Tyler's Little Sister

A Flexible Name

2009-10-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ella's sleeping patterns have been quite variable lately given a rather messy confluence of events: four teeth coming in, a case of excema, and a head cold. So I have had time to contemplate how flexible her name is, and just how many situations it can fit!

Because this contemplation is often done at 3:00 a.m. (or today at 5:15 a.m. when she decided to wake for the day), it is a bit painful. But we find it amusing. But then, we are sometimes sleep deprived.

It goes like this: "When Eleanor / Ella is [XXXX], we call her [XXXX.]

Sleeping: Eleasnore
Without purpose: Eleabore
Loud: Yelleanor or Bellownor
When she's still hungry: Eleamore
When the nappie needs freshening: Smelleanor
Sick with stomach flu: Salmonella

Will post some recent pix soon -- computer not letting me do that right now for some reason!

Outakes!

2009-09-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Did I spell that right? Is out "Outtakes"? Well, whatever. This is what having two young children does to the brain.
Due to popular demand, here is (finally) another post to the blog. Ella is thriving (the Early Intervention people came today and judged her absolutely age appropriate in all her skills, an amazing feat for an adopted baby from China, where temporary developmental delays are so common... ). They said we should just sit back and watch her flourish now!
And, even better, Tyler is no longer terrified of her and is actually able to play with her a bit now. Finally.
So here are the outtakes from the shoot we did of her in our living room ... the best of the lot will be showing up soon in your mailbox in the form of her "arrival announcement." But here are few in the meantime ...
Sarah
Oh - and next up on the blog - finally, the long awaited photos of Tyler's ancient Egyptian bday party ... all in good time for our faithful followers!

My breakfast is almost ready!

2009-08-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

Good morning, everyone!

2009-08-07T06:37:00.001-07:00

Mama, Tyler's Little Sister and Eleanor's Big Brother

2009-08-07T06:21:00.001-07:00

All in the same room at the same time! Tyler's doing wonderfully well with Ella, although at times he's a bit frustrated with her Foghorn Leghorn-style mode of communicating her desire for food and/or drink. Said frustration is most evident while Tyler is using Derrida's techniques in the deconstruction of the often irreconcilable and contradictory meanings in the earliest episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants.

He has said: "Dad, how can I conduct a thorough transformational reading of Patrick Starfish's soliloquy on jellyfish hunting, which is so obviously a thinly veiled criticism of our own unrealized shortcomings, when Eleanor's making that racket!

At Play

2009-08-07T06:03:00.001-07:00

Every little person who has come through our living room finds these wooden something-or-others fascinating. I don't know where they were made or if they had a purpose (besides entertaining myriad toddlers), but they provide endless fun...

Eleanor at Home

2009-08-07T05:59:00.001-07:00

Enjoying an amuse bouche of Goldfish and Cheerios

Make mine a...

2009-07-31T23:26:00.001-07:00

Grande, soy, machiatto with a double shot and whip cream, please

Momma Pat's Spaghetti Dinner, Delivered

2009-07-31T23:16:00.001-07:00

Sarah's mom was kind enough to bring dinner over today and happily the majority of Eleanor's dinner actually ended up in her belly! Thanks for dinner Mama Pat!

We've settled in quite nicely, Tyler is having a blast with his little sister and I'm typing this now because Ella is still a bit feisty after her 12:45 ayem bottle.

Today, I cleaned fixed the forward-facing infant car seat that we haven't used for a few years, repaired the parking brake on the Bugaboo stroller and generally made myself useful. Ella is still a velcro baby to Sarah, but I've been taking her on progressively longer strolls around the house and she's mostly cool with it all.

Ella met a few of her neighbors and we received the most wonderful gift from the neighborhood - a scrapbook of sorts, with notes from people up and down the blocks surrounding us, letting Ella know about her new community. Thanks to everyone who participated and a special thanks to Michelle for the wondeful concept and execution!

DEPARTING TOMORROW

2009-07-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

We are in Hong Kong tonight after more buses, coaches, trains, temperature and ear checks and crying babies than I will ever care to recall. Marc is out dining with half the group in downtown Hong Kong and I, suffering from a touch of tourista and a looooong day of travel with not enough food (which, given the tourista, was not a bad thing), stayed at the hotel with Yan Lin and the other half of the group.

For me, China has been alternately inspiring, terrifying, welcoming and astounding. If this country ever pulls itself completely togehter in political / socio economic terms, our collective goose is cooked! This country is so vast in scale and scope. The large cities are on steroids -- the billboards and towers/skyscrapers are huge, the apartment buildings endless and soaring (and most often squalid), and the numbers of people and sprawl of the cities is just unbelievable.

And, of course, China has given us one of their daughters and for that, we are eternally grateful. Yan Lin is the Chinese gerber baby / kewpie doll incarnate and we look forward to introducing you to her (and by then I hope I am feeling better.) I hope the flight is not as miserable as I am anticipating. Off to bed now - thanks for checking our blog during the trip!

Sarah, Marc (eating some feast somewhere) and Yan Lin (sleeping)

Red Couch Redux

2009-07-28T06:28:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I kind of forgot that the Red Couch is a rite of passage - we've completed an obstacle course of paperwork, medical exams and bureaurcracy to get to this point. The reward is obvious, but the red couch is a symbol of completion of a task. With all the girls together in China for the last time, it's a potent slug of reality.

Happy Girl

2009-07-28T06:20:00.001-07:00

Bath Time!

2009-07-28T06:13:00.001-07:00

Sarah reminds me to remind y'all to scroll down to the red couch photo below...

Guangzhou at Night

2009-07-28T06:04:00.001-07:00

Be sure to scroll down to the Red Couch photo; Eleanor Yan Lin is third from the left.

Guangzhou is positively neon at night. Whole buildings are wired (tubed?) with neon and flashing lights, while boats make their way up and down the Pearl River ferrying dinner guests and sightseers.

This is the first and only city Sarah and I have visited that has exhausted her shopping mojo; she actually said "I am shopped out." This declaration came only after she bought twenty orr thirty dresses and/or outfits for Eleanor, naturally, but it was impressive to see her subcontract shopping to a friend's 18 year old daughter so that she could rest. Because our plane was late arriving in Hong Kong, I fear she may have some backup special mojo in reserve for shopping in the new city...

Two more pictures of happy parents

2009-07-28T05:52:00.001-07:00

The Imperial Order of the Red Couch

2009-07-28T05:49:00.001-07:00

A rite of passage for adoptive families in China is the "Red Couch" picture at the White Swan Hotel. Here is Miss Elenanor along with her classmates posing for posterity...

