Congratulations to all of the families who are seeing their child's face for the first time!!! China has referred through February 28, 2006!
According to China Adoption Forecast: China has 38 days of dossiers to be processed before they get to your dossier. China currently processes about 6.1 days of dossiers each month.
Our best guess: 2009-07-16
This actually moved up our approximate date from the last time referrals arrived!!!!!!!!!!!
It is that time again and referrals began arriving yesterday for families logged in through February 23, 2006. Congratulations to all of the families who are seeing their child's face for the first time.
The China Adoption Forecast site gives this information.
China has 43 days of dossiers to be processed before they get to your dossier. China currently processes about 5.3 days of dossiers each month.
Our best guess: 2009-07-24
Of course, this estimate changes every month depending on the number of days of referrals.
Today marks the 32nd month that our dossier has been logged in. This year we will be struggling with our 4th Christmas without our daughter. Sometimes I feel like a very cruel trick has been played on me and there will not be our daughter here when all this is over. Then other times I just know that Olivia will come home to us. Today, I just feel lost and sad that our daughter is not in our arms.
Referrals began arriving yesterday and I still have no idea what the cut-off date is. However, it looks like China may have only referred 2 days this month which would still leave us with 49 LID's in front of us. At this rate, God and the CCAA are the only ones who know when we will finally get to meet our daughter.
Yesterday J and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and tomorrow is our 31st month waiting for Olivia to come. It is getting more and more difficult to be positive about this wait and I sometimes wonder if Olivia will ever come home to us.
I never thought we would have been waiting for Olivia this long, but 30 months have passed since our dossier was logged in with China.
Any guesses how much longer we will wait?
Referrals have arrived for LID's from February 10-15, 2006. Now there are only 50 LID's left before it is finally our turn. It has been a long 3 years since we began the process to bring Olivia home.
Congratulations to all of the families who are finally seeing their children for the first time.
Our ship, the Adventure of the Seas.
When we arrived in Aruba some of the streets were closed and there were camera crews everywhere. We found out that Parliament was returning that day. These are the soldiers waiting for the members of Parliament.
Curacao is a beautiful island and the houses are beautiful with so many different colors.
J and I climbing the Rock Wall on the ship. We both made it to the top and rang the bell.
Saint Marteen is divided in half. One side is owned by the French and the other by the Dutch. The island, especially the beaches, were beautiful.
This is St. Thomas from the ship. We spent a lot of time walking around the shops and at the Coki Beach.
Tomorrow marks 29 months of waiting for our daughter to finally come home. I am really hoping that we will finally meet Olivia next year.
Congratulations to all of the families whose LID's were through February 9, 2006. I know that they are excited about seeing their child's face for the first time.
Now there are only 56 LID's until it is our turn. That doesn't sound like much, but it could take another year to get to us.
Referrals are arriving for LID's through January 31, 2006! This means that there are only 65 LID's left before it is our turn!
Congratulations to all of the families who are receiving their referrals!
Our dossier has now been in China for 28 months! How is that even possible? On the referral side of things, rumor has it that the CCAA is only referring 2 days of LID's this month.
Tomorrow evening our oldest niece, Jennifer is getting married. Wow, it is hard to believe that she is old enough.
So far this month has been crazy. On Friday night, July 4, our lab ran away because she was scared of the fireworks. We spent the whole weekend putting up posters and looking for her. Thankfully, mainly due to the kindness of one stranger named Kurt, we were reunited with her this afternoon.
Today is our 27th month LID anniversary. I never thought that we would still be waiting to see our daughter, but here we are.
Also today referrals began arriving for people logged in through January 25, 2006. There are now only 72 LID's in front of us. It does not seem like many days, but they could take another year or more to get to us.
Congratulations to all of the families who are finally seeing a picture of their child for the first time. What a wonderful day for them.
Referrals began arriving today for families with LID's in January 2006. Although I am not sure of the cut-off date, I know it is at least January 20, but could possibly be January 22. If it is the 20th, that means we have 77 LID's in front of us. Congratulations to all of the families who are seeing their children's faces for the first time today.
We now have been waiting 26 months to finally meet our Olivia. I can't believe our wait of 6 to 9 months has stretched out this long.
Early this morning my Grandmother passed away. She was my last remaining Grandparent and Livi's last remaining Great-Grandparent. She was so excited for Livi to come home to us and I know she will be watching over all of us from heaven. We will miss her but we know she is in a much better place.
