February Referrals

February referrals are out!  They made it all the way to August 21st.  Not exactly as far as everyone thought, but still moving right along.  Nine days left to get to us.  Nine days!!  I can hardly believe it!

We need to think positively that we will get our referral in March!!  If we get our referral next month we will most like travel in about six weeks.  If we are missed next month and get our referral in April, the whole game changes and we will have to wait several months to travel.  We all need to think March!!

The reason for the change in time frame is due to the Hague Treaty and the changes that it brought about for immigration.  When we started the process we filed under Form I600 and have been renewing that each year.   Immigration has stated that when our current I600 expires we cannot renew and must file the new form.  With the Hague Treaty you have to file under from I800 now.  That process takes a lot longer than the I600 did. 

WE MUST ALL THINK MARCH FOR REFERRAL!!

Pre-Referral Phone Call

We had our pre-referral phone call today!   I know it is only the “Pre-Referral Call”, but it is one step closer!  We found out how we will first learn about Tia, what we can expect to learn about her, how soon we can expect to travel once we receive our referral and what we need to know about traveling to China.  The only bummer to the call was once our agency receives our referral they will call us right away with her name, date of birth and what province she comes from.  Then we have to wait like a week to actually see her picture!!  MAJOR BUMMER!  The file needs to be translated from Chinese to English and it takes about five days.  I hope I don’t go completely bonkers while waiting to her face.

Referrals should be out next week so we will see how much closer we are!  Maybe we will be in; you never know!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, January 23, 2012

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.  In China, it is known as the “Spring Festival”.  The festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with the Lantern Festival which is on the 15^th day.  Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar.  

As with all cultures, Chinese New Year traditions incorporate elements that are symbolic of deeper meaning.  People will buy presents, decorations, material, food and clothing.  It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck.  Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper cut-outs and couplets with popular themes of “good fortune” or “happiness”, “wealth” and “longevity”.  Red is the predominant color used in New Year celebrations.  Red is the emblem of joy, and this color also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity.

Red Chinese New Year Lanterns

The biggest event of any Chinese New Year’s Eve is the dinner feast with families.  The dinner traditionally includes chicken and fish.  Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune.  This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner that we have.  In northern China, it is customary to make dumplings after dinner to eat around midnight.  Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape resembles that of Chinese tael.  By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a glutinous New Year cake and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days of the New Year.    Red packets with money for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the dinner. After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the New Year begins to pray for a prosperous New Year by lighting the first incense of the year; however in modern practice, many households hold parties and even hold a countdown to the New Year.  Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes.  The Chinese New Year is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. 

Lucky Chinese Money Bags

This will be the Year of the Dragon.

Chinese New Year Dragon Decoration

January Referrals

January referrals came out today! They sent out referrals for families with LID's through August 15th! We are getting so excited! There is a chance we could hear in February, but more likely in March. After all this time it is just hard to believe that we are so close.

Over the next few months we have so much to do! We have to find a pediatrician, organize her room, make a list of items we need for her, a list items we need for travel and to put together all of Coco's information so she is taken care of while we are gone. Coco is going to have a very dear friend stay with her so she has all the comforts of her home around her. Hopefully she patiently waits for us to come home and is good for our friend.

Happy New Year!

Today starts a new year that we are eagerly looking forward to! Hopefully in a few short months we are going to become parents. Something we have waited so long to do. We are getting very excited and anxious at the same time. We keep talking about what we need to bring with us to China and all the things we have been waiting to do with our little one. We were saying how next Christmas we will be watching her unwrap all her presents from Santa. How we will drive around looking at Christmas lights with her and watch the wonder in her eyes when she sees them. We can't wait to go trick-or-treating with her on Halloween. But most of all we just can't wait to hold her in our arms; to show her how much we love her.

December Referrals

Referrals for December came out today!  China has matched families with LID's through August 10th.  Not as many days off the calendar as we would like, but we must look at the bright side.  China has sent out 12 batches of referrals this year.  That is HUGE!  On average they have only sent out 10 batches a year for the last few years.  The progress may be slow, but it is still progress!  We are still thinking that we will receive our referral late winter/early spring.  Right on time for tax season! 

Congratulations to those seeing their babies faces!

100 Good Wishes Quilt

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or “100 Good Wishes Quilt.”  It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth.  The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric.  The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.  So we thought this was such a wonderful tradition that we decided to welcome our little one with a "100 Good Wishes Quilt".  We feel so blessed by all the family and friends that have participated.  They really have made this extraordinary for her.   Here are some pictures to see the progress:

These are just some of the wonderful fabrics that we received.

These are some initial squares.

A few rows on second half of the quilt.

This is the first half of the quilt.

I am very excited to see it all coming together!  I look forward to coming home most nights and working on it.  What am going to do when I finish it!?!  I guess I will finally have to clean out those closets!

I love that some people have posted comments, but please leave your name so we know who has commented.  In the future we will be printing this for Tia and it will be so nice to know who has commented.  If you want to leave just your first name that would be great!.