Chen's Ancestral Home

2009-07-26T18:13:00.001-07:00

Also known as The Guangdong Folk Arts Museum, Chen's Ancestral Lineage Hall and The Chen Clan's Academy. It was built in 1890, during the Ching Dynasty and was financed by 72 Chen families. It has six courtyards, nine main halls and nineteen buildings on 15,000 m^2. Its original purpose was to pay tribute to the family's ancestors, but was later used as an academy where descendants lodged and studied for Imperial examinations. During the 1960's and 70's it was known as The Peoples Industrial College...

Fu Girls Precision Stroller Team

2009-07-26T17:52:00.001-07:00

Eleanor is not a fan of the stroller, as can be seen in this picture...

My normal view of China

2009-07-26T06:54:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I get ahead of the ladies while we're out walking around, but mostly I like to slow down and take it all in, especially when Eleanor glances back to see if I've found some yummy street food.

Eleanor at the White Swan

2009-07-25T22:33:00.001-07:00

Waiting for our table at the Provinces restauraunt on Sunday. This morning we had an excursion to Chen's Ancestral Home and Liu Rong Buddhist Temple. Pictures to follow...

We've made it to Guangzhou

2009-07-25T05:37:00.001-07:00

We're in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel, center of the universe for adoptive parents and their children. Guangzhou is much more Western than Nanchang, but it is still China. The air is heavy with humidity, approaching 100%, especially after this afternoon's rain. We have a greta room looking over the city and the Yangtse River, the largest in China if I recall correctly. Guangzhou is the third-largest city in China, with about 10 million people; nearly everyone lives in an apartment. Land is still state property here.

More pictures of Eleanor are attached...

Zaijian, Nanchang!

2009-07-24T20:17:00.001-07:00

Wow those five days just slipped past in a hurry. We've packed up all our things and we're off to the bus that will take us to the airport and then on to Guangzhou. While there we will finalize the American side of the adoption procedure. Eleanor Yan Lin has been issued a Chinese passport which she'll need to gain entry to the United States in San Francisco. When the wheels touch down, however she'll be a full-blooded 'Murrcan, although she can not become President. Knowing the grit and determination of this little girl, I wouldn't count her out. If there's anyone who could get an amendment passed permitting foreign-born naturalized citizens to take the highest office in our country, it'd be Eleanor...

The whole crew at Tengwang Pavillion

2009-07-23T15:53:00.001-07:00

We're all the way on the left. We're standing next to Auntie Jane Turner from FRC and Tom Buoye,our translator and guide, whom we lovingly refer to as Ground Control and Major Tom.

Also, everyone please note how well I've accesorized - my shirt and shorts go so well with my gold and white diaper bag...

Eleanor, waking

2009-07-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Catching up with World news on the bus

2009-07-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

While we were out playing tourists today...

Lunchtime 22 July

2009-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, while the girls have their afternoon nap, I go out walking around Nanchang in search of a good meal. Around the corner from the hotel and six blocks down I came across this wonderful place that serves food from three stations - veg / meat, soup and rice. The place was packed at 12:30 when I got there and it had a pleasant buzz going. Nobody batted an eye when I came in and grabbed a tray. I picked up some potatoes steamed with hot red chilis, soy, garlic and ginger, garlic shoots stir-fried with black beans and scrambled eggs, a big bowl of tofu simmered in master stock and a bamboo cup filled with steamed rice and a small, red slightly sour fruit. And a large Nanchang beer that our friends Lisa and Morgan would love - light and crisp.

All of this was had for 18 kwai = $2.62 including 15% service charge.

I also made a new friend named Bari. He's ten yearss old and his family owns the restaurant. He helped me with Mandarin and I helped him with English. He actually ran upstairs to get his textbook. I met the entire extended family - grandmother, uncles, aunts, mother - and we had a grand old time.

Lunchtime 22 July

2009-07-22T15:32:00.001-07:00

All of this was had for 18 kwai = $2.62 including 15% service charge.

I also made a new friend Bari - "

SALON UPDATE

2009-07-22T03:06:00.001-07:00

We just washed Lin Lin's hair and it's not black at all! It's really a rich dark brown. But it is in dire need of a shaping at Kid Snips. Just thought you'd like to know ... Ancient temple today was fun but I nearly gacked in the heat ... And how 'bout all the old ladies coming up to ooh and ahh? (See below post and pics.) There is a waitress downstairs that has fallen in love with Ella Lin and keeps bringing her treat after treat which bebe is only too happy to hoover down.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Why is that girl eating my Cheerios?

2009-07-22T01:54:00.001-07:00

And every Cheerio in the hotel belongs to me! When we got Eleanor on Sunday, we also received an update to her progress report. She's doing wonderfully, as you can see from all the pictures. There was an interesting notation in her file:

"Gets upset when she sees someone else eating or drinking."

Way back in the Cenozoic Era when Sarah and I went on our first dates, I was by far the "better orderer" at restaurants. She's since matched my ability to find the best items on nearly any menu, extreme ethnic and overseas excepted.

When we went on our first dates, Sarah ordered conservatively and was, I think, generally disappointed in her choices. Assessing the situation cooly, Sarah often looked at what I was eating, noted that I was very happy in my choice, took a deep breath and with one motion and a quick mis-direction feint would say: "Are you gonna eat all of that?" and would promptly spear the other half of my entree onto her fork, plop it on her side plate and promptly devour it with gusto. I had finally met the right person to spend the rest of my life with...

And so it is with Eleanor. We were in a bus on our way to a government office when she spied a child outside munching on something. Out came Eleanor's snack bowl [Hat tip to the Planek's for the bowl; thank you so much!]. One of the other girls gets a handful of rice puffs, out comes the the snack bowl.

It is my solemn and sworn duty from this moment forward to keep our supplies topped up lest there be an epic battle between my two gourmands... And with that, it's nearly time for dinner.

Marc (typing), Sarah, Ella and Tyler (sleeping, albeit not all in the same place)

A rare moment with me in front of the camera

2009-07-22T01:22:00.001-07:00

Eleanor is a velcro baby attached to Sarah nearly all the time. We've been slowly passing her back and forth and she's becoming more and more accepting of me. She's not afraid of me, nor does she yell when I hold her; Sarah got her from the adoption official first, so she bonded -think epoxy- to Sarah first.

