Celebrating 6 Months Since LID!!!

I'm really excited to celebrate my 6 month 'LIDiversary!!' Woohoo!!!

Although an exciting milestone to celebrate, it's a date that comes with a mixture of feelings and emotions too. Some of which have surprised me by their intensity.

I'm thrilled to have 6 months wait under my belt and really, those 6 months have gone by quickly! The other side of the coin is that in the 'Old World' (i.e. September 2005 and earlier), 6 months was the 'normal' wait from LID to Referral. Can you imagine??? If this were a year ago I'd be waiting to see precious Hannah's beautiful face in the next few days!

But, this is the 'New World' which is filled with much uncertainty about wait times between LID and Referral.

The weird thing is that when my file went to China in March we were already well into the New World. Wait times were continuing to increase so I told myself (Oh yah...I talk to myself constantly! Like that surprises any of you!) from before my file left Canada and winged its way to China, that I should be prepared for a 12-18 month wait. I guess that's why I'm so surprised that this 6 month mark has seemed like such a huge milestone in the waiting game. My head is/was/will be saying 'be ready for 12-18 months' but my heart longs for it to be shorter...much shorter!

But ya know what? There are thousands and thousands of other mommy and daddy wanna be's who are in line ahead of me so I'm waiting impatiently for my turn. The next batch of referrals is due any day now and those are for people whose files were logged with CCAA July 23, 2005 through ?? (We never know from month to month what the end date will be. It can be as short as 5 days or as long as 30! Oh baby....let it be 30!!!) So you see...these people with LID's of July 23, 2005 through March 22, 2006 are all in line in front of me. You have to know that it's a loooong line of excited mommies and daddies! We've all waited a long time and are more than ready to meet our babies! All in God's time I understand. All in God's perfect time!

So that's where things stand on the waiting front. 6 months down! xx months to go! The current wait time is at about 14 months which if it stays the same (Who am I kidding? It's changed monthly for the past year! :o) Would mean I could receive my referral in May or June of next year and travel in July or August!

So, until then, I finally begin to prepare. (I think it's called 'nesting.' :o) Fall is upon us, life is settling into a more normal routine so it's time to begin preparations for Hannah's arrival. I have all winter + spring so not trying to rush through things but I'll poke away at tasks as time permits.
- Rearrange the closets to allow Hannah her own space
- Move the scrapbooking and storage items from upstairs to the basement
- Babyproof the house (A must before I leave as she'll be a moving, grooving, going concern when I get her! :o)
- And finally, as the days begin to warm and the buds burst forth on the trees next spring I'll allow myself to set up her crib, dresser and rocking chair and begin to dream of the day my baby is safe in my arms. These last items I'm putting off for a while because first off, there's just no reason to rush. And secondly, I don't think my heart could handle seeing her crib daily without Hannah in it. Just-too-hard!

So there you have it friends. My thoughts and heart as I celebrate...yes CELEBRATE...6 months since LID!!! Check back later to see the fun things I have planned for today! Have a couple of neat things up my sleeve!

Dear Lord,

Thank you! Thank you for calling me to be a mom through this wonderful avenue of international adoption. You are leading each and every step of the way and for that I am forever grateful and thankful! I know that this is the plan you have for my life. Changes in timeframes are changes to me but not to You. You already know the day when Hannah and I will meet. Thank you for guiding this journey and thank you for preparing each of us to meet one another and to become a Forever Family. A family had crafted by the Creator Himself, before the beginning of time. I love you Lord.

Amen