Monday, January 31, 2005

August referrals up to mid-August

Some weeks ago I wrote the closer we seem get, the less certain everything seems to become.

Today and yesterday, I have been watching the news from other families those who had dossiers in China in late July and up to around the 23rd August last year receive news of their referrals.

I am thrilled for them all, however this means a wait of a month for us. Our predicted timeline is for the call about a month from now in early March and travel to China around the end of the first week in May.

For those couples in the same position as us last month and this, my heart aches for you. The rollercoaster of the last couple of weeks, the waiting and agony of not really knowing has been truly gut-wrenching.

Yet each day is a day closer. We are both pleased to have the wonderful support of families that care and support us - and we know that there are other great Mom's and Dad's in anticipation of joining us on our flight to China with a common goal in May. We all feel the same way and cannot wait.

With the snow on the ground, May seems a lifetime away, but tomorrow is the First of February and one month closer with sad depressing January behind us.



Friday, January 14, 2005

January 14

This has been a roller coaaster of a week as with DTC of late August and the split of the July referrals we sit on the cusp of good news in February or later. If later we are aware of the trade show in China that effectively halts the adoption program for about a month as the hotels are booked by businessmen for the annual trade fair.

Nobody in America really knows the timelines and sometimes not knowing is really hard. Starting our adoption journey, other parents had told us that the hardest was the waiting after the paperchasing. This wait tests you and even my sunny optimistic disposition has seen more than a couple of black clouds this week in the wait.


Saturday, January 08, 2005

The waiting...

It would seem that not everyone who had their dossiers logged in with the CCAA in July received a referral this week. The latest is around the 25th, leaving a number of frustrated parents waiting another month. Our concern is that as our dossier was logged in on August 30th, will we be included in the next group of referrals due around this time next month (possibly) or will their be a break as has happened with July.

It seems that the closer we get to the refferal date the longer and harder the wait seems to become. My patience is starting to unravel as I yearn for news that will start our journey to China.

It is a heartwarming thought that our dossier has found its way to the matching room. Perhaps the match was made last week, or perhaps we are one of the matches to be made next week. Knowing that we have reached the matching room is not enough now and we both have a desire to know what is going on over 6,500 miles away.

January is a sad time of the year, it is cold, the color of Christmas has been packed away and the house while warm and cosy lacks the magic of Christmas over the fireplace, dangling from a tree, hung over doorways and windows. Since October the house has prepared for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, now in the darkest days of the year with no celebrations to deck the halls with, we wait and wonder and pray.

February brings more than a possible referral, it also brings Chinese New Year, as the Year of the Monkey, a wonderful year moves into the Year of the Rooster.

But this is still over a month away and it seems like a very long wait indeed.

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

January 4

Today we have discovered that there is a strong supposition that those adopting with their dossiers log into the CCAA system last July have been matched and that referrals are being sent to respective agencies over the next couple of days. All things being equal February 10 many of the parents DTC July will be holding referral photos and on the brink of the next steps of their journey.

There are rumours that the August group is large and may be split, although previous similar rumours have never been substantiatated. So again all things being equal, it is fair to assume that the dossier for Taney & I is sitting in the matching room as I submit this entry. It has possibly been sitting their for a month or two slowly rotating toward the top of the pile to be matched. This could be any day and the prospect of this alone is very exciting.

Again, all things being equal CCAA if CCAA do not split August there is a possibility that referrals are sent from China to the agencies this time next month. Allowing a few days for the couriers to arrive in the US and for the papers to be translated and the families like us to be contacted initally by phone, on or around February 10 I hope to have some great news to share.

Again, all things being equal travel to China will be 6 to 8 weeks later. The end of March is a huge trade conference in the country that effectively suspends the travel plans for adopting parents as their is no room at the hotels. So let us guess-timate that travel to China could well be just after Easter in early April. Spring will have arived, the clocks will be changing to summer time and the worst of a Pennsylvanian winter will be coughing perhaps a final snowfall.

The actual dates of travel will not be confirmed until approx 7-14 days before the date of travel so for those of you offering questions, anticipate vauge answers as it is possible the closer we get the less certain the final details will be until just before we leave.

As we have always expected we anticipate our port of entry being Hong Kong with travel in and around China as needed returning 10 to 14 days after with little blossom.

I honestly cannot express just how excited I am, standing on the threshold of inclusion in the next group of referrals is incredibly awesome and yet humbling.