Our Journey to Jia

TRAVEL!

2006-12-05T19:36:00.000-05:00

On Dec. 16th, we will be traveling halfway around the world to meet our daughter, Jia. We are leaving on Dec.16th and returning Dec.31st. We will be celebrating all the blessings that God has given us on Christmas in Lanzhou, China this year. My heart will be aching for my boys, but I know they will be in awesome hands while we are gone. I can't believe in 11 days, I will be in Beijing!

Meliss

About Gansu Province

2006-11-07T19:12:00.000-05:00

Well, here is Gansu Province, where our little Jia girl is waiting for us. It is next to inner Mongolia, and Mongolia, as well as Xingjiang Region, and Qinghai to the southwest which borders Tibet, Shaanxi to the east, and Sichuan to the south. The Yellow River runs thru the capital city of Lanzhou(Lan-jo). It was once a mecca on the ancient silk road, and the province served as a pathway between China and the western world. Ancient Chinese armies battled the Huns(Attila) in this region, and Marco Polo stayed in Zhangye(that is where our daughter is) for a year.

The temperature is on the chilly side, though temperate. In Dec/Jan, which is the coldest, it can reach temps of -16 degrees F.

Some sights to see in Gansu are the 'Thousand Buddhas Caves" and the Spring prairie. The population is mixed minorities, with Han ethnicity being the most prevelant(90%), also there are Hui, Manchu, and Tibetans, among others.

Gansu women are rumored to be some of the most beautiful women in China! We couldn't help but agree!!!!
Meliss

OUR DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!

2006-11-02T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here she is!!!!! Our beautiful daughter-Zhang Mei Hua- she is 10 months old from Gansu province. She weighs 17 lbs, and is 26 inches tall! We are blessed beyond belief! Thank you all for your support! Her name will be Jia Mei Lucile Patten...

Meliss

TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!

2006-11-01T12:48:00.000-05:00

WE WILL FIND OUT WHO OUR DAUGHTER IS TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!

Here we go again...

2006-10-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are again. It's 11:14 pm ET. I am finding myself really anxious right now. Not that I haven't been for the last month(or the past 6 years) for that matter...We are on the cusp of referrals arriving this month and the rumors have begun to circulate that they will be mailed out early next week. That is the good part. The bad part is, is that the cutoff for this month could be 8/23/05. We are LID 8/24/05. That being said, a certain website that I looked at DOES have a rumor that the 24th may be included, but that is a HUGE maybe. It would be nice to know either way, so I can have my heart attack and move on with life this month. If we don't get our referral this month, our wait would be 15 months. We would be the first group to have our wait go beyond 14 months. Now, I'm not sure with the history of China adoptions and the US, but I'm, not certain that anyone has ever had to wait this long before. It was beginning to get painful at around 9 months, but now it is becoming downright excruciating. If I had a positive "due date" then I'm way positive that I could have handled this emotionally a lot better than I have. It is the uncertainty and the "maybe we'll be next" feelings that are killing me. As I've said before, we began in 11/2004. The wait was 6 months from LID to referral. Then it was 8 months, then 10, then 12, now up to 14, and possibly 15. It's just wicked difficult to deal with.

So...hopefully referrals will come in the next few days. In the meantime, though, I will be in the bathroom barfing from angst.
Meliss

WARNING >>>>VENT COMING!!!

2006-09-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

Someone PULEEEZE transport me to wherever this photo is?!?!?!?! I am SO needing serenity right now! OK-I am very happy for the people who are getting their referrals this month. That being said...Us 8/24'ers are now stuck teetering on the edge of the bottomless anxiety abyss, wondering if we are going to be next or not. 8/24/05 is apparently a huge LID date. I am trying to protect myself emotionally by thinking that for sure they will only get to 8/23/05 next month, and that we will finally find out who our daughter is in November....Like I said...I'm trying. I'm trying really hard. I swear I am.
BUT~
It's just not working. Do I dare get my hopes up that we will see her face in October? I'm afraid my hopes are already up a little. Ugh! This feeling of helplessness and of absolute and utter dependence on an agency in China that has no rhyme or reason to what they are doing is driving me nuts!!! I'm only slightly freaking out. I know someday my daughter will likely read this, and I don't want her to think I'm completely neurotic. On the other hand, maybe she will be able to tell how badly I just want to love her and bring her home to us. Angel baby girl, if you are reading this, Mom, Dad and the Brubbies love you so much!
Meliss

AUGUST 9th...

2006-09-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

Hi all! The CCAA made it to August 9th this month. Finally the late July people will have their babies' information! Congrats to all those people! I must say that I wish they had gotten a little farther than 8/9/05, but I'm glad they got in to August at all! I didn't expect to be in this batch, but we could be in the next one. My guess is that they will refer up to 8/23/05 next month, and save the mungo LID of 8/24/05 for November. If we get a November referral, we could be traveling around the boys 7th birthday. It would stink to be gone on their birthday, but I suppose getting a little sister as a gift would be cool(Maybe not to to 7 yr. olds) but Mom and Dad would think it was cool. Anyways, Just wanted to update!
Meliss

GOOD NEWS!!!