Once again Mother's Day has come. In my heart I feel like a mother, but my arms are empty. I worry about Olivia, wonder if she has been born yet, worry if she is hungry, cold or needing to be held in loving arms. I worry that we will never see our daughter's face and that I will continue to feel empty without her in my life. When she finally does come home I hope she knows how much she was wanted and loved well before she came home to her forever family.
To all the mom's out there, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. I have been blessed with a wonderful mother who is always there for me and has loved me unconditionally. I hope I will be half as good of mother to Olivia as my mom has been to me. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you.
For all the waiting to be mom's out there...our time will come.
Wow, today it has been 25 months since our dossier was logged in. I can't believe how long we have already waited to see Olivia's face and to hold her in our arms. When we started this process I thought that 9 months would seem like forever to wait and now I know that it was just a drop in the bucket.
Happy Birthday to Katie and Reese who turned 4 today. They grow up so fast.
Referrals for families logged in after January 9, 2006 began arriving today. Although it is not official, it looks as though the cut-off is January 12, 2006. Congratulations to all of the families who have seen their child's face for the first time.
84 days left until they get to us!
We received our new I-171H approval today. What this means is that we are approved by the US Government to bring an orphan into the country. This approval does not expire until October 12, 2009 and our fingerprints do not expire until June 29, 2009. I really hope we do not have to go through this process again.
Congratulations to all of the November and December 2006 families who have finally made it through the review room!
Today marks our 2 year anniversary since our dossier was logged into China's Center of Adoption Affairs.
For some people, 2 years does not seem like that long of time. However, we have been officially waiting for Olivia to come home for:
731 days
104 weeks
17,544 hours
1,052,640 minutes
63,158,400 seconds
And it seems like even longer that we have dreamed of becoming parents. We are hoping that by this time next year Olivia will be home with her family.
Referrals are arriving and they are for LID's through January 9,2006. Congratulations to all of the families who are seeing their baby's face for the first time.
There are now 87 LID's in front of us. Come on CCAA speed it up already!
Today, we once again took a trip to be fingerprinted so we can get approval for our I-600A, which will turn into a I-171H once we are approved. This is the form that will allow us to bring an orphan into the U.S. Our fingerprints expire after 15 months, so let's hope we don't have to do this again. The hoops we have to jump through for our own government are crazy, but I know it will be worth it once Livi finally gets to come home.
Happy Easter everyone! It has been a long wait and I am hoping by next year Olivia will be home to celebrate Easter with us.
One of my friends got to meet her daughter, Melody, for the first time today. How exciting for Jamie, Steve and Melody!
I work with Melody's Aunt Lisa and she surprised me the other day with a poster to hang in my office during this long wait and a button to wear. I immediately hung the poster on my wall in my office. Thanks Lisa!
We have now been officially waiting for Olivia to come home for 23 months. I have no idea how much longer we will have to wait, but when she finally comes home I know every second of the wait will be worth it.
Unfortunately, our I-171H (the form that the U.S. Government makes us fill out to bring an orphan into the country) expired in November and we didn't get to renew it at that time. We finally received our homestudy update earlier this week, so today we mailed out the I-600A (along with a hefty check) to have our I-171H updated. Next, we have to head to either Cincinnati or Columbus to be re-fingerprinted. The bad part about all of this is that our fingerprints expire after 15 months and our I-171H expires in 18 months, so we will probably have to do this all again.
Yesterday referrals began to arrive for LID's beginning December 28, 2005-January 4, 2006. Thank goodness the CCAA has finally made it through 2005! There are now 92 LID's in front of us and if the CCAA continues to refer at least 8 days a month we have approximately 11 1/2 more months of waiting. But...we can always hope for a speed up.
Congratulations to all of the families who have finally seen their child's face for the first time.
Today marks 22 months since we were LID. I wonder how much longer it will be until we see Olivia's face.
Today also marks the first day of the Chinese New Year (also is referred to as the Spring Festival and Lunar New Year). 2008 is the Year of the Rat and here is a little information about Chinese New Year.
The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year
The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth. "Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth.
No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.
On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.
The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.
The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.
The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.
Some Taboos and Superstitions of Chinese New Year
The entire house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.
All debts had to paid by this time. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year. Back when tinder and flint were used, no one would lend them on this day or give a light to others.
Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word "four" (Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.
If you cry on New Year's day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.
On New Year's Day, we are not supposed to wash our hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year's sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.
For those most superstitious, before leaving the house to call on others, the Almanac should be consulted to find the best time to leave the home and the direction which is most auspicious to head out.
