Approved!!!

1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days for approval

Got the telephone call yesterday from ICAS.. We are approved Yippeeee....

Once step closer to being a family. Now we need to compile a list of documents, and have medicals, police checks and finger printing done and then write lots of cheques????
Once ICAS has the completed documents (dossiers),there needs to be a minimum of 5 couples with files ready to go to China. These are batched together (given a number) and sent to China, where they review them and if happy log them into their system.
I think we will be victorian batch 45.

Scary to look back and see that so far in Victoria they are only up to batch 45!
Batch 45 sent there files on the 30/11/05 !!! and were allocated their children on the 10/12/07 just shy of 2 years..

So we are still in for a wait, but will probably feel like it is all the more real once we are logged in, in China.

Bai Jia Bei: 100 Good Wishes Quilt

To welcome and celebrate a new life, it is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei: a 100 Good-Wishes Quilt. The custom is to invite family and friends to contribute a square of fabric and a wish for the baby. Most of the square is sewn into the quilt, while a smaller piece goes into a creative memory notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a square of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

I havent organised anyone to be a part of my quilt yet, will wait for approval and log in (in china) and then start

The Red Thread

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break. –Stefani Ellison

Many in the adoption community believe this to be an ancient Chinese legend, and that is partially correct. The actual Chinese tradition posits that people who become husband and wife do so because the gods tie an invisible red string around their ankles at birth, and that this red thread will eventually bring the two together.

The cherished adoption quotation above actually only dates back to 1996, and owes itself to Stefani Ellison. At the time, the organization that would become today’s CCAA was in the process of being formed. During the restructuring, many adoptive families found themselves in jeopardy of losing their referrals due to stricter implementation of the adoption rules. It was a precarious and anxious time for adoptive parents. One small online community of adoptive parents, the APC, decided that the only way to survive the uncertainty was to accept that things would all work out as they should in the end, whatever that end should be.

The group started talking about the Chinese belief of an invisible red thread connecting people at their ankles and that no matter what, they would find each other because of that connection. While the ancient tradition was generally in terms of marriage, APC members felt that this was symbolic of adoptive relationships as well and wove that same imagery into their own situation. Stefani Ellison, one of the anxious mothers, sat down and played with the idea, eventually crafting the famous quotation above.

The imagery of Stefani’s idea struck a cord, and has since taken on a life of its own, giving hope to adoptive parents all over the world.

Ladybugs

Among the China intercountry adoption community, everyone seems to know the tale of ladybugs being "lucky.” Interestingly enough, this “legend” does not appear to have any roots in Chinese culture.

In the late 1990's the international adoption programs began growing rapidly. One fall season the ladybug population grew unusually large in Guangzhou, China. Guangzhou is a necessary stop for all Americans adopting from China, as the city houses many Consulate-General offices. This large ladybug population (possibly comparable to a 17-year cicada invasion) was thought to be a lucky charm for those adopting families. So now, whenever ladybugs are seen, people say that more beautiful children are being referred to wonderful, waiting families. Those in China are probably not familiar with this tale unless they are also familiar with the international adoption community.

Regardless as to whether it has any ancient Chinese roots, ladybugs have become a very fun, sweet tradition for many families adopting. Through the years, several touching children stories have been written that feature little ladybugs as protectors that go out into the world to find forever families for each orphaned child.

i want some of these !!!

http://www.erinnolenphotography.com/chambers/

i have been watching these guys since they came home on their blog site, so cute!! see my link in the right side to Lily and Kate..

Shared Feelings

I read this little insert in some ones elses blog! it is so like i feel, nice to know i am not on my own.

As the wait gets longer and longer for our first child, the old demons of failure, desperation and utter sadness also have time to haunt me again. I don't want to go back to that dark, dark place I was in during IVF, but occasionally I find myself so overwhelmed with grief. Grief for my lost dreams, our lost dreams.

I do think that (some) people assume that because we are now adopting, the pain, sadness and grief of years of infertility, IVF and loss has magically disappeared. For me, not only has it not disappeared, I am still reminded, in some way, every single day of what we don't have, what we have lost, and what we so, so want. Today I couldn't buy the newspaper, as the headline story on the front page was "Triple the fun as city goes baby crazy" (which referred to a story of a woman giving birth to triplets). Who would have thought buying the Saturday paper could be so traumatic?

Don't get me wrong, we are both over the moon about eventually meeting our daughter who will be born half a world away - she is already the absolute love of our lives. And now we are on this path, know this is the way it was always meant to be. But that doesn't make the pain of loss any less.

This wait is hard...

Home Study is OUT!!!

Darren got home last night to find that our Home Study report was in the mail , we were not expecting it until the 24th so a nice suprise to find it 3 days early.. This is the report that the social worker write about our lives, relationships and in her opinion our ability to parent an adopted child. Thankfully we have been provisionally approved pending our approval and sign off from the Big Kahona in at ICAS.
Yippeee one step further along the line

Higher fines for stars breaking China's one child rule!

In China is costs around $13,800 to pay for the 2nd child (100,00 Yuan) apprently this is not a problem for wealthy Chinese and the government is planning on changing the penalty amount for the wealthy ....
Interesting ....