Nope, still haven't heard anything...

We really thought that would be some substantive rumors by now. Of course now that it could be our month and the rumors might actually be about us, there is an unprecedented rumor-draught!

So far there have been two rumors: (1) matching has begun and (2) LIDs 1/23/06 and beyond are not included. Neither of these is too surprising.

Rob & I still think that we'll be included this month, but we know now that we won't receive our referral until next week (our agency would have had to have received referrals today for us to get a call tomorrow).

It's going to be another long weekend. Mostly we're trying to stay busy and distracted.

Questions for "The Call"

I've been working on my list of questions to ask/things to write down when we get "The Call". Here's what I've got so far:

1. Date and time of call.
2. Name of person calling.
3. Baby's full Chinese name.
4. Translation of baby's name.
5. Full name of baby's orphanage.
6. City and province of orphanage.
7. Foster care?
8. Date of birth.
9. Height, weight and date taken.
10. Other information about the baby - likes/dislikes, appearance, etc.
11. Abandonment information (finding location, date found, note, etc).
12. Travel group #.
13. Other families in our travel group.
14. Can we get a care package to the baby's orphanage?
15. What does the orphanage need most?
16. Can we request updated information on the baby?
17. What is our estimated date of travel?
18. Please email a picture and baby's information to
19. When will you send the full referral packet? Can I have the tracking number?
20. Is there anything else I need to know?
21. What should I do next?

I know that sounds like a lot, but I practiced asking them out loud and they went really quickly. Is there anything else that I should ask? Is this an inappropriate time to ask about her abandonment?

Thanks!!!

Just about ready

I've got Nora's blog moved and almost ready for use. When the time comes, we'll be posting her information and referral photo there and I'll shut this one down. The URL and password for the new site will be included in our referral email announcement, so keep an eye out for that.

The RQ site/forum has been down most of the weekend and of course our agency is closed for the holiday, so I don't know anything new about the status of this month's matching, how many days might be included or when referrals are expected to arrive in the US. I would love for it to be this week, but it's probably more likely that it will be next week. Not necessarily a bad thing, because I've got a squidzillion things to do!

Have a great Memorial Day! Hope it's as sunny and beautiful where you are as it is here!

Pardon the mess...

I'm in the process of moving this blog so that we can better secure it once we receive our referral. I've explored a few options and have decided on the approach, but it's going to take a few days because of all the moving-around that needs to happen.

I think that the first thing you'll notice will probably be some flakiness here. Some of the graphics that I've used on this blog (most notably the background pattern) have been saved on the server that is hosting our family website. Since that site is moving to a new server, I fully expect that the file for the blog background will be deleted within the next 24-48 hours. I'll try to get it back, but if that becomes too big a hassle I'll change it to a solid color and leave you with this memory of the polka dots.

The matching room

It seems like I've waited forever to tell you about the matching room (in reality, it's been about 3 years, but it sure does feel like forever!).

We think that the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) will be matching the next batch within the next few days and - unless there's an unprecedentedly small batch - we think that we'll be "in"! That means that, in the next few days, someone at the CCAA will be matching us with our Nora.

The RQ has written about the matching process here (click on the word "here") and some LWB photos of the matching room are available on this page (click on the word "page").

I get all tingle-y just thinking about it. At this very moment, someone could be looking at our file and thinking that we are the right family for Nora. It is overwhelming.

Please send your thoughts, prayers, and positive energy to the CCAA!

Secret pal revealed -- thank you Corrie L!!

Thank you so much Corrie L. for being such an amazing secret pal to us! Your packages really kept us going each month! This month's gift (above) was perfect -- we just started refreshing our sign language, need to learn all the kids' songs and can take the panda beach ball to China with us!

I hope that you get your TA soon and are able to travel in June! Please stay in touch! We would love to see your baby!!

Preparing for our referral

I have our referral announcements ready to go. The two Chinese knot versions are shown to the left, there is also a third version which is a flat note with a ribbon - no knot, but it does have a yuzen paper-lined envelope like the others. I also made matching envelope seals with Nora's initial.

The only thing left to do is add Nora's picture to the template and print!

I'm also working on an email announcement and our email
distribution list. I guess I could probably start addressing the envelopes for the paper announcements as well.

In other news, today we went to have visa photos taken - we need one photo each for our visas and two each for the adoption registration in China. I also checked our passports to be sure that we have at least 6 months validity and 2 blank visa pages. Rob would have been close, but for some reason he has two passports (one must have been lost at a time when he needed to travel) and the second has plenty of room left.

