Our Girl Grace

And 38 More to go!

Rumor Queen is reporting that the CCAA has matched 5 days this month, February 24th to February 28th. Let’s be done with February 2006 and onto March 2006. Supposedly, March is a huge month. I pray it doesn’t take all of 2009 to get through it!! If the CCAA did match 5 days, then we have 38 LID’s to go until our referral. Let’s look at the math again…… If the CCAA matches

4 days a month, we have 10 more months to wait for our referral

5 days a month, we have 8 more months to wait for our referral

6 days a month, we have 7 more months to wait for our referral

7 days a month, we have 6 more months to wait for our referral

And if by some miracle they were to refer 8 days each month we would have to wait 5 months!! I keep asking people to pray for at least ten days each month. Remember March of 2006 is a huge month. Keep the prayers coming.

UPDATE-OUR AGENCY JUST POSTED THE OFFICIAL WORD, THE CCAA DID MATCH 5 DAYS!

I remember as a child each year visiting Santa and sending my letter off to the North Pole. One year there was a boy baby doll that had just come out. That doll was the only thing I wanted for Christmas. The doll had blonde hair, blue eyes, a little white suit with a navy shirt, shoes and a diaper cover that said “love pats only please”. Shortly before Christmas, there was a knock at the door, a man came delivering a special letter from the North Pole, from Santa. In the letter Santa told me that he may not have enough of the new boy baby dolls to go around. He would try his best but if I didn’t get one, there would surely be more in the store after the first of the year. I remember being so disappointed but yet in some ways so excited that I had received a letter from Santa. That meant he really did exist and he received my letter!! Well, Christmas morning came and as usual I ran out bright and early to see what Santa had left me… and there sitting under the tree was… my baby boy doll!! Santa did have enough and I was THRILLED. I named the doll Christian, after Andy Williams son ( we always watched and loved the Andy Williams Christmas Specials) and because he was born on Christmas. I don’t think I put that doll down for days!! Many years later I found out that my Mom had indeed searched high and low for the doll, but there were none available. She had placed her name on a waiting list and decided to have a neighbor deliver the letter to help ease the disappointment. My Mom received a call on Christmas eve, that someone had not picked up their doll and she could come and get it. Of course she ran right out to get it. I’ll never forget what my Mom did to make that Christmas so special for me. I still have that doll and can’t wait to share it with my daughter. And to make our own memories!
I’m feeling a bit blue this holiday season as we celebrate our fourth Christmas without Grace. We started our adoption process back in the fall of 2005. I remember that first Christmas, thinking for sure we would have her home by December of 2006. Then 2006 and 2007, came and went. Now it’s 2008, and we celebrate another Christmas without our daughter. Santa, I know we won’t have her home this year, but can we try really hard for 2009!! All I want for Christmas, Chinese New Year, Valentines Day, Easter, my birthday, my Anniversary, Halloween… is my daughter. Santa, I really do believe!!

Well, referrals took forever this month and the word is finally here. The CCAA  matched 6 days this month, from February 18, 2006 to February 23, 2006. I’m disappointed it wasn’t 10 days as the early rumors reported, but I should have known that would be too good to be true. I am thankful for the six days and not two days like last month. We have 43 days between us and a referral. If the CCAA were to continue to match 6 days each month from here on out, we have another 7-8 months to wait. That would give us an August referral, and yes we would once again have to redo our fingerprints for the 4TH time as they will have expired. All I want for Christmas is more days matched and my baby!! Santa could you please have a word with the CCAA, I know you would make a lot of families happy this year!!

On anther note, the official word also came out that the orphanages have raised their donation fee from $3000.00 US dollars to the equivalent of $35,000 Chinese RMB. At present this is about $5100.00 US dollars. I am alright with this, the fees haven’t been raised in over a decade and hopefully it will help orphanages to take better care of the children and get them paper ready for adoption faster!

December 7, 2008 marks our 32nd month LID anniversary. Our dossier has been logged in to the  CCAA for 32 months. And now it’s time to redo our I-600 and our home study for the third time, yep folks that’s correct 3rd time. We have scheduled our home visit for January and I have begun collecting the necessary forms and documents. We will have to re-do our physicals, financial information, police checks, and re apply for a new I-600 from our government. We have already used our free renewal for our fingerprints and the I-600, so we will be paying for this go round. Our finger prints expire in I believe August 2009, so I am praying that we will have Grace by then.

I just keep praying that the CCAA will match larger groups each month, at least 8-10 days would be great. Keep the prayers coming.