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Tuesday, October 28, 2003 9:20 PM CST I've been getting a lot of flack for not updating the site...sorry about that!!! We've been pretty busy around the Lahsin household as we all have been settling in to our new routine. Kate is doing so well! She's walking EVERYWHERE, and I think she'll be running very soon...please pray for me! Kate is such a happy little girl...she laughs constantly and is such a ham! She seems to command attention from the room wherever she goes.
Joe goes back to work tomorrow, so my "alone" routine begins. I'm very happy that he's been here these past two weeks. The transition home was more difficult than we imagined it would be. The jet lag was just aweful, and Kate and I both came down with colds during our first week home.
Since I've either spoken to or e-mailed many of you, I don't plan on updating this site very often now. Please feel free to e-mail me at rlahsin@excite.com...I'll be checking that as often as possible.
I'm so glad that you've shared our journey with us. Joe and I will be forever changed by this precious little girl..she's truly a miracle. Stay tuned for more information about "baby # 2" Yes!!! We're going to be adopting a baby sister for Kate sometime down the road!
Wednesday, October 22, 2003 8:29 PM CDT Today is our last day in China! We've truly had a wonderful time, and we cannot wait to share our stories with all of you. We have so many things to tell you!
We will visit the Qingping market again today (pronounced Ching ping.) We went there the other day, and it was fascinating. I had heard horror stories about this place, but I didn't see anything truly disturbing. For those reading this who may be unfamiliar with Qingping market, it's been said that you can purchanse anything there for consumption that walks, flies, crawls or slithers. I did see lots of chickens and some scorpions, but no "domestic friends." Thank God. We mostly saw streets and alleyways filled with bags of grain, spices and vegetables. It's truly a fascinating place. Do a Google search for Qingping Market Guangzhou and you'll be able to see pictures...be warned, some of the images that you pull up may be disturbing.
We're also going to visit the jade market today.....I've held off on buying jade because I knew we'd be visiting this market. I really want to buy several items for Kate for future birthdays and "Gotcha" days.
This will be my last post until we return home. We have to leave the hotel at 6:00 am tomorrow morning. It's going to be a looooong day. Our flight from Hong Kong departs at 12:50 pm and we land in Chicago at 2:00 pm the same day!!! You just gotta love that International Date Line.
We can't wait to see everyone, and we sure hope that many of you will be able to meet us at O'Hare. Kate is looking forward to meeting all of her new friends and family members!!
Love,
Regina, Joe and Kate
Wednesday, October 22, 2003 3:43 AM CDT Ni Hao!!!
Well, I managed to post a couple of pictures for everyone to see! They're a bit lopsided, but it's the best that I could do. Kate is not smiling in the pictures :(, but we loved these shots anyway.
We had our official swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate today..it was pretty emotional. The girls are one step closer to becoming Americans...it will be offical once the plane lands in Chicago. The Sunny Ridge folks pick up the visas tomorrow, and then we're able to leave. We fly to Hong Kong at 7:00 am on Friday morning, and our flight to Chicago leaves at 12:50 pm. Fourteen hours....fourteen hours with eight squirmy toddlers. Pray for us!!!!
Gotta run...I hope you all enjoy the photos!
Regina, Joe and Kate
Monday, October 20, 2003 9:34 PM CDT Good Morning!! (It's 10:30 am here)
All is well in Guangzhou. The babies had their medical exams yesterday and all passed with flying colors. The girls had to be examined at three different "stations" and Kate was fine until station number three. She doesn't like to take her clothes off, and the doctor dared to remove her shirt...how dare he. She only cried for a bit, while some of the other girls really wailed.
We had a pizza party last night in the park with our travel mates, and I can't tell you how nice it was to have pizza. The food here is truly wonderful, but after many days eating "local" fare, it was a nice reminder of home.
We will be visiting White Cloud Mountain this afternoon, and it's supposed to be very beautiful. Kate has done really well on all of our outtings...she loves her stroller, and just takes in all of the sites. We were lucky enough to see a Giant Panda at the Guangzhou Zoo the other day, and we took pictures with Kate in the foreground and the panda in the background. Lord only knows if pandas will still be in existance when Kate is an adult. It was a pleasure to be able to see it.
