Hello all,
I have now been waiting 239 days and I am into my 8th month of waiting. (should have taken 6) I am still not anxious but after holding the just to cute for words Alex in my arms I wonder if I am ever going to hold Zoey.  I also wonder now who is holding my poor baby and I am starting to now feel the urgency that she needs to be picked up immediately. Since I cannot put a name to a face I am not crazed about it yet, it is just a thought that I keep coming back to from time to time.
My friend Merril who came back from China about 2 ½ months ago came over with her beautiful, healthy, daughter Sadie and besides learning that my apartment was not child proofed at all, (Sadie is now 12 months and was crawling everywhere), my Harry was an absolute angel. He was great with her. I am thrilled  and this has taken a huge weight off my shoulders, I was now able to fire the dog trainer, who was great but so expensive. The dog trainer said she does not think Harry will ever hurt the baby, he will just become her body guard too, and as with me he might try to bite you if you kiss the baby. Don't be alarmed we are working on that.

November people have just received their referrals and I am a December person so I am next, meaning I should hear some news this month, should being the operative word here. I am next though! I thought you would all like to know what happens when you are approved by the CCAA and offered a child:

The CCAA sends the photo(s) of the child, the medical report(s) on the child, and a Confirmation Letter to AIM by regular mail.(slow boat from China, I could not resist) We never know when they will be sending them and no one is allowed in the matching room, but Henry is sometimes able to find out when they have been or are about to be sent. They are sent to AIM, our sponsoring agency.
AIM calls us immediately upon receiving it and asks us how and where we want it sent by overnight carrier. (AIM receives them for a number of China adoption programs.) If there is time before the deadline for overnight service, they will sometimes scan the photo and email that ahead of the
package. We call you immediately and forward the scan (if we have one) by email, and find out from you where you want us to send the actual referral paperwork when it arrives. We typically receive one or more photos of the child, whatever medical records, statements or tests have been sent to the CCAA by the orphanage, and a Confirmation Letter from the CCAA indicating your name, your child's name, date of birth, and orphanage. Lately, we have also been receiving a progress report of sorts or growth report from some orphanages on her. This typically describes in one paragraph what types of activities she is doing now. You receive these documents the next day (assuming we can find you; always leave us word on where to find you if you travel any time after your 7th month after your dossier was logged in). I AM NOW ON THE 8TH MONTH with my cell phone constantly in tow!!!! The first page of the referral, the Confirmation Letter, with name, date of birth, province and orphanage, is in Chinese and English. And some of the medical form is in English; you'll be able to see the weight, height, chest and head circumference immediately. The rest is in Chinese. We don't wait for a translation to send this to you. Some of our families can read it themselves (we serve a lot of Chinese-American families), some have friends who translate it for them, but most families prefer to purchase an official translation, which can be done by faxing the documents to a reliable translation service that we recommend. They provide a full translation of everything in the referral within 24 hours via fax and/or email (attached MS Word file). We strongly  recommend that you purchase a professional translation if you plan to have a doctor review the referral information.
Meanwhile, as soon as Henry Jia, our facilitator in Beijing, hears which child is offered to you and at which orphanage, he calls the Orphanage Director and requests a verbal report on each child, including updated measurements and some basic information about the child's current health and
development. If there is any information missing from the reports that you have been given or if there is anything ambiguous, illegible or otherwise unclear, Henry asks the Orphanage Director to provide the missing information or to obtain it for us. After this, if there is any sign of a problem, Henry presses the orphanage for more information until you and your doctor have the information you need. Unless there is a question or problem, we urge our families to accept the referral as soon as possible after it is offered, by signing the form and faxing it to us and then mailing us the hardcopy original, with your signature(s). If you receive negative information later, you can still turn down the child before you go to China or in China. The advantage of accepting immediately is that once the CCAA receives your Confirmation letter, it will begin the process for obtaining a final approval of the match, which you need in order to do the adoption. This can take from three to six weeks, so the sooner it starts, the sooner it is finished.
If your doctor has any questions about the information you received on the health of your child, Henry Jia will call the Orphanage Director to ask these questions specifically and try to obtain whatever information your doctor requests. If you are still undecided after receiving the information Henry gets from the Orphanage Director, you have the option of either rejecting her before you travel and asking for another child from the CCAA, or traveling to China and determining once you are there whether you can accept her or take a different child. If you need more information while you are in China, Shasha will find the appropriate medical specialist to evaluate her.
After you have accepted your child and sent us your Confirmation Letter,you get to wait again for (1) the CCAA to issue its final approval (sometimes referred to as the "travel letter") and then (2) the U.S. Consulate to give us an an appointment for you for a visa interview. Once you have this appointment, Henry negotiates with the local officials on the date they will agree to do the adoption, you tell us when you want to travel or can't travel, and we come up with a plan for your adoption trip. As soon as the CCAA issues its final approval of the match (the "travel letter"), it mails it to AIM which immediately faxes it to us. In consultation with the family, we determine the earliest date on which the family would like to travel and then immediately request the appropriate date for your Consulate interview from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou
by fax. The Consulate usually lets us know within 1 or 2 days what appointment they are willing to give the family. All that's left is to finalize the travel tickets to synchronize with that date.
While this is going on, Henry and Shasha negotiate with the Orphanage Director and provincial officials to schedule all the appointments that will be necessary for you to complete your child's adoption. All travel plans, are collaborated on by Laura, David, and Henry. A lot happens simultaneously and we are all in communication with each other constantly during this time.  Together, we review what is available, what is possible, what is desireable, what we can get, prices, preferences of the family, possible pitfalls, and what you can humanly endure in the way of travel, especially with a new child in tow. Parts of your trip are booked by David in NY and parts are booked by Henry in Beijing, where some in-China arrangements are easier to make. Your master itinerary, is  shared with all of us in China Seas including Henry and Shasha in China. We need to know where you are at all times during your trip and how to reach you.
When you arrive, Henry or Shasha will meet you at the airport and explain to you in great detail exactly what will happen and when.  You will be needed for certain official functions, but otherwise, you will be free to shop, sight-see, or just get to know and care for your new little one. Shasha and Henry can arrange for any of the things you would like to do in your "off" hours.
Shasha will always try to get the local orphanage officials to allow our families to see the orphanage. Sometimes the orphanages  will allow this  and sometimes they won't. You won't know until you get there what their final answer will be. If they say yes, Shasha will work it into your schedule while you are in the province. When all the certificates are issued by the provincial authorities, Shasha checks them word by word to make sure they will meet the scrutiny of the Consulate in Guangzhou and ensures that they are redone if necessary to be perfect before you leave the province.
Shasha will now accompany you to Guangzhou for the medical check and Consulate interview as well. If she cannot go to Guangzhou for some reason, another guide will meet you there. This is to help you during the medical check and your Consulate interview. The day after your interview, your child's visa will be ready for pickup after 3 p.m. And then you are free to go home and start your life with your child from China.
So listen for my screams, I am sure you will be able to hear them from where ever you are when I receive my referral. Don't forget to visit Zoey's webpage there have been some new pages added.
http://www.lahaza.com

To speedy referrals!
Until next month.
Lisa

BACK TO MONTHLY  UPDATES