stars to view the brightest and fullest moon of the year. Children run around with bright, colourful lanterns in many different designs and shapes. The adults usually indulge in eating many varieties of moon cakes with hot tea. Other traditional treats include pomelo, persimmon, steamed taro dipped in sugar and roasted chestnuts.
Families, relations and friends gather to enjoy the full moon, a symbol of promise for abundance, of harmony and luck. Some will beseech the beautiful Moon Goddess of Immortality for protection as well as family unity.

The traditional food of this festival is the moon cake, of which there are many different varieties. Moon cakes can be bought in Chinese grocery stores and bakeries. The small cakes are very rich, with fillings made of lotus seed paste with anywhere from one to four salted egg yolks in the centre, lotus seed paste with melon seeds, black bean paste with mincemeat (like the filling of a Christmas pie), and all of the above with assorted nuts. Prices vary depending on the ingredients

A Tale of Two Kitties

Warning OT post. For those of you who joined my blog late in the game I actually have 2 cats. You might not know that because Quackers pretty much gets all of the photo opportunities. Cassie is such a sweetheart. I call her my bedroom cat because that is where she mostly stays. Luckily it is a good sized bedroom so she has a lot of space and windows to look out of.

Both Cassie and Quackers are "Pet Smart" rescue kitties. I got them at the same time in hopes that they would be buddies. This has never happened. When they first came Quackers was so timid and Cassie basically fell into my arms. 24 hrs later and Quackers attacked Cassie. The fact that Quackers has claws and Cassie doesn't just makes things worse. She has suffered some bad scratches. So I keep them apart when I am not home. My bedroom door stays shut. When I am home sometimes I open it. Cassie goes right under the bed and stays there till I come to bed and shut the door. If Quackers ventures in there before that time there may or may not be a fight. By the time I get in there Quackers is racing out from under the bed so I don't really know who initiates the hostilities. I also bring Cassie out to sit on the couch with me on occasion. She doesn't like it though but will eventually settle down and sleep or hang out. Quackers usually uses that time to explore my room then eventually comes out and settles on my other couch. They then tolerate each other but a lot of stinky eyes are passed.

Bottom point is that these girls need to get along. This needs to happen before Abby gets here. If your still with me after this long post? I would welcome any ideas that would get my babies together.........

Abby's Red Blanket

I had a wonderful surprise waiting for me on my porch when I got home tonight. Abby's Grandma Littlefield made her a beautiful blanket. She enclosed a note with the blanket telling me that she had made this blanket in celebration of Abby.

She wrote, "The ladybugs should bring you good luck in your journey. The binding represents the red string which binds you to her. The tag on the corner represents the silky my daughter used to go to sleep throughout her childhood. I hope you take it with you when you go to China to wrap Abby in. The warmth of this blanket represents all of us wrapping her in our love."

I then told her about one of the story books I had received for Abby last year. A book that tells of a single mother and her journey to China where she gives her daughter her own red blanket. She was amazed to hear of this book and it's relationship to the blanket. It's another "Red Thread" for Abby's story as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks Melanie for this wonderful surprise! I love it and will definately bring it to China with me. You can count on plenty of pictures of Abby wrapped in it. Love ya, Jenny

Quackers New Bed?

I couldn't find her tonight. I knew this would happen sooner or later thats why I had thrown the blanket in there to cover up the bedding........ Oh well , at least somebody is using the crib!

September Referrals

My Congrats to all the new Mommies and Daddys out there. 18 days worth of referrals were received for the month of September. More days this time but not a whole months worth as was hoped. Oh well I am happy for the lucky parents this go round, but once again I have to say, "Lets wait and see what happens next month........"

Referrals

Oh the excitement! Referrals are on the way. I can't wait to see how far into August they get!

I'm In The MATCHING ROOM!!

Okay Blogger won't let me upload the photo right now but According to the CCAA all dossiers logged in with the CCAA by December 31, 2006 are now out of the review room. I am so EXCITED! This is really the first feeling of progress that I have had in ages!

What does this mean for Abby and I? I will have to wait and see. It's not uncommon for dossiers to hang out in the matching room for several months waiting for parent and baby files to be matched together.... I have herd some rumblings out there that people with dossiers logged in during February of 2006 have been contacted by the CCAA for more information. Maybe things are starting to speed up? Maybe the wait is finally starting to stabilize as predicted. Referrals anticipated this month are expected soon. It will be very interesting to see how far past July 22, 2006 they get this time. Stay tuned....... and yippee!!!!

Something to think about while we wait.

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. "Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge But it just wasn't there. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm,and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me." Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You." I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy.But, if You want me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him.....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil.4:13)

PLEASE NEVER FORGET!

