HOPE'S CLOSET!

We had a very exciting week-end! Hope now has a beautiful new closet to fill with lots of dresses and dolls!

Happy Birthday!

Today marks the one year anniversary of our adoption request being officially logged into the database at the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs, giving us an LID of 3/22/06.

I wasn't sure what I was going to write about today since I have such mixed feelings, and most of them sad. Yet when I opened up my blog this morning and saw the "Happy Birthday" message on my little "Puff the Magic Dragon" ticker I had to smile. If only his magic could make time fly to the day we will see our little girls face...

I am feeling sad, impatient and out of control this morning. I truly believed a year ago that we would be either in China or home with our daughter by now. Here I am today without faith that we will have her in our arms before our 2nd anniversary. Yet, it does look possible, at this point, I am not going to get my hopes up.

My friend, Amiee, who is also in the process of adopting and almost ready to have her paperwork sent to China. When she realized that my 'anniversary' was coming up she asked, "What are you going to do on the 22nd?" I was taken aback, I really didn't feel it was something to celebrate. The thought of waiting a year, with almost another year wait was just too overwhelming to think of as a time to 'Celebrate!"

Then came her response, "Yeah, but think of those of us just starting out, I would LOVE to have a year under my belt!" So I have to say she put me in my place. I need to look at this time as a gift. I am over the hump and I have gotten another year of one on one time with my son. God has his plan, my glass is full!

Hear my prayer,

Oh Lord, You know all my thoughts and desires. In Your loving wisdom, You have set the perfect time for me to be joined with the daughter of my heart.

Help me Lord to have patience, so that the days will pass filled with purpose and hope.

Lord fill my days of wait, with service to my loved ones. Help me to surround them with love and joy that I might be a blessing to them.

Lord, please keep my baby girl safe in your loving arms. Whisper to her when she is sleeping "I love you." And when she is crying, kiss the tears from her sweet cheeks.

Protect her from hunger or cold or hurt in any way, for I, her mother, can't be there right now. Please Lord, take my place until I get there.

Lord, show her butterflies and smiles. Let her hear music and laughter and feel warm hugs and comfort. Fill her with Your abounding love and tell her that I desperately love her and I am waiting...patiently.

Amen

CCAA Update!!!

On Monday the rumors turned quickly into fact when October families began to receive their referrals.

The CCAA processed referrals through October 24 but a few families with October 31st LID's got theirs as well. However, at least one family with a 24th LID was skipped.

This referral batch showed a whopping 11 days of LID's after a 32 day wait. Yet the RQ polls show that those 11 days had around 224 families, so this is in keeping with the average number of babies referred each month. This is not a slow down. There were just a lot of families logged in, in the month of October.

My predictions have not changed, I believe we are still going to be referred sometime in December or January. However, at this point with 5 months of families in line in front of us... it is just too early to tell!

The best news is that ALL of March is now out of Review and into the Matching room and the CCAA is still updating their web-site with Document Processing updates!

Not bad news, not a miracle, just status quo!