22 Months Since LID

Wow, I cannot belive that it has been 22 months since we were logged in at the CCAA in China. We are approaching the 2-year mark since our LID, and I just hope we do not have to wait 3 years!

Merry Christmas Sydney

(click on the image to enlarge)
We have purchased an ornament each Christmas for Sydney. I am sad that we have 3 "waiting for Sydney" ornaments hanging from the tree this year. I cannot wait until an ornament finally reads "Sydney's First Christmas".

Merry Christmas Sydney.

Twenty Months and Counting...

Yes, we have been waiting 20 months according to the Chinese government, but it has actaully been much longer than that. We still have no idea how much longer we will have to wait.

Here we go again... Our Homestudy Update

Well, this is my "then and now" post that I never thought I would blog about when we first started this process. I guess it makes this ever extending process more of a reality. It is amazing to think that 2 years ago we were sitting with our social worker, Kimberley, and talking about getting our daughter sometime in 2006. The US government makes us redo all of our paperwork since they "conveniently" put a 18 month expiration date on all of our documents. YAY! We get to redo a lot of our paperwork and pay the US government more money!

Then and Now...

THEN: We thought we would get our daughter in the fall of 2006.
NOW: We don't even know if we will get our daughter in 2008!
THEN: I was buying way too many baby clothes and nursery decor.
NOW: I have been "banned" from baby shopping for over a year.
THEN: My husband was just beginning his 2 year presidency term for his anesthesia group.

NOW: He has finished his term and someone else has taken over.

THEN: My best friend would soon find out she is pregnant for the first time.

NOW: She just found out that she is pregnant with her second child.

THEN: Kitchen was cream color and I had blonde hair.

NOW: Kitchen is now brick red, my hair is brown, and Mark is more gray.

THEN: Not many people in the China adoption world new who RQ was nor read her isorumors blog.

NOW: Most everyone knows who RQ is and spends all their free time on her website including myself.

THEN: I would soon be a part of many adoption secret pal swaps on various yahoo adoption groups.

NOW: Why bother... kinda swapped enough already

THEN: I frantically gathered quilt squares from all of my friends and family.

NOW: My best friend has not finished the quilt but no big deal... there is no rush.

THEN: We were fingerprinted by the USCIS Homeland Security and glad that we would never have to go through that nightmare again!

NOW: We get to go back this weekend to get re-fingerprinted at USCIS. (I understand running our prints again, but I still don't understand the logic behind having to physically be re-printed. I mean my fingerprints have not changed in 2 years.)

THEN: I got excited when friends, co-workers, and family members told me about a friend or a friend of a friend or cousin's sister's daughter who just got back from China with their child or just received their referral. NOW: Whatever...

THEN: I got excited when someone asked me how the adoption was going.
NOW: What? How do you think? It hasn't changed much since the lat time you asked me which was YESTERDAY!

THEN: I thought Christmas 2005 would be the last Christmas without our new daughter.

NOW: Well, we have had 2005, 2006, will have 2007 and most likely 2008 without her.

THEN: I planned a big Hawaii summer vacation since it would be our last big vacation without the baby.

NOW: We have been to Hawaii twice, 2 cruises, 3 ski vacations, a summer mountain trip, and 2 short trips without the baby thus far.

I am sure I can think of many more, but it is getting late. Sorry the post got a little more negative towards the end but sometimes a girl just needs to vent. I hate this long wait.

The reality has finally sunk in!!!! 2 years have gone by and we are not any closer to our child than when we started...it is quite depressing.

19 Months...

It has now been 19 months since our official LID, and I am sad to say that we have several more months to go. I wish that I had some better news but the wait continues.

CCAA Website Updated!

Well, we are up to November 25, 2005. There is not much I can say that hasn't already been said.

Everybody keeps asking us WHEN? Well, let's just say I will be thrilled if we have our child before the Olympics August 2008. I am actually getting excited about the possibility of a summer travel date. It would be a wonderful opportunity for all of us if we could travel as a family to China to pick up our daughter (and sister)!

