Referral Day Final Count Down! (?) 29 Days!

Could this really be our proverbial LIGHT at the end of the tunnel?!?!? Quick somebody pinch us because we only have two REFERRAL DAYS remaining and I'm projecting 29 days until it happens!

DH has been posting monthly the "Count Down Calendar" after each referral batch lands in the good 'ole USA. The referral is the official package that our agency, CCAI, will receive from CCAA on our behalf with information about Alyzabeth An. It will contain her Chinese name, her age, where she is living, her medical condition, pictures and any other information the orphanage or foster family provides.

The referrals from China this month (July 2008) contained adoption papers for those with log in dates (LID) of January 21st through January 25, 2006.
We are just two days away from seeing the papers on our new daughter!
So I am beginning the DAILY countdown. I deserve it, right?

With two grown children and two grands, we have been anxiously awaiting the big "Forever Family" day for three years! I can't wait to complete my family - for many years (when I was a lot younger and before DH) I always said I wanted three kids; you know, the answer you always gave when someone asked you how many kids you would like in your family when you got married........ Well, I began my family with 2 and here's to Number #3! Coming in August!

The countdown number of days was determined using Dave's (Wren's Story) Referral Estimator (the original) and Rumor Queen's referral data predictions. I used the two worst number of days between referrals (32 and 38 days, averaged together is 35 days) and the date of July 7, 2008 as the official date referrals were received in USA for the "July" batch. The best guess from the data available shows we should expect our referral on August 11th. That's a Monday.

Now, there is one fly in the soup... (or is that fly in the ointment?).... The Olympics. How can the beginning of the Olympics affect the matching, processing and sending of the papers? With the Olympics opening ceremony on August 8th (a Friday), I would expect that government workers will be sent to a special Olympic assignment a few days before the 8th. So I could say this is a special month and the referrals will be sent out sooner than expected (back to the 32 day interval). Would there still be workers available during the Olympics to assist the agencies with questions and appointments? I don't have a clue.... So I will adjust my expectation in a positive way by guessing that the referrals will actually arrive in USA on the 8th (32 days from June's referral arrivals). Since I am an eternal optimist (hahaha :), I am beginning our countdown with the expectation of seeing our daughter's picture on the 8th.

Olympics impact to the process? We will never know I am sure. So this is my best guess.

After three years, delays are just part of the emotional roller coaster ride and at this point, punch our ticket, we're riding to the end! We have been told that once you have the referral, have the travel authorization, book the airline flight tickets and travel to CHINA!!!, the waiting aggravation is all gone.... no lingering doubts, no lingering queasy stomachs from the roller coaster ride. Boy, are we ready for the motion sickness to stop (or is that morning sickness :)

29 days left until August 8th.... the RACE TO REFERRAL DAY!! I guess we can finally say: The Referral Day Final Countdown officially starts NOW!
peace
ac
(& an itty bitty bit from fm) :)