2006-09-17T19:43:00.000-05:00

My cousin Ann-Marie has Tali and Ella! I am so happy for their whole family. The girls are just so cute that I want to jump thru the computer and squish their little cheeks! Ann Marie and Arex look like they are old pro's from the photos. Can I proclaim myself an honorary auntie? Maybe not, but who cares? I am just in love with those two little ones! I can't wait to see them on T-Giving when they come out to the east coast! Yippeee!

Still no word on when referrals may come, or what the cut off date will be. It is going on month 4 for the poor end of July Lid'ers. I really hope they get all the way thru July this time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for at least a November referral. Again, we'll just have to wait and see.

CONGRATULATIONS ANN MARIE AND AREX!!!!
Meliss

Some thoughts

2006-09-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

Well, Today is the anniversary of one of the most horrible things that I have ever seen on this Earth. I hope and pray that we never have to bear witness to that kind of thing again. It saddens me that there is so much hatred in the world. I don't know why everyone can't just let each other be. I'm not sure how long God will suffer a world like this. I'm sure he didn't want us to be this way. I'm sure Allah didn't wish this either, on the flip side of it. But, I am offering prayers and good wishes to all those who lost someone in the terrible acts of 9/11/01. God Bless you.

On to other things- Ann Marie and Arex left for China to get Ella and Tali yesterday! Yippee!!! I am cyber-stalking their blog every chance I get for some new tidbit of info from them. I can't wait to see pictures!

The boys started first grade, and have informed me that they hate school. That makes me sad. I think it's because they had a hard teacher in Kindergarten, and now they are stuck with another stickler this year. We'll see how that pans out. I can't wait to get to our new place. We now have a footprint and a leachfield! Progress!

No progress however in the long and evolving wait for our daughter. We are pushing 13 months now. We are in the middle of renewing our 797C and our fingerprints. Big whoop. In the meantime, we are trying to come up with a 'j' name that we both really love. So far, we haven't come up with anything other than an argument about it. Jadyn sounds to much like JD, and he refuses my other 2 favorites. Sigh...We'll figure it out. Anyways, I'll check back in a while!
Meliss

Back yet again!

2006-08-27T10:25:00.000-05:00

I'm back yet again. I am blogging now, because I don't want my daughter, who may be reading this blog someday to think that this entire adoption process has been a negative one. While it may be really difficult, and dealing with the governments of both countries is extremely hard, I want her to know that she is totally and irrefutably worth everything we have gone and will go thru to get her. I already love her. Her Dad and Brothers already love her too. We can't wait to meet her and make her a part of our lives. I can't wait to hug her and kiss her, and rock her, and sing her to sleeep.

In the meantime, waiting is truly difficult. It breaks my heart not to have her home with us. China is a fascinating country and culture. I am very respectful of that. We will teach her about her heritage and to be proud. We want her life to be a fulfilled one. Filled with lots of love, and happiness. When I complain on my blog, it is just a way to get my frustration over waiting so long out of my system.
Meliss

Back at the Blog~

2006-08-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'm back. And I'm wicked super aggravated. I dont' understand what the hell is going on over in China. What is the CCAA doing...or rather not doing? Rumored cutoff for this month is 7/22/05. As I've said before--just 7 business days. What is up with that? I know, they've been on vacation, and they just moved, and yada yada yada, but really what is going on? This is just too weird, even for the CCAA. They don't let any agencies know that referrals are coming? They just match them on the 21st and mail them on the 22nd? Whaaaaaat? Could it have been a new employee error? When has this ever happened before? Has it ever happened before? Referrals just start showing up at the agencies without any prior notice whatsoever? Something just isn't right over there. Could we be going to get another batch in early Sept.?

I mean what is the reason for this disgusting slowdown? Truly...does anyone really think that it is a shortage of "paper ready" babies? Is that true? Perhaps if they weren't so secretive about everything, people wouldn't have to tap angrily away on their keypads and write entries like this. God---I'm in such a bad mood!

