Travel Approvals

While ours has NOT arrived, a few others who received their referrals with us have received theirs! So, they have begun arriving!

Up to this point, I'm cruising along...doing what I need to do for work, school, home, etc. Once we get TA, I just know I'm going to come to a dead stop once ours arrive. Not only will it be completely real at that point, but we'll have dates on when we will leave, meet Megan and (best of all) come home.

The agency had us send our passports yesterday, they should arrive on Monday. We must be getting close to ours arriving too...so there you have it travel approvals (TAs) are on the way! Lord willing, ours will arrive early next week! Gettin' closer!

Referrals Have Begun Arriving!!

Not ours...don't get your hopes up, yet! We're definitely Monday.

So...I'm getting to sit back and relax to see the ones that arrive before us!!! The person that I know of is on the West Coast...she still knows no details, they simply got the call they had arrived! Everything is being translated! She's logged in 6 days after us. Someone with the same date as got the call, very young little girl...another person on the 27th, also got the call, but I don't know any information. I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

See...Europe, West Coast, East Coast. Crazy, I know.

It's Official...We're Overdue

I feel like a pregnant woman a week past her due date.

While I didn't experience that with Ian, I CLEARLY remember my mom being 2 weeks overdue with my little sister (I was 10). She wouldn't leave the house...every time she did, people would say, "you haven't that baby yet?". Of course, my response would be: "No, I have, I'm just this fat! Obviously, I haven't! Thanks for pointing that out, I might not have known otherwise." (of course, I didn't get the snide remark skills from her, she would NEVER have thought--let alone say--such a thing!) Anyways, she got very sick of it. So we rode our bikes to the store for the small incidentals so people wouldn't ask the question. (I grew up in a small town, everyone was in everyone's business.)

No...the baby's not here yet. We're officially past our due date. In fact, as of last night, they hadn't even been mailed to our agency yet!? News is it will likely be the beginning of next week before they arrive. How in the world am I supposed to wait ANOTHER weekend? HOW? Do tell...

Maybe I should stay in the house...and not answer the phone.

Update: The agency called DHL...they were sent yesterday (or was that today, only yesterday our time? anyways....)they will arrive Monday!! I don't know what time...but MONDAY! For sure!

It's close!

Apparently referrals are arriving in Europe!!! WOOHOO!!! So, it's likely they will begin arriving in the US later today! Typically (for some reason), they arrive on the West Coast before they arrive on the East Coast. And as luck would have it, our China agency is in NY. Although I'm still holding out hope we'll receive it today, tomorrow is more likely.

I'll take Thursday...that's only 24 hours away!!!!

We are finally down to HOURS!

We're almost there!!!

So...I wake up this morning...after a weekend of realizing Monday is not going to be "the" day either since we've heard NOTHING...to see that a couple of large agencies are telling their families that matching have begun. What's matching? It's where they match babies with families. What's this mean? Well, typically it means that referrals will begin arriving within the next couple of days! For some reason, by the time we hear about matching, they are likely done or almost done matching and the referrals are getting ready to be mailed...oh my gosh we've almost reached the summit!!!

I've been waiting for this news...and now it's here!!! WOOHOO!!! Only a couple days of waiting left! What's your best guess? Tuesday? Wednesday? or Thursday? I'm guessing Wednesday...I'm hoping Wednesday...I'm praying Tuesday! (But, I'll take Wednesday!)

Well, It's Not Today!

Referrals are not going to arrive on Friday, the 25th. Darn it. In fact, there has pretty much been not a stitch of rumor news. Since China is 12 hrs ahead of us...it's already the weekend. So, lookin' like Sunday night/Monday morning before we'll hear anything. Bummer. It's going to be a busy weekend anyways...and...

Hopefully, our LAST weekend without our referral!

One week left...

(Well, and maybe a few days)...but it's so exciting!!!! It just doesn't seem possible! The day is finally arriving!!!! It brings back memories when I was pregnant with Ian and they told me I was having him that weekend (over a month early). I remember thinking, "you have GOT to be kidding me! The day has arrived"...and I didn't really even get to think about it..until I was in labor for 36 hours...had lots of thinking time then! haha.

So...we are in the final days of this pregnancy with a gestation period longer than an elephant....25 months not counting the time of gathering the documents, etc. which would bring it up to 32 months. geesh.

No rumors...which why would THIS month be any different than the previous few!? I'm just hoping they are mailed THIS week...so we'll have our referral the beginning of next week...please let it be so!

And then there were 2...

Two weeks to go...I am truly in shock.

It seems unbelievable. I sure wish I knew WHEN exactly we'll get the THE call. And I sure wish Keith & I could be together when we did get the call...but doesn't look like that will happen, unfortunately. Oh yes, I could (aka maybe should) wait to open the email with her photo until he comes home. But seeing as how I cannot wait to give him his birthday presents once I buy them....I'm thinking I couldn't wait to open the email until he gets home. Unless, of course, he is on his way home...but even then, I honestly don't think I could wait!

