NOT On The Agenda

These days the only things on the agenda are obsessing over travel approval (don't have it yet), shopping for LuLu, and trying to put in an honest days work. Apparently the universe hasn't checked the agenda because last Wednesday the skies turned a weird, freak of nature green and then all hell broke loose. We've been cleaning up ever since.


I guess it was about 6:15 pm or so when I heard crazy thunder in the distance and noticed the strange color of the sky. I was cooking dinner so Jon turned on the tv to see what the "experts" were saying. I think his exact words were something like "Holy Crap" and then said he thought we had about 15 minutes. Of course I continued eating my dinner for another 10 minutes. Then the weather sirens sounded and within about 3 seconds it hit. The noise was horrible. The windows shook, rain fell sideways. We don't have basements here so when the weather hits, we take cover in our walk in pantry which happens to be under our stairwell. I think I've taken cover in there one other time and I don't think Jon has ever taken to the pantry. We were both in there, pillows on our head and I was telling Jon that I loved him.

When we finally came out of the pantry, this is what we saw.

Our trees that sit between our house and the neighbors house split and went on their car, house and fence. Debris was everywhere, the swimming pool was trashed. Luckily everyone was OK. Several houses ended up without roofs so we were VERY lucky. There was a confirmed tornado and 80 mph winds in the area. Not sure which one we had and not sure it matters. Either way, not fun. We of course lost electricity and were without for a couple of days.

My parents were already scheduled to arrive on Friday so they spent the next couple of days helping with the cleanup. Again, NOT on the agenda as they were coming to help with Operation "Get Ready For LuLu". Of course, they are from south Louisiana so a little storm cleanup doesn't even phase them.

It's Monday and besides some insurance details, things are getting back to normal. Operation "Get Ready for LuLu" did commence yesterday as my friends had a shower for me. It was LOVELY and more on that to come.

A Baby In China

Our adorable next door neighbor "F" is in kindergarten. She and her brother "C" are excited about LuLu and love to come over and look at "the baby's room." And of course, I love to show them. Last week, F's class wrote a story. It was one of those stories where someone comes up with the title and then everyone gets to add a sentence. F got to come up with the title - you will see why that is significant when you read the story. Here is the story that F and her genius classmates wrote.

A Baby In China

Once upon a time there was a baby who could play baseball. She was from China. She ate eyeballs for dinner. Her name was Sam. Her favorite food was cucumbers. Sam lived in Florida near Disney. Her Dad was named Sparkle. He was a knight.

A few LuLu tidbits

We got the translated report and here are a few of the highlights...

- She especially likes eggs
- At 8 months, she weighed 13.86 pounds
- She cries before sleeping (that one just breaks my heart)
- She can sit by herself with her back against the wall
- She is active and outgoing and she likes to laugh and talk
- She likes to be held

I have memorized every inch of her pictures and just ache to hold her.
We have been busy around here making all the final preparations and praying for speedy travel. No word on that yet and probably won't hear anything for at least a couple of weeks.

Referral Day

What a crazy few days it's been. Before the details of that crazy day are replaced with obsessing over travel dates, I wanted to capture some memories. Honestly if we had not videotaped the phone call, I would not even remember some of it.

We were very lucky on referral day, since Jon and I were both "working" from home that day and could receive the phone call together. I put working in quotes because although Jon was able to get in quite a bit of work, I think I managed to only get out a few emails before it got crazy.

I was in touch with my parents via phone and email and they were glued to the rumor sites as much as I was. I was also emailing and texting my sister and a couple of friends every few minutes.

The rumor was that referrals were coming and that the 14th would be in but here is what I did not include in my little updates in this post. Even after China announced that the cutoff date for referrals was March 14, our agency did not think we were in. They interpreted the announcement from China to mean that referrals would only include up to the 13th and that we would be next. Of course I am nothing if not stubborn so I was still thinking we were in.

I had just gone downstairs to force myself to eat something since I was started to feel really yucky. That's when the phone finally rang. I screamed at Jon to get ready and went running upstairs. Of course I had a list of questions to ask and had left space under each question for my notes. HA!!! It was all I could do to get name, province, date of birth. I was not calm, not even close. In fact, I could hardly breathe and therefore couldn't even speak for the first part of the call. Oh, and I was crying. I think the phone call lasted all of about 6 minutes. (Our agency calls with the news and the basic info first, then emails a picture and then has the full report translated.)


