Working It Out

Ok, some of you already know that I've been totally stressed for the past 24hr. I'm a planner and not usually a fly by the night kinda girl. And Ike was a bad word in my house last night. That coupled with the fact that we have never flown, well you get the picture. With that said, I booked my flights at 10:30pm last night and I'm not looking back. The Lord is in control!! I am giving it to him. I REBUKE this fear that is trying to steal my excitement!!
About 30 minutes ago, He reminded me what that airplane flight was all about and that he will take care of things. He reminded me with UPDATED PICTURES. I just melt when I see her smile. I'll do a picture post this evening after William gets to see them!

BTW, on August 18th she weighed 16.5 lbs and was 26.4 inches long.

One More Day

We made it through the weekend. We started our weekend watching the opening ceremonies, of course. What a way to spend our last weekend with out that little face. We are almost there. I really want to thank my family and friends who have been there for me. This wait has certainly taking it's toll on me emotionally. For those of you that educated yourself on China's adoption process just so you could understand me. It was so wonderful to be able to talk to people who not only loved me but that understood. To get the right kind of compassion. So , again Thank You and I love you guys so very much. To know that Sophie is already loved so much, there are no words to express my gratitude.
As far as today, there are rumors of calls starting . That will make Tuesday OUR DAY. Please, Please pray for me. I do not want to open the email until William is with me. It is very important to me that we see our daughter for the first time, together. I have an appointment tomorrow at 2:00 that will help kill some time. As soon as William and I process every thing I will post her picture here to share with all of you.

Thank you Lord for loving me, for giving me this overwhelming peace, and for always being there.

Time to Wake Up!

As I started surfing the net this morning, I am reminded that it is time to get my head out of the clouds. We could be next! It's time to get going on some lists. Alyson & Ford posted a link to a great packing list. Informed Adoption Advocates also have some really good To Do Lists. Below is "The Call Questions" that were posted in the Jan. Room. Doing alot of printing this morning. I also started on the list for the baby shower. So I'm working on it.

I know the call questions are kinda hard to read. If you need a copy, I'll be happy to email it to you. Yippe!!! I'm so excited!

Earthquake and IA

Since several people have asked me about the effects that the Earthquake might have on our adoption, I thought I would address that issue here.
So far this tragedy has brought about the deaths of over 35,000. It is thought that about 10,000 have become orphaned. Because of the one child law, many parents have lost their only child. It's unimaginable.
Most orphans will be adopted by other Chinese who have themselves been touched by the devastation.
As far as the international adoption process, I believe the impact will be minimal. Out of the 8,437 files submitted to the CCAA in 2007, only 97 came out of the Sichuan Province. Thank you all for your care and concern. Please continue to pray for the people of China.

Thinking Out Loud

I'm feeling a little antsy. Wondering what the next cutoff will be. After making vacation plans for July, it just kinda hit me. We are two to three months away from seeing our daughter's face. Tears come. Are we really finally there? This seems surreal. I am so ready to see how far we get this month. CCAI is still saying they "hope" to see ours in July. I'm still thinking August, but hey, that's only three months away. If they get past the 13th , I can see July happening. May had a big batch in 07'. (I hate using the word "batch") Maybe we'll get a repeat. I know I'm rambling this morning, but I'm gonna be a Momie!! For real!
The Spanish Blog is saying they will know the cutoff early next week. They are expecting referrals to be mailed before the May Holiday. So We may start seeing those little faces by the end of next week!!

Let's Talk LID's

By now most of you know that LID stands for log in date. That is the day our dossier was logged in to China's system. One of the things that drew me to China's IA program was stability. The fact that once approved you are in line. What a line it's been!!! But we are in line and close to the front of it. As of date the CCAA has referred through Jan. 4th 2006. Our agency, CCAI, has posted a calender showing the dates that their families are logged in . Our agency's Jan LID's are: 11th 16th 23rd 24th 27th !
Right now we are hearing that the 10th is in. If the 10th is the cut off then our agency will not receive any referrals for April. So let's pray that the CCAA has a get'r done kinda month!

Country Girl

I am most definitely a country girl. We went to Norfolk yesterday, made one wrong turn and OMG!!! It took us 1 1/2 HOURS to back on track and find the office. It didn't help that we were in rush hr traffic. I was STRESSED. Did we do any shopping, well, we did stop at Pet Smart. It was right off of Military Blvd. Not too bad. But I was just ready to get home. I sincerely hope this is the last time we have to do fingerprints or anything else, but go get Sophie.

Squeaky Shoes

I am also working on a shopping list for while I'm in China. These adorable little shoes are on that list. Retailing for about 75% less than the US price, my plan is to hord up on these babies. These shoes encourage crawlers to walk because of their audible feed back. I am told after they accomplish that mission I will need to take the squeakers out or they will dive me crazy. A few other things on my list are pearls, jade, silks, and art.

The White Swan Hotel

O.K. Here's some good news. The White Swan was suppose to close for renovations in 08'. Now they have decided to postpone until Dec 08'. And then they are not going to close completely. This is good news because the White Swan is like the Adoption Hotel in Guangzhou. It's is located on the Sha Mian Island and is geared toward the adoptive families. Shopping, eating, alot of places are within walking distance. This place is gorgeous. I am very excited about staying there. In the Hotel there's like 14 restaurants, a Hair Salon, pool, Beauty Salon,( the beauty salon does facials, body waxing and massages.) This is going to be a hugh experience for us from beginning to end!

Family in China Needs Help

Update 11/18: They are home!!!

Update 11/16 : Thanks for all your calls and prayers. The Congressman's Office was flooded with phone calls. Sandi will be soon be on her way home. I'm hearing today or tomorrow.

This was posted on the RQ site this morning. I feel a strong responsibility to get the word out.

Posted by RQ:

The story as I understand it, is that the dad was having problems managing his diabetes and he died in China. I’d like to express my condolences to the family.
But the reason I’m posting this, is because another blogger has reported that the consulate is refusing to issue the child a Visa into the U.S. The mother is apparently going to be required to fill out a new I-171H with her new marriage status.
According to this blog, the mother is asking for people to help her out by contacting her senator and representative. You can find their contact information on that blog.
Again, my condolences to the family.