Ni Hao, Peng you!

Hello, Friends!

I can successfully count to 100, tell you the date and time of day, and tell you who my family members are, if shown a picture, in Mandarin. That's what 5 Mandarin classes will teach you. I expect to be fluent by December. Of course, I also expect to have won the Lotto by then, as well!! Funny how those expectations can come back to bite you!! Like, I expected to be home with Mary Alice by this Christmas...not going to happen. And, I expected to be able to run a 10K race in October....definitely not going to happen!!

Life doesn't always turn out like you expect...Thank God! If things had happened differently in my life, I might not be embarking on this incredible journey that not everyone is so fortunate to be able to make.

There are referral rumors in the air...hoping they'll get into December 2005, at least a couple of days. The CCAA will be closed next week for the National Labor Holiday, so we believe they will be working over the weekend to finish up matches and getting them in the mail.

I'm gearing up to get back into "Crossing Things Off The List" mode. This includes things like:

1) Get fence gate replaced.
2) Hang pictures in the nursery.
3) Clean out closets (again)!
4) Call daycares (again)!
5) Install straps on bookcases.
6) Repair flooring in shed.
7) Decide on drainfield replacement.
8) Learn how to operate video camera.
9) Finish reading adoption/parenting/China History books.
10) Have carpets steam-cleaned.
11) Start climbing stairs again in preparation for Great Wall.
12) Start reviewing packing lists.

By the way, I feel fairly confident that given the wait and expected time of referral, that Mary Alice has already been born. So, if you could include her in your prayers; that she is warm, well fed and receiving TLC...that would be much appreciated. And also for her birth mother, who will make an adoption plan under unimaginable circumstances...for her, I am thankful.

Great Blog!!!

One of the Waiting Moms, Christine, in my January Yahoo Group is in China for a month volunteering at a foster home called Starfish. She's ten days behind me (LID 1-26-06) and is naming her little girl Mary Anne. Anyway, she's posted some great entries and photos about her trip here. Just a warning, there's music on the blog if you open it at work, but if you can listen to the song, its beautiful.

Little Bit O'This, Little Bit O'That

Its been awhile since I've posted anything new, but there's not much new to post, unfortunately. This month's referrals came out on 9-4-07 and they made it to 11-25-2005, so that means there are 52 LID days in front of me. I feel like I've been saying, "Another six months" for the past 18 months, but that is the reality of an ever shifting target. So this begs the question, "Will I become a mother before my 43rd birthday?"

I was thinking about some things that I could post that might interest those who visit the blog who are not waiting parents ('cause they already know this stuff) and I decided to share some information about what happens when I get "The Call".

I feel fairly confident that I'll know the day that I'll be getting "The Call" and I plan on having the video camera with me to record "The Birth". One of the single, waiting moms, Stephe, put together a script of questions to make sure to ask when my agency calls. Here's some of what is included:

Date/Time of Call
Person Calling
Child's Chinese Name
Translation of Name
Date of Birth
Height/Weight and date measured
Other Medical Information
What does she look like?
Full Name of Orphanage/City/Province
Has she been in foster care?
Can her picture be e-mailed or do I have to wait for FedEx delivery?
Current Travel date estimate

I believe my agancy does not email photos, but send the information packet via FedEx, so there'll be a delay in posting photos. Then the calls will start for "The Announcement"...not much work getting done at the office after that. I've got a bottle of champagne at the office ready to chill for the event, too.

That's about it for now. Sorry so boring!!