Nada, Nothing, Zilch

No new rumors to report. Rumor Queen is back up and running, but nothing new to report.

I did learn that there is a possibility that I will not be able to travel to China until after the Olympics. It is really all up in the air depending on when the referrals come in and scheduling everything. I was initially very disappointed and upset, but have recovered and realize there is nothing I can do to control it, so it is what it is. If that does end up being the case, I can only hope that I can travel before my I-171H expires on 9-28-08 so I don't have to renew that again! We shall see....

What's a Girl to do???

Server problems on the Rumor Queen Forum have sent the Chinese adoptive community (including myself) into a tizzy! What did people do before Al Gore invented the internet?? Sat by the phone waiting for a call?? Wait for the postman to deliver a letter???

I'm hoping the site will be back up and running tonight so I can stalk the boards for more rumors. The only update is that a second agency has confirmed that matching is taking place.

Testing the laptop

This is Agent "T". I am monitoring the situation and will intervene if my special services are required while double agent Sharon is detained. This is one of Sharon's many disguises.

Let me explain. The above post was a trial run for my back-up blogger, "T", who will post updates and pictures to the blog while I'm in China, in case I can't access Blogger. China blocks Blogger, so I have some backdoor tips through external servers, but not being technically savvy, I thought it best to have a plan "B".

Put Your Big Girl Panties On, Because the Rumors Have Started!!!

Someone has posted in the Rumor Queen Forum that their agency has posted a message that matching has begun. That means, that sitting on someone's desk at the CCAA in Beijing, is a file with my child's picture and history on it and a file with my picture and documents. The two will be matched....

"BeiJing Huanying Ni!"...Beijng Welcomes You

I'm a little behind in my Olympics trivia, but after finding this YouTube video on another blog, I wanted to learn the Mandarin version of the song.
That led to the discovery that the names of the five Olympic mascots spell out "Beijing Welcomes You". There's a nice little article about the mascots here. It's hard to read their names, but its Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini.

Map of Earthquake Area Orphanages

If you click here it will take you to a great website that shows a map of Sichuan province and the orphanages in that area. This site, Red Thread Maps, makes beautiful maps of the different provinces in China and on my list of things to order once I know MaryAlice's whereabouts.

I've had many people ask me this week if the earthquake will effect the adoption and my answer is, "I don't know." I've had people ask me if MaryAlice is in that area and again, "I don't know...I hope not". There is some peace in not knowing, at least for now. That may change in a couple of weeks. I feel for those parents who are waiting to go pick up their children from this area. I really feel for the people who are living through the devastation and loss. It is almost hard to fathom how terrible it is. There are many organizations in China that are reporting on the status of the orphanges...Half the Sky, Love Without Boundaries and Our Chinese Daughters Foundation. They have all set up donation links on their websites.

Latest RQ Predictions...Looks Like I'm Next!!

Can you believe it??? I can't. It is almost surreal. After waiting for over 29 months, the moment is almost here. Hell, after waiting all of my adult life, I'm finally going to be a mother. I feel so blessed that I have been given this opportunity and lucky that I didn't hesitate when I made the decision. I'm also fortunate to have the full support of my family and friends, who are there to help me take this leap of faith. The best is yet to come.

And now in the words of my father, "That's enough filler for tonight...I need a bowl of bran flakes".

Fingerprints Done...Again!!

This always cracks me up when I go to have my fingerprints done (third time in 2 1/2 years)...Terra Cotta Warriors right in Orlando at the fingerprint office!! They were working lickity split this morning, as it took me longer to get in my car and pull out of my neighborhood than it actually did to have them done. They're all done digitally, which begs the question...why do they need to be redone? It's not like they are going to change!

This may be a bit premature, but do I dare say..."I THINK I MAY BE NEXT!!" Stay tuned in early June for referral news. I'll probably be posting more often as the rumors start to come in the last part of May. I know my friends who got their referrals yesterday are still on cloud nine and have completely forgotten the 28 month wait.