GOD'S GRACE

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I last posted. It's not that I have been in a funk, to be honest, blogging just isn't much fun right now!!!! Looking back at my posts, I have said just 2 more months for well over 6 months now!!!!! Too funny. On the serious side, God has really been teaching me out His grace. I thought I learned that spiritual lesson a long time ago, but God has shown me His grace anew. You name it, what can go wrong has. But through all of our trials in the last couple of months, God's grace has been 100 times larger. I won't elaborate on my woes, but just knowing that God is in the midst, even when things are bad is great comfort. As hard as this wait has been, God really has given me peace and joy through it. I know your asking, I can hear you, "What is the latest, and how long now." Well, they are now up to Nov. 7th., which means that we are 11 referral days out. That's the good news. The bad news (you knew I had to go there!) is they are averaging 6 referral days a month!!! That still doesn't mean that we won't be next, but I know it will be in God's timing, not mine, and I am tired of guessing. Ony time will tell. I am trying ever so hard to be patient, enjoy the ride, and not whine!!!!

On the non-adoption side, we have as been busy as ever. My cousin came for a visit last month and we had a great time. See my Picasa for the pics. Other than work, that is about all.

I will try to be better about posting. Leave me a message (whether you know me or not!!) just to let me know that you have been by for a visit. The encouragement through this long wait is always welcome!!

NEW NEWS, OLD NEWS

I saw this post on another blog that I watch whose LID (date of paperwork) is the same as mine, and it sums up my feelings as well:

The old news is that the last batch the CCAA only did 2 (yes I did not mistype 12 or 22) LIDs worth of referrals. (Oct 25 & 26th) Thus my lack of posting to my blog. It was just too darn depressing to write.The new News is that this month they managed to do 6 (yes again I did not mistype 16 or 26) LIDs worth of referrals. (Oct 27 - Nov 1)I am posting just so it does not seem that I have gone into hiding although I kind of have. So this means that if they can manage to do 17 days next time (FAT CHANCE) then we are next, or if they can do at least 8.5 days for the next two batches we will get our referral sometime in July. If they cannot manage either of these two scenarios then your guess or a crystal ball guess is as good as any prediction I might make.Anyway, after 18 months since LID and 2 years since applying, I am just numb and so I hope I can wake up enough to believe it when it really does happen.I do have to admit that when I saw the news that they actually did a day in November, I burst into tears. MY MONTH!!, they are actually in my month now.Stay tuned for the next batch and if I can manage to I will post sooner.

FALSE LABOR

Well, it appears that the package that left China late last week held TA (travel approvals) instead of Referrals. At least some families are happy to be getting their travel approvals!!!! The only rumors that are floating out there now are that there will be no referrals this week, and next batch will NOT finish the month of Oct! UGHHHH!!! But you know how it is If you live by the rumor, you die by the rumor!!!! I just keep telling myself God is STILL in control.

REFERRALS ARE DUE TO ARRIVE MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2007

Will this be the month that we "know" when we get our referral?? I am hoping that China did at least 15 days. That will leave us 10 days out, a sure shoe-in for May. If they do 12 days, that leaves us 13, with the possibility of missing a May referral by 1 day. There is still a small chance that when referrals come in on Monday that we are in!!!!! Things are getting real exciting in our household!!!!! My Mom is getting real excited as well. She asks everyday what the rumor mill says. No matter what happens Monday, we will be one day closer to our sweet Emily Elizabeth. It is so hard to not wish this time away. I know she will grow up so fast. I also know my life will change dramatically when I become a Mom, and I can't wait!!!!!! Watch for more updates next week. Maybe next week will hold the answer to the million dollar question: WHEN WE WILL SEE OUR BABY'S FACE, AND ULTIMATELY BRING HER HOME AT LAST!!!

CLOSER...CLOSER....CLOSER....

