Yes! It's true: the stork has been sighted and is winging it's way to LA right now...the fact that the stork looks like a DHL plane is of no concern.
At 9:09 PDT this morning my cell phone cheerfully started ringing and showed me a 626 number that did not belong to Doug & Tina and that meant it belonged to USAA! Sure enough, it was Yasmine giving us our official "1st Call" to talk to us about our visas for entering China and to tell us that our referrals would be here "very soon" (we suspicion that they're already here, but Tracy who does referrals is on vacation until Mon.).
Here's the information I was able to get from Yasmine:
Referrals are coming for the 15 families in Group 103 and the 8 families in 106p.
She does not know which provinces the children are from.
She has not heard anything about twins, but she has heard that there are a couple of boys.
Our target for travel is late June/early July.
We expect that we will get our referral next week, maybe Tues. or Wed! I can't believe that it's our turn - NOW! I'm so excited, and yet completely overwhelmed.
I think I'll go outside & start looking for ladybugs!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
It's a shower...where's the soap??
Yesterday Megan The Cleaning Nazi's house was filled to capacity as friends and family gathered to celebrate our upcoming adoption. It was everything Megan's late mother Sharon had dreamed of. There was Chinese food, paper lantern decorations, chocolate covered fortune cookies, games and loads of kids. Every age group was represented from 3 weeks old to 60+. All the "wanna be" grandmothers got their baby fix for the day since Michelle Fitts and Tina Henton obligingly handed their 3 week and 2 month old children around the room.
The well wishers and gift bestowers dined on "House" Chicken, Veggie Spring Rolls, White Rice, Crab Rangoon, Lettuce Wraps, Mandarin Salad and Fruit. There was a cake that was decorated to look like the invitation to the shower and despite the fact that they spelled Tenley's name wrong, it looked and tasted great!
Tenley's gifts include: two car seats, a stroller, toiletries, books, toys, cute clothing, a night light, laundry detergent, baby proofing items, gift cards, dinnerware, a fabulous handmade quilt and a cow.
It was a good time with some friends that we don't get to see very often and others that we see all the time. We are grateful for everyone who came to share our happiness; and we are very thankful for all the wonderful gifts and for Megan opening up her home for us.
The well wishers and gift bestowers dined on "House" Chicken, Veggie Spring Rolls, White Rice, Crab Rangoon, Lettuce Wraps, Mandarin Salad and Fruit. There was a cake that was decorated to look like the invitation to the shower and despite the fact that they spelled Tenley's name wrong, it looked and tasted great!
Tenley's gifts include: two car seats, a stroller, toiletries, books, toys, cute clothing, a night light, laundry detergent, baby proofing items, gift cards, dinnerware, a fabulous handmade quilt and a cow.
It was a good time with some friends that we don't get to see very often and others that we see all the time. We are grateful for everyone who came to share our happiness; and we are very thankful for all the wonderful gifts and for Megan opening up her home for us.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
The Rumor Mill
Rumors rumors everywhere...and nothing we can count on!
Now that there's no one in front of us and it's the October DTC people who are due to get referrals, the Rumor Mill has shifted into high gear. It's a good thing that we're not anxious or desperate, because you could make yourself crazy (and many people are) trying to keep up with what everyone thinks might be going on.
Oddly, the message board that USAA people talk on is quiet. There are questions about Gotcha Day and the information you will receive at 1st & 2nd call, but those questions are being asked by members of Groups 105 - 109 predominantly. Someone from 103 did call USAA today, and posted that they were told we are done being matched- but have no ETA on our referrals, and that it's unlikely that 103 (us) will be combined with 102 (but could potentially be combined with 104), and that 103 will likely not travel until June or July. This set off a firestorm of freaked out posts on the Group 103 message board by anxious members of our group who have stated that they will not, under any circumstances, wait until July to travel if we get a referral anytime in the next 2 weeks. They are seeking ways to beg, cajole, demand, or force USAA to take us sooner, send us on our own, or travel with another agency to get there in May. The October DTC board has been humming with rumors for weeks because the members of that group are from many different agencies, so everyone has a different story: referrals are coming, but only if you have a LID before Oct 15 (or 17, or 19 depending on the rumor); referrals are not coming and there won't be any until May (or June depending on the rumor); referrals are coming- but only for the end of Sept people. After 5 minutes of this your eyes begin to cross and your head begins to really hurt.