When I walk out of the room, she looks around and calls after me and she mimics my motions - clapping, waving, shaking my head - and I can get her to laugh anytime at all. It's all perfectly normal. We also think that her caregivers were all women and she's come to associate them with comfort and safety.

I do the food, just like at home, so when she sees me with a baby bottle, her Pavlovian response kicks in just fine, thanks very much.

China's Grandmothers on duty

2009-07-22T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are just inside Tengwang and a lovely lady came up to compliment Sarah on her lovely daughter. In the fall and winter some of these ladies scold new mothers about not having the baby properly dressed for the cold weather. That isn't a problem here today given that it's abot 37 Celsius in the shade. For those of you who no habla Celsius - I've been working hard on my Mandarin, can y'all tell? -, it's really easy to remember: 37 C = 98.6 F. Body temperature water for a shower or bath is teriffic; body temperature outside air is decidedly not...

Eleanor getting ready for Nanchang sightseeing

2009-07-22T00:51:00.000-07:00

So this morning we were off to the Tengwang Pavillion a Song Dynasty comples about seven kilometers from home base. It was originally built in 654 and has been rebuilt or added to twenty-nine times in the past. The whole plaza is constructed from... zzz I know, who cares about the building, blah blah, blah. So, instead, I attach three more pictures of Eleanor Yan Lin. Both girls are enjoying their afternoon nap...

Lunch in Nanchang

2009-07-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful lunch in a restaurant across the street from the hotel yesterday. Eleanor dug into the garlic chives with black beans, ginger and hot chilis like a pro. We had a Jiangxi hotpot with river fish, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and greens. Eleanor devoured a copious amount of rice. We had two mains, rice and two large lagers for the princely sum of 49 kwai. Seven bucks.

Sunrise in Nanchang

2009-07-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Our hotel faces east, so this is what I've been seeing every morning. We're off for a culture day, visiting a 14th century temple and the porcelain district. Nanchang is where Ming and Ching Dynasty porcelain was made...

Getting ready for lunch

2009-07-20T21:27:00.001-07:00

Countdown to lunch has commenced

Nanchang, waking up

2009-07-20T19:28:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, I like to get up early and despite being 8 or so time zones away from home, I still get up early.

As most of you know, Sarah loves to lounge in bed. Eleanor is her mother's child, happily snoozing away perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of her bed, flat on her back, arms raised over her head, legs akimbo.

Our hotel room faces east, so when the summer sun breaks through the drapes, I'm up. I carefully and quietly readjust the drapes to block the light, but it hardly matters since it's roughly 5:30 in the ayem [© Ted Schmidt, Sr.] and the only thing that might get these two up is the promise of the breakfast dim sum buffet on the 2nd floor, but that doesn't open for another hour.

I cannot turn on the light to read, turn on the tellyvizzion machine or fire up this computer, so I go out for a walk.

It's ever so slightly cooler in the morning - think upper eighties in temp and humidity - and it's fairly easy to navigate.

We're right in the middle of Nanchang's downtown, but even a cursory examination of the surrounding area shows me that the concept of zoning has not been given a chance to blossom here in Jianxi Province. Electric motor shop, noodle shop, a gynormous long-distance bus terminal, a recirculating pump repair shop, a four story sixty-flat residential building, a teeny grocery, a gas station, and finally a five-star hotel complex.

N.B. If you've ever lost a remote control for any sort of stereo or audio equipment, I know where it is; yesterday, Hank and I took a walk and found an alleyway 6-8 blocks long filled with stalls that sold mostly old remote controls. Thousands and thousands and thousands of them...

So, Nanchang in the early morning is quiet, although the streets are still busy. The majority of the traffic is mopeds and bicycles, with the occasional packed to capacity bus. As the day progresses, cars and trucks begin to dominate street traffic, sending bicycles, motorcycles and mopeds to the relative safety of the sidewalks, endangering the pedestrian population.

The way in which traffic functions here is quite different from home. At home when we approach an intersection, we slow down and check the traffic. Here, a moped driver keeps her head down and simply drives headlong into the flow, scarcely recognizing the danger.

I have a theory about it; I believe it is the precursor to a tenet of Christian Science. In Christian Science, to name the disease is to have the disease. In Nanchang driving, recognizing how terrifying the traffic actually is would keep you in your apartment curled up in a ball.

Yesterday, we were standing outside a government office waiting for our bus when two mopeds collided. There was a loud thump, a fair bit of cracked plastic and no one was hurt in the least, but the way the accident was resolved was telling. A middle-aged lady wagged her index finger at the young man who had t-boned her moped, they both looked around, picked up a few stray bits of their mopeds off the pavement and then were back on their way. The accident occured directly opposite a police station. An officer was backing his car out of a space and was looking directly at the incident. No messy reports to fill out.

Our group might have had a role in the incident - 17 laowei with Chinese babies in the middle of Nanchang. I'm pretty sure the young man was looking at us and not where he was heading...

Sarah and Eleanor are about to have their mid-morning siesta so I'll wrap it up for now...

More pictures!

2009-07-20T07:11:00.001-07:00

EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ELLA LIN AND ARE DYING TO FIND OUT!

In no particular order ... she is a PISTOL. Full of energy, very active, reaching for everything. She has a deep belly laugh when she is amused. She went to foster care 3 or 4 days after birth and has been with the same foster parents until Sunday. This explains her astounding social and attachment skills. She has huge eyes. She has the kind of hair I always wanted -- silky, shiny and straight (and it's black, just like Mama Pat's - family joke). Though in the sunlight it also has rich golden brown tones. She has already called me Mama and knows who her Baba (dada) is!! She lights up when Marc comes in a room with other adults. I cannot put her down for one nanosecond - and I mean that - without substantial distress on her part. So, she has definitely recognized a life raft and is clinging to it like glued on velcro. Soon, we hope she realizes that we are not going anywhere. She has major thighs and appears willing to eat everything in sight, including the snacks of her fellow adoptees! One rarely sees such impressive eating skills. She loves Chinese phrases like "don't cry" and "I love you, baby sister!" which have come in handy. She responds to her name. She arrived at the hotel an hour before our bus did on Sunday, which meant no time to organize and unpack. We are only now emerging from that chaos!

Lots of Chinese bureaucratic offices today, but she is now officially adopted! More pictures tomorrow ....

Gotcha!

2009-07-19T05:32:00.001-07:00

We just got Eleanor Yan Lin an hour or two ago - it's been a blur of train, plane and bus travel across Southeast China this morning and afternoon - she is a dream, giggling and laughing, tearing up paper, munching out on Cheerios, getting the complete once over... everything is great!

