Good news! And a reason to celebrate. No Hazel yet, but I am one step closer in this tedious process.

My dossier has made it out of Review. What does that mean?  (Woooo Hooooo, Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music)

There are four pivotal points in the China adoption process:

1. Log in Date (LID) - the date China officially registers the dossier
2. Review – my documents are reviewed to ensure I meet all the requirements and that all my paper work is complete.
3. Referral Day– that’s when I will be matched with a baby
4. Gotcha Day – that’s the day I will actually receive my baby in China

Here is my timeline so far:

• My LID = my dossier was sent to China on August 8, 2006 and on September 1, 2006 China “officially” register my documents.
• Review = I just got the word today from my agency that my documents made it through the Review process.
• Referral = my dossier is now setting on a shelf in China waiting to be matched with a baby. The current wait time is 2 years. It could get longer or shorter. At this point it’s not looking good for a speed up. It’s more likely to take 3 years at the current pace of referring babies. It’s rumored that over 20,000 dossiers are logged in before me.  I will be matched with a baby. It’s just going to take awhile.
• Gotcha Day = I will travel about 4 to 6 weeks after I get my Referral.

Now that this step in the process is over, I absolutely, positively know that at the end of this loooooong wait Hazel is coming home.

For the waiting adoptive parents this is kind of like the + symbol on the Clear Blue Easy pee stick! (Tee hee hee)  Only my wait is going to be longer than 9 months, more like an elephant’s gestation.

Let’s have a party…….. Stay tuned for more details.

Love ya’all! Thanks for all your support and words of encouragement during this amazing journey.

As you all know Trick or Treat was today in Manchvegas. (that’s another story, if you are an Adam Sandler fan you’ll know)

Any boo, I don’t give candy out for Halloween. Maybe that will change when my munchkin is home. This year I gave out mini play-dough cans. Too cute. Most of the kids loved it. I did here an older kid say “Oh great play-dough!” in a very sarcastic tone. I am very sure of what I heard being I am some what of an expert on sarcastic tones. Why you ask? Because I do them very well. 

Ugh! Off topic again. Sorry! Back to my story. I was looking for something cute to put my play-dough into as I gave it out. My SP sent me an adorable black felt Trick or Treat bag with a goofy cat face (that bears a striking resemblance to Harry) embroidered on the front. Which has been hanging in my living room since I received. It so darn cute. What I didn’t notice until today… Hazel over a spider web is embroidered on the back of the bag. OMGSFC!!

Thank you Thank you Thank you Secret Pal! I will treasure that forever. 

A few editorial comments about the day. I bought 50 mini cans of PD and a 3 special gifts for a few of my next door neighbors children. By 1:45 PM I was wiped clean. And not all the little ghost and goblins stopped by my house. Car-loads  of them were pulling up and canvassing the neighbor for their booty.  

My best guesstamation is there were close to 200 kids. My street is very popular because my next door neighbor puts up an elaborate display in his front yard. There will be people here all night walking by. This is my fifth Halloween here and each year it keeps getting better. 

My favorite costume of the day was a little boy dressed up as Captain Hook. The costume looked professionally made and it most of cost a fortune. I loved it because he really played the part and he was so proud of himself.  

I love, love Halloween! When we were kids my mom would make us the best costumes. She was an awesome sewer. She could make anything. She could just look at a picture and then create the pattern out of newspaper. She tried to teach me but I wasn’t that interested. Why would I be, I had her to do it for me. Not any more. Sigh :   > (

Cooper was dressed as a ladybug. He was the hit of the ‘hood if only for 45 minutes.  

I can’t wait to re-live this day again with my little Hazel! And no I am not dressing her up as a witch. 

Love to my Secret Pal! You are a very kind and special person. I can’t wait to meet you. 

Happy Halloween! I hope you have a spooktactular day!

That was my favorite saying in high school and college algebra classes. 

I am not a numbers girl. That’s until I started this adoption. Every now and then I fiddle with the numbers from a notorious rumor blog. It’s like a big mysterious algebra problem. 

According to her numbers, based on membership, 420 families were referred from Jan to Oct. If this trend continues it will take another 19 months (676 referrals) to get through LIDs of March 2006 . That puts us at April 2009.

Taking that further, it will take another 14 months (486 referrals) to get to September 1, 2006 LID. That puts my referral around June 2010. 

That’s of course a total wait time of 45 months.  = Beth’s theory #1

Okay, all the numbers above are in no way scientific. 

Her disclaimer is that as we get closer to the months being referred the membership increases. So looking ahead is not accurate. Unfortunately, there really is no place to go to get the real number of dossiers per month. 

This past summer the CCAA, in their world tour, told many agencies that they planned on doing 15 days of referrals for 2006.

