Date Night

I've been a bit down lately. The wait seems to be excruciatingly long. They are now thinking that it will be closer to 30 or more months to referral. The CCAA just has not been getting through the dossiers like we would like. Looking back, they have only been getting through around 5 days worth of LIDs per month.

So, I needed a bit of a pick-me-up date night with my lovely husband. We went to see Pixar's Ratatouille (very cute movie!) and then went to an Irish Restaurant - to prepare us for our trip to Ireland. It was nice to get out of the house.

Another bad month

Well, the CCAA has had another dismal month of referrals. Only 5 days worth of LID's. But, it is progress, but not as much as we would have hoped for. At this rate it could be another 2 years before we get our daughter, but I surely hope not. They keep saying that things will speed up. Time will tell...

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before August 31, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 30, 2005.

Adopted with Love

I just received this beautiful die cut from Carly, a fellow adoptive mom in one of my chat groups. She was so sweet to send it to about 20 of us. I just about cried when I opened the envelope. I can't wait to use it in my Lifebook for my daughter.

World's Biggest Klutz

Yes, that's me! As I walked downstairs this morning to make myself a cup of tea, I slid down 3 steps and broke my toe! I just got back from getting it x-rayed and I have (to use a non-medical term) a chip fracture. I did this to my lovely 4th toe - which now has a multi-tonal look to it and is a bit swollen (and quite painful, I might add!). They are expecting it to take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to heal. Bummer! I just hope I'm good enough to walk on it a lot when we take our vacation. I knew I hated our carpeting! Bad, evil carpeting!

World's Greatest Secret Pal

I don't even know where to begin in thanking my Secret Pal for this month's gifts. First, she got us the Yixing Teapot and tea (pronounced EE SHING). She had no idea how perfect it was. I have been collecting teapots for years. This one makes my 30th one! Yes, I had to count mine. This will be a beautiful addition to the collection. I have them from all over the world - and this is my very first Chinese one. The info she sent along with it was so interesting too. Now I know it's history and how to make my perfect cup of Chinese Oolong tea. Yeah! Second, she got us the "Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats" book which is this amazing children's book that talks about Chinese food and culture. I can't wait to share it with our daughter.

Fingerprint Renewal Time!

Well, our I-171H form and fingerprints are expired or are in the process of expiring and it's renewal time! We just got our letters in the mail today from USCIS (Dept of Homeland Security). We are scheduled to get our fingerprints re-done done on October 16th. Thankfully, right BEFORE we leave for Ireland. I was a bit worried that these letters were going to come while we were gone. Well, now we just need to keep our hands moisturized in order to get our "perfect prints." After our fingerprints (or biometrics as they like to call them) are done, we should be getting our I-171H form (favorable determination letter from our govt. saying we can adopt a child) soon thereafter... That is, until another 18 months goes by and we have to go through all of this again (although I hope not!!)

July is out of Review!

Here's the official notice from the CCAA website. As of Sunday night at 10:30 p.m., our dossier made it through the Review Room! Our next step is to wait for our referrals! I don't think they can come fast enough...

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before July 31, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 25, 2005

Aug/Sept Referrals are in...

Well, some sad news. Today the CCAA posted the cut-off date for referrals for the month. They only matched 4 days! Not exactly a stellar performance. They are now through November 25th. While we all have been aware that November is a HUGE month with lots of waiting families, it's still hard to come to terms with this long wait. We should be hearing any day now that our dossiers will be through the Review Room. Just one more step closer to our daughter...

My Secret Pal

Today I got my first gift from my Secret Pal. Every month from now through December, our daughter gets presents in the mail. Isn't she so lucky! Each month has a different theme. This month was "Fun in the Sun". Today she got two adorable summery outfits and the cutest hats. I can't wait to see her in them.

A break in the storms

Well, we've finally had a break from all the rain that we've been having. Today is day 2 without rain. Yeah! It was so nice to have a little sunshine finally! So, today, Robert could finally mow the back yard, which until today was swampland. You couldn't even step on the ground without it trying to swallow you up whole! Our grass got way too long - it's the longest our grass has ever been. The photos are what our backyard looked like a few days ago, and then what it looks like today. The ducks liked the swampy version...