Joe and I are very eager to get home. China has been wonderful, but we're ready to go home. Living out of a hotel room with a baby is challenging at best..it will be nice to be home surrounded by everything familiar.
I'm still going to attempt to post some pictures before we leave for home.
That's all for now!!
Joe, Regina and Kate the Great
Saturday, October 18, 2003 8:45 PM CDT Good Morning everyone!!! Well, we've made it to Guangzhou, home of the U.S. Embassy! We are staying on Shiaman Island which is just south of the main city. It's a beautiful island with many gorgeous parks. The traffic is really kept to a minimum on the island, so Joe, Kate and I have been taking lots of walks (and we've been doing LOTS of shopping!)
We left Changsha late on Friday night once we received the girls' Chinese passports. The travel was very hard...all of the babies were so tired. We didn't get into our hotel until almost midnight, and then Kate decided to play until about 1:30 am. Needless to say, we were all very tired yesterday.
They have some wonderful restaurants on the island, and we had a group dinner at a Thai restaurant named Cow and Bridge last night...it was outstanding!!! This morning we are going to explore the famous (or should I say infamous) Qing Ping market. Joe scouted it out for me yesterday and has assured me that I won't pass out from anything that I might see there. This particular market (and others like it) were at the epicenter of the SARS outbreak....lots and lots of exotic creatures can be found at Qing Ping. I'll be sure to post my thoughts on the market in my next update. This afternoon we're heading out to the Guangzhou zoo...I'm hoping we get to see a panda!!!
Now, on to Kate. More and more of her amazing personality is surfacing daily. She smiles and giggles all of the time, and is saying "mama!" Actually, we have a game going where she yells, "MA" and we yell it back to her...she laughs like crazy at this game.
She's a real foodie (just like her parents!!) and there's nothing that she doesn't like. She gets so excited around food...it's pretty funny. Joe and I are learning the fine art of eating in shifts...Kate is VERY demanding about her food..get it to her, and get it to her fast!!!!
She's truly a delightful baby, and we cannot wait for all of you to meet her. Another family member has taken pictures on his digital camera for us, and we'll try to post some to this page in the next day or two.
We'll, we're off to explore more of the island and do a bit more shopping!!
See you soon!
Regina, Joe & Kate
Wednesday, October 15, 2003 6:47 AM CDT Hi everyone!! First, my apologies for not updating this site earlier. The Caringbridge page has not been accessible to us for several days, and this is the first opportunity that we've had to provide an update. Now for the REAL news!!! WE'RE PARENTS!!!! Kate was placed into our arms at 5:15 pm on Sunday evening. It's impossible to describe the shear emotion proceeding, during and immediately after the "gotcha" moment. We were told that the babies were to be placed beginning at 4:30 pm and that each family would receive their baby in their hotel rooms. All of the Sunny Ridge families have rooms on the same floor, so we were all pacing the hallway from the moment we arrived in our rooms (we got to the hotel at 3:30 pm...talk about very little time to prepare for a life-changing event!) Sometime just prior to 4:30 pm, we heard a baby cry..the babies and their caretakers had come off of the elevator and were being ushered into a nearby room. Luckily, our room is just off of the elevator bank, so we were able to capture a glipse of eight little girls all dressed in identical pink outfits. Joe and I could not identify Kate in the crowd...they were wisked away so quickly that all we saw was a blur of pink!!!!
Kate was brought to our room by the orphanage director and her caretaker. Bob, Bernie (a woman) and Bill from Sunny Ridge were also present. Kate was very tentative at first, and after ten minutes or so, the caretaker and the director handed her to me, then everyone simply left the room. We had an opportunity to ask her caretaker a few questions, but to be honest, I couldn't really think of anything to ask!! Things happened pretty quickly. Kate cried for a brief time (1/2 hour or so) and eventually calmed down. She took to Joe immediately...she's truly a daddy's girl.
The last three days have been both wonderful and a bit scary for us. As I mentioned, Kate took to Joe immediately but was less than pleased with me. We were prepared for this, but I won't say that it has been easy. She refused to let me comfort her, so the entire process fell to Joe...until today. She and I had a break through today, and I believe that we've finally become friends!!!