I know I said I would post more as it gets closer, but suddenly time is moving very swiftly!!!!! Referrals have come and gone again...they are now up to OCT. 24, 2005. That means we are now 25 days away. Exactly when we will get our refferal is still up in the air. It could be next month (April), 2 more months or 3 more months...or longer (don't even want to go there!!!) It looks very possible that it will be 2 more months. Our anniversary is May, what an anniversary present!! Most of my anxiety is now gone...Thank God, literally!! I am now very excited. Donnie and I went out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant Wednesday and this is what my fortune said: on one side is a learn Chinese word, and the word was daughter. The fortune read " A beautiful, smart and loving person will be coming into your life." Sounds like a scrapbook moment to me!! I have also began an online photo album, here is the link http://picasaweb.google.com/beckyndonniespics. All for now. Mom in Waiting

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN I AM EXPECTING

I have always wanted to say that!!! Just a glimpse of what you should expect as we get our referral. The referral is when the agency calls us (called "THE CALL"), and tells us we have a baby. The agency will have the info translated and then Fed -Ex ed to us. The Fed Ex man will be our Stork, and yes, I plan on taking a picture and scrap booking the moment!! The package will contain pictures, age, any known information including medical history, likes and dislikes, schedule.... We will then be given as much as 7 days to review the info and accept or not accept the referral. And which do you think we will do??? From then, the agency begins working on getting our consulate appointment. This is with the US Embassy in China, where the adoption will be finalized. Once they have the consulate appointment, they count backwards two weeks, and that is our travel time. Then the agency works on getting our Visas, and making our travel arrangements. It usually takes about 4 - 6 weeks to get Travel Approval (called TA), and travel is usually 2 - 4 weeks after that. And while the agency is busy getting our appointments made, we will be completing things here, and be over the moon with excitement. I have been dividing the 36 days in my mind a million different ways to try to figure out when we will get our referral, and the verdict always comes out the same: I don't know!!!!! If I divide it by 2 that gives us 18 days for the next two batches. I can see them doing 18 for the next batch, and 17 the next!!!!! If I divide it by 3 that is 12 days per batch. I see 2 12 batches and 1 11 batch!!!! UGH!! Really, I am not a pessimist, I really think no matter when we get the referral I am going to be surprised....there is just no "science" to figuring out what the Chinese people are going to do. I would call them and ask them, but there are two barriers: 13 hour time difference, and I don't speak the language, HA HA. OK, enough for now....can you tell I am getting just a little excited!!!! Stay tuned, as time is getting shorter, you may see more posts, one never knows. Thanks for following my Blog!!! A special hello to Mary in New York, thanks for following, you have been a tremendous encouragement to me!!!

REFERALS

Referals have arrived. They are now up to Oct. 13, which means we are only 36 days away!!! in months, that could be anywhere from 2 more months to 4 more months. We are getting so close!!!!
The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 22, 2006.
The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before October 13, 2005.

52 DAYS AND COUNTING!!

Referrals just came out for Dec. they are now up to Sept. 27.
The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before September 27, 2005.
That means there is 52 days from where we are (Nov. 18) to where they have referred to. The average now is about 18 days per month. We are on target for a March referral, travel in late May. Like the cone that the weatherman uses for a hurricane, our probability "cone" is Feb - April, with March as most likely.
Sorry about the pictures, I am having problems posting them, but I have about three months to get it figured out!! We are in the middle of redoing our paperwork. We refingerprinted in Oct, I did my physical this week, and we meet with the social worker this Sunday. I freaked out a little in Dec. about updating everything, but I am better now. I guess I just thought I could wave my little magic wand, or speak it and it would be done!! I forgot about all of the buracracy (sorry, misspelled).
On the non-adoption side of life (yes, there is actually more to life than adoption!!) we are busy as ever. Donnie is coaching basketball for a church league, and it kicks off this week. That should be fun....watch for pics.
Oh, and Cous, if you are reading my blog (AND YOU BETTER BE) Happy Birthday to you!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas. Here are the photos I have been promising. Enjoy.

Thank -you

This past weekend Donnie and I had a fund-raising garage sale. We would like to thank all who donated items, purchased items, or just donated money. From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU!!!! I know I promised pics in the last post.....But I promise I will have some pics up before Christmas. The Chinese Government has done another batch of referrals since my last post, they are now up to Sept. 8th. We are still pretty much on target for a March referral and travel in May....Keep praying for us!!!! My friend Lorrie is in China now, she received her baby at 10pm our time last night (Dec. 10). That is proof that things are moving - our date was only about 6 weeks behind theirs. Lorrie and Mark arrive in New Orleans Dec. 21, I plan on greeting them at the airport.
I plan on one more post before Christmas, but just in case time gets away from me, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Hoping to see Emily's sweet face early in 2007, and have her home by mid year. Remember Jesus is the reason for the season....Happy Birthday Jesus!