QUICK UPDATE

2009-07-18T20:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday almost noon here in China. So far today we have been on two buses and two trains. Depart Huangzhou for Nanchang via plane at 3:00 arrive 5:00 babies come to hotel at 6:30!

We will typically post photos each day to the blog at about 8 or 9 a.m. Chicago time if youi want to check for new pix of the baby and our triop. Am posting this via my Goldman blackberry - ain't technology grand?!!
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

We are in Hong Kong!

2009-07-18T07:28:00.001-07:00

After an upgrade to business class, four (or was it five?) straight movies, and a very little sleep, we are here at the Regal Airport Hotel overnight. Soon we will "skype" with Tyler and Asha to see how they are doing!

Apparently, something called Typhoon Moldave is on its way to Hong Kong tonight, so we will see if we get out by private coach tomorrow morning as planned, get to the Guangzhou Airport and get to Nanchang tomorrow afternoon to meet Ella Lin as planned tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

Who knows?? Well, we are glad to have made it to Hong Kong thus far. More later!

Bon Voyage!

2009-07-17T11:48:00.001-07:00

We had a successful departure from Oak Park, complete with Tyler in his King Tut crown (ready for our Egyptian birthday party later this month!) Picture attached of Mama Pat, Tyler and Asha waving goodbye (not to mention the painters in the background!)

Now we are at O'Hare ... the plane is 3 hours late due to some mechanical issues ... new plane on the way! We expect to depart at 3:15 Central ... arrive Hong Kong around 7:00 P.M. Saturday night! More to com

THE FOOTBALL

2009-07-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here it is ... the football ... as we have named it... it's very James Bond and it contains majorly important documents for our trip.

Our agency handed it off to us in preparation for our Friday departure ... it's a very complex color coded system. At any given point on the trip, our director may bark out "BLUE - 4!!!!" or "YELLOW - 8!!!!!" and we will then go to our footballs and retrieve the state -- or adoption -- secrets contained therein. And we'll sign it. Or hand it over. Or stamp it. Or whatever.

Here's one example: our real live "TRAVEL APPROVAL" document from Beijing containing Eleanor's photo:

So after a frenzied four or so days, I think we're nearly ready. Tyler has a 12 day schedule to rival that of the busiest celebrity. We hope all our technology -- to skype and blog and text -- works. These are verbs that did not exist a few years ago but I think I know what they all mean.

So the next post will be from Hong Kong ... or maybe Nanchang if we're too tired the one night we are in Hong Kong!!

Signed, Sealed, (Almost) Delivered - We're Ready to Go!

2009-07-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Our confirmed travel dates are departure on Friday, July 17 and return on Thursday, July 30. We will fly into Hong Kong, arriving Saturday evening their time, stay overnight, then fly the next morning (Sunday) to Nanchang, Jiangxi. The adoption will be complete Monday morning. We stay in Nanchang until the 24th, then fly a bit south to Guangzhou to complete embassy appointments and other things. Then back to Hong Kong by train on the 29th to stay overnight and depart the next morning.

We'd hoped to come back Wednesday, July 29, but our agency could not get flights that day. So Tyler will have 12 days to fill with lots of summer camp, sleepovers with Pat and Sue, and neighborhood play dates. We are leaving him a little "treat" and note from us to open each day, and he will keep a diary of what he does. And, we will "skype" daily to see each other! (Can you tell I am a little freaked out at leaving him behind? But not as freaked out as I'd be taking him at this point!)

Attached are two "group photos" of the Girls of Group 52! (Ella Lin is top row, second from left.) Enjoy!

Travel Approvals Are Here!

2009-06-25T19:02:00.001-07:00

The much awaited Travel Approval (TA) for our group arrived this afternoon at our agency from Beijing. Our agency now has lots of work to do over the next two weeks ... best guess now is that we will depart for China on either Friday, July 17 or Friday, July 24.
We do already know that, while in Nanchang, we will be staying at the dramatically named Galactic Peace Hotel ... a brand new, very Western and lovely looking hotel! You can google it and see pictures.
Dates should firm up next week.
Lots to do!

Two Great Air Mails to China!

2009-06-09T15:43:00.001-07:00

Our agency has now sent back each family's referral acceptance -- the package should be in Beijing at this point!

For us, that is the first step in making the adoption official. Next, we will wait for Beijing to assign us our consulate date and send our travel approval. Based on recent events, that could be in as soon as 10-14 days from now!

Also, Lin-Lin should soon receive a soft photo album with some pictures of us, Oak Park, and herself inside -- we hope her foster mom and dad will show her the pictures so she recognizes us next month. Finally, thanks to all the nice RQ cyberfriends from all over the world who have left comments on this blog! It's really fun to read them and they are appreciated!

Updated Measurements!

2009-06-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

The CCAA sent updated information on Ella-Lin yesterday, since our paperwork has data as of mid-March. She is growing really well and is now in the care of a foster family until we come to China. Director Zhou of the Fuzhou Institute has seen all the babies in our travel group in the last few days and reports that they are all thriving.

Ella-Lin is in the 50th percentile for weight for a 10.5 month old baby girl ... the 65th percentile for height ... and about the 65th percentile for head circumference ... this is by American growth chart standards!! So she is really doing very, very well!

In addition to the care package, we have also sent a soft photo album with pictures of Marc, me and Tyler, our house and one photo of Ella in there as well. More to come (soon, I hope) about travel arrangements!

Cute Care Package for Lin-Lin

2009-06-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Thought everyone would like to see the cute care package contents that are being delivered to Lin-Lin this week via a great service. There are moon cakes, a blanket, a stuffie, some tea for her caregivers and an envelope where the caregivers can send a note back to us about her.

We hope to hear this week that our travel group's acceptances are headed back to Beijing! Then it should be just a couple (2? 3?) weeks before the trip dates can be established.

More to come!

2009-06-01T16:26:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

HERE SHE IS!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here is Eleanor Yan Lin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She is VERY HEALTHY, with BETTER THAN AVERAGE weight, head circumference, etc. And, she is definitely her mother's daughter -- her favorite activity is listed as "massage" and she is reputed to be quite a healthy eater. And, with those dark, deep set eyes and dark hair, she is definitely her father's daughter!!!! (Note: You can click on each photo to see it larger.)

More details later .... we are thrilled.

Fuzhou SWI - Our daughter's current home

2009-05-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

As we wait for the pictures and documents (perhaps tomorrow ... we hope!), here is a look at the Fuzhou Social Welfare Institute (SWI).