Kate had a strong physical reaction to the emotions of being separated from her caretaker, and it was a bit frightening for us. I won't go into detail on this (anyone who has taken care of a sick child can fill in the blanks on this), but suffice to say that Joe and I learned to parent a sick child very, very quickly. She's just fine as of today, but the past two days have been challenging. All of the girls are experiencing grieving and stress, and it's manifesting itself in various ways...Kate's was all physical.
Kate was feeling much better today, and her personality is really starting to blossom. She's an incredibly funny little girl and smiles and laughs constantly. She's so unbelievably good natured and easy going. She's a tiny little peanut...size 12 month clothes are a bit big on her. We haven't weighed her, but if she's 18 lbs, I'd be shocked. She's such a beautiful baby. Words cannot describe how overjoyed we are with this little girl...she has taken hold of our hearts. We just cannot wait for everyone to meet her....she's amazing.
The adoption was finalized on Monday morning, and we're simply waiting for all of the paperwork to be completed before flying to Guangzhou on Friday. I will try to post prior to our arrival in Guangzhou, but the internet connection from Changsha is hit or miss (thus why I haven't been able to post earlier!!!) We miss everyone!!!!!
Love,
Regina, Joe and Kate
Friday, October 10, 2003 6:56 AM CDT Ni Hao!! Greetings from Beijing!
We arrived late last night after 30 hours of travel (can you say ouch?) Actually, it wasn't nearly as horrible as we thought it would be, but by 11:30 pm Bejing time last night (10:30 am Chicago time) we were pretty fried. Needless to say, we didn't have a difficult time falling asleep! We're still feeling the effects of jet lag, and we've been told that each subsequent day gets a bit easier.
For those of you wondering whether we were able to complete our mission of eating sushi in the Tokyo airport....we failed....sort of. We found sushi, but our body clocks were so off by the time we arrived in Tokyo that we had no stomach for it. Alas, the best laid plans.
We hiked the Great Wall today and visited the Summer Palace. There are no words to accurately describe the experience of seeing the Great Wall with one's own eyes. Thankfully, we've captured the moment on video which we plan to play for each and every one of you in an endless loop upon our return. It truly is a magnificent work of engineering...Kate should be very proud of her heritage.
Tomorrow we visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It's been very rainy and cold, so we hope to have better weather tomorrow. And we hope to find a Starbucks....we REALLY hope to find a Starbucks!!!
We were just told a few minutes ago that the babies will be placed at 4:30 pm on Sunday!!! (Saturday at 3:30 am Chicago time.) Please say many prayers that our union with Kate goes smoothly and without undue drama. We can hardly believe that we're less than 48 hours away from becoming parents.
We'll post again as soon as possible!!!! We hope all is well at home....hi Bailey, Darby and Hadley....we miss you!
Regina & Joe, from Beijing
Tuesday, October 7, 2003 6:57 AM CDT Well, the time has finally come. We leave our house tomorrow morning at 8:45 am for a 12:50 pm flight (UAL 833 connecting in Tokyo.) Since we're traveling as a group, we need to meet the rest of the folks from Sunny Ridge at O'Hare at 10:00 am.
Despite my best laid plans, Joe and I are going to have a relatively busy day today....just last minute errands, but ones that must be done. To say that we're both a bit on the emotional side today would be an understatement. Kate will fulfill a dream that Joe and I have had for what seems like an eternity, and it's amazing to us both that the time is virtually upon us.
This will be our last update until we're in Beijing. China is 13 hours ahead of Central Time, so we're hoping to post after our first full-day in Beijing...so look for something in the morning hours of Friday, October 10th. This is assuming, of course, that we're able to update this page at all....let's keep our collective fingers crossed.
We'll also be checking e-mail (again, if possible), so feel free to send any e-mails to rlahsin@excite.com.
We cannot thank all of you enough for your love and support throughout our adoption process. It's been one incredibly long and winding road, but the prize is just at our fingertips.
Marion and Shirley...We have a strong suspicion that you've both been significantly involved in "steering" this process right from the onset. We would ask that you continue to guide our journey and keep your precious granddaughter safe and sound until she is placed into our arms. We love you and miss you both terribly.
