DOSSIER TO CHINA!!!

Another major milestone reached! I got a letter from FOI yesterday, telling me that my dossier had been couriered to China in September! (I'm not sure of the actual date). This is great, because I was initially thinking that it wouldn't go until December, so I'm 3 months ahead of schedule. yay!

All of this is great, considering that the letter included the "14-18 month wait for the referral of your child" information that I was hoping might be shorter. Anyway, I'm excited!

FOI included the names of the other families whose files were sent at the same time as mine, so maybe we can start getting to know each other, as we wait for our children. I'm the only single parent of the group, which is a bit surprising to me, but also okay. I'm looking forward to meeting the others in my 'travel group' and trying to make the next year and a half go quickly!

Now...to wait for the LID date (the date your dossier is logged in with the Chinese government) and then the waiting can officially, officially begin.

The Emotional Roller Coaster Rides Again...

This adoption stuff is certainly a roller coaster ride. Just when I get my head wrapped around the provincial approval, I find out that it's likely an 18+ month wait from LID (the date your file is 'logged in' with the Chinese government) until referral. AHHHHH!!!

I was starting to tell myself that I might be lucky enough to travel in a year or so, but now that seems unlikely. I'm trying to be positive about the longer wait. More time to save money. More time to do another play (or 2 or 3 or 5). More time to spend with friends, stay out late, go away for the weekend at a moment's notice, eat popcorn for dinner if I want. These are all good things; things I enjoy, cherish, will miss for awhile when I have my baby at home.

The bottom line, though, is that I don't really want to have any more late nights, or weekends away at a moment's notice. What I want is my daughter home with me. I want to go for walks in the park. I want to bathe her. I want to read her favourite book over and over again. I want to sign her up for swimming lessons. I want to sit with her at the piano and make music.

Will this ever happen?

Provincial Approval!!!

I just received an email from FOI stating that they have received my letter (dated Sept 5) of approval from the provincial government!!! Another milestone reached!!

Jamie from FOI tells me that he'll let me know when my dossier will be going to China -- I hope it's soon!!!

Yay!!!

(ok...too many exclamation points, I concur, but this is one of those 'exclamation point' moments.)

Stress.....

This is the t-shirt I should be wearing lately every time I think of anything adoption related. There's nothing new to report, other than the rumours which have been floating around the internet, which state that China might close the 'singles' adoption program. There's talk that if one's dossier isn't logged in by January 2007 (where are they getting these figures??? And who are they???) then the single person's adoption wouldn't go through. On the positive side, these same rumours seem to say that if your dossier is logged in by that date, then you're likely okay.

My big problem right now is that my homestudy is still in the hands of the oh-so-slow Ontario government. I wrote to FOI (my agency) and the have told me that they're not sure of the validity of these rumours, and they'll hear from the Chinese government soon. According to them, they're expecting my dossier to make it out of the Ontario government by mid-October, and then to be sent to China in mid-November.

So...nothing I can do right now except wait, and buy the occasional cute thing at Winners for my little one. I just hope that my little one will someday actually exist and be with me here in Canada. I hope that all of this effort will pay off, and that I can still adopt my daughter from China.

A friend recently asked me if I would be 'okay' if the singles program was closed before I was able to adopt Jordyn. An interesting question. Of course, I'd have no choice but to be okay, and I guess there would be other options for adoption. Vietnam is opening up, and there are other places too.

The problem is that I feel very connected to China at this point. The culture is so rich and interesting, and I'm excited to learn more about it. I feel like my daughter is destined to come from there, and come home to me.