They have sent referrals to families up through Sept. 8, 2005. This means they managed to do 14 days worth of referrals since the previous update on Nov. 2nd.
Congratulations to all of you who made it into this batch. It looks like we could be two or three batches away!
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
Here we go again! We are at 13 months today and still no official word on when we will receive our referral. I remember last year on Thanksgiving I said that I was looking forward to this Thanksgiving because the baby would be here--so much for that.
I am really trying to stay positive about all of this--but I feel like I am in a really bad dream. I sometimes think that someone is playing a really cruel joke on us--but like I said--I am really trying to stay positive!!!!
We are at 395 days since LID.
Please keep Maya in your thoughts-I truly believe she is already born and is waiting patiently for her Mommy and Daddy.
Love always,
The Dunns
Today is National Adoption Day!
To all of you who have adopted or are in the process of adopting--you are very special! There are so many children in the world who need a loving family to call their own.
We wlll be at 13 months since LID tomorrow--hopefully we are getting closer to receiving our referral date.
Congratulations Palmer family on getting your sweet baby JoLeigh today! We look forward to seeing pictures of her when you return from China.
To my dear husband Patrick-
Seven years ago I became Mrs. Patrick Dunn--I am honored to be your wife and best friend. We have shared so many wonderful times together and have created so many wonderful traditions. We have also faced many challenges--yet through it all we have grown stronger.
I love you more with each passing day and I am grateful for the love we share with one another.
You are going to be the best Dad for our little girl--just like you have been the best husband to me.
All my love,
Aleisa
People often ask, "So how far along are you?" regarding our adoption process. It feels like we have been saying the same thing forever--we are still waiting for a referral. People will often ask if we will get the same child as before...which I then have to explain that since we have yet to receive a referral--we have not been matched with a child--so the answer is no, because there is no "same child as before."
I know this hasn't been easy for everyone to grasp. So I found something that refers to the adoption process as a "paper pregnancy."
Here's how it works:
1. Deciding on a country, submitting the USCIS I-600A form and completing the homestudy is similiar to attempting getting pregnant.
2. Receiving I-171H approval is similar to finding out that you are pregnant.
3. The Dossier being completed, sent and logged in is similar to the length of the pregnancy. However most pregnancies last between 35-40 weeks and we are currently at almost 13 months since being logged in--I guess this is now more like an elephant's pregnancy--which lasts 24 months :) lol.
4. The referral is like getting your first ultrasound--you can see the baby--even though they are not quite ready to come out.
5. Traveling to China is the labor part of the process--18 hours there and 18 hours back--this does not include travel time within the country--or the waiting period--which I can tell you is very laborous!!
6. Gotcha Day--is the delivery day--the moment we have all been waiting for!! It will be full of emotions that run from one extreme to the next. Any woman who has given birth can tell you this-same as anyone who has witnessed a birth.
So we are still at part three of the process. We hope to move through the next three sections quickly in order to celebrate!
Hope this helps explain the situation we are in.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
I don't know who wrote this poem-but it certainly summarized how I have been feeling lately about the wait time and knowing that someday soon--we will have our daughter.
“I Wish Someone Had Told Me”
I wish someone had told me
Just how it was going to be
To look at your sweet pictures
And see you looking at me
But not be able to hold you
Or hug you so very tight
To hear you call me Mama
Or watch you sleep at night
I wish someone had told me
I’d have to see you cry
But not be there to comfort you
Or to gently wipe your eye
I can’t pick you up and kiss you
On your cheek so wet with tears
I can’t calm you, say I love you
Chase away all of your fears
I wish someone had told me
IfI do all that I can do
I’ll still just be here waiting
And I’ll know you’re waiting too
I wish someone would tell you
That we are coming soon
You have a Mommy and Daddy
Who think you’re the sun and the moon
There is nothing we can do here
Only sit and wait…
But we promise you our darling
There will soon be a date
I hope that they will tell you
So that you will be prepared
To meet everyone who loves you so
And all this time have cared
We’ll pick you up and kiss you
We’ll hug away your fears
And when we meet, you’ll know it’s us
,
For we’ll both be wearing tears
-Author Unknown-
I guess the CCAA will have to make some more room in the matching room...the website stated that all LID's up through Jan. 31st are out of the review room--which means they are now in the matching room with the remaining six days of August, all of September, all of October, all of November and all of December--it's getting pretty crowded in there!! Maybe things will start to pick up to make room for the January families.
Keeping our fingers crossed for a referral soon.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
We are two batches away from a referral!! I am overwhelmed with joy--and happy tears. It is being predicted that the next batch will go through Oct. 8th --sometime in December and the following batch will go through Oct. 24th--sometime in late January/early February.
The CCAA did 16 days worth of referrals in this current batch. There are still 57 days worth of LID's to be referred until our date is reached.
The CCAA would have to do atleast 44 days worth of LID's in the next batch in order of us to be referred in the batch after that one.
If they continue doing 16 days every 60 days--it will take 3.75 months--which from now is the end of February.
Congratulations to all of you have finally received your referrals--your babies are beautiful and are waiting for you to come to China.
Love, Aleisa and Patrick
Referral Wait
"The wait is about 15 months from log in date. We do expect a longer wait through 2006. The wait is hard but we have seen very long waits in the past. Time can seem to pass slowly and we will wait with you for that precious moment. We will let you know if we get any updated information regarding wait time."
This is from a China-only agency that we were planning on using if we still lived in Boston. I trust their information because they have an excellent relationship with the CCAA--I really like my agency in Florida--they just do not post this type of information on their site.
15 months for us is Jan. 21, 2007--so we will most definately have to update our I171-H by Jan. 13th. We could potentially be traveling late March/early April.
Stay tuned as things seem to change on a regular basis.
Love,
Aleisa and Patrick
