MERRY CHRISTMAS

Bob and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We are going to my parents in PA for the weekend. I am hoping my 7 year old nephew will help me get into the Christmas Spirit.

I also wanted to say thank you to all my new found friends that I have made in the last few months since starting this blog!!! You are all such a great source of support and ALWAYS know exactly what to say!!!

Have a great weekend!

CHINA ADOPTION IN THE NEWS....

O.k., so I've been going back and fourth about what I should post on the blog and what I shouldn't. I had to decide if I wanted this to be a place where I only post fun happy stuff or a place where I express my emotions and thoughts. So after a lot of thinking I decided that this should be a place where my family and friends can go and really follow our journey and not only posting the happy things but the not so happy stuff and the emotional roller coaster that International Adoptions brings.

So, with that said yesterday I came home from work to find three voice mails telling me that Channel Four news was doing a report about China Adoptions, one message said "Tracy did you know they are closing the china adoption program, another said "there's going to be a story about china changing it's requirements" the last two I never got to listen to because in a moment of panic I deleted them. So I turned on channel four but was too late, the story had already been aired. Well, from what I got was they pretty much said what I already knew, no singles, must be married for a minimum of two years, BMI under 40, no depression history, or be on medication, and a net value of $80,000! They did say these new requirements wouldn't go into effect until May 1, 2007!

Then, I come into work this morning and see the wall street journal has a story about the same thing. Our agency was quoted in it.

O.k., so I know that we are LID 7/6/06, already waiting over 5 months (that is hard to believe) and I have nothing to worry about BUT I can not help but worry, and think is this really going to happen??? I'm I waiting for a baby that isn't coming??

Tonight is my office holiday dinner.... I think I will be passing it up! Not much into celebrating!

NOT A WHOLE LOT TO REPORT....

There is not a lot of information to report right now. CCAA had their annual BIG meeting on December 8, 2006! Our agency was there and has given us an update on new information.

Apparently the wait is not going to decrease and may even increase in the coming months. Right now we are looking at a 15 to 16 month wait from the date we were LID, which is July 6, 2006! If that is true then we would see a referral around the Fall of 2007 more likely the beginning 2008! YIKES!!! I hate putting that in words! It makes it more real!!! I am still holding out for a referral at the end of 2007 and travel in the beginning of 2008!! That I can handle a little better.

Also during this big meeting it was discussed that new adoptive parent qualifications will be going into effect as well as new fees! Thankfully, neither of these pertain to Bob and I since we are already LID!! These will effect people who's dossiers arrive in China after May 1, 2007!! This is giving people that are still paper chasing a chance to make it in before the new rules!!!

I can tell you that I am glad that Bob and I are planning on Emma being an only child, I don't think I can handle this ride again!

That's all I have for now!!

FIVE MONTHS.....

Today is our 5th month anniversary of being LID! How many more months is anyone's guess!!!

GREAT SONG AND VIDEO

Music Video:WHEN LOVE TAKES YOU IN (by Steven Curtis Chapman)

Music Video Code provided by Video Code Zone

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.....

Today is exactly one year ago today that Bob and I started our official adoption journey. Tonight was the first group homestudy get together. Our agency conducted three group homestudy meetings. Two in December and on in January and then one home visit which we had in March. I remember exactly how I was feeling a year ago. I was sitting in this exact spot full of anticipation of what was to come. I had no idea just how overwhelming this journey was going to be. I remember when we arrived at our agency I had a small binder with me to start filling with all the necessary paper work we would be getting at these meetings. One of the social workers conducting the meeting looked at my binder, looked at me and gave me a big smile and said "you are going to need a much bigger binder" I think it was at that point that reality hit. That this was going to be so much more then we had ever imagined and after all the anxiety, uncertainty, paper work, finger printing, social worker visit, did I mention paper work, I would be sitting in the exact same spot a year later with only one thing on my mind.....Bringing Emma home!

So, tonight I think it is only fitting that we do what we did last year after we left our meeting. We are going to go home after work, order Chinese food and talk about Emma, and how much we already love this little girl that is half a world away maybe not even born yet but has every string attach to our hearts to hers.

LUNCH IN NYC - LITTLE ITALY

Bob and I had a great lunch on Saturday in Little Italy with our new friends!! It was so funny how much we all had in common by the one main thread....ADOPTION!

It was so nice to talk with other families going through exactly what Bob and I are going through and just talking for a couple of hours could make such a difference in how I was feeling! After lunch I had a new outlook on this journey and felt renewed!

We look forward to our next group get together!