I'm Paperwork Pregnant! Log in Date Received!!!

Woohoo! I received an email from my agency yesterday advising me that my Log In Date (LID) with the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) is:

March 23, 2006!!

That’s just 10 days after DTC which is super fast!

In the world of International Adoptions this date is HUGE!!! I am now officially 'in line' and waiting my turn to adopt a precious baby girl. The term used is, 'Paperwork Pregnant!' :o) Let the crazy cravings begin! (I sent an email to my friends at work today and Pat offered to make me some paper maternity clothes! Note to self: Don’t read a post from Pat with a mouthful of coffee!)

Each month the CCAA sends out Referrals of babies. A referral is when a family is matched with a particular baby and she/he is your child! Referrals are based on the LID. Currently it is taking approx 11 months from LID to Referral but it is anticipated that this is going to stretch to 14 - 18 months.

What this means in my case is that the earliest it's currently anticipated that I will receive the official referral of Hannah is May 2007. (That's a fancy way of saying 'I don't have a clue!!!') All in God's timing and if it takes until May 2007 or later then that's fine. I'm waiting for the baby that God is preparing for me and in the meantime He is preparing me too as I'm learning all I can to be best prepared for her. We will meet one another in His perfect timing! That brings such peace.

The wait has now officially begun as the next 'official' thing to happen will be my Referral....and Hannah will be worth waiting for! I can't begin to imagine how exciting that's going to be! What will it be like to look at a beautiful little picture and realize that it’s not somebody else’s child that I’m looking at? The eyes that I will be gazing lovingly into will be those of my daughter! Wow!!!!! Last week I asked if it was possible to miss someone you’ve never met and realized the answer was YES! This week I’m realizing that it will also be possible to fall in love with a picture!

Thank you to all of you for your continued love and prayers! This is a long journey and each of you plays an important part in it!

Have a wonderful day! I’m off to get myself some pickles and ice cream (thanks Marian!) ….although I might have to suffer through a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait instead…Mmmmmmm.