Also attached below is a photo of the 3 of us waiting, waiting to see the three wonderful photos of Lin-Lin (though, oddly, Tyler has morphed into a 10-year-old girl in this particular family photo).

We hear tell there is one photo of Lin-Lin in a red car, one in a bouncy seat and one "passport style" face shot. Well, we will just have to sit tight and wait just a little bit more!

Hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend.

IT'S A GIRL! THE FIRST BITS OF INFO!

2009-05-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

WE GOT THE CALL!

Our daughter's Chinese name is: Fu Yan Lin
This name was given to her by the Fuzhou Institute in Jianxi where she is staying. So her surname, like all of the babies here, is "Fu." Her first name is Yan and her middle name is Lin. That means she probably goes by "Lin-Lin," since the middle name is often doubled.

She is 10 months old -- July 17, 2008 is her birthday.

Now ... we wait for the translation of documents (health/medical history) and, once that is complete, it will be sent along with photos -- ETA 2-3 days -- not yet sure how the holiday weekend will factor into that.

We are especially relieved because of the circumstances surrounding the last month. Did you know that, just as a butterfly's wings can start a ripple effect that leads to a hurricane someplace in the world, a pig's sneeze can result in a completely dejected aura in our household!? Our referral is approximately 3 weeks behind schedule due to the flu and China's resulting concerns regarding matches and travel. We are so happy it was a 3-week delay and not longer.

This post would not be complete without thanks to the China team at our agency, who have been empathetic, informed and consistently responsive and helpful during this long process. We can't wait to travel to China with this expert group and our fellow travel families!!!!!!!!!

Thanks also to Rumor Queen (a professional woman, wife and mother of two girls from China) who manages a website that aggregates global information about the status / pace of international adoption from China. "RQ" has made the lives of us waiting parents more entertaining and more informed throughout the past 3 years and we are all indebted to her (whoever and wherever she may be). In fact, it will be a nearly impossible to break the habit of following her site closely each month (I know this from all the families who are long home from China who continue to post on the site!):

WE LOOK FORWARD TO POSTING PHOTOS SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOME VISUAL IMAGES FOR TODAY

2009-05-21T08:02:00.001-07:00

OK. Just a couple more thoughts. At right is how we are feeling this morning (with thanks/credit to the creative RQ cyber-friend who has this amusing Tommy C shot on her site!)

AND ...
Here is the real behind-the-scenes machination of THE CALL:

AND FINALLY ... at bottom is what is happening right now via DHL to Chicago:

IT'S HAPPENING

2009-05-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

WOW. Direct from RQ:

CCAA Website Update
Two agencies are reporting that the CCAA site has changed to show referrals through March 14th. The reviewed through date remains April 30th.
If you are expecting a referral in this group and wish your blog to be listed in the Babies! post then please list blog URL and blog name in the comments to this post.

We should be receiving THE CALL from our agency today or tomorrow -- we will hear baby sister's name, birthdate and province. Then we wait while docs are translated and, 2-3 days later, receive the full packet including photos!!!!!!!!!! More to come!!!!!!!!!!!

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH, it has been a long 38 months (and that does not even count our paper chasing months!) But we have made it. Finally.

Are we NEXT????

2009-04-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sit down, because you may faint. Of course, you probably already know this from reading our Chodera Family Emergency Adoption Broadcast System email ... but there is at least a 50/50 chance that we will receive our match with photos of and life history / developmental history / medical history for baby sister in ... drum roll ... 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You will know soon, because a special announcement will hit your "in" boxes when this momentous occasion occurs!!!

We will be in touch soon!

Sarah, Marc and Tyler

March 1 Referrals!

2009-03-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Referrals just issued through March 6, 2006, leaving only 6 MORE LOG-IN DAYS (8 including the weekend but no one is logged in then) until they match March 14, 2006 -- that's us!
A special email alert announcement will be going out mid-March with an ETA for the day we will all see baby sister's photo for the first time! Hang on!

Here's a photo of Tyler playing his "box string guitar" in our family band, the Rockin' Monsters!

Happy Almost Spring!

January Referrals - Teensy, but That's OK - We're Still Close!

2009-01-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just two days matched this time (boo!). They did March 1 and March 2, 2006. That leaves just 11 days to be matched until they match US ... March 14, 2006 (well, 12 days if you include our log in date)!

Over the past four months, they have plowed through 15 log-in days ... since we have just 12 left, we remain confident for a referral in one of three not too far off months: March, April or May.

We'll be back the third of fourth week in February to let you know how far they get next time ... they should creep to March 6, 7 or 8. Then it's quickly downhill from there to our big moment!

The snail depicted here is to commemorate China's snail crawl pace ... and the patriotic shell is to commemorate this week's inauguration! Wow, you forget how gross snails are until you go look at pictures of them on stock photography sites.

Happy January, everyone!

WOW - Some great news today

2008-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

The CCAA has issued an earlier-and-bigger-than-expected batch of referrals, and agencies around the world today are calling families whose dossiers were registered up to and including February 28, 2006. This is especially exciting because February 28, 2006 was a very large day with lots of families logged in around the world. I expected them to reach just the 27th.

So just 14 days remain for them to process/assign before they reach our log in date of March 14, 2006 and match us with baby sister. Our "30-day countdown" (when they were matching families with mid February 2006 log in dates) began in mid-September so we are halfway there.

Our agency has notified us that they expect us to be matched in the late March - late April timeframe -- they do not give a firm prediction like this until you get very close and they are confident. After you get your match, you have lots of preparing and packing to do and then travel about 5-6 weeks later.

We also had a great time at our official "pre-travel meeting" last weekend and received lots of information (what to pack, what to expect, what we do each day of the 12 or 13 days we'll spend over in China). It was also fun to catch up with the other families we will be traveling with.

Later this week, we will be welcoming a dwarf hamster to our household so, if you are lucky, you will see some photos of him/her on the next post. If you are critter-averse, then you'll want to skip over those photos.

Check back here each month to see how China is moving through those remaining 14 days before they reach for our dossier and match us with our baby (they typically knock off about 4-6 each month -- slow, but at least steady).

Happy New Year!!

December Referrals

2008-12-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

Cut-off this month ... February 23, 2006 ... so 18 days left ...

If they process an average of 6 days per month going forward, we'll get our referral in March. A 4 days per month average gets us our referral in, say, May.

I'm gunning for April or May. Next post ... info from our December 21 pre-travel meeting!