What does this mean for late July and August people? If they just referred through 7/22, if they are only going to do 5-7 business days(as seems to be their current pace)...then their next batch of referrals would only go to 8/1/05 at the latest? Then in October, they would only get as far as 8/10, then in November they would only get as far as 8/21, so us August 24th LID'ers are looking at a December/January referral scenario? That will put us at a 16/17 month wait. I'm sorry...I just can't let myself think that. That is just WAY too depressing. But...I guess I will have to mentally prepare myself for a December referral, with travel in February(if that will even be possible due to the NEW YEAR)... To think we started all this in Nov 2004. We are coming up on 2 years since the beginning of the whole process. I think I'm gonna go and puke now. See ya later.
Meliss

ONE YEAR.....(and counting)

2006-08-24T19:08:00.000-05:00

Well, it's our one year anniversary since LID. We were officially logged in on 8/24/05. We originally expected a referral in feb. 2006....Obviously, things have gotten a bit farther than that. All I can say is...this sucks... My feelings are a mix right now. I'm happy for the families that will be getting their referrals this month, and I'm positively DEPRESSED for the poor late July LID'ers that are teetering on the edge of referral, and will be shut out once again. I am hoping beyond hope that this is only the first few referrals of a huge batch that will be coming in early September. But I feel like hope is futile at this point. We have no idea what the CCAA is doing, and we have absolutely no control over any of it. My DH has just about had it with the whole process, and won't even talk baby names with me. I thought I could see some light at the end of the tunnel, being an August LID'er, but that light has become slightly dim at best. I think I need another pep talk from my agency. I feel bad for them too, people must be calling like crazy over the latest rumors and chat group news. Seven business days...let me say that again...seven business days. That is what the chat groups are saying. The rumor is that the cutoff date will be 7/22/05. WHY---WHY---WHY?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I just don't get it.
Meliss

ALMOST ONE YEAR!!!!

2006-08-20T12:01:00.000-05:00

(I really wish I was wherever this picture was taken, relaxing.)

Well, we are coming up on our one year anniversary(8/24/05 LID), and no one really has any kind of clear picture as to how referrals are going to happen this month. Personally, I am just hoping that they get through the entire month of July. This 13 day stuff just totally stinks.

I (against my better judgement) visited a certain website that has lots of rumors on it recently, and have seen a few rumors that I really hate. One of them made me flip out a little and start really worrying about whether or not we would get rejected in the matching room. I banged off an email posthaste to my rep at our agency, who called me and eased my fears...Beth...if you are out there reading this, you are wicked awesome, and truly a credit to your profession! It's not like me to lose it over a rumor---OK, it's TOTALLY like me--- but I really think that this wait is getting to me.

I have been laying awake at night thinking about our daughter. What will she look like? What will we name her? What province is she in? Is she comfortable? Is she hungry? ...And it's killing me. I just want my baby home with us, as all of us do, I'm sure. But this teetering on the edge of wait/referral has me frazzled. I wasn't feeling this way until this month. Maybe it's because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel-even if it's very faint-and the anticipation is worse now, than the months that I was knowing, for certain, that no referral would be coming. I hold no expectations for this month, but for next month I'm not so sure. I have mentally set myself up for an Oct/Nov. referral, but it would be really nice to be PLEASANTLY surprised for once. For once, God pleeeease, just this once... I already have just about everything we are taking to China with us. Everything except her clothes, because we have no idea what size she will be, and what the weather will be like.

But my heart aches for her, my precious daughter, whom I haven't seen yet, but already love in my heart. I don't understand how I can love her so much without even knowing her...but I do. I do. I do. I do. I do. I do.

Well, anyway, sorry bout the depressing post...here's hoping that the CCAA gets through AT LEAST the end of July.

Meliss

USCIS WOES.....

2006-08-04T12:51:00.000-05:00

Ok-Right about now, I just wish this dragon would breathe fire on me and put me out of my misery of having to-once again-deal with the fabulous(not) USCIS.

News flash-the FBI needs another set of your fingerprints and $140 of your hard earned cash because...lo and behold...you might have had plastic surgery on your fingertips to change them in the past 15 months. Yes(gasp!)...for us arch criminal adoptive parents out there, this is the actual excuse one of us was given when we asked the USCIS why they needed another set of our prints. Well, you know, as well as I do, that none of us adoptive parents want or need the "pleasure" of dealing with immigration or homeland security more than once in our lives, and I'm sure that the prints that the great FBI has in their database will match my current fingerprints.

We went into the Boston office of the USCIS ...are you ready?...to make an appointment to make an appointment to go to another office and have our prints redone. We took this (completely useless) trip to the office because that is what the directions on our 171-H(797C) approval letter SAID to do. We went. We parked. We waited in line for an hour. We saw a live person! We got our hopes up! We had our turn. We spoke to the person. I said, "Hi. We are here to make an appt. to renew our fingerprints for our adoption." Person turned very rude, threw a paper at me and told me to fill it out and go see the cashier. ....
Um, yeah.
We shuffle over a bit to have a look at the paper. I'm sure I made a face. I know I made a comment. I called him a 'peach'. JC did not approve. I feel completely lost at what to do. I go back over to the desk, and thankfully meet a nice person who is taking over the mean person's shift. She says that I have to fill out a form online in order to get an appt. to come back. "It's real easy." she says. I suffer from sudden puzzlement., and say, "But we're already here. Can't someone just make us an appt now?" I get, "Oh no honey. you have to do that online."
I look at JC. He looks at me. I make a mad face. We leave-fuming...we go get the car pay $32 for parking and leave Boston. We go home and be crabby the rest of the day.
You have to make an appt, to make an appt, to then make another appt. to get refingerprinted(just in case us evil ones had secret-spy plastic surgery done).
What's up with that?!
Meliss

YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-08-01T18:39:00.000-05:00

What happy news I received from my cousin yesterday!!!!! She received her referral yesterday from Great Wall...Guess what?!?!?!!?...(can you hear a drumroll?) TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two little sweethearts to love! She posted pic's on her website, and they are so cute, it'll give you goosebumps to look at them! Welcome to the family, Mariella and Natalia!!!!!! Your Auntie Meliss(self-titled;) loves you already! I am over the moon for you Ann-Marie and Arex!!!
Meliss

He heard me!!!!!

2006-07-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

He heard me!!!!!!! The stork heard me! He's on his way to GW next week with referrals for families with LID's of 7/8/05 and 7/13/05. I can't remember if my cousin had a DTC or LID of July 13th. God I hope she's in this batch! Congratulations to these families!

I was hoping for the whole month of July to be matched, but they only did the first 2 weeks. I'm thinking that maybe the last 2 weeks will come in August, and then maybe August will come in September. We do have an LID of 8/24/05, which is toward the end of the month, so we may be looking at October. Our I-600A expires in December, so I am praying like crazy that we will make it before we have to renew that son of a gun. That would make the wait 18 months for us. I think I will officially go nuts if that happens. All the clothes I bought for our daughter will be completely out of season. I REALLY thought we would have travelled by this summer. Last year our SW told us that we might have her by X-mas 2005. If only...Now we are hoping for X-mas 2006. We'll see. Weeeee'll see...
Meliss

Where's the stork???????

2006-07-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

Oh where-Oh where is the much beloved stork???? My heart is breaking for my cousin who could be in this next batch and still doesn't know yet! AAARGH! Please pray he comes soon with a whole month of referrals! I just can't stand it!!!!!! The pressure! The pressure!!!

OK- I'm done with my little breakdown. But seriously folks, send all us waiters a few good vibes, please....We could sure use them!
Thanks
Meliss

Frustration and more!

2006-07-23T15:58:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody! Hope you are all doing well. I, personally, have been DYING to know who's in the next group of referrals. I am sooooo praying that my cousin finds out who her daughters are this month. The suspense is killing me. I have no fingernails left. Maybe we can also gauge what August's referrals are going to look like from this month. The CCAA is already over their promised 12 month timeframe, so we'll have to see where it goes from here.

We've certainly had an interesting July! JD stepped on a hornet, which stung him between the toes, then he fell against the coffee table and knocked his eye tooth out, then he threw up, then he fell again. Jack had surgery for a hernia, and had strep throat. PHEW! Glad those 2 weeks are over. We just got back from a fun vacation at the Cape. Shopping is definitely my favorite pasttime. The beach was fun, and we saw lots of seals.

Back to the grind again...we have to renew our fingerprints. So I called the CIS national service line, and they informed me(after waiting for an hour) that they can't do it over the phone. Boston is the only regional office that doesn't allow the national line to have their local office number.(Or so they told me) so now I have to send a certified letter asking them to give us another appt to renew the prints. Ummmmm...O-kaaaaay. When I asked her if I could just go down to the office in Boston and ask for an appt., she told me no. They don't accept anyone for appts. unless you're from an agency. Hmmm...O-kaaaay. I will be sending my letter tomorrow and we'll see where THAT gets us. Do you think they will reply? I'm certainly not holding my breath. I'm going to try to go to the office anyway. The squeaky wheel gets the oil(or grease) right? I just hope our I600-A doesn't expire, or I think I will just have to shoot myself! Frustration is the spice of life, is it not?
Meliss

YAY!!!!!!

2006-06-22T16:05:00.000-05:00

Yippee!!!!! Our agency received news from Bejing that referrals through June 28th 2005 are coming!!!!! That's the whole month of LID's for our agency! Congratulations to those who are going to receive their referrals! Hopefully they will stay on track for July! Ann-Marie! You're next!

We are still in the process of selling the house and moving to NH.

The boys finished Kindergarten! I bawled like a baby at their little ceremony! They were so cute! I can't believe they are headed to the first grade. I wish there was going to be less of a gap in age between them and their sister, but oh well. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, as far as referrals are concerned. Praying that God puts the CCAA on the fast track!

Meliss:)

GROAN!!!!!!!

