Just waiting

Just waiting for the rumors to surface about how far the CCAA got in matching applications to children. Expectations are that the CCAA will have finally made it to matching applications received in 2006; after all, last month they matched up to applications received by Dec. 27, 2005, and it doesn't look like many applications were logged in at the CCAA during those last few days of December. The rumors should start by next week, and hopefully we'll know for certain how far they got this past last month by the first week of March.

How 'bout that eclipse last night!

Rising interest in domestic adoptions

The apparent increase in interest of U.S. parents to adopt domestically (USA Today article) comes as no surprise to us. We're living the challenge of an ever-increasing wait for a child, we've seen other families' anxiety when their country's (e.g., Guatemala, Vietnam) adoption program is in jeopardy of shutting down, and we hear about longer waits and stricter requirements in other countries' programs. Plus, for months I've been saying that #2 (I'm still working on DH) will be via the U.S. foster care system!

Happy New Year!

Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year (year 4705 or 6, I believe). My DH Chris is himself a rat. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Chun kuai le!

The Sign of the Rat
Being born under this sign determines many talents, as well as other characteristics that may not be so commendable. Rats are very lively and need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. They can be calm and perceptive, but sometimes their brains can cause a mental restlessness, tempting them to take on too much, only to discover they are unable to meet their commitments. Rats are blessed with one of the best intellects going. Add to their intelligence a curiosity and a bright imagination, and they seem as sharp as a needle.

The sign of the Rat is the first sign in the cycle giving Rat people exude great leadership qualities and are good at taking the lead. They don't mind a lot of responsibility and they demonstrate a strong presence that other people respect. For those with the Rat nature, status and monetary satisfaction are the greatest motivation.

The storms in China

Most of you have probably already heard about the snow and ice storms and unusually cold weather that have been affecting the typically warm southeastern parts of China for several weeks. Millions of travelers have been stranded, unable to return home for the Lunar New Year holiday beginning on February 7; dozens have died.

In the adoption community, attention is also focused on providing relief to orphanages during such emergencies. Half the Sky Foundation supports programs to provide nurture and support at many levels to orphaned children in China, and they've been posting the status of orphanages during these storms and collecting emergency funds . My heart goes out to everyone affected by the storms.

Adoption Status Update

It appears that this past month the CCAA matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including December 27, 2005. Woot, woot! That's 8 days worth of applications. In the past 10 months they've only referred up to 8 days worth once, so this month's "big" batch is exciting. Alas, at this rate, we still likely have at least another year and a half wait ahead.

The CCAA no longer posts how far they've matched on their website. Agencies now need to have an account with the CCAA in order to check how far the CCAA has matched. So I rely soley on the infamous (in the adoption community) website China Adopt Talk -a.k.a. Rumor Queen- and its forum where prospective adoptice parents share the lowdown.