The Stork is Flying...

...and we are waiting. Word on the street is referrals have left China and are on their way to the US. I am praying with all I have that Lily's picture is on that plane. The referrals should arrive to the agencies on Monday or so, but we may not hear anything until Wednesday or Thursday as they sort through everything. They say good things come to those who wait. We've done our fair share of waiting...and Lord willing, the wait will be over soon. Come on baby girl!!

We Are Next...We Hope!

Since our paperwork was logged in on October 31, 2005, we should be next! After so many delays it is hard to believe we could actually see our daughters' face in just a few weeks. It is also hard to get our hopes up knowing anything could happen, but I am clinging to the hope that we will finally see her sweet face soon. April 1st can't come soon enough!

A Tribute to Uncle Don

Donald E. Spargur-October 22, 1925-February 25, 2007:
"Beloved Husband, Father, Papa and Family Man"-You will be missed and we will carry you in our hearts always. Thank you for so many laughs...especially yours.

The Way I See It...

If you know me at all, you know how much I LOVE Starbucks! Jenny can attest to this...my Starbucks partner in crime.;o) I love the new "The Way I See It" cups and a friend of mine at school today came to show me what hers said:

The Way I See It #208
I wish couples who desperately take every means possible to conceive a child would realize that adoption is a wonderful alternative. A child who becomes your child through adoption completes a family. Just as when you commit to your spouse or partner there are no biological ties, yet a family was formed. This child enters a family the same way! It is not blood and flesh that form a family, but the heart.
---Michele Johnson
Starbucks customer from Wamego, Kansas

I couldn't have said it better myself. Happy Valentine's Day to our family and friends...and to our sweet Lily.

Getting Closer!

So the CCAA didn't quite make it to the 14th, but it is still good news! The last cut-off was September 27th, so they made it through 16 days of referrals. There are 18 days between October 14th and the 31st. With the CCAA being closed for 1 week for Chinese New Year, I am still quite sure we won't make the cut-off for the next batch, but here's hoping for the end of March!

Our Ultrasound!

Just beacuse I'm not pysically pregnant doesn't mean I don't get a sonogram! (And since I am an expectant mother, does that mean I get to park in those "Expectant Mother" parking spaces at Babies-R-Us?!);o)

Referral Time

This is the time of month my stomach starts churning and the nailbiting habit starts rearing its ugly head...it's referral time! Referrals usually come at the end of every month. The rumor right now is they have been mailed out from China and should be arriving on Thursday. According to the Rumor Queen (the link to her blog is posted on the right side of this page), it looks like they may have gotten through October 14th, 2005. Our dossier was logged in on October 31st, 2005. I can't believe it's finally getting so close! It's been such a long wait, I'm wondering if that incredibly bright light at the end of this tunnel is real or a figment of my imagination. I am also starting to go into panic mode. What are we doing? Are we ready to be parents? We've been married for 10 years...am I really ready to give up the freedom we have and make the sacrifices that will be required of us? Yes...with all my heart. I know God has been preparing us for this, maybe for our entire lives. What an incredible gift to know the will of God and to make His desires our own.

Even if the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) did get through October 14th, it will probably still be the end of March before they get to us. But like I said, that light is getting brighter and brighter...and I can almost see her sweet face on the other side.