The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear songbirds or red-colored birds or swallows.
It is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.
Do not use knives or scissors on New Year's Day as this may cut off fortune.
While many Chinese people today may not believe in these do's and don'ts, these traditions and customs are still practiced. These traditions and customs are kept because most families realize that it is these very traditions, whether believed or not, that provide continuity with the past and provide the family with an identity.
The CCAA has processed LID's through December 27, 2005. Congratulations to all of the families who have received their referrals for their children.
An extra special congratulations to Jamie and Steve on receiving their referral for their daughter Melody Marie.
Now we only have 100 LID's ahead of us. Come on CCAA...speed things up so our daughter can come home!
Half the Sky has finally heard from all of the orphanages where it has programs, so Jenny Bowen issued a full update at 5 this morning (Feb. 2).
South, central and eastern China is expecting three more days of snowy, frigid weather.WeGuiyang, Guizhou – has seen ice, snow and now sleety rain. They need disposable diapers and some help buying food.
Maoming, Guangdong - This is the coldest, wettest winter in memory, but they have warm clothing and electricity. They ask for warm floor mats, 12 space heaters, warm blankets and some help purchasing food.
Qingyuan, Guangdong – Again, the lowest winter in history. Constant rain. The children all have colds and sniffles, no matter how many padded layers they wear. They ask for 7 space heaters and 55 padded jackets.
Shaoyang, Hunan - has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm despite daytime temperatures of -3C. However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one stands and the institution fears it will fall as well, leaving them without electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays that the power pole will continue to stand. They request space heaters, warm clothing for 60 children and shoes for the big kids.
Yibin, Sichuan – It's a snowy day but it feels like the weather may be getting better. They're not sure. They feel the county-level institutions are worse off than they are so the ask us to consider helping others before them. They keep the children warm in the bright rooms that HTS created and they say everyone is well so far.
To contribute to Half the Sky's Little Mouse Emergency Fund to meet these emergency needs and others, click here
http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Little+Mouse+Emergency+Fund
Since the box that gives us information from the CCAA is gone from their website I have to rely on RQ for all the news. On Friday, referrals began to arrive on the west coast but we are not sure of the cut off date yet. I will keep everyone posted.
Some of you may not know this, but China has been experiencing massive snowstorms which have caused problems at many of the orphanages. I received this email from our local FCC concerning the storm and the problems the orphanages are facing. If you would like to donate money to Half the Sky to help the orphanages there is a link at the bottom of the post.
Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the hardesttime dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country issimply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice. The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safedrinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and publictransportation. In many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Skynannies have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roadsto get to the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies andteachers are remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going home to their own families for the LunarNew Year holidays. They need quilts. They need warm clothing. They need coal, water,disposable diapers and food. Here are the reports I have thus far. I will send more soon. Where you don't see a report, either all is well or I don't yethave information. I will tell you when we've heard from everyone. We've also given all the directors an emergency number to call when/if the situation changes.
Hunan Province –
Chenzhou has had no electricity or water for six days. They are relying on coal for heat and cooking. The supermarkets and banks areclosed. Staff is using personal money for baby food, diapers, coal andwater. Costs are rising due to shortages. They have a natural well that, thankfully, is not frozen. Even the older children are helping to fetch water. They have perhaps six days of food remaining. The local government is overwhelmed by the disaster and is unable to help much.
Shaoyang has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm. However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one stands and the institution fears it will fall as well,leaving them without electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays that the power pole will continue to stand.
Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generatoris being used in the children's dormitory. They are relying on coal heat, but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often slipping on the ice, even though they try to be cautious.
Xiangtan has had snow for the past 10 days. The main water pipe is"broken again." There is no water for cooking right now but they do have electricity, coal and blankets. They are still able to buy food, but prices have gone way up. Not all of the HTS nannies can get to work every day. They are keeping the programs going as well as they can and make sure that at least five nurturing nannies are there with the babies every day, along with the institution's caregivers.
Jiangsu Province –
Changzhou has seen some heavy snows but the director reports that the children are fine. The director says that he's doing his best to ensure that the children do not suffer. Public transportation is crippled by the snow and HTS nannies and teachers are waiting for hours to catch a bus for home or even walking home in the snowy dark.
Nanjing reports no problems at all despite the heavy snows. I tried to fly into Nanjing yesterday but it was not possible.
Anhui Province -
Chuzhou has both water and power. Only public transportation has failed. HTS nannies and teachers are walking to work. They are leaving home extra early to be there for the children.