On the eve of September 11th

WHOEVER WROTE THIS SHOULD STEP FORWARD AND CLAIM IT! THE WORDS ARE POWERFUL:
TWO THOUSAND ONE, NINE ELEVEN (2001-911) Two thousand one, nine eleven Three thousand plus arrive in heaven As they pass through the gate, Thousands more appear in wait A bearded man with stovepipe hat Steps forward saying, "Lets sit, let’s chat" They settle down in seats of clouds A man named Martin shouts out proud "I have a dream!" and once he did The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives." Groups of soldiers in blue and gray Others in khaki, and green then say "We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine" The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain." From a man on sticks one could hear "The only thing we have to fear. The Newcomer said, "We know the rest, Trust us sir, we've passed that test." "Courage doesn't hide in caves You can't bury freedom, in a grave," The Newcomers had heard this voice before A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannis port shores A silence fell within the mist Somehow the Newcomer knew that this Meant time had come for her to say What was in the hearts of the five thousand plus that day "Back on Earth, we wrote reports, Watched our children play in sports Worked our gardens, sang our songs Went to church and clipped coupons We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought Unlike you, great we're not" The tall man in the stovepipe hat Stood and said, "Don't talk lik e that! Look at your country, look and see You died for freedom, just like me" Then, before them all appeared a scene Of rubbled streets and twisted beams Death, destruction, smoke and dust And people working just 'cause they must Hauling ash, lifting stones, Knee deep in hell, but not alone "Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman Side by side helping their fellow man!" So said Martin, as he watched the scene "Even from nightmares, can be born a dream." Down below three firemen raised The colors high into ashen haze The soldiers above had seen it before On Iwo Jima back in '45 The man on sticks studied everything closely Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly "I see pain, I see tears, I see sorrow -- but I don't see fear." "You left behind husbands and wives Daughters and sons and so many lives Are suffering now because of this wrong But look very closely. You're not really gone. All of those people, even those who've never met you All of their lives, they'll never forget you Don't you see what has happened? Don't you see what you've done? You've brought them together, together as one. With that the man in the stovepipe hat said "Take my hand," and from there he led Three thousand plus heroes, Newcomers to heaven On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven Author UNKNOWN (What a shame!)\

Ladybug Sighting?

What a wonderful surprise I received in the mail a couple days ago. Adorable ladybug bloomers for Abby from her Florida Grandparents. I called them last night to thank them and they asked me if had found the surprise tucked inside them. I was so taken with the cuteness of the bloomers that I missed the surprise. Tucked inside the bloomers was a check for Abby and I to assist with the expenses involved with the renewal of my soon to be expired paperwork.

Thanks Dad and Melanie! You shouldn't have but I am glad that you did! I love you both and can't wait for the day that you guys get to meet Abby in person........

LID 9 MONTHS TODAY

9 months down today. How much longer to go? I have no idea. Currently people have been waiting around 13 months for their referral. The rumors are not good right now. Most seem to point to a June 2007 referral for me. That seems years away to me. 9 more months essentially..... My paperwork will reach their expire dates soon. Fun Fun Fun as I get to redo my fingerprints, I 171, update my home study with new documents ect. All for none too small a fee I'll add.


I e-mailed my agency yesterday to ask them why we are not being given any answers as to why the wait has grown so long. They replied with an interesting concept that I hadn't thought of. Essentially saying that our (China and the USA) cultures are different. We here in the USA expect and are usually given information to our questions. China on the other hand evidently doesn't think that way therefore seeing nothing wrong with their adoption process. Or the lack of information they release. I guess it boils down to what your "norm" is. This makes it hard for all of us in the end being that we both see things so differently.

So there you have it. Stay tuned as my wait continues.

Abby's Crib is DONE!!!

Meet Abby's Uncle Pete! He came over tonight and finished up Abby's Crib. It turned out nicely. He did a good job finishing up for Meema who has a lot on her plate right now.

Oh Oh, Quackers found something different in her house. Wonder what she will do when there is a baby in there?

Also had to share what I bought with my birthday money. Isn't she beautiful?

Review Room

Guess this means that I am officially in the review room. I actually believe that I have been there for a while. I have been seeing multiple rumors on other sites from people that have herd of people who have been contacted by the CCAA to request more information. These people contacted were also logged in to the CCAA in December like I was. These rumors have been around for several weeks. Still it's nice to see it officially in print.

The big question is how long will I be in there and what happens after that? Not sure how long my file will be reviewed. Could be 1 month or several. After that (God willing that I am officially approved!) My file moves on to the matching room! It is there that Abby and I will be officially matched. Unfortunately while it seems that I am almost done that is really not the case. There are many families waiting for their referrals still ahead of me. You can see on the left that they are only up to families that have been logged in by July 22. The current rumor is that Septembers referrals will only include July 23 through July 28. I am trying to remember that this is only a rumor!

Meanwhile please pray that my file will pass smoothly through the review room and inro the matching room.......