2007 - This will be the year!

Finally ... on to 2007, the year that we will finally travel to China! Our agency's Group 49 is in China now, and we expect referrals for Group 50 in ... let's hope for March. We are Group 52. Group 49 includes a Chicago Tribune reporter named Kelly Haramis whose China adoption experience has been documented in the paper over the last 18 months. Her blog is www.chicagotribune.com/adoption, and she has posted pictures of her new daughter in the next day or two. www.group49.com from our agency also now has pictures posted of their trip. Our current estimate is ... drumroll now ... referral between August and October and travel between October and December. Well, that's only about 16 months later than we expected! : )

Perhaps you have heard about the new "rules" China put in place for int'l adoption (no one over 50, weight limits, education requirements, etc.). This was well publicized on NPR, Paula Zahn's show, in newspapers, etc. None of the new rules affect us, and they do not go into effect until May 1, 2007. I also don't think these new rules will impact our particular wait, though they will speed things up as 2008 progresses.

Tyler is loving preschool and very busy selecting certain toys that are "for tinies," as we call babies. Those are being sorted into a bin for his "baby sister." He has also agreed that his one-time 2nd floor playroom can one day become his sister's room. Phew.

Finally, for anyone as interested in these little baby faces as we are, attached is a fun site showing referral photos ... then you just scroll your mouse over them to see "update" photos after a few months or years at home. Very cute.
http://www.maoming.homestead.com/Children.html