This is the part of the wait that is hard for me: listening to all these people freak out and chase their tails. Jeff and I are really calm and we have had no problem with the wait. I suppose that could be because this is our first attempt to have a child, unlike many others who spent their late 20's trying to conceive and their 30's in the "fertility circus" and may or may not have failed domestic adoptions to boot. Some people have 1 biological child, but were unable to have more. Some are just baby crazy. We are letter "D": none of the above. We believe that the child who will be our daughter was destined before time was time, and that our job is merely to walk the path God has set us on until we meet her. Some of our group are upset at the thought of having a picture and then having to leave their child in the orphanage for 2 months until July... I don't see the problem: she has no idea that a couple of pale faced round eyed people speaking a strange language are flying half way around the world to rescue her from a substandard living environment and whisk her away to a clean, well fed pamperd life of luxury...she's just happily living the only life she's ever known- and she may be with a loving and attentive foster family.
I am content to wait and continue cleaning and preparing our home. I know Tenley is coming, and while I'd love to see her face today, it's ok if I don't see it until May or June. I have no intention of calling USAA to find out what's happening and where our referrals are, or to join in the travel mutiny- if we don't go until July it will be hot and humid and miserable (Guangzhou is on the same latitude as Cuba) but I will still see China and be united with my daughter.
I think everybody just needs to take a pill.
Now that there's no one in front of us and it's the October DTC people who are due to get referrals, the Rumor Mill has shifted into high gear. It's a good thing that we're not anxious or desperate, because you could make yourself crazy (and many people are) trying to keep up with what everyone thinks might be going on.
Oddly, the message board that USAA people talk on is quiet. There are questions about Gotcha Day and the information you will receive at 1st & 2nd call, but those questions are being asked by members of Groups 105 - 109 predominantly. Someone from 103 did call USAA today, and posted that they were told we are done being matched- but have no ETA on our referrals, and that it's unlikely that 103 (us) will be combined with 102 (but could potentially be combined with 104), and that 103 will likely not travel until June or July. This set off a firestorm of freaked out posts on the Group 103 message board by anxious members of our group who have stated that they will not, under any circumstances, wait until July to travel if we get a referral anytime in the next 2 weeks. They are seeking ways to beg, cajole, demand, or force USAA to take us sooner, send us on our own, or travel with another agency to get there in May. The October DTC board has been humming with rumors for weeks because the members of that group are from many different agencies, so everyone has a different story: referrals are coming, but only if you have a LID before Oct 15 (or 17, or 19 depending on the rumor); referrals are not coming and there won't be any until May (or June depending on the rumor); referrals are coming- but only for the end of Sept people. After 5 minutes of this your eyes begin to cross and your head begins to really hurt.
This is the part of the wait that is hard for me: listening to all these people freak out and chase their tails. Jeff and I are really calm and we have had no problem with the wait. I suppose that could be because this is our first attempt to have a child, unlike many others who spent their late 20's trying to conceive and their 30's in the "fertility circus" and may or may not have failed domestic adoptions to boot. Some people have 1 biological child, but were unable to have more. Some are just baby crazy. We are letter "D": none of the above. We believe that the child who will be our daughter was destined before time was time, and that our job is merely to walk the path God has set us on until we meet her. Some of our group are upset at the thought of having a picture and then having to leave their child in the orphanage for 2 months until July... I don't see the problem: she has no idea that a couple of pale faced round eyed people speaking a strange language are flying half way around the world to rescue her from a substandard living environment and whisk her away to a clean, well fed pamperd life of luxury...she's just happily living the only life she's ever known- and she may be with a loving and attentive foster family.
I am content to wait and continue cleaning and preparing our home. I know Tenley is coming, and while I'd love to see her face today, it's ok if I don't see it until May or June. I have no intention of calling USAA to find out what's happening and where our referrals are, or to join in the travel mutiny- if we don't go until July it will be hot and humid and miserable (Guangzhou is on the same latitude as Cuba) but I will still see China and be united with my daughter.
