Forever a family. Congratulations, Amy, Greg, and Lexie. And to think a week ago today, Mom and Dad didn't have any idea you would be together on this perfect day, March 12, 2007! We are so happy for you all, and will be following you every step of the way. Amy..if you are out there, I am waiting with my tennies on to help you go grocery shopping when you come home. I can shop with the best of 'em!
Our new friends, Amy and Greg, are leaving for China TOMORROW morning!! The last week was so crazy for them..one day they were told they were leaving on March 20th, the next minute it was not going to be until mid April or even May.. then it was going to be March 12th.. then, on March 8th, they found out they were leaving in TWO days!!
The roller coaster just never seems to end..but the most important thing is they are packed and getting ready to leave for the 3 weeks in China they have been looking forward to for over 2 years. Congrats, Amy and Greg..Lexie is almost home!
Our friends, Amy and Greg, received the referral of their daughter from China today. After 15 long long long months of waiting (a total of 2 years from the start), she's finally on her way home! Lexie is 13 months old, stands up, loves to babble, had two teeth at 9 months old and weighed in at 15 pounds. Amy and Greg will go to China, to the Guandong province to pick up their daughter in 1-2 months.
Isn't she just beautiful and as precious as can be? Her eyes speak her story, and she is already so loved and adored.
The Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs posted this update today. Translation: Families who have log in dates (LIDs) of September 9th through September 27th, 2005 have been matched with their children, so these families will be receiving pictures and details about their daughters (or sons) today and over the next few days, depending on their agency processes. Congratulations!!! I have lots of family blog following to do!
I'm just going to share the facts, and try not to get caught up in what this could mean to us because at any given time, things could change. It is the unknown that we live with every day that can be all-consuming, so I just try to stay busy and know that God's gift will come when He is ready.
Basically, there were 19 days worth of matches this month. Last month there were 14 days. In November, there were 16 days. So, its safe to assume that all families who were logged in (officially on the waiting list) on or before September 27, 2005 have received their matches, or of course, have brought them home.
We have 396 referral days to go for our LID of 10-27-06. Since our LID, we have been waiting 69 days. It has been 224 days since we made application to our agency for the initial approval.
Now, for those that ask, when do you expect to have your daughter? If you do the math with the current trend of lets say 15 referral days per month, that is approximately another 26 months, which would be March 2009. Ouch. Our agency predicted (the best they could based on past trends) that we would have a wait of 14-16 months for our referral from LID. So, then that would be December of this year through February of 2008. We are all praying that there will be a miracle speed up at the CCAA, and that we will at least know of our daughter by Christmas of 2007. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Want the good news? This is also based on assumptions of past trends/actions, but as of right now, its rumored that the CCAA is reviewing dossiers for April of 2006. The "review" room does just that..they review the adoptive family "applications", for lack of a better word, with ALL that info we provided, in order to ask any additional questions or request further information. It is in the review room that we feel our last "approval' mark takes place. As it stands, I think our dossier will be in this review room by May/June of this year.
I feel like if we can make it out of the review room, we will at least know that we are definitely going to be matched with our child (that's called the "match" room, which is totally separate and on a different time schedule). Typically, there wouldn't be much concern about making it through the review room ,but since the CCAA recently made a lot of changes to their guidelines, there is still some uncertainty... will we truly be "grandfathered" in with the most recent guidelines, or will they begin judging the applicants based on the new ones??? Our agency seems to think we will be "grandfathered", but China has the right to do whatever they want, so you just never know. Of course we know there are never any guarantees, and I chose our agency because of their reputation ("if you are approved with CCAI, you can feel confident you will be granted a child"), but at least I could sleep a little more soundly at this point.
So, the way I am trying to look at this is-we are on pins and needles until June of this year. That's 6 months, which is a whole lot more bearable than 26 months. And during this time, I will find strength through my faith, my family, and my friends.
Where are they now??
Michelle and Neil are traveling to pick up their daughter, Chloe Grace, next weekend. We met them in November at the CCAI FL reunion in Orlando - they are from St. Pete, and we can't wait to meet Chloe!!! Michelle and Neil waited 15 months for the referral of their daughter, which they received on December 5th.