Once we received the phone call, we called immediate family and kept hitting refresh on the email looking for the picture. When the picture came in, I had a friend on one phone and my sister on the other. I sort of hung up on my friend, sorry Kristen!! When I saw the picture, I think I screamed "She's in a car.!!!" We emailed the picture to my parents and then skyped them in so we could see them open it.


After that it is a blur of visitors, phone calls, emails, etc. My friend Kristen stopped by to congratulate us and to see if we needed anything.

Since then we have been busy researching the city and orphanage where LuLu is currently living. We also went shopping on Saturday for a few things that we will need for our trip. Having this happen just before a three day weekend was great. We had time to soak it all in and maybe tomorrow I will even get in an honest days work!!

In Color

We Have A Daughter

Here she is!!!! If you click the picture, you should be able to see a larger version. These were emailed from the agency today. Should have the actuals in our hand tomorrow. Loving that car!!!

More details to come but here is what we know so far

Birthdate - July 20, 2008 so she is 10 months old
She lives in Jiangxi Province

Our agency is sending more information tomorrow.

We HOPE to travel in about 6 weeks.

I Need An Epidural...

Ok, if someone wants to call me with a referral, I am ready. I have pen, paper and a list of questions sitting by the phone. Heck, I've even had a shower.

9:18AM - A referral has arrived in Ireland.

9:50AM - The offfical CCAA box has changed to reflect that referrals will include up to March 14, 2006. WE ARE IN!!!! RING PHONE RING

11:49AM - Freaking out. Jon is playing classical music apparently trying to calm me down. Not working.

12:07PM - Just determined that I can check the RQ main blog, RQ discussion forums, yahoo March DTC group, email AND make sure the phone is working in exactly 33.2 seconds.

12:42PM - Someone in the US just got a call. Not sure of their LID.

1:21PM - Referrals are happening. Someone that shares our 3/14 LID has a referral. I'm about to vomit.

2:02PM - Comment moderation is now on. Some buzz kill individual TRIED to steal my joy with a nasty message. I knew it would happen sooner or later so I was ready. Sorry if anyone had to see it. Back to our regular programming.

3:10PM - We have a daughter. 10 months old. no picture yet. need to call family. more later.

STORK ALERT!!!!!

I really think this is it. SEVERAL agencies say referrals are on the way and the cutoff is March 14th. Hopefully we will see them soon!!! Due to a work committment, I could not be online most of the day. Jon and my parents did a fabulous job of watching out for info!!

I told my clients what was going on so they did not all think I had completely lost my mind. At one point during the day, I went to the restroom and forgot to bring my phone. It started ringing and one of my clients ran the phone into the restroom. It was only a work call but BLESS HER!!!

I saw my friend Leigh today and she gave me a lovely gift with a beautiful handmade card. She made the card two years ago - crazy. I was impressed that she still knew where it was.

I am hoping that by tomorrow morning there are reports of referrals arriving in Europe and we will get our calls tomorrow or Friday AT THE LATEST!!!!

Still haven't decided on a name.

And The Roller Coaster Goes Up!!!

There are some agencies (three I think) that say referrals are ON THEIR WAY!!! And are you sitting down? The rumor is that the cutoff is March 14th. Holy Moly that is us. These are rumors and nothing is confirmed but it's better than last week's rumor of nothing until September. Should know more tomorrow. Typically we start hearing chatter of referrals arriving in Europe before they start arriving in the US. Of course, I am scheduled to be at a client's site teaching a class all day tomorrow. Jon and my Mom and Dad are on Rumor watch. Stay tuned.

UGH!!!

More agencies are saying that things are definitely on hold due to the Swine Flu. Not a real shock since it's May 12th and referrals haven't arrived and there is no word that they are on their way. Several people's travel plans have been put on hold since some provinces are not allowing agencies to schedule the necessary "in China" appointments. This could all (hopefully) change tomorrow but that is where we are today. The Swine Flu stinks!!!

Good News

Some folks that received their referrals last month have received travel approval!!!!! If all goes well, those people can begin to make travel plans. Maybe that stork didn't get the swine flu after all? It looks like in light of the swine flu, there will be additional paperwork which must be done in order to travel. If there is one thing adoptive parents can handle, it's paperwork so bring it on.

There is also some unofficial chatter (rumor) that referrals will be sent later this month. No word on when or how many days they will cover. Funny thing is I'm not even agonizing any more on whether we will be included in the next group or not. As long as things keep moving I'm good. Of course, you may have to remind me that I said that next week. But for now, I'm just happy to not have a complete shutdown.