I think everybody just needs to take a pill.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Waiting In The Wings
Jeff and I grew up in the performing arts. The thing about mounting a show, no matter what kind, it that it takes months of preperation, and then one day the weeks and months have slipped away and it's showtime. The performers are consumed by a nervous energy that everyone shares- it hums through their bodies and crackles in the air as they listen to the orchestra play the overture. Then the curtain rises and they stand in the wings, gripped in anxiety and anticipation- waiting for the moment they will take the stage. Your heart pounds and your ears ring, but there is no turning back...and in truth you don't want to because you know that once you're out there everything will be fine and every fiber of your being will tell you that you are alive and doing what you were meant to do. Then the moment comes, and you step on to the stage, and your performance begins.
At 11:00am PST today, the orchestra started the overture: Group 102 got "The Call" telling them that they are parents, and the name and some brief information about their daughters-to-be. This means that there is no one ahead of us anymore. We, and the rest of Group 103, are officially "on deck" - waiting in the wings for the "First Call" to tell us that China has issued a travel request for us, and therefore our referrals are on the way. This could, literally, come any day now; but probably not until after the 1st of April. Once we have that call, it's usually only a week or 10 days until the curtain goes up and we have our referral ...and finally see Tenley's face.
It is quite possible that Groups 102 & 103 will take the stage together and head for China at the end of May.
I sit here, consumed by nervous energy, awed at all I have to do...and feeling like I somehow missed dress rehersal. Ready or not, the orchestra is playing, we are in the wings, and I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to fly by and we'll be standing on stage in China with Tenley in our arms before we know it!
At 11:00am PST today, the orchestra started the overture: Group 102 got "The Call" telling them that they are parents, and the name and some brief information about their daughters-to-be. This means that there is no one ahead of us anymore. We, and the rest of Group 103, are officially "on deck" - waiting in the wings for the "First Call" to tell us that China has issued a travel request for us, and therefore our referrals are on the way. This could, literally, come any day now; but probably not until after the 1st of April. Once we have that call, it's usually only a week or 10 days until the curtain goes up and we have our referral ...and finally see Tenley's face.
It is quite possible that Groups 102 & 103 will take the stage together and head for China at the end of May.
I sit here, consumed by nervous energy, awed at all I have to do...and feeling like I somehow missed dress rehersal. Ready or not, the orchestra is playing, we are in the wings, and I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to fly by and we'll be standing on stage in China with Tenley in our arms before we know it!
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Like Sands Through the Hourglass
Well!
Until today, being in Group 103 meant we had time- lots of it. The garage sale could be put off until April. Tenley's room didn't need to be painted until May. Nursey furniture? Yes, I picked some out, but the nice girls at Babies R Us said i could be had in a week, so there was no rush to order it.
Until 3:30 today. Around that time, Yasmine started calling all the nice people in Group 102 to tell them that their referrals are on the way! Uh-oh. Oh no. That means that in the next week or so Group 102 will have their referrals and see their children's faces for the first time...and we will be next!!!!
Now the garage sale must happen in April. I will be heading to hardware and home improvement stores tomorrow to get paint chips for Tenley's room. I must prepare a fax for USAA giving them our updated contact info, so that when our time comes one of us can be reached.
Where did all the months go????
Until today, being in Group 103 meant we had time- lots of it. The garage sale could be put off until April. Tenley's room didn't need to be painted until May. Nursey furniture? Yes, I picked some out, but the nice girls at Babies R Us said i could be had in a week, so there was no rush to order it.
Until 3:30 today. Around that time, Yasmine started calling all the nice people in Group 102 to tell them that their referrals are on the way! Uh-oh. Oh no. That means that in the next week or so Group 102 will have their referrals and see their children's faces for the first time...and we will be next!!!!
Now the garage sale must happen in April. I will be heading to hardware and home improvement stores tomorrow to get paint chips for Tenley's room. I must prepare a fax for USAA giving them our updated contact info, so that when our time comes one of us can be reached.
Where did all the months go????
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
How
Last Tuesday, Feb 22 2005, at 10:30 something at night, my aunt lost her battle with leukemia and passed away. The truth is that she had beat the leukemia because we had been blessed with a bone marrow donor, but she fought a raging battle with Graft Vs. Host disease, and in the end it was actually pneumonia (a secondary infection) that got her- which is what gets most transplant patients. Her death is actually a blessing: she required round the clock care, had brain damage from some of the drugs she was on, her physical theripists did not think she would walk again, and my cousin (her daughter) had left her husband and her life in VA to come home to care for her mother until who knows when. Being bed ridden and slightly crazy was a lousy life and I think she was tired of fighting and just wanted peace.
