Reason We Are Adopting

We have waited almost 8 years to have a family. We have been married 10 years and started researching how we could have a family a couple years after we were married. I am a hemophilia carrier and our biological child would have had or carried this disease. My Dad has this disease. I have seen him suffer more that you can imagine and he acts like it is no big deal... as I pass out on the floor. He is the strongest man I know and his doctor tells him so too . I lost a very dear cousin to the disease. That was one of worst things that has ever happened in my life, losing a cousin who was young, incredibly smart and he could make you laugh at absolutely nothing. He was my oldest cousin so we looked up to him and he set an excellent example for us. So then my husband and I decided we would try IVF with PGD (Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis). I spent 18 months sending letters to insurance agencies, doctors, hempophilia supporters, etc. The procedure was a one shot deal. I did not get anywhere and was so frustrated all of the time. My husband kept on mentioning adopting from China to me several times along the way, and we even had several signs along the way that I think back know and realize the signs was there, but I was caught up in what I was doing and wasn't paying attention. Finally I realized that the signs were there the entire time at my nephew #3 baptism. I cried all the way there and when we sit down we are sitting behind two beautiful girls who were adopted from China. It hit me, and I cried. I knew this is what we were to do!

Xin-nian Kuai-le! Happy New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year in China. Chinese New Year is the most important of Chinese festivals. It celebrates family, ancestors and looks forward to the future. All houses must be cleaned before New Years Day and all cleaning things put away. Sweeping and dusting cannot be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. Children are allowed to be a little naughty without getting into trouble because it is believed that an unhappy child will cry all year. Hopefully our little one was a good little one today!

Today I am dreaming of our baby, and hoping that she is having a good day and celebrating it the way that any baby can. I hope that her crib has been cleaned with fresh sheets, and her clothes and diaper have been too! I hope that someone gave her a red envelope with good luck in it and someone brought her oranges and tangerines to make her baby food with. But most of all, I can only wish that she was able to celebrate Chinese New Year in way that I will only read about and try my hardest to replicate. For now Xin-nian Kuai-le Baobei! (Happy New Year Baby!)

As you know China is almost 14 hours ahead of the U.S. I was awoke about 2 a.m. and was thinking of what was happening in China and hoping that all good fortune was under way!

15th or the 18th

Here is what a website that I frequent said today, and Man, Oh Man! was I about to have a heart attack!

"Enough places are saying the 15th is included that I think it probably is, so I’ll give it an R4 that the 15th is included.
A few places are saying the cut-off is the 18th, but I’m keeping that at an R2 right now, because I’m only seeing one source that appears to be an agency, with the rest sounding like they are just repeating the one original source. "

Turns out that only up to the 15th was included, so we wait for one more month! But that it! Uh Huh! Our roller coaster ride will finally be over! After exactly 5 years and 5 months today of waiting. Of course that does not include the paperwork chase that took us nearly 9/10 months to complete.

Our LID is 8/17/06, so paperwork needs to be matched for two days for us to be included in next months batch. Within the last year referrals have included 3 - 14 days of referrals each month, so I think it should be a piece of cake!

This evening was nice to visit with my MIL and FIL and cuter than ever little nephew (#4)who is 4 years old. My MIL makes her specialty speghettti that is out of this world Yumm-O! My cuter than ever nephew refers to it as spu'sghetti! He is just a doll! Boog even got a slup or two!

Review Matching

The website that I frequent post today is that a U.S. agency has noted that the China is starting to review paperwork to begin matching. Maybe we will know in the next few days how many days they plan to process. In the meantime I have lots of work to do around the house. I need to make room in our kitchen cabinets for baby plates, sippy cups, baby food, etc. Actually, this is one of the many things to do on my list. I better get busy!

Coincidence Or A Sign?

Today I had the chance to flip open my calendar to the month of January 2012. I work in accounting and if you work in accounting you will know why it takes four business day into the new month to finally be able to switch your calendar to that current month. Ha! Ha! Anyways, on with my story... several years back I think maybe 2008 I had a Mary Engelbreit calendar. The calendar was one that had cute pictures or a little sentimental sayings on it each day of the year. One of the pages caught my eye and I saved it and posted it on my bulletin at work and have kept it ever since. The saying says, "If you have reached the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." The picture is of a darling dark headed little girl hanging onto her rope tied into a knot. It has in ways helped me get through our long wait to adopt our child from China. Today when I flipped open my new calendar (from my doctors office=fields and streams and not Mary Engelbreit) the saying on my new calendar is "If you have reached the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."