2006-05-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

I think that even China can hear me groan about this one. We just got an email that they are sending referrals thru June 9th. Whaaaaaat?! I was soooo hoping that they would have referred more than that this month. At the rate they are going, we will never make our 12 month match like they say. Waiting is so difficult. It doesn't even seem like it's ever going to happen. What's with the big delay over there. It was bad enough that we had to go through all the American red tape during the paper chase(which delayed us considerably), but now the hugely pushed back timeframe for the CCAA is killing me. To know that she's probably born and waiting is like torture. I don't understand this at all. It seems like my poor cousin and I will be waiting forever!!!! God I hope this changes! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Meliss

Tick Tock

2006-05-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

Jeez, after about 8 days of rain here in Mass, the sun finally peeked through the clouds to say hello-Thank God!!!! That was getting depressing! Hello to everyone! Still here, still waiting. Don't really have a clue as to when our referral will come. Hopefully they will combine a few of the June LID's and speed things up a bit. We'll see.

Mother's day was nice, my little cousin graduated from BU-Go RI!- It made me feel a little old, but I am so proud of her. The boys got me hanging plants. It was a torrential downpour of a day, but nice nonetheless. I feel so blessed with my family.

Lately, it has been hectic for us. We bought some land in NH, and are planning to start building in June. I have no idea if our daughter's info will come to us by the time the house is done, or after. It weighs heavily on my mind that she is born, and I have no idea where she is or how she's doing. It almost feels like it's not ever going to happen! I know it will, but it sure is taking a LONG time!

In the meantime, we are trying to sell this house and it is also getting a little overwhelming. It's a great house. I don't know why it's not selling. A report just came out that the average # of days on the market is now 120. I am so sick of keeping this house in pristine condition. How psyched was I when we took mother's day off from having an open house?!!

Anyways, everything is fine. Just a little stressful. I'm trying to remain positive during all the waiting and building and selling. I was watching my kids run throught he puddles yesterday, and it made my heart so happy. We are so blessed with our kids. I think they will be awesome big brothers...even though I know they'll teach her naughty stuff!

Happy belated Mother's day to everyone!

Meliss

Referrals for May 31 2005

2006-04-27T18:35:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all the families who received referrals! I've seen pictures, and they are beautiful! Our agency got referrals through May 31st 2005. The cutoof for the CCAA was June 6th. Getting closer...but it still seems to be taking forever. Hopefully the CCAA will be sending out a big batch of June referrals next month!
Meliss

Keeping the faith...

2006-04-17T17:04:00.000-05:00

I have a totally cool story to share. We were in church on Easter, and had just sat down. I found myself thinking-very wistfully- abotu our daughter...who she is...what she looks like...where she's from...the pastor had just finished a speech about faith. And as my heart began to ache for my daughter a little harder, a ladybug landed on my hand. Now, I am not one who reads too much into things, but I just thought that God must have known I needed something when I did. I got all teary eyed, and I couldn't help but think I had my own little Easter miracle happening. Cool huh?

Meliss

Happy Easter Jadyn, wherever you are!

2006-04-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

LOVE YOU JADYN!!!!!!!!

2006-04-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!
Many Blessings to all!
Please take time out of your holiday celebrations to remember all of the children who need love in the world. Pray for them, send them good thoughts, positive karma, etc.
Thanks!
Meliss

Moving and Adoption...

2006-04-14T18:39:00.000-05:00

Hello! Back again! Well, if anyone is reading this and needs to know, if you move from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, there isn't really anything you need to do differently. It doesn't matter if you own a home or rent a home. All you need to do is have a homestudy addendum done to take with you to China. NH uses the Boston office of the CIS as well, so you would only need to notify them of your address change. Thank God! I was worried I would have to do a bunch of different stuff once we move. The stress of having the house on the market is quite enough, without having to worry about new paperwork. There ARE states that are different though. For example, Georgia,Texas,Colorado all require you to do extra paperwork which can take up to 3 months. Hope this can be helpful to someone out there.

Meliss

Slightly good news!

2006-03-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

Hello! We have had slightly good news from our agency. Instead of expecting a referral in Aug/Sept. 2006, they estimate we may get our daughter's info in July/Aug. 2006! OK-OK- I know what you're thinking, but one month is one month...30 days less to wait...

Oh yeah!-Shout out the North Carolina chickies! Miss you guys!
Meliss:)

POSITIVITY!!!!!

2006-03-14T12:29:00.002-05:00

Well, I have read the past few posts on my blog, and have decided that I need to post something positive. Excuse my crabbiness...I have just been feeling overwhelmed by it all lately. That being said, I am trying to adopt a better outlook on the whole waiting period. Trying...trying...OK-focus Meliss....Ugh! I just can't do it! I hate waiting! But I do realize that all of this is out of my control, and God will take care of it.

