Fall is here...

So fall is here, again, and I am still waiting. Referrals came today and my friend Elizabeth got matched to her daughter. They will hopefully be together by her daughters first birthday in November. So the official site was not updated due to CCAA being out for the Fall Festival this week. It appears that they matched at least through the end of November 2005 but we are unsure if they matched anyone between Dec 1-4 or not. We will have to wait until they come back and update their site to know for sure. This means that I am either 22 or 18 paperwork days away. I am currently thinking this leads to a referral in December or maybe January. Only time, and CCAA, will tell when I will finally see my daughter.

As for how I am spending my time during the wait, September was busy. As I last posted, I went to Disney (I know... again) and I had my first shower (see pictures). I also helped host a shower for my sister and all of our grandparents were in town. She is due December 11th with her first child. I attended some China events with our group, including dinner out for the Moon Festival on Sept. 25th. I saw movies and went to a Wild hockey game (sorry Susie but we beat Chicago 5-2). Thanks again for the support while I am waiting and CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth and her daughter Taylan!!

The roller coaster....

So, the new analogy for the adoption is the roller coaster. The ups when you think that they will finally start going faster and the dips when they don't make as much progress as you think. This month was a dip for referrals. They only matched 4 days of paperwork for the entire month!!!~!!!@@!!! You have to keep in mind that they used to match a month for a month and then a half month for a month so that is why 4 days is so frustrating. They are now through Nov. 25th, 2005 so they are 27 days away from my paperwork date. It is really hard to say what impact this will have on me getting my referral before Christmas so we will all have to keep praying and see what happens. I figure it should be time for an up month so here is hoping that October is better.

As for other news, I just got back from Disney World with my parents, and my brother and his family. It was so cool to see Disney through the eyes of a little kid. Garrett had a blast. Also, I had my first baby shower and it was wonderful how nice everything was. The decorations and everything was coordinated so well and the gifts were perfect to get ready for Malia. It was a ladybug and China theme (the ladybug is an adoption sign of referrals coming).

Well, that is it for now. I will keep everyone posted as we hope to see Malia's face by Christmas (.... this year.... ha, ha...).

My wish....

OK, this past month has been really strange. I kind of came to terms with the extra wait and went on a trip to New York around the 4th of July and booked a flight to go to Florida with my brother, sister in law, and nephew for September. Now today they matched the next set of people and they are done through 11/21/05. That means they have one month of paperwork to match before me. SO CLOSE!!!! I am now 95% sure that I will have my referral/picture of Malia by Christmas.

On that note, I had a dream Wednesday night and I had to jot down my thoughts (in the dark at 2 a.m.). Here is a draft of what popped in my head at the time as my wish for my future daughter, Malia.

My wish for you...

May you experience happiness, laughter, giggles, and love.

But when you experience sadness, I will dry your eyes.

When you experience fear, I will comfort you.

When you experience pain, I will protect you.

My wish for you my daughter is that you have a wonderful, happy, and fulfilled life.

OK, it might be a little sappy but what can I say when I came up with it in the middle of the night.

Other news: My sister and brother in law, who are expecting their first child in December, just found out that she is having a boy (see the cute ultrasound picture). And we found out this month that my brother and sister in law are expecting their second child in March (almost on the same date as Garrett, their first child, was born). Congratulations to both families. We keep telling my parents (well my mom) to be careful when she wished for grandkids. We will have a full house this time next year!

P.S. There was also the obsession with Harry Potter in July. Not only did I see the new movie twice. I also finished the last book in a week... I will not disclose the ending, but it is well worth reading!

Summer is here!!!

Well, June is almost over and the next batch of referrals should be arriving in the next week or so. We had a big Q&A session at the agency a couple weeks ago and they warned that the slow down may last for awhile yet and are preparing new families for a 2 1/2 year wait. I called them to discuss what they thought for when I would get a referral and they are guessing 5-7 months (remember this is just a guess). So, I continue to have fun during the wait and leave for a vacation to New York on Wednesday. It should be a lot of fun. I also went to a picnic with the China Singles group at Tracy's house and have attached some pictures. Other than that it will be more pool time since the weather has been cooperating. I hope everyone has a safe and fabulous summer.

I can't believe it is June!!!

Well, May seemed to fly by. Me and my family all did the walk for the cure on Mother's Day to support breast cancer research. It turned out as a nice day for everyone and a great way to spend the time with my mom. I also hosted the China single mom's group at my house and those of us waiting for our daughters were able to get our kid fix. I got the pictures hung in the nursery and it is really coming together. I am also starting to think about the registry. Another update is that my friend had her son who is extremely premature. We all continue to pray for Elijah and his parents (Renee and Cliff) to stay strong and think of him every day. On that note, the biggest news is that my sister, Susie, and her husband Ryan are expecting their first child. She just made it through her first trimester and is due in early December. A big congratulations to the Hall family and I can't wait to find out if she is having a girl or a boy. I think those are the major updates for May. I can't close without an update on the wait. We thought it might be a big month finally but it looks like they may have only matched 6 days (Nov. 2 - Nov 7, 2005). With this kind of update, I give up predicting when Malia and I will be together. The only thing keeping me sane is knowing we will be together and I just need to wait for my turn.

