Delivery Confirmed !

The hubby and I received this email today:


Welcome to the Referral phase of the adoption process! Your dossier was hand delivered to the China Center of Adoption Affairs on July 27, 2009. This email contains helpful information regarding what to expect during this phase.

Now that your dossier has been received by the CCAA, it will soon be registered and you will be given a Log-in-Date (LID). Your LID is the date your dossier was registered with the CCAA.

Please note that dossiers are typically registered with the CCAA within 30 days after they are received in China, however, we won’t receive your log in date from the CCAA immediately. It may take up to eight weeks for the CCAA to send us confirmation of your registration date. We will notify you via email the day we receive confirmation of your LID from the CCAA. From that point on, you can chart the movement of your dossier by following your LID month in our Places Everyone email. The Places Everyone email will be sent to you on the 15th of every month.

This can be the most challenging period that you will experience, because after all that you have accomplished, you must now simply wait for your referral. But remember, this experience is what you decide to make of it, so think positive! To help occupy your time, we encourage families to learn about the Chinese culture, language and history. Many families decide to start a journal to document their adoption journey. You can also take this time to plan for your child’s future, and to consider the many decisions that parenthood will present.


I still can't believe it! We are on our way to becoming parents : )

Chinese Word of the Day

怒火
nùhuǒ
/ (n) rage; fury /

Finally ...the dossier is on its way to China!

Our dossier was shipped to China yesterday. It's hard to believe we are officially done with all the paperwork. Our agency said we can expect about a 6 week wait to receive our log in date. Although we are years away from getting a daughter I can feel the nesting instinct starting already. I have started to organize and throw away stuff I have been hoarding for years. How I became such a collector of stuff baffles me. I know I am a memory keeper for sure, saving things given to me by the people I have loved and who have loved me back. But do I really need every greeting card ever given to me? Once you hit forty that's a lot of paper.


I spent the last week at a young writers retreat. I received graduate credit for working with high school kids on creative writing. It was so amazing and totally restored my faith in humanity and the power of youth. These kids were so honest and so talented. Each one with their own personality, writing style and voice. To say I was inspired was an understatement. This experience was magical. My dream to teach was completely renewed. Any fears I may have had were put to rest. Teaching rules and I can't wait to have my own classroom.

Chinese Word of the Day

掌声

zhǎngshēng

/ applause /

State Department THEN Beijing ...

A small faux pas on my part. Our dossier was just couriered to the state department. I mentioned on my July 6th post that Homeland Security/Immigration was the last step before the final trip to Beijing. I guess I am so excited about being done with the paperwork I forgot this step. Thank goodness my husband is on the ball. The state department takes a few weeks and then we will be set for "Chinese Delivery."

Yesterday I received a phone message at home from my mother-in-law. She was babysitting our niece Alexis and apparently Alexis wanted to talk to us. As soon as I walked in the front door I called the "Florida Contingency" i.e. our family down south. After dealing with annoying adults all day it's kind of refreshing to speak to a four year old. Alexis and her parents and brothers are going to Orlando later this week to meet with the friends they met on their adoption adventure in China. When I asked my niece if she was going to see Mickey Mouse she said "No! I am visit with my friends from China." There is nothing like a child's perspective on the important things in life. She then went on to explain how she has her own apron at her Grandma's house and she is putting it on to help with dinner. I can't wait to have our little one here so she can visit my inlaws and help Grandma too. (smile)

Chinese Word of the Day

可以
kěyǐ
/ can / may / possible / able to /

Out of the mouths of babes....

Just a random thought/observation for the day:


I am not one to chase the celebrity drama that seems to unfold on a daily basis. Sure, I read Perez Hilton once in a while and even check in at people.com occasionally. Today I watched a bit of the Michael Jackson tribute online. At the end of the ceremony the Jackson family, including Michael's children, got up to say a few words. The most poignant part of this whole circus was when Michael's 11 year old daughter Paris some how had the courage to step up to the microphone to say a few words to the throngs of people at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy was the best father you could ever imagine. I just wanted to say I love him so much."

Regardless of what anyone thinks they know about this man's personal life, his struggles, his poor judgement...whatever....he meant the world to his children. I can only hope and pray that they are cared for, loved and protected in what will most likely be a horrible tug of war for their father's empire.

Chinese Word of the Day

伴侣

bànlǚ

/ companion / mate / partner/

Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part...

The final approval from homeland security/immigration finally came last week. The letters deem my husband and I eligible to be international adoptive parents to one female child from China. This letter (one for each of us) grants us permission to bring a child to the United States and make her a citizen. My husband was home when the letters arrived. He called me in the office to tell me about this last step in the approval process. My eyes filled with tears of joy and my attempts to remain composed were futile. Thank goodness most folks were on vacation so I could calmly make my way to the ladies room to fix my make up without any fanfare or prying questions. It’s hard keeping quiet about one of the most important events in my life when I am at work. Unfortunately, with all the layoffs going on I do not need anyone knowing my personal business. I have seen many moms lose their jobs for taking “approved” maternity leave and asking for flexible work arrangements.

As I write this, our application is being reviewed at the Chinese consulate. Once that is complete our whole dossier will be mailed to the Center for Chinese Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing. They will review it, hopefully will find no errors and give us a log in date (LID). Our lives will be tied to this date as we wait. Last year the wait time for a referral was about 39 months because of the Olympics in Beijing. Chinese adoptions almost came to a standstill. Now that things are picking up again the wait time has been reduced to 31 months. Out social worker was confident that we’d be looking at around 24 months by the time they caught up. Technically there is a good chance that our daughter has not even been conceived yet. As abandoned children make their way through the system, the CCAA reviews each case and matches the children to prospective parents. The Chinese take great pride in this matching system and it seems to be a well kept secret on how they actually do it. They look at pictures of waiting parents and their profiles and somehow fit a child who matches not just their personalities but health backgrounds as well. It is completely fascinating. In my head I am hearing the old Calgon commercial: “ancient Chinese secret.”

While we are patiently waiting my husband and I are both finishing college degrees: his in economics and mine in education. I started cleaning out over stuffed storage closets as we beginning planning to move our home office downstairs. It’s amazing how much junk a couple can accumulate after 9 years of marriage. We both have pack rat tendencies, holding on to things that need to be thrown away or donated. What we should do is have a yard sale and put the money away for our trip to China. I am trying to remain positive about the waiting thinking we have plenty of time to prepare for our child. Most couples only get nine months!

It’s funny how the thought of becoming a parent has affected me. Now that the paperwork has been completed I have switched into an awareness mode. I pay even more attention to world news, the environment and educational issues. I find myself constantly thinking “How can I be a better person for my child?” It makes me think about the movie As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. At one point in the movie, Carol (Helen Hunt) asks the self absorbed Melvin (Jack Nicholson) to give her a complement. Jack looks at her and says “You make me want to be a better person.” I can totally relate.

The Chinese word of the day

旋转
xuánzhuǎn
/ whirl /