My cousin was the sister I always wanted and my mother never had. My aunt was my other mother. She was one of the smartest people I ever met, and was a master of the guilt trip. She loved to dance. She was a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and we're the only troop I know of who sang Broadway showtunes and hits of the 60's- because that's what she taught us. She adored rock maple furniture from the 50's and bought antique table linens to adorn it. She loved animals. She volunteered tirelessly. I could spend hours and 1,000's of digital pages to describe her and recount all the wonderful memories I have and the beautiful and selfless things she did for me and so many others.
And what I want to know now is "how am I supposed to explain to Tenley who this fabulous woman was???" I am so sorry that she didn't live long enough to see her come home. She was having so much fun planning my baby shower- Chinese food and decorations, all the shower games, and she wanted to make chocolate dipped fortune cookies for dessert. As far as she was concerned, this would be her first "grandaughter". She bought Tenley an antique chenille baby blanket and Chinese paper dolls. She was so happy and excited for me, and I am so sorry that she is gone.
I know that her spirit will live on in things that I do and say that came from her: like everytime my daughter will dramatically carry on over a hang nail or a case of the sniffles and I look at her and say "Well, it's not leukemia" - which is what she used to tell us kids as a polite way to say "Suck it up you're not really sick" (ironic that one day it was leukemia). Or the first time my child is seen wearing something hideous/questionable and I say "Tenley.....I don't believe I've seen those pants before." And I can make her bbq'd chicken, and her potato cheese casserole, and the jello dessert with the pretzel crust...but I just can't figure out how Tenley will ever know how wonderful and amazing she was....and that breaks my heart.
I loved her so much- and I never told her that enough. I don't have any words to comfort my cousin whose grief is as deep as the ocean, or my own mother who lost both of her best friends in the last year. I only know that I will miss her all the days of my life and that if I manage to be half the mother she was I'll be happy.
Sharon Anne
August 12, 1946 - February 22, 2005
I love you, and I miss you.
Godspeed.
My cousin was the sister I always wanted and my mother never had. My aunt was my other mother. She was one of the smartest people I ever met, and was a master of the guilt trip. She loved to dance. She was a Girl Scout Troop Leader, and we're the only troop I know of who sang Broadway showtunes and hits of the 60's- because that's what she taught us. She adored rock maple furniture from the 50's and bought antique table linens to adorn it. She loved animals. She volunteered tirelessly. I could spend hours and 1,000's of digital pages to describe her and recount all the wonderful memories I have and the beautiful and selfless things she did for me and so many others.
And what I want to know now is "how am I supposed to explain to Tenley who this fabulous woman was???" I am so sorry that she didn't live long enough to see her come home. She was having so much fun planning my baby shower- Chinese food and decorations, all the shower games, and she wanted to make chocolate dipped fortune cookies for dessert. As far as she was concerned, this would be her first "grandaughter". She bought Tenley an antique chenille baby blanket and Chinese paper dolls. She was so happy and excited for me, and I am so sorry that she is gone.
I know that her spirit will live on in things that I do and say that came from her: like everytime my daughter will dramatically carry on over a hang nail or a case of the sniffles and I look at her and say "Well, it's not leukemia" - which is what she used to tell us kids as a polite way to say "Suck it up you're not really sick" (ironic that one day it was leukemia). Or the first time my child is seen wearing something hideous/questionable and I say "Tenley.....I don't believe I've seen those pants before." And I can make her bbq'd chicken, and her potato cheese casserole, and the jello dessert with the pretzel crust...but I just can't figure out how Tenley will ever know how wonderful and amazing she was....and that breaks my heart.
I loved her so much- and I never told her that enough. I don't have any words to comfort my cousin whose grief is as deep as the ocean, or my own mother who lost both of her best friends in the last year. I only know that I will miss her all the days of my life and that if I manage to be half the mother she was I'll be happy.
Sharon Anne
August 12, 1946 - February 22, 2005
I love you, and I miss you.
Godspeed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)