Tyler loves our Christmas trees this year ... one in parlor and one in his bedroom!

Sharpen Your Pencils

2008-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

This month, the CCAA did a rather miserable batch of just TWO log in days. So the cut off was February 19, 2006.

Our log in date was March 14, 2006, as you know. So there are 22 days left for them to process and match before they get to us. The average number of days matched over the past year is 6.3 or so.

That means the following:

An average of 7 days matched each month from here on = we receive our referral in early February or early March 2009

An average of 6 days matched each month from here on = early March 2009

An average of 5 days matched each month from here on = early April 2009

And if they decide to slow down further ...

An average of just 4 days matched each month from here on = early May 2009

Now remember, for years, they issued 28-35 days of referrals EACH MONTH. So you can see the exponential effect on wait times.

Sadly, given this extremely slow pace, I do now believe that China is basically telling those with farther out log-in dates to go away. I hope other international programs open up to help families. And, of course, many will "go domestic," though that is fraught with all kinds of challenges that international adoption is not. Despite our longer than expected wait, we are fortunate to have a March 2006 log in at at this point.

Bets, anyone, on when our referral will come? I am now of the belief it'll be in this range: early March - early May.

And oh - here are some Halloween skeleton photos of Tyler to amuse! wait -- Is it a skeleton or Harry Potter??? Maybe it's Harry Potter's skeleton!!

NEXT FEW POSTS: Get ready for photos of baby sister's room AND info that we receive at our pre-travel meeting on December 21, coming up soon!!!!

30-DAY LID COUNTDOWN

2008-09-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

The CCAA has "matched" families with log-in dates to mid-February 2006, leaving just 30 more calendar days until they match our LID of March 14, 2006!

THE FINISH LINE IS NOT HERE YET, BUT IT IS IN SIGHT!

We will post each month as they eke out 6-8 days each month ... current projections ar ethat we will receive photos of our daughter .. our "match" ... in February 2009.

In other exciting developments, our agency has scheduled our "pre-travel meeting" for December 21 ... that's where you hear all about the trip in detail and do final preparations.

Oh - and we are also embarking on a final round of paperwork updating. And about to paint the nursery!

More to come at end of September / early October -- we'll see how far they get this month.

Tyler and "The Group 51 Girls of Summer"

2008-08-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Happy August!

At right ... a few choice snaps from Tyler's Montana excursion ... his first "s'more" and then utter concentration while painting a picture of the lake.

Meanwhile, our agency's Group 51 is having a wonderful time in China right now ... you can see them being united with their daughters (scroll down to the "Congratulations!" post) and then enjoying bonding and touring time via this link: http://www.frcchina51.blogspot.com/ It's great to see the crying faces (of the babies) transform to smiles over the course of just 3-4 days.

Lots going on right now -- the Olympics start tomorrow -- should be quite a spectacle. We are close to beginning our 30-day countdown to our log-in date (March 14, 2006) being matched. They are now just beginning February of 2006.

Of course, what that means is (nearly) anyone's guess. I guess what we can say for certain is that we are months away from being matched. Anyone after our log-in date (say, April 2006 or beyond) cannot necessarily say that, unfortunately.

So, let's say 30 days. If the CCAA matches 10 log-in dates a month going forward, we will get our referral in 3-4 more months. If they match only 3 log-in dates a month going forward, it will be 10 more months. In my view, both of those scenarios are unlikely and it'll be somewhere in between.

A major point of suspense (and heartbreak) for thousands of families worldwide -- have the Olympics been a major factor of this China international adoption slowdown???? -- will be answered in just 1-2 more months when the games (and then the special Olympics that follow) are over.

Stay tuned!

We're Next!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Finally!!!

The families in our agency's Group 51 will receive their referrals this coming Monday ... and our Group 52 is now NEXT!!! Just to give some perspective ... when we started the wait 2 years ago, we were working on getting Group 44 to China.

A refresher on what this means: All families around the world with log-in dates of January 22, 2006 and earlier are now matched. Our log-in was March 14, 2006. That leaves 49 days, I think, until they reach our date for matching. If the CCAA continues to issue referrals for an average of 7-8 log-in dates each month, then we have about 6-8 months left to wait. (There are 9 days in that 50 with no families to be matched as that timeframe is the annual Chinese New Year.) That puts us at the end of this year - I'm hopeful for December, but could be January or February. There is also the possibility that the CCAA will speed up a bit after the Olympics in August.

Nonetheless, we're now NEXT in line with our agency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They now have up through Groups 67 waiting behind us ... I can't imagine why anyone would put their dossier in to China right now with the backlog that exists.

Next post wlil feature the cute faces of the babies matched with Group 51 families. Can't wait to see those as we nearly made it into Group 51 -- if not for some paperwork delays, we'd be done now!

Given the horrific loss of life with the recent earthquake in Sichuan, we are grateful that the CCAA is issuing referrals this month.

Spring Update

2008-04-06T08:40:00.001-07:00

When we last posted in November, the CCAA was referring families whose log-in dates were mid-Devember 2005. They have continued to "match" only one week of log-in dates each month, so in the past four months we have crept all the way (!) to matching families with log-ins of mid- January 2006. Our log-in date is March 14, 2006 -- about 55 days still ahead of us. (So, at 8 days referred per month, that's about another 7 months of waiting from now.) For the time being, our dossier continues to sit here, waiting its turn (see pictures). Those are shots of the CCAA's "matching room"!

Sentiment continues to build that the Olympics are behind this slow pace and that, once August is over, things will return to normal (more like 15-30 days of log-in dates referred per month, probably closer to 12-15). Basically, on any given day in Guangzhou or perhaps Beijing, there can be 100-200 families leaving with their new daughters (and sometimes sons). China would really rather not have reporters pick up on that and shift the focus to international adoption during their Olympic "coming out party."

To quote a Spanish expert:

"To put the situation into perspective, we have attempted to shed a little light on this dark situation by speaking with people that are linked to the world of international adoption, primarily in China. From the tone of what they have said, we are convinced that this great decrease in the number of referrals is completely related to and is because of the imminent celebration of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Sources we consulted have assured us that once the Olympic Games are over, the assignment process will speed up significantly, while always taking into account the high number of applications registered with the CCAA and the decrease of the children available for international adoption."

Good news: Our agency's Travel Group 51 should be "referred" next month, then we continue to hope hope hope for ours sometime between October and December this year! Tyler is working hard on his "like-a-bike" skills now that spring is finally here. Will post a picture of him riding his trainer bike soon!

Sarah and Marc

Weellllllll ....