R&J
Monday, October 6, 2003 5:48 AM CDT Well, the Cubs have won their first post-season series since 1908, and we will be in China unable to see how it turns outs!!!! Joe and I were thinking that if adopting from China was all it took to get them to win, perhaps we should have started the process a bit earlier!?! Like, say 25 years ago or so?
Anway...congrats beloved Cubbies!!!! We won't be able to join you as you clinch the National League Title and head into the World Series, but we have some pretty important business to attend to. You won't be far from our minds.....
R&J
Friday, October 3, 2003 8:31 AM CDT Good Morning!!! Only five more days until we leave to get Kate!! This week has flown by....we'll, I can't speak for Joe, but it's gone quickly for me! I've finished packing Kate's suitcase (you would not believe the things that we have to bring!) and one "miscellaneous" suitcase filled with diapers, snacks, etc. We only have to pack our own suitcase which should take no time at all to do. Joe's last day of work will be next Monday, and he'll be taking Tuesday off to catch his breath before we leave on Wednesday. Not much longer now...
Regina
Monday, September 29, 2003 5:29 PM CDT Hi everyone! Joe and I have been "nesting" like crazy lately....cleaning, sorting, cleaning, packing, cleaning....you get the picture. Yesterday was "car seat installation day." I won't bore you with the details of this particular little nightmare, but suffice to say that I am now completely convinced that one needs a phd. in astrophysics to actually install a car seat properly. Joe and I simply gave up and let the fine fire fighters of Orland Park install them for us...by the way, it took three of them to do it!!!!!
It's hard to believe that in just over a week we'll be on our way to China. We're so very close now!!!!
R&J
Tuesday, September 23, 2003 10:04 AM CDT We had our final travel meeting at Sunny Ridge last night, and we're ready to go!!! (Well, almost....)
We received updated information on the babies, and the weights seemed funny to us....it appears that the girls haven't gained any weight since their referrals!!! It's our best guess that they were previously weighed with a zillion layers of clothes on, and the weights that we recieved last night are more accurate. So with that being said, Kate currently weighs 17 whopping pounds at 15 months and is 28 inches long. We have a tiny, itsy-bitsy little girl. All of the babies are tiny, but Kate is the littlest of them all! Based upon this information, we're only going to bring 9 and 12 months clothes with us...she'd be swimming in 18 month things.
They also provided our detailed itinerary. For those of you who want to follow along with our journey, here are the details:
October 8, 2003: Depart O'Hare airport on United flight 883 at 12:50 pm.
October 9th: Arrive in Tokyo at 4:05 pm. Transfer to United flight 875 to Beijing. Arrive in Beijing at 9:00 pm.
October 10-11: Take tours and local sights (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, etc.)
October 12th: Fly to Changsha, Hunan
GET KATE ON THE EVENING OF OCTOBER 12TH!!!!
October 13th: Registration and notary process (this is the legal adoption!!)
October 14th: Bonding with baby...no other plans today
October 15-16: Tours and local sights while waiting for processing of notary papers and babies' passports
October 17th: Pick up notary papers and babies' passports and fly to Guangzhou (home of the U.S. Consulate)
October 18th-19th: Visa pictures and local tours
October 20th: Babies' medical exams and consulate paperwork
October 21st: Tours (includes visit to Buddhist temple!)
October 22nd: American Consulate appointment in the morning and swearing in ceremony in the afternoon.
October 23rd: Pick up paperwork from Consulate
October 24th: We're free to leave!!! We will fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, and we will depart Hong Kong for Chicago on United flight 896 at 12:40 pm arriving in Chicago on October 24th at 2:00 pm in the international terminal. We land only two hours after we leave...hummmm.........
Thursday, September 18, 2003 10:45 AM CDT Feel the burn......
Only 20 more days until we leave!!! We're so excited, yet there is still SO much left to do. That's astounding really, given the time we've had to plan for this trip. Kate's "playroom" (read "former den") is packed full of shower gifts that need to be sorted and placed in their proper...well...place! Everyone has been so incredibly gracious, and the chaos in our den is proof of everyone's tremendous generosity! Actually, I'm secretly looking forward to going through everything again....it's so fun to prepare our house for our baby!!!!
This weekend begins phase one of baby proofing....we are VERY unbaby-proofed at present. Outlet plugs and toilet locks, here we come!!!
