Update!

I have found out so much more about Miss H (yes, she has a name!) and her life in the last 2 days, including pictures from both a family that visited the Social Welfare Institute (SWI) of Yujiang in Jiangxi province where she resides, and my agency.  The picture below shows her at 26 mo and I have included a picture of her big sis (Miss J) when she was 27 mo.  Isn't she beautiful!!!  Well, both of them!  Miss H is very healthy, which is reassuring.

It is getting very exciting to prepare for the trip and try to think ahead of what the new routine will be like this summer.  We have so much to show Miss H!!  For friends and family, I have decided to restart a blog to limit exposure (and I can be more candid).   For RQ friends, please PM me on the forum if you would like to follow along!

Thanks everyone for the well wishes and support.

Miss H @ SWI (26 mo old)

Miss J (27 mo)

Here she is!

The documents are still being translated, but her birth date appears to be February 10, 2010. She is so cute, and looks like Miss J at around the same age. I don't yet know what province she is in. More info to follow once I have it.  I just want to go and get her now as she has been waiting too long for her forever family...

Referral Pictures

We are in!

From Europe, cut-off is August 31. Our log-in date is August 28. Finally our turn. So exciting!!

"Working on Matches"

This was today's rumor on the RQ website.  It is an advance over "organizing paperwork".  The next best thing will be the rumor or announcement of the cut-off date (fingers crossed to extend past my log-in date of 28Aug06).  Then the stork starts flying the referrals across the ocean (maybe a 2-day process?).  So slowly...but soon....

Return of Cocoa and Bubbles

After the gym on the weekends, a group of us get together for coffee, snacks, and gab. This has been going on for years, like 15 or so. The hangout for the past 10 years has been the mall in which the gym is located. And in the outdoor seating area is a water fountain (except over the winter holidays when it is a poinsettia tree). Anyway, last year there was a pair of ducks that made the mall/fountain their home for most of the summer. Miss J and friend "K" dubbed them Cocoa and Bubbles (they are clearly a couple!). But suddenly one day towards the end of summer they were gone. We had heard rumors that some store owners were not thrilled with this wild life presence, and we feared that they had been "relocated", or something worse. But lo and behold, they reappeared on Sunday looking plump and happy. Miss J was thrilled and spent nearly an hour talking to them, feeding them, following them, etc. She humored me and let me take her picture.

And on the subject of rumors, the authority in China that does the matching of babies to families has been said today to be "organizing paperwork". This is encouraging!!! Maybe news of the cut-off by Friday and the actual referral early next?!? It is a nerve-wracking exciting time!

Miss J, Bubbles, & Cocoa

Watching Cocoa root around in the planter.

Disneyland

Trying a blog today with pictures.  These are from last week's trip to Disneyland with friends "K" and "B".  We had fun and Thunder Mountain was our favorite ride.  The 40-minute wait was worth it to be able to scream for 2 minutes.  Wonderful stress reliever!
 

Miss J

She LOVES cotton candy!

Me and Miss J waiting in line at the Haunted Mansion (not so scary... but dark!)

February Referrals to August 21, 2006

On the positive side, China has referred again about 4 weeks after the last batch of referrals.  And let's give another positive that it is hoped this approximately monthly pattern of referrals continues.  Because quite honestly, looking at poll criteria from Rumor Queen and the "equivalent" European site, there is virtually only a handful of families logged in right now before my date (August 28, 2006; exactly 5.5 years next week!).  This February batch was the smallest batch, maybe ever, since the RQ site has been up (I think it dates back to 2005/2006), and if I am not in March, then the batch would appear to half or more of that again.  Crazy (my go-to phrase these days).  Thus, based on this highly un-scientific analysis, I am feeling very hopeful for March.  And until then, I can be thankful for Miss J and spend the time cleaning out closets and drawers.  Which is good, because I tend to make myself feel better about the whole "waiting" situation by buying baby clothes (keeping all tags on and receipts because as I have said, this is all crazy, and maybe she will be an older baby and not younger [<1 year] like some recent referrals).  For certain, she will be so worth it....maybe I should decide on her name!!!

First Blog

First blog attempt...ever!  Miss J and I, along with cats M and m, are awaiting news of "my baby sister".  For most of the 5.5 year wait that has transpired to date, I have not really mentioned to Miss J this new addition to the family.  But 4 or 5 months ago I figured I better start preparing her for this major life adjustment, although the number of referrals from China seem to be only a trickle....  That aside, I broached the topic by telling her that we were going to add a baby to our family.  To which she quipped "I thought your tummy was getting bigger"!  Uh no, we had to review again the concept of birth mothers and adoptive mothers.  And I am certainly doing more abdominal crunches.... So we wait, and wait, and if you are a believer of the Rumor Queen website (it's okay if you have no clue what I am referring to), then our log-in date is up on deck.  I am hopeful to be in February's set of referrals (China pretty much predictably refers every month), or March for sure.  Depressing to think it could be any later than that.  We are READY!  This blog will hit on the highlights of finding out about Miss ? (yes, no name yet), preparing for her arrival, and the adoption process that will include what I anticipate to be another wonderful trip to China.  Exactly which province?  Stay tuned.