16 months and yes, still counting

The new referrals will be coming this week and CCAA did matching only for people from Oct 27, 2005 - November 1, 2005. That means I still have a ways to go but at least I can now say that they are working on November applications (mine is 12/22/05). In the meantime, I am trying to continue to stay busy. I have been to a couple movies, enjoy dinners out, and always shopping. For Easter we took a trip to Chicago to spend the holiday with my sister and brother in law. It was a lot of fun and we were lucky enough to get last minute tickets to see Wicked. It was an awesome show and we had seats all the way up front but to one side. You could see all of their emotions and facial expressions. As for the wait for Malia, maybe God is just trying to make sure we don't have to travel to China in the heat of the summer. 100+ degrees plus add in major humidity... Yuk! My best guess at this time is that I will receive a referral in the fall and travel hopefully before the holidays. More updates next month (and lets all pray for a bigger batch of referrals that time)!!!

Walk for the Cure - Mother's Day

I am going to do the Race for the Cure 5K walk on Mother's Day this year. If you are interested in donating, you can follow the link: http://www.active.com/donate/komentc07/MAnders71

Spring is here!!!!

It is almost April and the snow has almost all melted (except the plow piles). It was another quiet month unless you count the back to back snow storms a couple weeks ago (hence the snow piles). I am continuing to try and learn Mandarin but it is a really hard language to learn. Yesterday was exciting. I went to travel orientation at my travel agency with my parents and it makes it more real that we will be traveling this fall to get Malia. Today was also a lot of fun. It is Garrett's first birthday (my nephew/godson). I have attached a couple pictures.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Well, I survived another month during the wait, another birthday, and we have crossed in the "Year of the Pig" according to the Chinese calendar. As I feel that I am getting closer to Malia, I have renewed my efforts to finish projects, including the inside of the dollhouse and her room (see pictures of both above). This month, I also found out a friend is pregnant and is due in August. I guess we are now both pregnant together, in a manner of speaking (ha, ha, ha...). Next month continues to look busy so hopefully that means that the wait will be easier to take. I also hope we start to get nice weather, especially after the foot of snow this weekend:)

Welcome 2007!!!

The new update is that CCAA is completed matching children to families that sent paperwork up until 10/13/05 (and mine is 12/22/05). They have been matching around 2 - 2 1/2 weeks of paperwork each month. At this pace (as long as it doesn't slow down), I am estimating that I will get a referral in June or July. As for January updates, it was pretty quiet again. However, I have had some events with other singles that are adopting. We went to a China exhibit at Minneapolis Institute of Arts and recently had a brunch with a couple friends from the adoption group (see pictures of their children). Now the plan is to spend the next couple months getting organized and complete the nursery, work on house projects, etc. I will keep you posted on progress. Enjoy the Chinese New Year which starts on February 18th.

Christmas Arizona Trip

I got the chance to visit my grandparents for Christmas this year. I went with my parents and grandma and we went to Arizona. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Well, I was hoping to be able to post more information on the wait but the CCAA (China Center of Adoptive Affairs) is still working on the referrals for December. Even with the wait I still had a nice Christmas with family and friends. In December the CCAA announced that starting in May 2007 they will no longer accept single applications for adoption in China. Therefore I consider myself fortunate that I started the process when I did and got my paperwork to China. I continue to use the extra time to have some fun and prepare for Malia. Also, in December I had other single friends bring their daughters home. It helps to know that it does happen. I wish everyone the best in 2007!!!

November Update

Well, it has been a quiet month. The China Center of Adoptive Affairs is done matching kids with families that sent paperwork up thru Sept 8th of 2005 (and my paperwork was received Dec. 22, 2005). This means there is still a long wait. Based on their progress, I would guess I will get Malia's picture in June or July.

As for November, I have other single friends that either got their daughter home or the picture of their daughter. It is fun to see the girls and know that my turn will come. I also received some neat gifts (from Grandma Bev, Tracy (adoptive mom), and my adoption group secret pal).




























Finally, I have been practicing my baby skills watching Garrett.

10 months and still counting...