R&J
Tuesday, September 16, 2003 3:29 PM CDT What a difference a day (or should I say an hour?) makes. Shortly after my previous post, Joe found out that the travel agency handling the group travel for Sunny Ridge booked the rest of our travel group on our exact flight to Beijing!!! I think someone finally realized the absurdity of the original schedule.
This is great news. Instead of having to meet up with everyone on October 11th, we'll all be traveling together and will get a full three days in Beijing. This is just awesome news for everyone!!!!
Three weeks from tomorrow.....yippee!!!!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2003 8:35 AM CDT Who says that you have to have a child before experiencing sleep deprivation?
Joe and I attended the first of two travel meetings at our agency last night. It was very informative, and it was great to see everyone from our travel group again. We received our flight itinerary, and to our surprise, found out that Sunny Ridge could not get us a flight to China until October 10th. Since we need to be in Changsha by Monday, October 13th, we would need to fly out of Beijing on Sunday, October 12th. That means only one day in Beijing...one day to see the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and to consume a fabulous dinner of Peking Duck...all of this while being severely jet-lagged. are you tired yet? Joe and I made a decision last night to experience just a bit more of Beijing (awake, preferably,) so we've chosen to fly out of Chicago on October 8th and meet up with the rest of our travel group on Saturday, October 11th. We were up well past Midnight last night on the phone with United Airlines, but we managed to officially book our flights....HURRAY!!! Here are our flights:
1. Wednesday, October 8th -- Flight 883, Chicago to Tokyo
flight leaves at 12:50 Chicago time and arrives in Tokyo at 4:05 pm on October 9th.
2. Leg two -- Tokyo to Beijing -- Flight 875. Flight leaves Tokyo at 6:05 pm (so, only a two-hour lay over) and arrives in Beijing at 9:05 on Thursday, October 9th.
HOME:
We will be flying home with our travel group on Friday, October 24th on United flight 896...non-stop from Hong Kong to Chicago. We will arrive at O'Hare at approximately 2pm.
We were only able to use our frequent flier miles to upgrade to business class on the outbound leg to Tokyo. We're waitlisted for the Tokyo to Beijing leg. We were unable to upgrade on the home flight, so we opted to purchase a coach seat for Kate...at least that should be somewhat bearable!!!
Anyway....Joe and both got three hours of sleep (max) last night, but we have flights!!!!!
One step closer......
Thursday, September 11, 2003 12:56 AM CDT HURRAY, HURRAY!!! We finally receieved word of our travel dates. We will be leaving Chicago on October 8th and will arrive in Beijing on October 9th. We will spend approximately three days in Beijing (actual itinerary is still forthcoming) and then head to Kate's province of Hunan. We will be united with Kate within the first day or two upon arrival in Hunan, and we'll spend a week or so in Hunan's capitol of Changsha. We will then travel to Guangzhou, and our U.S. Consulate appointment is set for October 22nd. We will fly out of Hong Hong on the 24th for home!! I will post our exact flight numbers and times as soon as we receive them. We would just love for our family and friends to meet us at O'Hare on the 24th, so I'll be sure to post details on the "hows and whens" for those who are interested.
We are so relieved to finally have concrete travel information. My last day of work will be September 26th, and I'll be taking three months of leave. I'll return to work on January 5th. I haven't had three months off in...well....I can't remember when!
Wednesday, September 3, 2003 4:16 PM CDT Still no word on travel dates. However, we did receive news that our agency has scheduled two travel meetings for our group -- one on September 15th and the other on the 22nd. We've already had the opportunity to meet the other families with whom we'll be traveling, so we should have fun and these two meetings! Our agency also indicated that we should have our confirmed travel dates by that first meeting. Let's hope so!!!!!
R&J
Wednesday, August 27, 2003 9:18 AM CDT Hi everyone! We don't have much "new" news to report, but we did find out that our acceptance letters were mailed back to the CCAA on Friday, August 22nd. We hope to receive travel approval within a couple of weeks and our official travel dates shortly thereafter. October travel still seems very likely. I hear that Changsha (Hunan) and Guangzhou are still mighty hot on October (think Cuba) so we plan on packing lightly.
