Rumors and More Rumors

October's referrals have not arrived yet. There has yet to be much news of WHEN they will arrive. However, there are rumors and speculation about when the cut off date will be. Last month's referrals went through dossiers logged in August 9, 2005. Rumors about this month's referrals cover a range of cut off dates from August 23 to August 31.

While I think few people believe that referrals will actually cover the rest of August (wouldn't that be lovely), the big question seems to really be will it be the 23rd or the 24th.

What difference can one day make?, you may ask. Well... for one thing, our agency doesn't have any dossiers logged in after last month's referrals until the 24th. There are several weeks' worth of dossiers that were all logged in on August 24th. So whether it's the 23rd or 24th could mean the difference between our large, China-only agency getting referrals or not. It would also be a positive sign as far as the number of referrals China has worked through this month, possibly meaning a slight increase in monthly numbers going foward.

BUT for now, we watch and wait to see what the cut off date will be in actuality. There are lots of people out there on pins and needles with an 8/24 LID. I really hope we hear something definite (and on the positive side) soon.

I can't imagine what it's going to be like when we get closer to our LID. Probably little sleep and not much food (though lots of chocolate).

Are We There Yet?

Who would have thought at this time last year that we'd still be a-waitin'? Certainly not me. Yes, it's been one year since China logged in our documents. Even though, as I write this, it's still the 18th here, it's the morning of the 19th in Beijing.

I don't know what to say. I guess I've learned patience...or learned that I can't stand learning to be patient.

Actually, I THINK I'm a little more laid back in general than I was a year ago. Maybe just more worn down. Kidding... I've taken the adoption attitude of "it's out of my hands" with a lot of things. When there's really nothing you can do about a situation, it's best to recognize it right away. If you don't, you get such a headache from smacking your head against the same wall over and over again.
Also, I'm really having to trust God on this. I keep thinking that God has known all along who our daughter is, and knows whether she's been born. I think God has known from the beginning when we will get our referral. I don't believe He "made" it take this long so that I'd learn valuable life lessons. I just think He knew how long it would take, and was just waiting around for me to turn to Him after getting that headache I mentioned above.

Of course, I'm also having those "what was I thinking" moments. Not because I'm regretting going the adoption route. I'm freaking out over being the mother of two. TWO?! They'll out-number me! Gang up on me! EEK. Those thoughts don't stay with me for long, but they do pop up every now and then. Sure the total number of children won't outnumber the total number of parents, but day in and day out... oh, I just don't want to think about it.

So, here we are. One year later. Last year, I was afraid that we'd be traveling to China on Phoebe's birthday last May. Now, I'm starting to wonder if we'll be traveling on her birthday NEXT May....

It continues....

Hey, It's October!

I figured that since the last post on my blog was dated last month, I should post something...anything...

Over this past weekend, we went to visit my parents. For those of you who don't know, my dad had bypass surgery at the end of June. It took us all by surprise, but couldn't be avoided and luckily he didn't have a heart attack before hand. Anyway, he's "feeling much better now". It was great to see him feeling so well. I think we all need to watch out now that everything is pumping the way it should be and the doctor has said he has the heart of an 18 year old.

While we were at my parents' house, my mom and I turned that crazy fabric into a crazy crib skirt and a crazy valance. It looks really cute. I have not taken pics of it yet, but I will and I'll post them soon.

This week I've actually had 2 custom jewelry orders! Oddly enough, both of them are for "Mother's Bracelets", even though I didn't have any examples of them on the website. Strange world. Someone ought to sell tickets. I'm going to post both of these bracelets on the website - maybe more people will want one for themselves.

Today being the Feast of St. Francis, Phoebe's school had a Blessing of the Animals before school today. Senna did well. Apparently she only goes into attack mode when someone comes to the front door. Out there on neutral turf, she's fine.

Tomorrow will be a bit of a sad day. A friend at our church died in her sleep on Sunday night. She was the wife of one of our retired priests. I'd gotten to know her this year, and was looking forward to knowing her better. She was very smart, no nonsense, and was hilarious! We're all going to miss you, Pat. A lot.