Waiting...

March 8, 2006
- Just notified that we travel on March 28-April 12. Wow, this is happening quick now!

March 1, 2006
- We got our referral packet via FedEx to my office this morning. I spent the day showing it to everyone, and so many were excited for us. I can't tell you what a cloud I was floating on all day long. We will sign our LOI (letter of intent) tonight and send it next day tomorrow. We have a few things to prepare in addition, and those will be going very soon.

February 28, 2006
- The day has arrived. After waiting 9 months and 5 days, we got our referral! What an adorable little girl! (Even if I am a bit biased, after all, I am her daddy...)
Pam got the call from Mandalyn at CASI at 4:12pm, and I was lucky enough to be on the other phone to listen to Pam hyperventilate as she answered the phone and attempted to write down all the particulars. We got them all, and then began to tell the world one email and one phone call at a time. I know we have missed people we should have told directly, and if so, accept our apologies. We are just overwhelmed with excitement, and we want to share her with everyone! I should receive the packet tomorrow at work, and we will tell more then. Until then, enjoy the pics we have!

February 8, 2006
- OK, so still nothing to report, after 8 1/2 months of waiting. Its much tougher than it seems this waiting game. The referrals that came out right before CNY (Chinese New Year) led us up to LID date of 5/13. OK, thats 10 days off ours, but only 6 business days. Now, the CCAA took off the first week of February for CNY, and now we hear they are moving (again?). Can they manage to get through 6 simple days and get us a referral? Oh, we hope so. Everyone pray that they do.
The stories we have heard on the reasons a 6 month wait turned into a 9 month wait are long and varied. I won't even attempt to go into them here. And knowing that there is a little girl 1/2 way around the world who will be ours in a few months, yet we can't see her face, can't even imagine what she will look like. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. We know this is happening for a reason, and we don't blame anyone. Really, we don't. When we get our referral, the wait will have been for a reason, to place this one particular little girl into our lives. Stay tuned!

December 29, 2005
- Everyone is so anxious to know whats going on. Frankly, so am I. With this wait extending a little, no news is just that, no news. Le sigh. Everyone asks me questions, and all I can say is NOTHING. I don't want that to seem rude, cause the support form all my friends is wonderful. I just want to be able to tell them, HERE SHE IS. I just tell them I'll let them know when I do. Right now, I'm going to have to send a company-wide message to let everyone know. Wow.

September 2, 2005
- I got to my office and found an envelope laying on my desk. Inside was a wonderful letter written wishing Pam and I all the luck in the world with our adoption and the wishes of the writer to accept this gift with no expectations but that we raise a wonderful little girl. Attached was a small check. $5,000. I broke down in tears, and recovered only long enough to call Pam and tell her. Pam cried even more than before. I can't begin to express the emotions and feelings I have for my private benefactor. Their gift will make this adoption so much easier, and the thought that someone would be willing to help like this, in this day and age, is simply amazing. I am so thankful to have someone like this in our lives and to believe so much in what we are doing. I wish you were going to be there with us, but I know you will be, as we will be taking you with us in our hearts.

June 21, 2005
- The famed BROWN ENVELOPE came today. Half of it is in Chinese, and I'm still not sure what to do with it all, but its here.
- I called Mandalyn at CASI to check on a LID (Login Date), and she said it was May 23. I was surprised she didn't email us and tell us, but thats ok. I asked several questions, and she as always was happy to answer them all.

May 26, 2005
- The most wonderful thing happened today! I was at work when I was assigned a job to go to a VP's office and work on a computer issue. When I got there, I was greeted with a smile and a "There's my buddy!", and it was nice to get that greeting after a long day. I proceeded to work on her computer when she asked me a little about the adoption. I told her things were going well and we are in waiting mode. She then floored me with the question I am still in awe to have heard...

"Would you be willing to let me help pay for your adoption?"

I thought I was hearing things are first, and she repeated it. It was all I could do to not just break down at that point. I gave her a huge hug, and then answered all her questions about the adoption and what all was done and left to do. She thought that it was be good if she could help us by covering all our expenses to travel to China and back, as well as provide upgrades on all the flights. THATS AMAZING! Its not in stone, as things could change, but this is such a weight off our shoulders. There are such wonderful people out there with such warm, generous hearts. I am so lucky to be close to someone like her.

May 20, 2005
- We got a packet from CASI today, saying that our DTC date was May 11th (not the 10th), and had been received in China on May 16th. There are more forms to complete and more planning to do, but nothing until we get our referral back. Waiting is not my strong suit...

May 10, 2005
- We called Mandalyn at CASI (for the 4th time) to see whats going on. I know she has to get this all the time. She told us the dossier had been mailed to China that day. We are now DTC!!!!!!