August is nearly over and seemed to speed by -- let's hope for an equally speedy September!
Regina & Joe
Monday, August 18, 2003 9:55 AM CDT Hi everyone! Well, as far as we know, the acceptance letters for everyone in our travel group have been sent back to the CCAA. This now triggers the next stage which is the issuance of our travel approval letter. We won't be able to confirm our travel dates until we receive that letter as the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou won't issue us an appointment without it. Due to all of the referrals that have been issued this summer, there's quite a back up at the consulate. Apparently, all appointments through September 22nd have been taken, so it's our agency's best assumption that we'll be traveling in early October. Of course, we want to go get her RIGHT NOW, but alas, we must wait a bit longer. I'll be sure to let everyone know when our travel approval comes through.
Regina
Monday, August 11, 2003 8:29 PM CDT We are overjoyed!!! We received Kate's photos today, and we cannot believe how blessed we are. We have a healthy and beautiful baby girl. Kate has been described as shy and introverted (more like dad than mom) and she loves music. She gets excited when she sees food (like mom) and can shout in a loud voice (like mom.) She has four teeth, and is eating all solid food. We estimate that she weighs roughly 20 lbs at 14 months...she's just a little peanut.
Joe and I are over the moon!!!!!! We cannot wait to bring her home!
Friday, August 8, 2003 11:13 AM CDT What a week! Joe and I have been on cloud 9 all week long, and I still don't think it's quite sunken in that we have a daughter. We're scheduled to meet with our Sunny Ridge social worker on Monday to receive the rest of Kate's information and see her little face for the first time. My birthday is this Sunday...man oh man, I couldn't have asked for a better gift!
We've been doing a lot of research on Hunan province as well as the QiDong Social Welfare Institute where Kate is currently residing. We were pleased with the conditions at the Institute -- very clean, and the babies seem extremely well cared for.
Thanks again for all of the wonderful messages. We're truly in heaven!
Regina & Joe
Monday, August 4, 2003 8:40 PM CDT WE HAVE A DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We received the call today at 4:50pm Central time. We are thrilled beyond measure.
We would like to introduce, for the very first time....drum roll please....
Katharine Jess ChunYang Lahsin (Kate!!!!)
Here's what we know:
Name: Qi Chun Yang
Birthday: June 16, 2002 (13 months old!)
Currently residing: QiDong City
Province: HUNAN!!!!!!!!! Our beautiful little chili pepper!
We won't have any more information until next Monday, August 11th (Yikes!) All of Kate's information is currently being translated, and it won't be back for one week. We have an appointment to meet with our social worker next Monday, the 11th at 2:30pm. We'll get her picture and additional information at that time. We won't have travel dates for awhile, but the last week of September or early October is probable.
We want to thank all of you for the endless love, prayers and support that you've given us throughout our wait.
Regina & Joe
Monday, August 4, 2003 4:08 PM CDT The first September DTC 2002 referral announcements began to roll in today! We heard late last week that the CCAA divided the referrals for August and September 2002 in half...they mailed half late last week with the other half to arrive later this week. Since we didn't receive "The Call" today, it's probably safe to assume that the Sunny Ridge referrals will be in the second batch...wouldn't you just know it? So, we wait......come on phone, RING!!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2003 10:29 AM CDT The wait has been long, but we believe we see a light at the end of the tunnel. We heard today that 800 referrals (presumably ours included) are set to be mailed from the CCAA no later than Thursday of this week (the 31st.) We should be getting "The Call" sometime next week. Joe and I dropped off our dossiers to Sunny Ridge on Wednesday, August 7, 2002. How funny if we were to get "The Call" exactly one year to-the-day later...that's certainly the Red Thread in action.
Monday, July 21, 2003 2:18 PM CDT ....and we're still waiting. I'm absolutely certain that a week no longer contains seven days....more like 20 or 30.
We're hanging in there, and hope to have news very soon!!!!
Friday, July 11, 2003 9:49 AM CDT We're still waiting to her about our referral. The rumors are flying, and the general concensus is that the CCAA will mail referrals for Aug/Sept. 2002 folks the third week of July. We're so close!!!
We've just about completed the nursery - just waiting for the furniture...and of course, Kate!!!