ONE YEAR - ALREADY!!

Wow!! Hard to beleive we have been waiting for 1 year on the 18th of this month. Time has really flown by. Who would have thought that the wait time would stretch out this far. The wait has been good. In the year we have been waiting, Donnie and I have each turned a year older, Donnie had much needed knee surgery, and I have lost 30 pounds!! My weight loss is due to anxiety, and Donnie finally gave in to surgery. His origional plan was to wait till the day we got back from China to have surgery!! I could picture that!! Severe jetlag, a new baby, and taking care of Donnie.
And now the answer to the all important question that I know you are asking....When are you getting your baby? Well, that is the million dollar question. Currently we are approximately 84 days from where they are in the matching process, and where our paper work is. Our paperwork is dated Nov. 18, 2005, and they have matched up to Aug. 25. China is currently matching an average of 15 days per month. At this rate it is another 6 months. But God is STILL in control. This will all take place in His perfect timing. The best we can guess, we should get our referral sometime around March and travel around May. Our wedding anniversary (number 14) is in May and our goal right now is to be in China for our anniversary. Stay tuned for more updates. I will post some pics in a couple of weeks, and promise to try to blog more often. We will be setting up a real website when we get closer...details to follow.

ANOTHER MONTH DOWN

Referrals have come and gone. We are a little closer!! We have now been waiting for 10 months. We have really enjoyed the journey. During the wait we have been to the beach twice, went canoeing, become active in our new church, have met several families that have adopted from China or are in the process. Donnie went to Nashville to see family. We have done lots of baby shopping - mostly looking!! The baby bed is up next task is to get the mural done. My friend Tracy (she also has a child adopted from China) is going to mural the room to look like a carousel. It will look great - I can't wait!! We may or may not get our referral this year, but still have a lot of things to look forward to in what's remaining of this year. Donnie and I both have birthdays this month. Donnie turns 40!!!!! Oct. marks 15 years since we met, then it is Thanksgiving and Christmas and referral somewhere around this time as well. Last months referrals came as a complete surprise - no one knew they were arriving until they got here. To me that made it more fun. As hard as it is to not know when we are going to get our referral, it is also fun to think that it could be a complete surprise!! I like surprises. I just have to remember that ultimately it is God - not Becky and Donnie or the Chinese government, God is the one that is in complete control and I am learning to thank Him and praise Him during this time.

THE Baby's Room - No not the China baby - The BIG BABY - Donnie. HA HA We haven't started on the babies room yet - so I will post pics of Donnie's LSU Room. He says he is going to share it with Emily.

REFERRALS just came in. Congrats to those who received the referral of their precious little one. July's referrals were from dates of June 29 - July 13th. Our Log In Date (LID) is Nov. 18, 2005. We are waiting for the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) website to update on the review of Dossier's (fancy name for paperwork). Right now they have completed the review of Dossier's through Oct. 31, and should be finished with Nov. What this means to us is, when the website is updated, we will be out of review, and just waiting to be matched! This is a HUGE hurdle, and one of the last hurdles!! Our next step after that is the referral!!!! It is exciting to watch and wait and see what China will do next. We should have pics of our baby sometime between Nov. and Jan. and be traveling to bring her home between Jan. and Nov. STAY TUNED......... PS. I am having trouble posting pics, hope to resolve that issue soon.

Hello, this website is being created to journal the journey of bringing home our baby girl(s) from china. We are Donnie and Becky from Louisiana. We have been married for 13 years and have patiently (well Most of the time) to start a family. After 2 ectopic pregnancies, our chances of having a baby are next to none. Adoption is a wonderful way to start or add to any family. Our paperwork has been in China since 11-18-05, and we anticipate going to get her (them) in Dec. as the earliest and March being the latest. But we are at the mercy of the Chinese government, so we will have to wait to see what THEY say!! We have asked for twins, which is the only way to get more than one at a time. The chance of twins is VERRRRRRRRRY slim, but Donnie seems pretty sure, we will have to see.