CCAA Update

Referrals are here and they matched families up to November 21, 2005. So the CCAA has a little over 3 months of families to match before they get to us. It is currently taking 3-4 months to get through one month of families, so we probably have 9 more months to go. I have heard that there are a lot less families with LID's in the months of January and February so hopefully those will only take 2 months to get through.

We are now secretly hoping that we will travel in June so that the children will be able to go with us to China. They would love to go but cannot afford to miss so much school.

Congratulations to all the families who received their referral this week!

16 Months...

Today it has officailly been 16 months since our Dossier was officially logged in China. I wish I could say that our referral should be here soon, but it will be February of 2008 at the very earliest before we hear anything. I just hope we travel before the Olympics. I will wait as long as it takes to bring my daughter home. It is in God's hands, and I truly believe that we are "waiting" for the child that is meant for us. So, we wait.

AN ADOPTION TOP TEN LIST

Top 10 Reasons People Know They've Waited Too Long For an Adoption Referral

10. You've stopped telling people you're adopting from China because chances are the next time you run into them you'll still be waiting.

9. When someone tells you a far off date in the future as 12-18 months you think to yourself "Wow, that's coming up so soon!"

8. You know people who have had two kids in the time you've been waiting for a referral.

7. The last Olympics were happening when you started trying for a family and there's a good chance you'll be in China for the '08 Olympics there.

6. You know couples who have gotten engaged, married and had a baby all while you've been trying to adopt one child. And sadly ones that have been married and divorced since starting.

5. You try out all the baby stuff on the cats to "practice"--and you take pictures to post on your website because there's no other news to report. I thought they'd like the baby sling!

4. You automatically convert the time to Beijing time in your head and wonder what your child is doing now.

3. Your nursery bedding has been discontinued and is near impossible to find on Ebay.

2. You've had to dust cobwebs off the changing table and crib in the nursery.

1. You've gone on your last "only one child" or "childless" vacation.....5 times!!!

I got this from another blog by Courtney & Doug.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SO TRUE!! I JUST HAD TO POST IT ON MY BLOG.

Ok, So I Have an Official Shopping Disorder

This will soon be Sydney's closet, and it is already completely stuffed with clothes! I actually purchased most of the clothes pictures here well over a year ago. My dear hubby finally managed to put an end to my ongoing shopping spree and helped me see the reality of our situation. I guess I didn't have much of a defence against his arguments:

1. I have no idea if any of the clothes that I have been purchasing will even fit since she could be anywhere from 7 months to 2 years old. TRUE

2. I have no idea which month and season we will finally bring her home. TRUE

3. There will still be a ton of cute baby clothes available when we get our referral. TRUE

So, I guess I will just have to wait until closer to referral to do anymore damage.

We are about to have our house remodeled, so I had to box up all of Sydney's clothes. Elizabeth will be temporarily moving down to the baby's room during our remodel.

After I filled FOUR large boxes with baby clothes, I had to finally admit that it was a bit ridiculous. Then I had to add in the fact that we are probably at least 9 months away from a referral! Ahhh.

No more shopping for me for a while. :( Once our house is finished (hopefully 3-4 months) I get to start on the nursery. Yeah! Finally more baby shopping!

Happy Mother's Day!

Well, another Mother's Day has come and gone without my little one here to hold. I pray that I will have her here with me on this special day next year.

I said a special prayer today for Sydney and her biological family. My heart aches for what they must be going through.

My heart goes out to all of the other waiting families who also did not have their little ones home on this Mother's Day.

My New Blog!!

I absolutely love my new Blog! I decided to "start over" on this blog, but I will re-post all the previous posts to this blog. In the meantime, you can click on the link below: http://www.simplysydney.blogspot.com/ and it will direct you to my previous blog.

I have to thank Heather from Headmeister Blog Design for all of her hard work.