Well, it has been more than 10 months since China logged in my application. Even though I still don't have a referral, at least my application was officially approved. The past month has been busy. My INS fingerprints expired so I had to get them redone and was yelled at again since my fingerprints are apparently wearing off. My first set was declined and when they did the second set they also had me sign a sworn agreement stating that I am not a criminal. I also had the bachelorette party and wedding for my friend Renee, and the wedding for my cousin, Don. Now that the holidays are approaching, I am hoping the wait seems to move faster. In the meantime, I will try to keep busy and keep optimistic. Thanks again for the support and good wishes.

Officially Approved!!!

Well, I am now finally officially approved to adopt per the China Center of Adoptive Affairs. This is a big step and one closer to Malia. This month has been busy, busy, busy. Work is going well with my new role but as we get close to our date to turn over documentation to IT is has been crazy. As for my personal life, it is also on the go. This month has been wedding showers (for a friend and Amber (future cousin in law)). I started a tap dance class through community ed to keep active and to make the wait time go faster. There were also the birthdays for my brother in law and sister in law. As busy as September was, October seems on track to be just as much fun with the upcoming bachelorette party, two weddings, and other events. This year is sure flying by which is great until Malia is here with me. I hope everyone is doing well and thank you for the prayers to get Malia home sooner rather than later.

Summer's almost over.....

So much for the quiet summer. We found out this month that my mom has breast cancer. On Thursday she had the surgery and everything went well. We even were able to go to the State Fair for a couple hours on Saturday. On another note, I recently got a promotion at work and the extra money will be nice. As for the wait time for Malia, it continues to increase. Right now they are at a 14 month wait from log in date to referral but they expect the wait to continue to increase before it gets better. I have switched my mind to a June or July referral next year at this point. Oh well, nothing I can do to change it and it is more time to prepare for her arrival. My friend Tracy is in China right now to adopt her daughter so I know it will eventually happen. Let's just enjoy the upcoming fall weather!

Happy July

Well, things have really quieted down in July (personally and with the adoption). The wait time to get Malia's picture has extended to 13 months from 12/22/05 (my log in date with China). Therefore, I took advantage of the time and took a vacation to Florida/Disney World. I heard that Mickey missed me and wanted me to visit, again! It was a nice trip with my parents and Susie (my sister) also joined us. Weather basically cooperated (except one day with 10+ hours of rain straight). Now, I am tearing apart the house to baby proof and upgrade. The current project to JUST put a wall around an existing railing seemed simple until we started it. It was a lot of work but all that is basically left now is to paint. Next, I will have new carpet installed in August for 75% of the upstairs area (living room, dining room, hall, and stairs). I can't believe it has been almost one year since my home study was approved by my adoption agency so I guess I can wait longer to still received the picture of Maila. Here's hoping this fall goes as quickly as this summer has been passing (It is August next week!!!!).

First Day of Summer

Well it was the first day of summer on Wednesday and I have passed another month of waiting. I finished Chinese II and am enjoying have some more free time. I will start back up in the Fall with the intent to actually practice more outside of class this time :) I am taking the time to continue to prepare for life with a child and decided to trade in the Mini Cooper for a more reliable family car. I got the Toyota Corolla about 2 weeks ago and love it. Also, I took a road trip to Chicago with my parents last weekend to visit Susie and Ryan. We had fun and celebrated Father's Day and my mom's birthday. Thanks to the people who have started to send quilt squares. They are so much fun to receive and I can't wait to see the quilt all put together. Finally, the wait to referral is still around 12 months and may get longer in the coming months. Only time will tell when we will all see a picture of Malia but in the meantime I hope everyone enjoys the summer!!!

May Update

The wait continues to be around 12 months now for referral and I am now 5 months into the wait. My agency gave an update and they are unsure what will happen with the wait time over the next several months. The key right now is to keep busy since I can't control the wait time. I had the baptism for Garrett and I got to be godmother with Amy's aunt. Also, my goddaughter & cousin Rebecca had her confirmation and got her drivers license. Finally, my friend Valerie had a new baby girl Gabrielle. On top of all that, I have been still taking Chinese class, going to dinner with the waiting family group, and enjoying all the other stuff that might be harder to do once my daughter would be home. Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers during this difficult waiting time.

Keeping Busy

Well, it is hard to believe that it is almost May. Four months have passed since my paperwork was received in China. The wait time is still 10-12 months to get the referral. At this point I am praying that I know who my daughter will be by Christmas. At lot can change over the next couple months (faster, slower, or the same). In the meantime, I have been keeping busy with various activities. I am now in Chinese II class and it is still a really hard language to learn. Also, I have been in a secret plan exchange with other December waiting families. Below is a picture of the cute outfit I received in April. I just went to the Lucy Kaplansky concert last night. Her Red Thread CD is wonderful and she told many stories about her daughter and the adoption. The wait continues for Malia but each month I know I am one step closer to her.