Thursday, July 3, 2003 2:31 PM CDT When things move, they really, really move!!! All of the April, May, June and July 2002 dossier groups have received their referrals. The CCAA sent out April/May last week and June/July this week. We're next!!!!! We're not exactly sure when we'll be getting "The Call" but you can bet it will be pretty soon. We're excited beyond belief....keep those fingers crossed!!!!!
Happy 4th everyone!
Thursday, June 26, 2003 1:03 PM CDT The floodgates have opened!!!
We received news today that all of the April and May 2002 folks have received their referrals. We've also been told that June and July 2002 referrals will be mailed on Monday with August and September 2002 (US!!!!) referrals being mailed in mid-July!!!!!!! If that timeline holds true, we will be looking at Kate's picture in less than one month.
I've never prayed for time to fly faster in my life!!
Tuesday, June 24, 2003 9:17 AM CDT CCAA Resumes Adoptions!!!!
Today the World Health Organization lifted all travel advisory restrictions to Beijing. Subsequently, the CCAA has resumed all adoption processes!! This is the best news we could have received today, and we hope to see Kate's picture in a month or two with travel shortly thereafter. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes and prayers during this incredibly trying time. Hopefully, it will be smooth sailing from here on out.
Wednesday, June 18, 2003 5:37 PM CDT I've attached a link to what is by far one of the most thoughtful articles on China adoption that I have ever read. For those of you who, like Joe and I, are in the midst of this spectacular and humbling journey, the emotions expressed by this author will be familiar territory for you. For everyone else, this is a long article, but well worth your time. This man captures all of the emotions that we've been feeling for the past year and a half and expresses them beautifully. He is far better writer than I, so I'll let him speak on our behalf. Enjoy.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/inquirer_magazine/features/6083015.htm
Wednesday, June 18, 2003 10:38 AM CDT Hi Everyone! The rumors among those in the adoption community are flying everywhere today. Several agencies are reporting that the CCAA will begin to issue referrals and travel approvals as early as this Friday. Other rumors have indicated that a "huge flux" of referrals will be issued beginning June 30th and will be sent out in a six-to-eight week timeframe. Of course, this is all just rumor for the moment, but there are several different agencies all reporting roughly the same information, so we'll see what happens. I want nothing more than to post that those of us caught up in this wait finally have referrals (and travel approvals) in hand!!!
Friday, June 13, 2003 10:39 AM CDT The great news keeps rolling in!!!! Just this morning, the World Health Organization lifted its travel advisory on the Chinese provinces of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Tianjin city. These areas all surround Beijing. They are still keeping the advisory for Beijing, but I assume it's only a matter if time before that one is lifted as well.
The CCAA is scheduled to meet again on June 20th to decide whether they will begin to issue referrals and travel approval. The general "rumor" among the adoption community is that the flood gates will be openend at that time.
Hang on Kate...we're almost there......
Thursday, June 12, 2003 9:20 AM CDT Good morning!!! I have some positive news to report today. I've attached a link to an article about the WHO's (no, not the rock band) visit to Beijing this week. The two individuals mentioned in this article are the two that will make the decision to lift the travel advisory for Beijing and surrounding provinces. That could happen by tomorrow if all goes well. This is definitely a step in the right direction.....prayers and good thoughts are welcome!!!!
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200306/12/eng20030612_118062.shtml
Wednesday, June 11, 2003 1:51 PM CDT THE RED THREAD
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.
~Chinese folklore~
Monday, June 9, 2003 4:42 PM CDT Our adoption timeline:
December 2001 -- Joe and I attended our first adoption orientation meeting
January 2002 -- Begin the gather of documents for our dossier
May 2002 -- Completion of our home study
July 2002 -- received the 171H form from the INS (this is like the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket!!!)
August 30, 2002 -- Dossier mailed to the CCAA in Beijing
September 1, 2002 -- The Great Wait begins......
Monday, June 9, 2003 4:09 PM CDT We're still in a holding pattern for the moment. The CCAA (China center for Adoption Affairs) has put a temporary suspension on adoption referrals as well as all travel approval. So what does this mean for us? We'll, we're certainly hoping that this will only delay us one or two months.
SARS seems to be coming under control in China, so we hope to have some good news to post very, very soon!!!!
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