I do wonder if she has been born yet, and where exactly in China she is. What is the orphanage like? Does she smile? Does she have lots of hair? Is she darker skinned or fair skinned? Is she small? Is she big? What makes her smile? Does she eat a lot or a little? Hmmmmm..... I do know that I pray for her wellness and that of all the little ones in the world who need families. And in the meantime, I am lucky enough to have the guys to keep me busy. Extremely busy. We are also selling our house, which has kept me going pretty much non stop for the last month. But, busy is good. It throws distractions our way as we wait. Maybe we will get to travel this summer. That would be great. I have also been keeping busy with my writing. Now I just have to find out how to get my children's stories published, and I'll be all set!

To whomever may read this...remember...if you are on the wait, you are not alone. Just know that I am sending good wishes and prayers and positive vibes to all of the adopters out there. And for those fortunate enough to have your beautiful children home with you...Congratulations!

I am finding myself thinking of the "red thread proverb" more and more these days...."An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break."

I believe!
Meliss:)

CRIPES!!!!!!!

2006-02-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

AAGH!!!! I'm freaking out yet again. We got an email from our agency that we should expect to receive our baby's referral information in August or September 2006. Say it with me people...Whaaat?! That's right. 13 months from LID. And that's just for referral! Who the heck knows when we will travel. As my Nana would say "CRIPES!" What is going on over there? This is getting extremely depressing. I don't understand any of it. These poor babies just need a home, and we want to give it to them along with all the love we have, and the countries(both of them) make it so freakin' difficult to do.

Won't everything we have worked so hard to get expire by then? God, I'm so aggravated. I just want my daughter. OK- my little vent session is over for now. But I'm really upset by this. My poor baby girl. The whole process that was supposed to only take us a year to 13 months is now going to be over 2 years long. Grrrrr!

Meliss

Times...they are a changin'

2006-01-31T19:18:00.000-05:00

My boys are 6!!!!! I can't believe it. I feel like I was just in the hospital having them yesterday. Time goes by so quickly. I can barely remember the past 6 years, it seemed so busy. We celebrated for 4 days. What a long weekend it was! I'm certain we could give Toys 'r' US a run for their money in the inventory department. We have every toy created by man...I'm convinced. OK-maybe not EVERY toy,but pretty close.

My husband and I were talking about how we are feeling about our adoption. Right now, neither of us are very excited about it. I know that sounds bad, but it seems like we have been waiting forever, and to me, it doesn't even seem like it's happening. It doesn't even seem like she's coming. I think it may just be a defensive mechanism for us, to protect ourselves from the disappointment of it taking so long. I suppose it hasn't even been that long...but when your're waiting for your daughter, it seems like an eternity.

But WAIT!!!!! A glimmer of hope has arisen from the dark depths of waitingness! I have heard reports(unconfirmed) that state that the month of June is now in the matching room. The CCAA has supposedly finished matching people who have a DTC/LID through May 12th. That would mean that the rest of May and possibly some of June would be in the matching room now. We can only pray that the referrals don't take as long as the 12 month timeline the CCAA is working for. April referrals came in 3 batches, and seemed to take forever! 10 months seem to be the amount of time it has become to wait for referrals. Yippee Ding dong. That would put us at about June or July. Sigh....It seems so far away...
Meliss

TICK-TOCK........

2005-12-11T13:18:00.000-05:00

Well, it is about 2 weeks till Christmas. I still have plenty of shopping to do. Trying to remember the real meaning of Christmas has been challenging of late. I have been so preoccupied with one of my boys being so anxious about school, he has developed frequent stomachaches. I have tried everything I can to help him, but nothing seems to be working. He did get on the bus on Wednesday without crying, and he didn't apparently cry during morning recess, so maybe...just maybe...a little progress is being made. We can only pray......(and continue shopping.)

We got our tree and decorated it yesterday. It was a wonderful family day for us. I couldn't help but think that next year our daughter will be home with us, marveling and trying to pull apart the tree. It made me a little bittersweet, that she is probably born, and having Christmas in the orphanage, not celebrating at all. I can only pray that she is well loved and taken care of over in China. God, this waiting is hard! I thought the holidays would distract me and keep me busy while I waited. But I find that even though I'm busy, I'm still really focused on bringing Jadyn home.
I wish I could be like my husband and just relax. Sigh...but alas...relaxing has never been something I've exceled at. On Christmas Eve, it will be 4 months down...who knows how many to go!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
Meliss:)

AAARGH!!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!!!

2005-11-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

OK-so it's NOT falling. But we just got an email from our agency telling us that the wait for a referral could be 10-12 months;or possibly longer! WHAAAAT?!?!?!?! What the hell is going on over there? Apparently this is due to the increase in dossiers, and the decrease in eligible children for international adoption. And...the CCAA is implementing some old stricter rules for the review process. Hello-they already know more about us than we do. (Thanks Tammy)...I guess domestic adoption is on the rise in China...THAT I am grateful to God for. But it stinks to be in limbo like this. They haven't given a cutoff to anyone as to when the massive delay will begin, or with what dossier group. I don't understand why the CCAA can't give us an actual month to get ready for. Why does everything have to be such a big mystery as far as they are concerned. Some people have already begun to see the delay-the April group will probably wind up having a 9 month wait, as opposed to the 7 month March group wait. Sigh....
I suppose we must remain positive.......Well, OK, I'm positive that this news totally sucks. ~All right~ vent over.

