May 4, 2010: Today we received our Travel Approval...we are requesting our US Consulate date for June 1st! If we get it that means we should be hopping on a jet plane in about 2 weeks!! Cannot wait!!! If all goes well Lin Jing says we should receive our beautiful baby girl in our arms on May 22nd!!! what a wonderful day this will be!!!

May 1, 2010: The shower Jenny and Kim gave us Saturday night was amazing! we had such a wonderful time...lots of great friends and family came out to celebrate..we received some beautiful clothes and books, and lots of practical things...swim suits, diapers, cups, bowls, spoons, washcloths and towels! cant wait to share them with my precious baby girl!!

Well we bought luggage Sunday...the oficial first purchase for China travel! Now we wait for travel dates! On Saturday we have a shower being thrown for us by Jenny, Mark, Kim and Jason!! gonna be fun!! Getting excited to see what we get and then we get to go shopping for the rest of the stuff we need so we can start packing for Zoey!!

Well, it's been 11 days since we laid eyes on our beautiful daughter's picture. Now we are in a holding pattern until we get travel approval from China and US. Jenny, Mark, Kim and Jason are hosting a couples shower for Ray and I on May 1st...should be fun! We finally registered at Target...still need to do one at Babies r Us! but for the next few weeks we will be doing the final touches on Zoey's room, getting good luggage and starting to pack for Zoey!! and we wait some more!!!

4-6-10: The stork came..FEDEX guy..with our papwerwork!! The first picture is the actual letter from the CHINA Social Welfare system (CCAA) telling us Zoey is ours...this is the LOA we are to send back to officially accept Zoey into our family...she has long been in our hearts!!

4-8-10: It's been less than 72 hurs since we received our referral for our beautiful daughter and suddenly my life is consumed with thoughts of her. We sent our LOA back via FEDEX yesterday and get re-fingerprinted tomorrow. then I go to Tampa for a visit. when I get back we will start the planning process for our China trip. Also Jenny has arranged a couples baby shower/party to celebrate on May 1st!!! Can't wait!!!

4-5-10: referral received at 1:30 pm...unexpectedly while at work...her name is Yong Xiao E from Changsha Hunan Province! she was born 7-9-2009. she will be 9 months old on friday!! we cannot wait to meet her!!!

Referrals received through the 11th...so that means we have a month to better prepare and should recieve our referral in April!!! WE ARE NEXT!!!

Anxiously waiting...found out on Friday Feb 26, 2010...my 38th birthday...that referrals were mailed and there is a possibility that we are in with a cut off date of 4-12-2006. Having to wait all weekend and not really knowing what to expect in the next couple days as the agency open the doors for the work week is killing me. Wondering if we are in...how will we be notified? Will they call me or Ray? If they call us...when do we get to see her precious face? If we are not in...well thats OK we have waited 4 years so one more month is a piece of cake. but what if we are in?? What is next? well, i will try to sleep tonight and try to work tomorrow!!

Ok i am late in posting again...i just can't seem to remember. but the only information I have is that the CCAA has referred babies through April 5th 2006. Just 7 days away from our LID!!! Guesstimate for referral is as early as late March or as late as late June!! We shall see!!!

Well, It's a new month and only 2 days closer to our referral. On Feb 1st we found out referrals are through April 5th 2006 and as we all know our LID is 4-12-06!!! I have to keep strong, but how much longer?!?!?!

Well I had planned on posting every Wednesday until we get a referral...but i forgot last week!! HAHA. Obviously no referrals yet. Actually not even any rumors that they have begun matching! What gives China?? Why do you make me wait in such anguish?? Well, I will post as soon as i hear something!!

I think I will make a photo album to send to Zoey once we get the referral with pictures of our family, home, puppies, friends and life here so her caregivers can show her as she waits for us to come and get her!!!

Well I was asked by a friend why I have not updated my blog...well there is nothing really to post. Still waiting, and no news from China yet this month. But I have been in contact with our adoption agency and social worker to get information on what things will be like once we get the referral. They sent me the actual letter that they will send with our referral. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed and a bit freaked out. Its been 4 years this month since we made the decision to adopt from China and started the "paper chase". Therefore as you can imagine, I had forgotten ALOT! So in light of this I have a "to do" list started for things I can do before the referral comes. Luckily I was reassured that we will have a travel agent make ALL our travel arrangements from the flight to China to intercountry travel to hotels, train, bus, sight seeing etc. Pretty much all we have to do is show up to the Charleston International Airport with our luggage (guess i need to get some decent luggage now)and they take it from there.
My first task at hand is to get mine and Ray's immunization up to date. I am good except for my Hep A but Ray needs to complete his Hep B and get his Hep A. This should be an easy task...make the appointment and its done!!
Bye for Now...Shannon

1-6-09
Well I ran across this while looking at friend's blog on photography...its been so long I had forgotten I created it. It has been 3 years, 8 months and 5 days since China accepted our request to adopt a baby girl from China. The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) is very methodical and refers children to families in chronological order as they received them. We were "logged in" (LID) on April 12,2006. Our file has been sitting in China waiting to be touched and ultimately matched with our daughter. The CCAA has referred children to families with LID dates of April 3, 2006. Just 9 days away from us. Lately they have only been referring about 2-3 days a month. At this rate we are still looking at another 3-6 months before our referral.
Over the past 3 years we have had time to complete her room. I will try to post pictures if i can figure out how to do it.
So i guesss just keep checking in on my Blog and I will keep it updated.

Thanks for checking in...Shannon and Ray