Here's a rough transcript of my conversation with the photo guy at the UPS store:

UPS guy: Smile less
Me: (smile less)
UPS guy: Less
Me: (smile less)
UPS guy: You know, you aren't supposed to smile at all
Me: How will they recognize me if I'm not smiling?
UPS guy: After a 20 hour flight and standing in line at customs, you won't be smiling.
Rob: (laughs)
Me: (thinking ... I'll be in China to get my baby, no chance I won't be smiling)

I did come away with pictures where I'm smiling a little (no teeth though- the UPS guy wasn't going to push the button if he saw teeth). Thanks to my Dad, I always smile with teeth; it looks better that way, right Dad??

One World, One Dream.

This seems to be a better (although more difficult to read) translation of the "Beijing Welcomes You" song. I'll admit that my Mandarin is horrible, but I recognized 没关系 (mei guan xi). This version seemed to me to match up better on that part of the song. If you know of a better translation, though, please let me know!

Also, if you are as addicted to this song as I am, you can order the cd here http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-c/section-index/pid-1011006337/. I just ordered mine yesterday, so I don't know yet whether it is playable in a US cd player. I'll report back in a few weeks when it arrives.

If you don't have the patience to listen to the whole thing, at least take away the final message:

Whether black or white, men or women, Christian or Muslim, Westerners or Easterners, all together for a dream.
No more separation.
ONE WORLD ONE DREAM.

28 months today

Today is our 28-month LID-iversary and I sincerely hope that by this time next month we will have been matched with Nora. Well, I hope that every month, but this month it might actually be true.

As of now, our agency doesn't have any information about the next group of matches, but they hope to hear within the next couple of weeks.

We could have Nora's photo in just two or three weeks -- I can hardly believe it!

Sichuan Earthquake Update

It now sounds like the death toll from the Sichuan earthquake may be as high as 50,000 people. Of course there are also many thousands of survivors who have lost their families, homes, livelihoods or are unable to get food and water. I saw some of the victims on tv and they are not whining or complaining or demanding, just hoping that there will be some help for them. It breaks my heart.

Our wonderful agency, Chinese Children Adoption International ("CCAI"), which is a 503(c) charitable organization, has set up a relief fund. 100% of all donations will go to help orphans in China -- to provide funds for tents, food, medicine, etc. There are babies without food or shelter.

Please think about how much you have right now ... food, clothing, a roof over your head, the love of a family. If you are able to help, you can donate here: http://www.chinesechildren.org/Sichuan_earthquake.aspx. Your contribution will be put to very good use.

Sichuan Earthquake

I haven't written about the Sichuan earthquake, mostly because I don't know what to say. It is heartbreaking. If you are wondering how you can help and be assured that your donation directly benefits the victims of this disaster, there are some good pointers here (click on "here").

The stories on the news are incredible - large families living under a sheet of plastic because their home was destroyed, people without food or clean drinking water. People who have lost loved ones. Families who have lost their children. Very, very sad.

Beijing Welcomes You

This has been around for almost a month, so I'm a bit slow to discover, but here's a fantastic video of "Beijing Welcomes You" performed by 100 Chinese artists to celebrate the 100 day countdown to the Olympics. You can read more about it here: http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/04/18/1361@347478.htm

Enjoy! It's very catchy -- I promise you'll be humming it tonight.

(FYI there's another version with English subtitles here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skan0yO-qU8)

Nora's sweet new ride

Rob and I had a really nice day today - lunch out, some errands and a nice walk with Maddie this evening. One of our afternoon stops was at the big REI annual sale. I was looking for closed toe sandals to wear in China, which I didn't find, but they did have 20% off BOB strollers. Irresistible!

Here's photo of Nora's new ride - an orange BOB revolution:

We're keeping it in the basement for now. As you can see, we haven't done the baseboards there yet, mostly because we don't want to stress out Abigail (our 18 yo cat who likes to hang out down there). Trust me, we do have baseboards in the rest of the house. Probably I should have taken it somewhere better for the photo, but it didn't seem worth the trouble at the time.

Obviously we'll also need an umbrella type stroller for trips to the mall and stuff like that. Any recommendations? I was thinking maybe a Maclaren - the Volo is the lightest, but it's also the most bare bones and only has one seating position for the baby. I'm wondering if the Quest might be a better choice because it has 4 seating positions. Does anyone have one and either like it or hate it? Do you have another brand/model that you love?

