ANOTHER PRINCESS

My friend just recieved her approval to go get her little princess from China. I am sooooooo excited for her and her family. I can hardly believe that her little Mia will be home by September. It was just last year at this time that I officially met Jo and she was just finishing up her documents for China as I was starting mine.
Another Princess...... Mia is sooooo cute, and now I am lucky to be "Auntie" to two china princess girls. Click on Mia on the right side to go to my friend's blog. You will see the PRINCESS there.

SO WHY IS IT TAKING 3 YEARS ?????

How Many Children are Abandoned in China?
According to UNICEF:

An estimated 100,000 Chinese children are abandoned each year, most of them disabled or girls. Some studies show this figure increasing. New laws have eased restrictions on domestic adoption, so more Chinese parents are adopting these children, and this is encouraging.

Evidence of neglect several years ago resulted in a significant effort by the government to improve conditions at China's Child Welfare Institutes (CWIs), and progress has certainly been made. China has adopted new policies and guidelines that promote de-institutionalisation in providing protection and care for abandoned children through family- and community-based approaches to child care, such as foster families. Even so, most abandoned children are still placed in CWIs, which basically function as orphanages.

WHERE ARE THE CALLS?????

Where are the calls????? I am so ready for the calls.....We placed our first month worth of ads in Newpapers around the country advertising that we are seeking to adopt.. We are in like 6 states this time. NO CALLS. I am very nervous and excited about recieving the first call. We have an 800 number attached to a designated cell phone for this purpose. I have a "cheat" sheet with me at all times so that I know what I need to say and numbers to my adoption consultant, and attorney.

In the mean time I have been in email contact with my social worker through my China Adoption agency. I am a little discouraged with them, saying that if I do get a child through domestic adoption that I can not continue on with China. THAT IS NOT A CHINA RULE, BUT AN AGENCY RULE..... I am going to continue to find out more info on this... maybe after my social worker writes a new homestudy for us and then I will contact the director of the China program in my agency.

I know that most everyone that reads this blog is adopting or knows someone going through the process, but if anyone should happen to know anyone that is pregnant and thinking of putting up their baby up for adoption, please post below and let me know!!!!

SUMMER FUN

Every summer my friend (neighbor) arranges for us girls to go to the city to see a play. She also has arranged for us to see several really good concerts. Anyway, this summer she got tickets for us to see CURTAINS. We went in tonight via the LIRR. We ate at a favorite of ours called Chevy's which is mexican food. And of course we always order a pitcher of Margaritas to wash it all down. The play was really good. Very funny. David Hyde Pierce who is from Frasier was very funny. Debra Monk (She played Georges' mom from GREY ANATOMY) was also very good. Then there was Ernie Sabella the voice of Tamonne from the Lion King.



On the way home the train came to a screeching halt at the station in the town where I teach ( those of you that know me know where that is)....not exactly in the best part of town. It winds up that there is guy on the tracks who was having a domestic dispute with his significant other, and the railroad had to get someone to turn off the 3rd rail, until this guy was arrested. Hmmmm never a dull moment.


We had a great time. I love hanging out with these wonderful women. They are all lots of fun. We never run out of stuff to talk about.....and even though I only have known them for about 4 years, it is like we all have been friends forever. So girlfriends it was fun and we must do this again.

DOMESTIC ADOPTION NEWS

Ok so I know that some of you want an update:

So here it is:

Yes we are going to try to adopt domestically. Thank you JL for leading us to this path. I will still keep this blog because we are keeping our papers into China. This has been a very hard decision to make. We are working with an Adoption Consultant and she will help us through the process.

We will advertise and have an 800 number and all that... and hopefully relatively quickly, within 1 year we will have a healthy baby girl....

We have to certify with New york state, and perhaps get a new homestudy done, and get new copies of all our birth certificates, and marriage license. This process takes places with the family court system.

Hopefully we will connect with a birth mother sooner than later...


OK here are my thoughts,,,,,,, perhaps if this happens quickly we will still be able to complete our CHina adoption since the wait for that is around 3 years. We have been logged in for 5 month already. So it would mean another 31 months. If we get a baby here in say 16 months then that still leaves another 15 months for the China adoption.


Hmmmm...... don't know if we can pull that one off. Anyway, I will keep you all updated to the trials and tribulations of all this. Send us all your positive thoughts that this works out.

We are very nervous to start on this new journey. Of course I will still keep close watch on the China news and update you all on that as well. We both still have China in our hearts and we love our friends' daughter Meaghan and soon to be here MIA....

So... that is what we are doing.