Will it be Friday the 25th??? Monday the 28th???? (Or Tuesday or Wednesday?) Or not until Thursday the 31st???

Matter how to you look at it...very soon!!!

TWO WEEKS!

1 down, 3 to go

At least that's my best guess...three weeks left before we get referral! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I will admit that the excitement has not yet returned to the level it was last month (when we thought we'd be getting it at the beginning of Jan), but I'm sure it will return soon. Heck right now most of my friends and family are almost more excited than I feel right now. Don't get me wrong, I am excited, but I'm not like I was last month. Last month, I couldn't stop smiling every time I thought about it. This month...not yet. I'm sure next week or maybe the week after that the smile will return and not leave!

Since I spent so much time the week of Christmas working on finalizing my packing list and purchasing items, I'm turning my focus to house and school things. My classes are all ready for the semester to begin, so I can focus on the dissertation and creating the plan. (No, I haven't gotten that done yet! Unfortunately. And the motivation to do so seems to have dissipated, I'm sad to report.) I have to do this now. I just have to. I'll never get this done by my goal date if I don't get moving on it! I'm meeting with my major professor next week--after my oral exams. So I need to be ready to truly discuss it with her. At this point, I'm not really ready. But I have a week, so I'll be ready by then. Short goal deadlines...that's the only way it's going to get done!

To make it even more complicated right now...my only living grandparent--my grandma--turns 90 in March. My dad & uncle want to have an open house for her and they have opted for late April so that I can be there too. (I am so thankful! I wanted to be there but thought I'd have to miss it because we'd be in China!) Apparently, Grandma is really excited about Megan; she loves babies! So, somehow it's all going to work out. I had planned on taking Megan back to SD at the end of April, but it might end up being a little earlier in April than I had planned. Now, let's pray we return from China by the end of March so I've got a few more weeks to recover before leaving again! And how am I going to grade online postings and papers for up to 44 students this semester as well? (And that's 4 papers per student, too!) I have no idea whatsoever. Can we say stress????? Yep. I'm a glutton for punishment.

February or Bust

Well, our agency just called...they are not hopeful that we are in this month. The cutoff is still not official, but it seem it is 12/19. Man does that stink.

So...onward and upward...looking forward to the next batch. They will do at least one day (us) next month. Last year the February batch came on the 1st...so looks like it will be the last week of Jan or first few days of Feb. Then travel sometime in March.

Stork or Not? YES!

Well, one report says the stork is in the air. But the source is not very reliable. The same source believes the news is bad for us...I'll post as soon as I know something more definitive. I'm praying we don't have to wait another month (that would be the bad news).

***UPDATED****Referrals are arriving...right now some of the people logged in the day BEFORE us have received the call with their referral...but still no news on our date. But I will admit, it's not looking good for us being in this batch...darn it.

What's that you say???

Irish saying, "WHAT? I was sleeping so peacefully on the couch, too."

How many days??? Well, my fellow travel mate, Mary, believes we'll get referral on Dec 31. Yes, as in 4 days away. I still am thinking Jan 4th (as in a week from tomorrow). Somehow Jan 4th sounds so much further off than 8 days does! At any rate...it's SOON!!!!

Some people are getting really negative about whether we'll be in this batch or not. I believe they are simply trying to protect themselves--extremely conservatively at that, if you ask me! I think we're in. Without. A. Doubt.

Next post...the stork will be flying! Oh my gosh, I never thought the day would EVER arrive where I'd be saying the next post the stork will be in the air! (For those not familiar, we stay the stork is flying when the referrals have been mailed...and agencies are expecting packages.)

24 and counting...

Okay...so, if we get referral on Friday, Jan 4th...that's 24 days from today. That's the day I most expect to receive it. I'm told that it could arrive anytime between Dec 28th (OH MY GOSH!) and January 9th (YUCKY, YUCKY, YUCKY).

I'm thinking 24 days sounds good! Sooner would be good, as long as I have all my "stuff" done before then so I can focus on Megan! (and our pending travel journey, of course.)

We're NEXT!!!!

Yes, I feel this crazy right now...everything is a blur. Referrals are beginning to arrive for December, appears the cutoff is the 14th or 15th...we are DEFINITELY in for January! No doubt.

I need another countdown...T minus 30. In about 30 days we will finally see Megan's face. Oh my gosh...my heart is racing. If I can't wipe the smile off my face now, how much more so will I be smiling coming January!!!????? Wow. While Christmas 2007 is not what we expected (we thought we've had our last without Megan), knowing we will be literally days away makes it all good.

It's all good.

And Now it's December

Our Christmas Tree 2007

I honestly have no idea where November went, let alone 2007! GEESH!

Now that we are in December, we can OFFICIALLY say we will get our referral NEXT MONTH! I cannot verbalize how exciting it is that we are within a month (give or take a day or two) of seeing Megan's face. Let's see...emotions would include: anticipation, excitement, overwhelming joy, excitement, excitement and oh, did I mention excitement? It's hard to even focus on ANYTHING! There have been no referrals for December yet...and really no rumors of what the cutoff is...or when they will likely arrive. How horrible for those who are expecting referrals this month!