2007-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Here we are ... 20 months into our wait since our paperwork was logged in on March 14, 2006. If you'd told us then that we still wouldn't have our referral now, we'd have asked you what you were smoking. As it is, we just sit around with what we call the "Scooby face" -- see at right.

So strap on your calendar and numbers hats and let's go for a ride:

We have 3 pieces of great news:
1. The CCAA is now issuing referrals for families logged in around mid December of 2005 (yes, that means they are now two years behind and there are two years of families around the world sitting and waiting just like we are).

2. Our Chicago adoption agency is now waiting for referrals for their travel Group 51, who were logged in on January 13, 2006. So the CCAA only needs to wend their way through four more weeks of families until they get to Group 51 and those lucky people are holding their daughters' photos!

3. We are Group 52, and our agency now has people waiting up through Group 64! So you can see that we are, indeed, nearing the head of the pack!

But, of course, we also continually face frustrating news:
In recent months, the CCAA has slowed even more to a true snail's pace and has been issuing referrals for only about ONE WEEK of log in dates every month. That means that, with about 12 weeks remaining until they hit us (mid Dec 2005 - mid March 06), it would take ANOTHER YEAR for us to receive our referral. At this pace (the key part). (This also means that the poor families not logged in until September 2006 would have another four years ... and the most recent log-ins would have a 10-year wait ahead of them. Obviously, none of that is sustainable, which is why it can't/won't/shouldn't continue.)

I don't believe it'll take another year, and am quite optimistic for a referral in summer of 2008. We all know how fast 6-8 months goes, so we'll check back in here when we get a little closer and have more concrete perspectives.

I feel for our agency's China program director, who has irate / frustrated / disappointed families calling her every day and either screaming or whining or crying. We've managed to avoid all of those behaviors. So far.

We'll next post pix of Group 51's babies! Later on!

Cool by the Pool

2007-07-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tyler wanted to demonstrate how cool we're staying over the summer ... AND during our long wait for baby sister!

Summer Predictions!

2007-07-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Group 50 is due to leave shortly for China! Their 8 daughters are pictured here -- the parents photo-shopped this together to indicate that those girls are ready to come home!

The other happy news is that we are halfway through the monster month of log-ins (adoption applications) that were registered with China in November 2005. Once we get through those final two weeks of November 2005 and move on to December '05, Jan '06 and Feb '06, things will pick up. Those next 3 months were 1/3 to 1/2 the size of October and November 2005. And, as you know, we are March 06! Now only Group 51 stands between us and our match!

Our best guess now is that we will receive our referral in March or April and travel 4-6 weeks after that. While it is astounding that it will have taken two full years, I'm glad we are not part of the 16 months AFTER us that have been logged in and could wait 3 years or more. Perhaps after the Olympics (whenthe glare of the world spotlight on China is lessened), the wait will decrease.

In the meantime, on to a showing of Ratatouille this weekend -- Tyler's first real theater and popcorn experience!

Group 50 this Month!

2007-05-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Quick update -

First, Tyler says "hello and happy spring" from the porthole of a blue ship at the Children's Museum! He is closing in on the end of his first year of preschool and heading toward a really busy summer of tennis, swim, day camp and more!

On the China front, we will be seeing "matches" for our agency's Group 50 in the next 2 weeks or so. Then the question will be how long it takes to get matches for Group 51 ... then we are FINALLY next! Best guess right now is our referral will come between November 07 and March 08. Keep your fingers crossed for the early side of that!

We will know better when they (finally) finish matches for the massive month of November 2005, which they have started. Once we get to December 05, Jan 06 and Feb 06 (we are March 06), we should see some speeding up! (Of course, given how this has gone so far, note that I am saying should!)

Enjoy the rest of May!

Whew!

2007-03-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Marc located this important news from ChinaDaily online -- this could positively impact our trip if we go to Wuhan in Hubei Province -- he he he:

"If you are eager to relieve yourself but fail to find a toilet in Wuhan, Hubei, you can ask a special toilet guide to show you the way, the Changjiang Commercial News reported.

However, there are no free lunches. The service costs 3 jiao (3.8 cents) per time.
Special toilet guide has become a new profession in Wuhan The city has reportedly hired at least 10 such toilet guides. They are distinguishable by their red armbands. The special toilet guides, who can earn up to 10 yuan ($1.29) a day, mainly patrol the city's busy areas and scenic spots."

Marc on Fox News!

2007-03-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Marc and I went to our agency for a "Meet the Families" forum -- families who have recently traveled to China brought their daughters (and 1 son!) and talked about their experiences. Fox News (the local station) was there taping parts of it and interviewed the family who had adopted the surprise boy! Here is the link -- you can see Marc pretty clearly and the back of my head (thrilling!) Not sure how long this will be accessible, but just in case ... here is the link to the feature.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=85CE496B34B0BE2EFEFD57C13599F261?contentId=2763947&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

While we wait to see whether our agency's Group 50 referrals are going to be in this month's batch issued by the CCAA, here is a good account of the status of China adoption (scroll down to article on pages 3 and 4).

http://www.chinesechildren.org/Newsletter/Circle/Circle_2_07.pdf

So will check in after Group 50 gets their referrals ... then on to Group 51 and then ... our turn!

Meanwhile, Tyler has China on the brain. He recently introduced Asha to a lady in the park as his "baby sister" instead of "baby sitter"!

Through the Review Room (Very Alice in Wonderland-Like)

2007-02-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

Our dossier is finally through the CCAA "Review Room"! This is a very cool milestone because it means the authorities had no issues with our file and we are officially approved to be matched with our baby. Now ... our poor little dossier will sit for a few more months as it awaits its moment in the "Matching Room"!

It's kind of like the little bill trying to get passed on Capitol Hill -- you'll remember that if you are my vintage. So hip hip hooray for today!

Attached is the actual notification from the CCAA website -- our log-in date is March 14, 2006.

2007 - This will be the year!

2007-01-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

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

Holiday 2006

2006-12-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Our agency's Group 49 has just received their referrals -- 8 baby girls from Jianxi Province -- so they will travel in January. That means we can start 2007 with Group 50 -- and we are 52! Although we still have a little time to wait, it's starting to feel much more tangible. Our dossier should clear the review room this month, so we'll update the site with that great news probably around Christmas.

Tyler is very excited for Santa to come this year. He has also successfully completed his sitting for this year's Xmas card, for which he had to emote two very precise moods/faces.

