Did you know?

The term "oriental" should not be used when describing a person. It is not the politically correct term when referring to a person and is considered offensive in some instances and outdated (like referring to an African American as colored). Oriental should only be used when referring to objects: oriental furniture, oriental rug, oriental art, etc. When describing or referring to a person one should use the term Asian. Remember, things are oriental, people are not.

I feel a little "uneducated" for not being aware of this, but it's not something that comes up in every day conversation (especially in rural Oklahoma). Thankfully, I didn't make the mistake, instead I came across this discussion on one of my online adoption websites and thought it was interesting and certainly something we all need to know.

I can't take any credit for this one....

Not only did I NOT write the poem, but I have to admit that I "stole" it from my friend Lynsey's blog. It speaks volumes about what is really important in life.

Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife;
But, I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.
But, Oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me.
-unknown

LADYBUGS and the crib

Ladybugs are considered a lucky charm and a sign of good fortune. They have become a symbol of good luck for families adopting from China. It is common to see pictures of ladybugs on literature, blogs, and books related to Chinese adoption. At first I thought the whole ladybug idea was a little corny and I didn't really buy into it. Now, 2 years later, I have decided to embrace the whole ladybug belief. Hey, anything to bring a little "luck" to speed up our referral.

Tara is going to share a room with the baby, at least while we live in Italy. Several months ago I found a really cute bedspread that was yellow with ladybugs and butterflies, so I bought it for Tara's bed. An added bonus was that it matched the red furniture that use to be in Alex's room that we moved into Tara's room. So now I have decided to stick with the ladybug theme for the baby's crib....which by the way we put up last week! We have had the crib for several months and I just decided I wanted to put it up, so we did. Anyway, I have been searching online for ladybug bedding, and there are several to choose from. Once I get it all done I will post a picture.

People say that when it's time for the CCAA to match you with your child, an indication will be that you will start to see ladybugs on certain days, usually many of them. So start looking for those ladybugs and let me know when you see them!!!

Making SLOW progress

The monthly referrals just arrived from China and the CCAA matched families with LID's through 11-25-05. That means this past month they only matched 4 days worth of LID's since last month's cut off was 11-21-05. I'm trying to stay positive about it though...at least we are 4 days closer than last month (our LID is 1-12-06).

I have joined just about every internet group I can find related to China adoptions. My personal favorite is one called Rumor Queen, where I really find lots of valuable information to help me determine when we might get our referral. Based on all of the info. from that site and various others it still seems very likely that our referral will come in February or March with travel 6 weeks after referral!

We made the headlines!

My friend, Lynsey, and I have started an adoption support group here in Naples. The group serves as a way to connect with other families that have adopted children; however, our real desire is to reach those families that are just considering adoption and don't know how, where, when or IF they should start the process. We hope that all of our adoptive families serve as an inspiration for other people to embark on this life changing journey.

Read the story here:
http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=48362

August referrals

We are making progress....August referrals matched through 11-21-05 (remember we are 01-12-06). That is keeping right on track with my prediction of receiving our referral in February or March of 2008....the CCAA is very unpredictable and could speed up or slow down even more, but for now I am holding firm in my belief that we will travel to China in the Spring!

My best guess

It's only a guess...but I think we are about 8 months away from receiving our referral. The cut off date for the July referrals was 11-14-05. Our LID is 01-12-06, so that means we are 8 weeks away from the most current cut off date. The CCAA has been completing about 1 week of LIDS per month, which gives me the 8 month prediction. So, that means my guess for a referral is March and travel in late April. We certainly hope that it will be sooner, but we remain hopeful that the long wait is nearing the end.

Remember, we have not been "matched" with a child, so it's not as though our baby is growing older throughout this long wait. She could have just recently been born for all we know. Once we are matched with a child, we will travel within 6 weeks to get her. We have no idea who she is, but hopefully that is exactly what we will find out in 8 months or less!