Not Much Of An Update

I was waiting for some concrete information before posting an update, unfortunately that hasn't happened. Our agency is saying that families are being encouraged not to travel but the rest of the process is proceeding as usual. Other agencies are saying that things are on hold. While it is a positive sign that our agency says referrals will not be held, I will feel better when all agencies are saying the same thing. Or better yet, when referrals arrive. It's not so much the thought of waiting longer that is getting to me, it is the not knowing that is making me crazy.

Also, I want to say that I have the BEST family and friends!!! To everyone that called, emailed, left comments and dropped by the house to give me a hug, THANK YOU!!! We've had lots of delays through this process and for whatever reason, the news last week hit me hard. Having your support means the world to me and Jon.

Clear As Mud

I'm going to try to get through this post without cursing.

Still nothing definite on the Swine Flu impact. China did post an offical announcement but it is difficult to decipher Looks like those folks that already have a referral and travel approval might be able to travel at the discretion of their agency. Anyone with a referral but doesn't yet have travel approval might have to wait who knows how long. It is still unclear what impact this will have on referrals. Oh, and it's now a holiday in China so we won't know anything more until next week. My heart goes out to those that have a referral but can't travel. Having that picture and not being able to travel would be the last bit of torture I could stand.

Some think maybe China is leaving it open to see the state of things when they return from their holiday weekend. Now if we could just get our media to shut the hell up maybe things will seem better next week and we can just freaking get on with this!!!!!

Swine Flu

Just when we thought nothing else could get in the way of our adoption. There are reports that China has halted adoptions due to concerns of the swine flu. I don't have any concrete information regarding what this means and how long things may be halted. Even if we are "next", it seems we won't hear anything in the next couple of weeks like we thought.

I know there are logical reasons for this and yes, I know that things will work out. Logic isn't working today. In the last three years, I have "looked on the bright side" more times than I can count. Not today. Maybe tomorrow but not today.

UPDATE: 9:00 PM Central time. Some agencies are now saying this rumor isn't true. Some are insisting it is true. Who knows? It's been an emotional day and I'm tired. Maybe we will know something tomorrow. I want off the roller coaster.

Matching Has Begun?

Some agencies are reporting that matching has begun. That means they have started the process of matching babies with families. There is a chance that right now, someone is looking through our paperwork and matching us with our child. For a more detailed explanation of how the "matching room" works, you can go here.

There are a couple of agencies thinking that the matching could get as far as 3/14/06. THAT WOULD BE US. I am not sure if they have some information from CCAA that has them thinking that or if it's just a guess. Either way, it's crazy exciting.
By the end of next week, we will hopefully know if we are in or not and could even have a picture!!! My personal feeling is there is about a 50% chance that we will be included in the early May group.

Luckily I was busy at an out of town conference last week so I was able to stay somewhat distracted from obsessing over whether we are in or not. I was also able to spend some time with a good friend that Jon and I have known for years. He wrote the nicest reference letter for us when we started this crazy process. When I told him goodbye at the airport, I said "Next time you see me, I could be a Mom!!"

Are We Next????

The "official" cutoff for the last group of referrals was 3/8/06. I say "official" cutoff because it looks like some families from 3/9/06 got referrals, yet some people from 3/7/06 were skipped. Just when this could not get any more excruciating!! My heart goes out to the 3/7/06 people that were skipped and I really hope they find out something soon!!

So, that means they need to get through our friends with an LID of 3/9/06 - 3/13/06 AND THEN IT IS OUR TURN!!! 3/11 and 3/12 were weekends (yes, I know the 2006 calendar better than the 2009 calendar) and it appears 3/9 and 3/13 are fairly light days.

Anyway, all of this means that we could be next or the group after that!!! I think the next group of referrals will arrive in about two weeks, around May 1. That is just crazy with a capital C. Right now, someone in China could be taking our dossier down off the shelf and blowing the dust and cobwebs off. (This is the part where I don't allow my mind to think about all of the things that could have happened to that dossier in the last three years.)

So for now, we just keep waiting, wondering and praying that LuLu is safe. Well, that and trying to accomplish all the things that we procrastinated on for the three years.

When our referral arrives at our Agency, they will call us with the basic information and will email us a picture. They will have everything translated and will overnight the complete information. We will have more paperwork to do and our Agency will work to get our travel dates set. Typically, travel happens approximately 6 weeks after the referral. So, we will likely be in China sometime this summer.

We still haven't decided on a name so it's still LuLu. (And according to my sister, it will always be LuLu.) We have a short list of names but I don't think we will know for sure until we see her and see her Chinese name.

So stay tuned, it's getting exciting!!

P.S. A great big shout out to Nancy. We have gotten your last couple of notes and Jon and I REALLY appreaciate them. Your excitement means so much to us.