Guangxi Province –
Guilin has two broken HTS heater/air conditioners in the Infant Nurture rooms and they've asked us to replace. The rooms are very,very cold. They ask for more soft matting for the floors and also snowboots for our HTS nannies who've been slipping and falling in the ice and snow as they come to work. They are so ill-equipped to handle severe weather.
Jiangxi Province –
Fuzhou lost power for a few days but now it is back to normal. The snow stopped a couple of days ago but now is falling again. The directors and HTS staff have gathered all the children into one big room to keep them warm. They've bought New Years clothes for the children and will have a party no matter how bad the weather. This year, however, the foster parents will stay home to keep the children safe. The institution has enough food and water. They want us to focus on those in more serious trouble and ask us please not to worry.
Jiujiang says they've never faced such bitter weather. They desperately need disposable diapers. Washable diapers cannot be dried. They need warm clothes, shoes, gloves, hats, quilts and warm mats for the floors. They need medicine for infant coughs and colds.
Hubei Province –
Wuhan suffers heavy snows but they still have power. Heaters are working, but there is no water for bathing. The local community has offered to take children in for the Chinese New Year, and the institution feels this may be the best decision to keep them safe.
Huangshi reports that the freeze is so severe that all heater/airconditioners have stopped functioning. They need quilts and warm clothes for the children. They need disposable diapers. Several HTS nannies have fallen on the ice on their way to work, and they need medicine to treat cuts and bruises.
Gathering these reports together makes me think about how careful we have always been at Half the Sky to maintain our focus on nurture and education programs. Ours is not a medical or relief organization. There are many wonderful groups who do that work. Probably the primary reason we've been able to accomplish so much and reach so many children is because we've maintained our focus on our core mission --providing nurturing care for children who've lost their families. But a moment like this really cannot be ignored. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. taught us that no matter how wealthy a country might be, its vulnerable citizens (old, poor, ill, and orphaned children) are the ones who suffer most when disaster strikes. Even as China seems to be entering the first world, a disaster likethis is quite simply crippling. We know that orphaned children will be among those who suffer the damage most.
I say this because I think we should break one of Half the Sky's rules and, if there are sufficient funds raised in the Little Mouse Emergency Fund, we should offer relief (water, food, diapers, quilts,clothing) to any orphanage where children need help. Let's see how this goes. If people are as generous as I think they might be, we will work with the provincial Bureaus of Civil Affairs in every hard-hit community, and offer assistance to all welfare institutions where there is need.
Please lend a hand, however you can. You can donate to the LittleMouse Emergency Fund by calling us in the US at +1-510-525-3377 or in Asia at +852- 2520-5266 or by visiting us at www.halfthesky.org. Oncethere, you can click on "Donate Now" http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Direct+Contributions
or
go to http://www.halfthesky.org/help/docs/usdonation-orderform.pdf to download a form to mail or fax. Donations are tax-deductible inthe U.S., Canada and Hong Kong. Please forward this message and tell your friends and family.
In honor of Chinese New Year, which is just around the corner and because of the dust, my mom decided that Olivia's tree needed dusting. She was kind enough to take pictures so I could share them with everyone. There are more, but I need to figure out how to put them in a slide show.
In life I see people everyday struggling to live, but yesterday I had to watch my Grandmother struggle to die. I felt helpless as I watched her struggle to breathe and I prayed that she would not have to continue to suffer. My Grandmother had always been a strong, stubborn woman and she continued that until her death last night. When she passed on, she was surrounded by her family and I believe she knew how much we loved her and would miss her.
When we began the process to adopt Olivia, Grandma was so excited to have another great-child and I really wanted them to be able to meet and get to know each other. I am sorry that it won't happen now, but I know Grandma will be watching all of us from heaven.
Saying good-bye is never easy.
Today marks 21 months since our dossier has been logged in. Also this month our homestudy expires so we are in the process of renewing all that goes along with that.
It has been a rough day today for my family. My grandmother is very ill and I spent most of the day by her side. Each hour I could see the change in her, but there was nothing I could do to help her feel better. Hospice is involved with her care and making sure she is at least comfortable. I am hoping, for her, that this time goes quickly for her, without pain.
Referrals are arriving and the CCAA has updated their website. Unfortunately, once again, the CCAA referred only a few days.
The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before October 31, 2006.
The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before December 19, 2005.
What that means to us is that there are still 108 days of LID's in front of us. Dang, it is going to be one long year.