I believe in the red thread proverb. I believe in God. She will come to us when she is meant to, and no sooner.(No matter how hard I wish for it!)
I love her already. I can't help myself. I can't wait to look into her little eyes and know that we were meant to be together!

Gloomy CCAA forecast...

2005-10-29T12:26:00.000-05:00

Well, the news on the website of the CCAA that has just recently been updated has me feeling as gloomy as the sky looks outside my window. It is snowing here in my little slice of Massachusetts. Er, yippee. The boys had a soccer game at 9am today. Thankfully, JC took them, or I think I would have let my feelings about 5 year olds playing soccer in 35 degree weather get the best of me, and the youth soccer league would've gotten an earful. But I digress....

A new update has appeared on the website of the CCAA. The new update says it will take approximately 12 months from LID to TA...This means that the timeframe between LID and referral is going up. It was 6-7 months last week, and now it sems to be 9-10 months if I'm estimating correctly. This bums me out greatly. Why couldn't the CCAA have started this in 2006, instead of just shifting gears midstream? Why lst week did you have a 6 month wait, and this week you have a 12 month wait? I don't get it, and it has me freaking out. I'm so pissed. I'm sure I'm not the only one out here angry about it either. It they knew there was going to be a slowdown, why didn't they tell the agencies? Or...did the agencies know and not tell us? I hope not.

We were supposed to move in the summer after our daughter came home, and now I don't know what to do. If we move we will have to provide the CCAA with an updated dossier, and I'm afraid that would put us back farther in the matching process. Not to mention, it would cost us $1500. It would be a royal pain to have to update our passports and everything else. So again...we are stuck at the mercy of the CCAA. They are also moving in mid November to a new facility, which I'm sure will delay people somewhat. Sigh... I never was one to 'hurry up and wait'...but when you are waiting for a huge chunk of your life to come, it's hard not to get frustrated. And sometimes...I just don't feel like keeping my chin up. I just want my daughter!!!!!!!

OUCH!!!!!!

2005-10-12T18:47:00.000-05:00

JC and I went to get some of our shots today- Typhoid, Polio, Hep A and Tetanus for me. Hep A hurt more than I thought it would. I got dizzy right after the injections, and tonight JC and I are both a little headachey and spacey. No fun.

Two months down and about four to go! Hopefully the holidays coming will make the waiting seem a little shorter.

The Boys are off...

2005-09-07T02:20:00.000-05:00

Sigh...
The boys started kindergarten today. Sigh... I woke them up at 7:30am, and Jack informed me that he wasn't going to school. After much harassing on my part, we managed to get out the door by 8:45am and head off to school. Sigh...I can't believe that they are actually in Kindergarten! I feel like I was just in the hospital having them yesterday, and then I blinked and they started school. They were fine about it. They brought their Power Ranger backpacks and their Batman lunchboxes. JD said he was a little scared when we drove up, but he seemed fine once he wasin the school. The Kindergarteners met in the cafeteria, and then we left. I held it together all right in the school, but once I got outside, I bawled my eyes out. My Angel babies are growing up!!!! AAAGGHHH!!!!!!!

LID!!!!!!!!!!

2005-09-04T02:28:00.000-05:00

Duh! I forgot to post that we got our Ladybug letter from GWCA! Our official LID (Log in date)is 8/24/2005. We are in the August 2005 DTC group. Now the waiting for our referral(when China sends photos and a little info on our daughter) begins! China now recognizes that we officially "exist"!

OUR TIMELINE:
~Began accruing paperwork in November of 2004.
~Got our finished homestudy in February 2005.
~Submitted i600-A application and other paperwork(and check) to CIS Boston March 17th 2005.
~Received appt. for fingerprinting in the Boston CIS office on March 29th 2005
~Fingerprinted March 30th 2005
~Wait for word from CIS...and wait...and wait...and wait! GGGGRH!
~Receive a letter 9 weeks later from CIS stating that they need additional info about two citations that JC received when he was 16 and 18 years old-20 years ago. Call our SW and complain. She doesn't know why it's taking so long either. I figure they just want to be absolutely CERTAIN that there is no threat to the United States if we adopt a child...I mean...we are master criminals and all.
~Have a nervous breakdown and want to nuke the Boston immigration office(not really...well sort of...) Track down additional info and send it in a week later. Call the customer service # for immigration and get absolutely nowhere. Big surprise.
~Finally receive our I797C(formerly 171-H) approval letter from CIS on June 23rd, 2005. Woop-dee-doo!!!!! They think it's safe for us to adopt a child! Morons! They set us back about 2 months in the process.
~Send out our completed dossier to our agency. We are DTC on July 29th, 2005.
~Receive email from our Agency comfirming our LID(Log in date) as August 24th, 2005.
~ Wait for referral begins....