Packing list challenge #7 - baby meds

I haven't written about the packing list challenge in a while and slacking off is only part of the explanation. I skipped the March challenge (caretaker/orphanage/government official gifts) because our agency provides guidelines by province. I want to follow their guidelines, but it means that we can't purchase gifts until after we receive our referral. I consider this sort of an excused absence.

April's baby meds challenge was doable, though -- and even prompted me to find a pediatrician! Part of what I discussed with her in our first consultation was travel meds for Nora. I know that a lot of people take antibiotics with them to China, but I was concerned about this, mostly because I don't believe that I am qualified to diagnose a bacterial infection and I know that improper use of antibiotics is partly responsible for drug-resistant "super bugs". We talked about this for a while and agreed that the human body, if well cared-for, is amazingly capable of healing itself. What I will carry are Elimite (a prescription for scabies, a kind of louse prevalent in orphanages), hydrocortisone cream (to relieve itching due to scabies), pain reliever, and not a lot else. If Nora is sicker than that, she needs medical attention anyway.

Here's my list-to-date (all over-the-counter, except for the Elimite) and a photo of what we've got so far:

• Aquaphor for eczema
• Little Noses saline drops
• Neosporin antibiotic ointment for cuts/scratches
• Benadryl
• Bulb aspirator
• A&D ointment
• Digital rectal thermometer
• KY jelly (assume this is for the thermometer)
• Adhesive bandages
• First aid tape
• Gauze
• Alcohol wipes (not shown)
• Aveeno hydrocortizone cream for eczema or itching due to scabies
• T-gel shampoo for cradle cap -- do I need this?
• Baby Tylenol
• Baby Motrin
• L'Occitane lavender wipes (as bug repellent, not shown)
• Orajel (not shown - we have a couple of different kinds, in a couple of different flavors)
• Children's ear planes (for ear pressure on the plane)
• Children's sea bands (for motion sickness)

Still needed:

• Elimite
• Echinacea
• Pediatric electrolyte powder
• Baby sunscreen
• Small scissors

Ok, give it to me straight. Too much stuff? Not enough? (I have a bias toward thinking it's too much)

Also, I have a funny husband story to share. Rob and I were talking this evening about the possibility of being referred twins and what our second name would be. We have an already-agreed-upon second name -- or so I thought -- but Rob seems to think that all names should be nickname-able. I disagree. I didn't like either of his suggested nicknames for our second girl name and I think a really good name stands on its own. So, I asked Rob what nickname he thought he'd use for Nora (which I consider non-nickname-able). His answer: "No".

Score: Rob 1, Jennifer 0.*

*notice that Rob goes by a nickname and I use the name that my parents gave me, just thought I'd point that out.

Operation family dinner - week 2 status report

This week our meals came from Moosewood Simple Suppers and Veganomicon. Everything we made was fantastic, although I should mention that the Veganomicon recipes are somewhat more involved and not all suitable for weeknight meals (i.e. take too long to make).

This week's dinners were:

• Seitan Piccata with Olives & Green Beans (I made my own seitan using the recipe in Veganomicon and it was wonderful!), served with mashed yukon gold potatoes.
• Rustic White Beans & Mushrooms and Tomato Couscous with Capers
• Greek Salad (a different one than last week)
• Mexican Polenta Stuffed Peppers (made a TON - we are still eating leftovers)
• Potato and Kale Enchiladas

We ate out once. I had a seared ahi appetizer with salad greens (as my meal). Rob ordered the ahi appetizer too and also a coconut shrimp appetizer. Then we split a chocolate creme brule for dessert. We ate well, but lightly, so it doesn't feel so decadent.

I had also planned on making Sichuan Silken Tofu with Udon Noodles and Pan Asian Slaw, but with the (unplanned) meal out and a bunch of leftovers from the other dinners, we really didn't need it. I'm planning on making it this week instead.

The family dinner project continues to go well - I even lost 3.8 lbs last week, which puts me in first place in the bigger loser challenge we're doing at work. My goal is losing 12 lbs, so at this rate I'll be there in no time! A little friendly competition is a great motivator. So is fear of swimsuit season.

Another new look

I decided yesterday to do a little blog redecorating and unfortunately forgot to take a screen shot with the old template. I do have a copy of the old header, though.

and I took a screenshot of Nora's libary sub-page, which hasn't been updated yet.

Calendar update - May Matches!

May referrals arrived today and appear to cover log in dates from January 10 through January 12, 2006. We're almost there -- maybe next month!

Congratulations to everyone who is receiving their referral! Seeing all the happy families being made gives me hope!