Adoption Forecast: January

Referrals came out a little early this month. Since Chinese New Year falls around a referral period, we will most likely have 2 sets of referrals that will be at odd times and then we will have a LONG wait in between referral batches. So, even though we are still in December, technically this is considered the January batch. Referrals this time have gone through February 28, 2006, finishing out the month of February.

I haven't posted about this yet but I have known for a while that March, 2006 is a monster month. There are a LOT more adoptive parents logged in during the month of March than in any month in the recent past. This means that it will most likely take A LOT longer to get through March than it has the other recent months. There is speculation that it could take a full year or longer (the entire year of 2009) to finish out March, 2006. I hope and pray that this speculation is wrong but only time will tell.

Now on to our stats:

• According to http://www.chinaadoptionforecast.com/, there are now 106 days of LIDs before ours (June 14, 2006).
• There were 364 days of LIDs ahead of us on the day that we were logged in (6/14/06). That month 13 days of LIDs were referred. This month (a pretty typical one), there were 5 days referred. The average number of referral days per month now is 6.1 LIDs per month.
• Our estimated referral date is now July 9, 2010. You can see how this compares to last month here --> http://nicolesdoodlings.blogspot.com/2008/12/adoption-forecast-december.html . We have actually gotten about 8 days closer but I'm not sure if this might be because of the kooky timing of referrals or not.
• 106 days of LIDs ahead of us/average of 6.1 LIDs referred each month = 17.4 months of waiting.

I have removed five little pebbles from our WAIT JAR so that only 106 remain...does it look like the stash is getting any smaller?

Blogger Block

I know I haven't posted in a while...even Jeff noticed. I am suffering from a full-on blogger block. It's not that I don't have anything to post about. On the contrary, the last couple of weeks of break have been great and I plan to post about:

• The rest of my trip in Virginia (with lots of Skinny Dip, working out at the uber-YMCA and just all-around soaking up my parents)
• My return drive back along with a bang-up stop at Trader Joe's for yummy foods and Jeff's cleaning of the entire house while I was gone
• Fantastic Christmas with Jeff, Jason, Brandee and Leslie
• Jason's quirky and extremely neat experiment with Miracle Fruit and his establishment of Ba*key Now!Wow! with accompanying spirit fingers and appropriately timed sigh in it's introduction
• My awesome Wii Fit (thanks Dad and Mom!!) which I am currently addicted to and using every day although it is mean to me
• My upcoming 4th semester of nursing school (which begins on Jan. 8th)
• My completion of New Moon, the second book in the Twilight series, and my own personal review and perspective on the upcoming movie continuation
• My friend Lee and her husband, Vinay, welcoming their first little baby boy
• And more...

I am not absolutely sure why I have bloggy block when I have so much material to work with. Maybe it's PMS. Maybe it's just the anticipation of a new year and all that this one will hold. For sure, it has to do with a little bit of an aching heart facing another holiday season without my baby. It hurts my insides and kinda numbs me some times. We don't have a Christmas tree, no lights or Santa visits, no advent calendar with daily chocolate removal, no "Twas the night before Christmas" or Rudolph cartoons, no cookie baking or wish lists, no NORAD Santa stalking, no staying up all night on Christmas Eve or toys to put together, no school parties with the kids, no tinsel to stop up the vacuum cleaner.

Anyway...I am having a pity party again. And today it makes me want to not answer my phone, lock my door, stay in my pajamas and eat lots and lots of ice cream. It will pass and happy blogging will return cause I know I have so much and so many people to be thankful for...but for now I am giving myself a pass to be a bummer.

Trip to Virginia...Day 1

I am driving my folks nuts with the camera but I have to document as many moments as possible for those of you who can't be here to party on with us.

Road Trip!

Here is a pictorial masterpiece of my super long road trip yesterday. Click the little icon in the lower left corner of the screen for captions. Ha ha ha.