Fun times!!!

2005-09-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

Today I went to my friend Rebecca's house. Sparky,Karen, and Susan were there as well. We had a wicked good time! I feel like we've known each other forever! They are such awesome people!
Rebecca's home is GORGEous! She has a backyard that is absolutely incredible! Rebecca, if you read this...You are unbelievable! Thank you for having all of us over. I really had a great time! Karen and Susan gave me and the girls books. It was very touching. I wish they lived up here! I can't wait to see the pic's! Karen's gonna email them to us. Like a moron, I forgot my camera(again!)

Happy News!

2005-08-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my cousin Ann marie is also adopting from China, and using the same agency! How weird is that? I think it's soooo amazing! I was so happy to talk to her today. She lives in California, and I haven't seen her in a long time, but I will treasure this new bond with her! It is so wonderful that we are doing this at the same time! Hopefully we will be able to get together with the girls...I'm gonna call her once I get my ladybug letter. It's a letter that our agency sends you telling you your log in date. I can't wait to be able to chat more with her.

In the meantime, my mom(laid up with a broken leg) hs bought us a baby bjorn! How cool! I also got a DVD for the boys to watch-Big Bird goes to China. I think they really liked it. Anyhow, will post again later!
-Meliss

Yippee!!!!

2005-07-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

We got the official email today!!!! We are DTC(Dossier to China)!!!!! Our paperwork has finally left the United States! Our daughter could be born right now! Now I can shop, shop, shop! Picking a name is proving to be waaaay more difficult than I thought it would be. We like the name Jade, but the boys REEEEEALLY hate it! It will probably wind up being Jessica(I'll call her Jessie-Lu) Her middle name will be Lucille.

There has been so much good news on the boards that I am a member of...I'm so psyched for all the Moms and Dads that got their referrals today, but I gotta admit, I am ...........Oh hold on...Johnny Damon just hit an inside the park homerun!!!!!!Wooo HOOOO!!!!!! Love that!!!......

OK-sorry

Almost DTC...

2005-07-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

Posted this photo, cuz I could use a little tranquility right now. We are almost DTC. Our paperwork is in the final stages at the agency. I actually broke down and bought something for our daughter. She could be born right now!!! I pray that she is getting good care right now. I bought her a Sonya Lee doll. It's very cute and soft enough for her to cuddle once she gets here. I was hoping that we would at least be DTC by the end of this month, and then 6-8 months would put us at about Feb. or March travel time. I'm beginning to feel like this is more real than before. It seemed so surreal when we were doing the paperwork, but now it seems a little more like reality. I can't wait to meet her! I went out to breakfast the other day with a couple of friends from the chat group, and it was really nice. We met in Boston and had brunch. It was wonderful to meet people who are actually going thru the same process with you! For some reason it is bugging me that we haven't picked out a name for our daughter yet. Hubby and I like Jade, or Jadeyn. But JD hates it. I'm not sure why he is so vehement about it, but he really hates it and he makes his distaste for it very well-known to us. We also like Jessica and Jessalyn. So it will be one of those 4 names. Her middle name will be Lucille-then her chinese name- then our last name. Our niece wanted to name her July(hee hee)....

Speaking of July, it was the best 4th I can remember in a long time. We went to the beach, and the fireworks were absolutely amazing!!! They were everywhere! The private ones rivaled the professional ones. Many sparkly ones, which are my favorite..and not too many really loud booms...which are not my favorite. Well, hopefully I'll have this blogging figured out by the time we get to China...that way family and friends can see what it's like.-Meliss

Blog Blog Blog!

2005-06-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have created a blog! I have absolutely no clue as to what I'm doing! I intend that this be my online journal. I am adopting a daughter from China, and I intend to record my journey here.

We started the adoption process in November of 2004. Then we began the "paperchase." This process wasn't that bad. Our homestudy took about 2 months to complete. We had to write a biography(6 pages), and we had to have 4 recommendation letters. We could only have 1 from a family member. We had to get criminal background checks from the city we live in and the state. Everything had to be notarized. Then we had our homevisit. Our SW came over and checked our house and met our other kids and talked to us about everything. We thought that possibly by Christmas 2005 we could have our daughter home with us. But alas...we hadn't figured in how much time USCIS would take getting us our 171-H approval. It has been 3 months and counting... It is really making me sick.

Anyhow...All we have left to do is send in the 171 once it arrives(if ever), and we should be DTC soon after that. Guess I'll sign off for now.