Now the question is did they mean calendar days or LID days???

If we go back to the above mention, not accurate numbers, for December and using the 15 calendar theory and do the math again, here’s what it looks like. 

I will us the Notorious Blog 2005 referral math for December = 5.5 months

It will take 14 months to get through January to August. That = 19.5 months May -June 2009 for my referral. = Beth’s theory #2

Now I will use the 15 LID per month theory.  Are you still following my convoluted algebra?

Taking into account no weekends or Chinese holidays (they have 3 weeks of holidays per year). That’s approximately 178 LIDs between December 2005 and August 2006. 

Divide 178 by 15 = 11.8 months = Beth’s theory #3

So there you have it. My referral theories are:

#1 June 2010

#2 May-June 2009

#3 September 2008

45 months to 12 months. What do you do with that? As my father would say about a bunch of B.S.  “Stick it in your pipe and smoke it!”

Once upon a time lived a starry eyed young girl. 

Engaged at the tender age of 18. Married at 20 to a handsome athlete man she adored. 

He was the love of her life and she strived to be the perfect wife.  For 16 years his wish was her command.

They moved to a land far far away from their families to start a new life in the land of balmy breezes, tropical foliage and beautiful beaches. 

His career was the priority. She didn’t care because she knew deep within her was a greatness yet to be revealed. Her time would come. She patiently waited. 

She cooked his favorite foods baked the best goodies. Gardened and canned, hung the flowers to dry. Decorated their home in his favorite style. Country! Painted and created, crafty she was. Holidays were festive and she was quick to plan a party to entertain friends. Any reason was a good reason to celebrate. 

No babies came but she knew it was for the best.  She thought she protected their secret. He was violent. Not all the time only under the influence of JD. She gracefully justified. For better or worse she promised to God in front of their family and friends.  

Then he found another love, half his age, half her size. 

The starry eyed girl felt betrayed. Lost, daze and confused. It took her many years to find that greatness she knew lied deep within her. 

She never felt like a victim. The beautiful girl was proud of her strength to live her vows, keep their secret, and protect their world. 

Yes, this is an over simplified version of a my past life. It’s been over 12 years since the fateful day I left and never looked back. My journey back to me has been terrifying, reflective, exciting, euphoric, suspenseful, confusing and many more amazing feelings and stages.

I wouldn’t trade a moment of that journey. I know my story isn’t unique.

It’s just my story. I find myself pondering this chapter in my life because I feel I am coming full circle. 

The world I rebuilt is polar opposite to the world I left behind that terrifying day in July 1995. 

This single fun loving martini drinking career girl is quilting again. I am child proofing the environment,  always on the look out for hidden dangers lurking in the furniture. I read parenting books. I goo goo and gah gah over adorable babies. I shop for baby stuff. I can’t remember the last new outfit I bought for myself.  I am house shopping! 

Am I changing or morphing to bring this incredible gift of a child in to my life? 

It really doesn’t matter. I am being true to me. I am building the life I want. I wake up every morning excited to start my day. I love going to work and I love coming home to my simple and increasingly more domesticated life. 

I think Martha Stewart should start to worry. 

Yup I sure am. Don’t know when it happen. Never saw it coming. All of sudden I realized it. Some one please stop me. 

It’s just so much darn fun. Actually I am not sure which part I’m addicted to. Shopping, assembly, or the thrill of a finished page. 

My dining room has been transformed into Scrapbooking Central!

If you don’t want it scraped don’t put it on my dining room table. 

Proceed with caution….. Scrapbook addict lives here now. 

I had my visit today from my agency for the Homestudy update. Although it is costing me more money (Homestudy update fee, Criminal Check, Youth and Family Services Check, and more copies of birth and divorce certificates) I am reconnected again.  

I feel like it’s really going to happen. The conversation with the social worker went something like this, “When you get your referral …, Before you travel you should…, When you are in China you  …..”  

I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, she really believes this is going to happen!”

I asked her some really tough questions that I would never have thought of if it weren’t for my online connections and resources.  And she gave me more information that I either didn’t hear, or wasn’t ready to hear during my first few conversations with the agency. 

She was very impressed that I am so aware of so many things. Which I found a little odd. I guess many waiting parents don’t take the time to understand attachment, Chinese culture, writing lifebooks, etc.  Up to this point I figured that was part of the process. 

She also gave me the name of some great novels to read about Chinese culture. 

Secret Pal, she wanted to see what I had bought doing during the wait. Well of course I had to show her all your wonderful gifts. She went crazy over the Twinkle Toes and Bows. Which of course I have added many more bows and hair clips. She had never heard of the Secret Pal Swaps before. She is going to share the idea with all of her clients. 

What a wonderful day!