This and that bullet style

Here are some quick bloggy bullets:

• I am DONE with my 3rd semester of nursing school as of today. Final grades haven't been posted but I am optimistic that this was a good semester for moi. Only 2 left until I am a nurse!!
• I am leaving mucho early in the morning to drive 750+ miles to see my parents. I'm weary about the drive but very much looking forward to spending a few days with my folks. It helps that they are fun people. Dad - I'm trying my best to leave "PMS Nicole" at home :).
• Speaking of home, I am making this trip solo so Jeff will be home living the bachelor life. Honey - if you're reading this you best behave yourself while I'm gone. Brandee has agreed to check in on him periodically over the next few days so he will still have a Ba*key looking after him - but, unlike me, she will not be taping Judge Judy for him every day :).
• I am planning to stop on the way for a brief visit with my great friend Lyly who is about to pop with Lyly, Jr any minute now. Seriously, she is due Dec. 25th and is still working 10 hour overnight shifts, 8 days in a row, on her feet, busy time at the hospital, smarty pants doctor. I haven't seen her in over a year but every time we get together it's as if no time has passed. She's one of the most awesome people I know.
• I am reading the second book in the Twilight series, New Moon. While I was supposed to be studying last night, I was reading about Bella and Edward and was traumatized (stop here if you don't want a spoiler) when Edward disappeared like 80 pages into the book. I kept thinking that if I read a little bit more he would come back but...120 pages later, still no Edward. Bummer. Gimme back the hottie vampire please.
• In less than 2 months we will have to start the process of updating our home study and immigration paperwork for the adoption. This is a royal sucker. I will be sure to gripe about all that it entails as we get ready for the undertaking.

I think that's about all the bullets I can come up with right now. I will be sure to post some pics once I get to Virginia. Later ;).

Adoption Forecast: December

Referrals are out for this month and they covered the period from February 18-23, 2006, knocking out just 6 days of LIDs. So here are our stats, according to http://www.chinaadoptionforecast.com/:

• There are 111 days of LIDs before ours, June 14, 2006.


• The new estimated date of our referrals is July 17, 2010. Last month (see here ---> http://nicolesdoodlings.blogspot.com/2008/11/adoption-forecast-november.html ) it was July 18th so we have improved by 1 day - woohoo!


• It is estimated that the CCAA (China agency that governs adoptions) issues referrals for approximately 5.3 days of LIDs (log in dates) per calendar month right now... 111 days of LIDs/average of 5.3 days = 20.9 more months of waiting. This has worsened from last month.


• We have now waited 38 months (as of today) since our decision to adopt and 30 months (as of Sunday) since our LID. We have gestated 3 otters (avg gestation 270-300 days), 2.5 zebras (avg gestation 365 days) and 1.5 Asian elephants (avg gestation 645 days). I am sure our baby will be much cuter than the above mentioned animals...however cute they may be.

I will end this forecast post with the Serenity prayer which my grandmother loved and is most appropriate for our situation.

"God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I can not change,

the courage to change the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference."

Twilight

I admit it. I have indulged in a teeny bopper activity. I saw that the movie Twilight was coming out and vowed to read the book and then go see the flick. I finished the book in like 4 days (while I was studying ;)) and Jeff took me to see the movie yesterday. I have to say that the movie followed the book fairly closely but definitely did not develop the characters to near the extent of the book. It was overall a pretty good movie and book. I, like a million other 13 year old girls, think Edward Cullen is dreamy.

Tour of the beach gift shop

Our hotel at the beach had a pretty well stocked gift shop. We needed nail clippers and found them - check - but we also came across some other interesting things.... A "croc" key chain with the I heart Jeff Jibbitz

A parody on the "Life is Good" shirts...this one is for me...

This one for Brandee...inside joke...

And finally one for Dad because he absolutely loves when he calls some place and get the automated thingy telling him to press 1,2,3,4,5...

The Worst Thanksgiving Picture

This Thanksgiving Jeff and I were fortunate enough to spend the day with my parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and Grandpa in Orlando. There were several events/indulgences of this holiday...some awesome stuffing muffins by Mom, a tootsie roll binge, 2 trips to Einstein Bros. for bagels and coffee (yum-o), Tijuana Flats chips and salsa, my first deep fried turkey experience, lots of closed caption reading (on Grandpa's TV - that's his preferred method of TV watching), blowing up of air mattress X 2, political discussions instigated by Jeff (yes, he knows better), 11 hours of driving in traffic on the way home and, finally, some AWFUL pictures. I am giving this one the award for the absolute worst (partially because I don't want to post a picture of my big booty on my blog). Dad is in the middle of asking me why in the world I have to do a million self-pics and I am just plain being cheesy...and I now see that I have a major sleepy eye to go along with my pasty smile. In summary, it was a great Thanksgiving memorialized with some not-so-great but pretty funny pictures. Maybe I'll post some more of them later....NOT!