Come On Referrals!!!

It's Monday morning in China and there are rumors that the next group of referrals could show up this week. I CAN NOT WAIT to see how far they get and I am so excited for my fellow March 2006 LIDers that are NEXT!!!! I am prepared to only see referrals for March 7, 2006 families since apparently that was a big day for dossiers to be accepted in China. Any thing more will be fantastic. After this group of referrals, I'll have a new prediction of our referral date!!!

Oh, over the weekend I had a dream that they made it to March 14, 2006 with referrals which is us and I was running around like a complete lunatic. I am pretty sure that one part of that dream will come true.

8 more LID's To Go!!

Here's the latest. Referrals have arrived for anyone with an LID up to March 6, 2006. That's only 8 LIDs and we will be included. Referrals have been arriving around the first of the month so if that keeps up, the next group will be April 1. My best guess is that there is one or two more groups to go before they get to us. (There are some crazy good rumors out there that suggests it could be sooner but I'm not counting on it.) Since everything slowed down the day we started our paperwork (or so it seems) I'm sure things will speed up once we get our referral!!!

There has been a flurry of activity around here trying to attack that To Do list that we dusted off in January. Mom and Dad came out for a week in January and helped us get LuLu's room ready. Mom sewed her fingers to the bone and Dad painted his heart out. Jon and I both are very appreciative for all the help!!! Mostly for helping us get off our you know what and start. Can't really goof off when the parental units are here to help, can ya?

Mom sewed bumper pads, blanket, valance and a pilllow. Here a picture of Mom agonizing over getting perfect corners on the blanket. She is so talented. I love the blanket and love it even more because Mom made it.

All the furniture that we are using in LuLu's room are things that we already had. Amazing what a coat of paint can do. This was my Grandfather's. We painted it and gave it a distressed finish. Where the memo board is, there used to be a mirror. I made the memo board with a burst of craftiness that doesn't come around very often.

I still need to get new hardware for it but it's coming right along. I love the mirror on the top left. When I was little, I can remember going into my Grandfather's room and trying to see myself in that mirror. I could tell if I had gotten any taller by how far I had to jump to see myself.

Anyone Out There???

Yeah, it's been almost two years since a post. Surely that's a record and I will win some type of fabulous prize. I didn't plan on it being two years but a week turned into a month, a month turned into a few months, etc. Plus, it looked like we would be waiting FOREVER so I had to step away and try and get on with life. When the name of your blog is "Jon And Karen Go To China" and you aren't going to China, stepping away includes the blog.


Not only did I not update this blog, I really stopped reading a lot of my favorite adoption blogs. Nothing personal to any of you out there but that's just how I deal with stuff sometimes. I think the fancy term is denial. Anyway, I've been making the rounds and oh my goodness!!!! What beautiful families! Can't wait to catch up with all of you.


So why am I back now? There are only 14 LIDs ahead of us!!!!!!! The next batch (hopefully in the next week or so) will start with March 1 2006 families. We are March 14 2006. If they continue referrals at the same pace as the last year, I think we will receive a referral around April. We'll see.


Although we've kept busy over the last couple of years, we haven't done much to get ready - again, stepping away doesn't include shopping for baby stuff and painting a nursery. We have A LOT to do!!!! So, in addition to dusting off the blog, I've dusted off the To Do list and we are going to attack it. Starting now.

February Happens

Where have I been? What happened to me? February, that’s what happened. If February was a movie, it would be Steel Magnolias. A crazy combination of gut-wrenching sorrow and side-splitting laughter. During the first week of February, we lost Jon’s best friend due to very tragic circumstances. I had no idea how to write about it when it happened and honestly I still don’t have the words. I can only say that I hope he has now found the peace that he was not able to find while he was alive. We miss you, Jason.

Not long after that, I spent my girl-friend weekend with BFF Andree’ in Vegas. What a blast!!! We had not even checked into the hotel yet when Andree’ made me laugh so hard that I snorted loud enough for the guy in line behind us to comment. And the laughter did not stop until we said our goodbyes at the airport.

And since we apparently didn’t have enough going on, Jon and I started suddenly looking at houses while out for a Sunday drive, called our realtor friend, found a house we liked, made an offer, had our offer accepted and then put our current house on the market. We close on the new house on March 21st. No, we haven’t sold our current house yet but there has been lots of interest so we have our fingers crossed. Besides, one thing that can probably speed up the rate of referrals is two mortgage payments. I know we are all tired of speed up rumors, but I am telling you this could work.