Happy New Year, everyone! (Did you eat your collard greens - pew wee, and your black eyed peas?? :)
I am so excited, so I just have to post the links to the two journeys I am following - they are both couples from the Atlanta area.
Lisa and Eammon on their journey to Maisie
Jodi and Dave on their journey to Ava Mei
Both are celebrating Family Day in their posts!!
http://www.wesselsworld.nl/ccaa.htm
Here are pictures of the "matching" process in China. Amy Eldridge was kind enough to share them with us! It's comforting to see all that paperwork - as strange as it sounds, because when we mailed our final certified and authenticated documents that included everything but the kitchen sink, we were kind of "in the dark", after that. Thank God we chose an agency we totally trust. And, I am reassured every day that the decision to choose CCAI was a godsend. Whew!
The first waiting Mom I met in Atlanta is getting ready for travel on the 7th...yes, only 2 more full days, and she and her hubby leave for Hong Kong to meet their daughter, Maisie. Follow along their journey, travel to China... they will be returning on Christmas Day! Merry Christmas, Lisa, Eammon, and Maisie!!
Another family that I have been following, Jodi and Dave, are also leaving for China on the 7th. They are actually returning on the 22nd. Follow their journey, too!
Introducing Chloe Grace Jun Li Robinson..
Michelle and Neil are our new friends that we met at the CCAI FL Reunion in Orlando. Here is what the proud parents had to say about their precious daughter!
Hello Everyone!
We are overjoyed to introduce our daughter Chloe Grace Jun Li Robinson.
Chloe is 11 months old and was born December 22, 2005. As of September 20, her weight was 16.5 lbs. and her height was 28 inches.
Her birth name is Nan Jun Li. Her first name is Jun, which means gentle and her middle name is Li, which means beautiful.
She currently lives in an orphanage in the city of Maoming in the province of Guangdong. This is located in the far southern region of China, relatively close to Hong Kong.
We were told that she laughs a lot, loves to tear paper, loves music and toys that make sounds, always has a ready smile, has two teeth, and is a deep sleeper. She also loves to watch TV, which may fit in well in this household!
We will send you another email after our website is established at www.myadoptionwebsite.com so that you can follow our journey to China in January.
Love,
Neil, Michelle, and Chloe
This is what "Match Day" is all about.
After you click the link below, scroll down to view the slide show. Turn up the volume and hit refresh in your browser to start from the beginning! Then, hover your mouse over each picture to see the captions.
Click here for Jodi and Dave's little girl
This little beauty is only 7 months old at the time of her match with her mommy and daddy! How sweet!!
Ok, for those that aren't very familiar with the adoption process from China, this is a joyous day for SO many families. This photo to your right originated from the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), which you can check out via the link from my home page.
All of the adoptive parents around the world, whose log-in-dates (LID's) were Aug. 10, 2005-Aug. 25, 2005, have been matched with their children!! This includes Lisa and Eammon, in Atlanta! Congratulations, Lisa... Baby S is on her way.
That's a full fifteen days worth of applications. Which equates to a 15% increase over the last group of matches. * This is VERY positive because there has been a recent slow down of referrals, so we needed the boost of confidence with more matches this time around... maybe, just maybe, the process will speed up a bit (and stay that way :-).
So, lets see. Without getting extremely technical, there are approximately 400 days worth of matches to go until we "meet" Gracie through the receipt of our referral. The thought gives me chills, and brings tears to my eyes. We could still get twins, too, ya know!! It's very possible. Who really knows what God has in store for us. Check out the Salsa twins... they are in China now http://salsainchina.blogspot.com/ and will be bringing their twin girls home soon! (Make sure to watch their video of the call from the agency with news about their referral!)
Congratulations to all the patient, and loving parents who are only 4-8 weeks away from kissing and hugging the newest addition to their family!
*No, I don't come up with all of these statistics by myself. A lot of the adoption community refers to the "Rumor Queen's" websites for the numbers. If you are up for some light reading (and remember this is all rumor), her websites are also listed under "Links" on my home page.
"All children come from God. For some, the journey home just takes a little longer."