Oh...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, Keith...I won't say how old he is...but he is "catching up" to me! haha

I am done...

I am so done with all of it. Referrals came out today. I am so done with trying to predict when we MIGHT be see Megan's face. It would appear that they only matched families who have been logged in between November 26 and 30th. They did not even get one day into December (or so it seems, it's truly not official yet). You see, there are VERY few people logged in Dec 1-4. In fact, 2 of the days they "matched" this month were weekend days. Dec 3 & 4 are weekend days. Why are they so insanely slow? Only God knows. Literally. If they continue at this pace, it will be February before we see her face. UGH! There truly are no words.

The good news...there are only 19 days between where they are matching and where we are on the list. The flip side is how many months will they take to get through those small, short 19 days? I hate to even ask.

Exciting Realization

I think I've gotten somewhat caught up from being gone for six days traveling to SD for Grandpa's funeral. It was an interesting experience...family dynamics, hhhmm. It was so good to see Ashley & Brady and, of course, my siblings. The cousins on that side of family were together for the first time ever. The last time we got together, the youngest two were not born yet, and they are in now high school. It was good to get some extended family photos and catch up with everyone.

Now...on to the exciting realization! I was in a planning meeting on Friday night...where we were looking at the next 90 days. So, in counting out in my head the months/days that includes....I realized something awesome...WE WILL likely HAVE MEGAN'S PHOTO in the next 90 days!!! OH MY GOSH!!!! Ninety days from now is mid-Dec...even if we miss the December batch, which I don't believe we will...we will see her face within the next 110 days! WOW! AMAZING! AWESOME! Needless to say, how can you focus on a meeting when during this quarter our lives will change! I will experience international travel...China...holding Megan. Cool. The sparkling cider is going in the fridge soon!

There are no new rumors yet, but things might begin floating in the next week or so. However, things are still so busy for us, that I likely will read them (assuming I even have time for that!), get excited to myself...likely email or call Keith with the rumor...then wait for referrals to come out! So...here's to referrals coming soon!

What an interesting weekend...

I'm sitting here...taking a moment to get my things together before heading out of town this week. My Grandpa Leo passed away this afternoon at the age of 93. Here is a picture of me with him taken a few years ago. He looks really good here, in fact he's looked like this most of my life. However, mom said that neither she nor my siblings who were with her yesterday at the nursing home recognized him. I'm grateful that he did not linger long.


On another note...referrals are in. The number of days covered are not as many as we would have hoped, nor rumored...the cutoff day was November 25. I will sugar coat this and say that apparently the number of referrals is not less than usual, as there were so many families logged in during this time. But, not matter how you look at it, it still stinks. It does reduce the number days until they get to us to 25 days! That's cool! It's still possible for us to be in November, but December is looking more likely. We are still looking at this year...but we will likely be the first group to hit waiting almost 24 months before referral. Yuck.

It's That Time Again

Referral time! Well, almost. The rumor is they are about ready to be sent. I hope they are sent today or early tomorrow so they will arrive yet this week. Otherwise, with Monday being a holiday, families in the US will have to wait until Tuesday to receive the news! That would be bad...well, not really. After all, if they are sent this week they will actually be earlier than usual, which would be very, very, VERY good!

Currently, they are saying that November 29 is likely the cutoff, the rumors have been scarce this month, so it they might not go that far. I'm not sure which I like better: a month where tight lips abound and we hear pretty much no information or a month of looooooooooooose lips where the news is so good, it's crazy and laughable. I'm thinking maybe the quiet months. I think they bring about less stress me anyways. So, that's the latest...which really isn't much. But, now you know what I know: pretty much nothin', honey.

My prediction/hope is they go to Nov 28...so if they get to the 29th...I'll be MORE than overjoyed and, for me, it will firmly keep us in the Nov/Dec 2007 range of when we will hear some news! So, that's all, folks!

Preparing Myself

Okay, potential bad news here (although it could be read as good news). Yes, I'm talking about projections for us getting referral. I've just scanned through the numbers of those that I KNOW are logged in before us in December. I've added it all up, guessing approximately how many families will be matched each month based on previous months, etc. It's not looking good.

I still believe it is looking good for 2007. However, November is not looking so good. Certainly, there is the possibility that they could begin to speed up more than I've estimated. Certainly, they could not speed up at all (which makes 2008 the year of Megan in our household). If my calculations are correct, we could miss the November group by ONE lousy DAY! While that would be more than disappointing and border on frustrating, it would guarantee us in the December batch. See there is a silver lining here. It would mean another Christmas without Megan, although being in the December batch means we will at least have her photo and know what providence she is in at Christmas time.

So, I'm putting it out there...if it happens there will much wailing and gnashing of teeth at our house for a day or two after referrals come out. But, after the sulking is over, the excitement of knowing we'll be in the next batch will propel us through the month, I know it will! Besides, we can't stay negative at our for too long...it's in our jeans (yes, I spelled that right!)!