Autumn Waiting

2006-11-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we survived Halloween (those of you on the Daily Tyler email list know the details of that - and yes, Tyler is the very Charlie Brown-esque ghost above!).

We are now 8 months into our wait for referral. The wait to referral continues to be about 14-14.5 months , and it's still anyone's guess as to whether it will speed up or slow a bit more.

China did seem to speed up a little bit with the October referrals, but it's too soon to tell whether that's a continuing trend. Our agency's Group 48 is in China right now, and Group 49 will receive their referrals toward the end of this month. That means they will travel in late December/early January and we will be able to start the New Year with Group 50! (We are 52!) So we really are getting there!!!!! Hooray! To see the 7 cute babies (including one boy!) in Group 48, go to the link at right that says Agency China Trips (or something like that) and look for the FRC link. Then just check out the pictures for Group 48 and enjoy!

The nice people at the CCAA (Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs) are now reviewing family dossiers that they received in March 2006, so we are being scrutinized as I type! As soon as we get the official word that we have moved from the "review room" to the "match room," we will paint Baby X's baby room! We had a great visit from Mama Bea over Halloween and look forward to welcoming Marc's dad and Tone in November. Then on to Xmas!

On Wednesday, our kitchen is being photographed for Kitchen and Bath Ideas, a Better Homes and Gardens publication. That should be a riot! We'll be sure to post you as to when it will appear (probably next spring).

To sum up, with any luck at all (ha!), we could get our referral sometime between May and July and travel 6-8 weeks after that. Love from the Chodera household (which now includes Fluffy the hamster, adopted from friends who moved to Hawaii)!

Slow, slower, slowest ... but still moving along

2006-08-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the CCAA is still moving along at a snail's pace ... or maybe not quite that fast. They issued referrals yesterday for a smaller number of days than the international adoption community had anticipated.

To put our wait in context, five China travel Groups from our agency (Groups 44-48) have gone (48 will go in next few weeks) to China to get their daughters over the last 11 months. So it does keep moving, though sometimes it does not feel that way. That means we have only Groups 49, 50 and 51 ahead of us. If we can dispense with Group 49 by December/January, we can then start the new year with Group 50, which sounds (and is!) much closer to our Group 52. With the slowdown, parents are now waiting approximately 13 months for their referrals (up from 6-7 mo. a year ago).

However, as I keep reminding myself, over the 14 or so years that the China program has existed, 12-13 months has been about the average wait time. So that 6-7 month wait in 2004-05 was odd (though great for people who hit it!)

There is some hopeful speculation that, for various reasons, China will pick up the pace on or around October. Keep your fingers crossed!

Tyler met his preschool teacher Mrs. Bente today, and I fear he has inherited some of my (Sarah's) suck-up tendencies. He was practically raising his hand and shouting out answers to imaginary questions trying to get/keep her attention during her visit! He proudly showed off all his birthday toys as well as those Schmidt/Chodera language skills! We were very proud.

Nobody Move: I've Lost a Contact Lens!

2006-08-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

This was the beachside scene yesterday in the northern Chinese resort of Quindao as an estimated 200,000 people flocked to the sea to escape scalding temperatures.

As they clamored to get near the water, almost every grain of sand was covered.

But summer in China is as unpredictable as in the U.S. - in southern China, a typhoon was causing havoc.

Top 5 Reasons for the China Adoption Slowdown

2006-08-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

We get so many questions about why the China adoption process ebbs and flows in terms of speed that I thought I'd post the rumor mill's top possibilities:

1. The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) moved this week into larger facilities across the street in Beijing after months of planning / disruption.
2. The Olympics are coming in '08!!! (Now, how this could possibly factor in is anybody's guess, but whatever ...)
3. China recently joined the Hague Treaty on Int'l Adoption, which prompted more paperwork and some new procedural guidelines.
4. There was an unusually high number of applicants in 2005 and a static number of children (this is the CCAA's only official statement on the topic). In June 2005, the CCAA received double the number of dossiers (applications) that they did in June 2004! (Just our luck ...)
5. The unfortunate trafficking scandal in Hunan in fall 2005 (which was limited to just 1 or 2 orphanages) caused the institutes in this province to stop sending referrals for a time). That has now been resolved and the individuals involved severely prosecuted.
Bonus Pick: The CCAA wants to make us all mental!

Personally, my picks are a combination of #4 and 5. But many days I also put stock in my Bonus Pick. Debating this issue is a huge and often entertaining way for the international adoption community to pass the time on the Internet ...

The Trouble with Translation

2006-07-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

A few of you are looking foward to Marc's first blog posts (remembering, I am sure, his amusing "Daily Tyler" reports from 2003)!

Although we don't have much to update at this point, below is a picture we found last winter. As Marc noted, "Hope our Dossier's English-to-Mandarin translation is better than this!"

Welcome!

2006-07-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

This website will help keep friends and family up to date as we wait for Tyler's little sister! When we finally do travel to China, we will be able to upload photos each day, and you will be able to post comments as well.

As many of you know, our completed dossier was logged in at the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) on March 14, 2006 (after 6 endless months of paperwork and fingerprinting). So, 3/14/06 is our official "log-in" or "dossier-to-China" date. Now, all we have to do is wait for our "referral" package. That will contain photos of our daughter as well as her medical and developmental history. She may not yet be born since she will be between 6-12 mo. when we receive the referral!

Between 2003-2005, that wait time from log-in to referral averaged only 6-8 months -- a breeze! Unfortunately, last fall, that span began to lengthen and the wait time is now 12 months. If we are lucky and that 12-month time frame holds, we will receive our referral next February / March. We will then travel to China approximately 4-6 weeks after that. We will likely go to one of three provinces in the southeastern region: Hunan, Jiangxi, or Guangdong (see province map).

We will be traveling as part of Group 52 with Chicago's Family Resource Center. There are 8 other couples/families in our Group, including our good friends Hank and Carol Gregory (who already have Katharine, who they adopted in November 2004 and who is one of Tyler's best friends). Interestingly, 7 of the 9 families already have biological kids -- a common scenario is a family with 2 or 3 boys who really want that baby sister!

To the right are links you can look at if interested: (1) the Family Resource Center website, which has great info about China adoption and (2) a website that is maintained by Mark Mulert. He is on the Board at FRC and posts photos of FRC travel groups. Just go to "FRC Photos" in the left bar of this home page and you can see some cute kids recently adopted through our agency!

We will keep you up to date via this site as we get more information ... but there probably won't be much to say except "we're waiting" for a while! In the meantime, here are a few recent Montana photos: