Chinese Pop Trio

Loved the original version of this song...the verdict is still out on this version.
Maybe I can find a karaoke bar in Beijing and become a STAR!!?

Packing

OK...this COULD very well be me...right down to the individually packed outfits in ziplocs, the 3 compartment formula holder....man - looks like we even have the same agency!!
BTW - can you tell I'm itching to get packing? Maybe tomorrow :)

Jam-Packed Itinery?

Today, our travel rep at our agency booked our flights for us...its a bonus that we can fly DIRECT to Beijing from Toronto. Last time, we had a stopover in Vancouver - not a bad thing, but better to avoid when travelling with a preschooler (or 2!). Since we will be travelling with the two older 'mice' (Little Mouse One and Little Mouse Two), any time-saving thing is a must! I also had the chance today to request some sightseeing adventures - but I think I may have requested too busy an itinery in Beijing - Tiannanmen Square/Forbidden City, Beijing Zoo, Summer Palace, Acrobat Show, Great Wall...add to that all of the official duties (medical clearance for Little Mouse Three, passport/consulate appointment), plus the Peking Duck dinner one night and some shopping...not sure we can fit it all in.

We are still hoping for updated info on Little Mouse Three since the last info we have on him is over six months old. I'd love to see how much he's grown and it would be handy to be able to estimate what size clothing to bring for him....not that I will bring a lot since it may just be easier to buy what we need for him in China. I'm getting really geared up tos tart packing....it has not been easy to hold off...that may sound strange, but, believe me....I am one organized HM when it comes to travelling with my kids. I have actually had a few dreams about luggage and packing over the last few days....ok that IS weird.

The RQ site is all a-buzz about the next batch of referrals....perhaps only 6 days matched this time :( I really do not understand the small amount of days being matched for so many months in a row.....and wasn't there a report that now ALL orphanages in China can submit children's files to be matched? (Not just a small percentage of SWI/CWI's like in the past). When will this take effect and actually make a difference in the numbers of referrals each month?

Mouse loves Rice

Check out this video...one of many versions. I just love it...can't seem to get the tune out of my head now...
Hope you like it!

Are you current on currency?

Where do you go when you want money, to exchange money, to deposit money? A bank....at least that's what I thought...until today, that is. Since the exchange rate is so great right now between Canadian and US funds, I thought it was time to order the US cash that we will need for our 'donation' for CCAA. $3000 in $100 bills...new (or least new looking), crisp, clean, unwrinkled, unfolded , perfect $100 bills. Given that I asked the bank to order them in for me over the next 3 to 5 weeks, I didn't think it would pose a problem...wrong! The teller looked at me like I was an alien, or perhaps involved in something criminal for asking for the specific currency that I did. She asked why I might need 'new' bills...I didn't feel like elaborating since I don't think its any of her flippin' business....so I said I need to take the money to China - for a donation. She was appauled that anyone would 'ask' for a donation and then have the nerve to 'request' that the bills be in pristine condition. I must say, she did make me think....but I didn't explain any further, just said 'yep....kinda strange...'

Turns out after consulting with her superior, the teller still isn't sure if they can honour my request....this is a bank that I've used since I was about 10 years old!! I guess on Monday, I'll be trolling the 'downtown core' for a bank that is capable of handling the order for $3000 US in $100 bills.

I do want to comment on how this whole encounter made me feel/think about this 'donation'....but I want to sit with the thoughts for a while to make sure I really understand how I even feel about it....off the top of my head the whole thing conjures up the idea of 'baby buying' or 'human trafficking'.....not sure I can go there yet....

Sexy Beijing - Lost in Translation - Danwei TV

Ever wonder how Chinese people choose their English names? Love this clip...going back to youtube to check out some other "Sexy Beijing" episodes.

There's no place like home....

I'm fighting the urge to start packing...ok to start packing some more. We have 5 weeks until travel and I'm not sure if its entirely healthy to stare at luggage for that long...and I don't exactly have a spot where I can just set it out of the way. There is no out of the way when you live with two preschoolers, especially since they have commandeered our spare bedroom...seems like they enjoy the VCR and the comfy place to watch Dora more than I enjoy one neat, orderly bedroom in the house....cause that sure isn't going to happen in any of the other rooms of our house...did I mention previously about the possible OCD thing with order...unfortuantely, it doesn't seem to translate into meaning the whole house....at least I have ONE neat place in the house....the hallway linen closet. I'm thinking I may need to post a pic of this closet in the future.

The little mice and I used the day to practice what hot and humid may feel like in China....no complaining here...we wait for this weather all winter long. I'm not sure that the heat and humidity of Ontario's South Coast can quite compare to the heat of China in the summer.In myhead, I picture the Wicked Witch of the West (or was it East?) screaming - "I'm melting! I'm melting!"

I'm off to troll the net for some interesting things going on in IA land......

False Alarm....

OK...false alarm for us on the LONG travel time in-province. Not sure where things stand on the rumour in general, as the rep from our agency said that it was a province by province decision...not a CCAA one. So, the verdict is still out on this one....if it turns out to be true that people will need to stay longer in-province (up to 3 weeks rather than the current 1 week), I think all hell will break loose. At least with the May 1 new regulations, agencies and their clients were given a forewarning...of a few months, at least.

So, we are back to planning our 2 week trip to China...leaving in 5 short weeks to go get our boy!!! Why then do I feel like I'm on a treadmill? I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that I basically slept thru most of the past weekend (May 24 is one of my favs too!) b/c of the flu :( Wasn't nice....still have a slight fever, strange sounding voice and a bark like a harper seal to show for it. So, I guess I may be in slo-mo for a few more days till the energy picks up....its time to start writing LISTS.....gotta love a well written list...oh, have I mentioned that I'm a bit OCD when it comes to organization? I actually find it kind of exhilirating to have things in order....kinda sucked in by symmetry....or is that just the fever talking......?

length of travel rumour (in-province)

Here's a rumour that ought to get some people fired up. Heard from my agency today that in-province travel may SOON (read: effective immediately for those planning travel) become a three week stay rather than the current one week stay! Just. like. that. No warning, no heads up, no 'this will commence on such and such a date'.
I guess this tidbit of info can be taken as either positive or negative news:
positive:
- staying longer in your child's province can give you a better idea of local way of life
- you get to eat bok choy and noodles for breakfast for 2 weeks longer than otherwise thought (ok...not a plus for some - but its one for HM!)

....right now no other positives are coming to mind, since HM and family are currently trying to plan our trip to China and I can only think of the negatives:
- need to budget for 2 extra weeks of food, lodging, guide/agency fees
- need to arrange 2 more weeks off of work - NOT possible for many people
- 2 extra weeks in a hotel, when baby could be home - especially important for some kiddos in Waiting Children's Program - on a personal note - our son needs surgery very soon after arriving home. Delaying surgery will only cause other delays in his development (speech, hearing....)

So...I'm not certain this new travel info is FACT, but I will know within the next few days.Also, agency rep was not certain it would affect all provinces in China (some may choose to have families stay longer, some may not). FYI - the reason for the lengthy stay is b/c the province(s) want more time to complete the adoption/paperwork....

IMNSHO - I think its another money grab - why delay work that is obviously possible to be done in one week for two more weeks? It CAN be done b/c it HAS BEEN done in a week for a long, long time.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has heard this rumour....I'd love to know what your 'take' on it is.

mom jeans

Gotta Love SNL! I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one to notice the abundance of Mom Jean's out there. I'm all for mid to low rise - minus the 'muffin top' of course. I want to start a jeans revolution - BAN ALL MOM JEANS!!

Rumour of a 'moritorium' on accepting new dossiers?

There is a new rumour out there within the last few days that CCAA may stop accepting new files/dossiers until they are able to deal with the current backlog...it is estimated that there are over 30,000 files currently waiting to me matched...an estimated 2 to 3 year wait from DTC to referral is accepted as very likely. No word yet on when (or if) this moritorium will begin. I've been wondering for a while when this would happen....strange that it may occur near/at the same time as the Beijing Olympics. I'm not sure if I would consider this coincidental...perhaps a way to 'save face' on the CCAA's part. Regardless, I think it is the most RESPONSIBLE thing for CCAA to do at this point, but I wonder why rumours of this happening are just coming out now....if it was done a year ago, the current climate of IA adoption from China would be very different. I can't for the life of me understand why a backlog of so many dossiers was even allowed to happen in the first place. When we first started looking into IA in 2003, I thought that there was a quota system in place....that agencies were only permitted to submit so many dossiers in a year....not sure what ever happened with that...

I do hope that the CCAA intends to keep the Waiting Child Program open, however. It would be a tragedy for so many children with health issues/medical needs to languish in the orphanage system. I guess we will wait and see what becomes of this rumour.

Compliments for Mommy....

About an hour ago, DD said the sweetest thing to me -

"You are the cutest Mommy in the whole wide uniform!"

Obviously, she is working on not mixing up similar words - uniform vs. universe.....but I think its cute, nonetheless :)

Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all of you Mom's, Mom's in waiting, Mom's to be....

I hope it will be a day to remember!

Links to other blogs?

I'd love it if someone could pass on some links for other Canadian adoption blogs. I have links to several, but I always like to see what people are talking about in the IA world. Can you share dome of your personal favs? Check out my 'links' for some of the ones I currently visit.

The times they are a' changin' ......

With this new month, come the changes that CCAA announce several months ago - BMI less than 40, must have a certain net worth, no singles, age restrictions, certain health restrictions (no depression etc...). I beleive that the CCAA has implemented these new rules in order to address the huge increase in dossiers it has been receiving over the past 2 years....primarily, this increase has come from the U.S. I think that many PAP's and agencies saw China as the most timely option....a 'sure thing' and responded by sending a flood of applications to adopt.

The CCAA appears to be focussing on the Waiting Children's Program - those children with special needs - usually 'minor, correctible' medical needs such as Cleft lip/palate, certain heart conditions (ASD, VSD), birth marks /haemangiaomas, missing/webbed digits, limb differences, vision impairment, hearing impairment, albinism, anal atresia, spina bifida etc.... They seem to be also specifically identifying malnourisment and neglect as 'special needs' at this time as well.

My hope is that these changes reflect a true change in Chinese society...specifically that more domestic adoptions are being allowed to take place and that the vast majority of abandoned/orphaned children are not girls. Only time will tell....

With these recent rule changes, some people out there in IA-land are also discussing interim adoptions, changing counties and attrition rates. Depending on the rules of a certain country or even the state/province, these issues will be more or less important. In my Canadian province, I don't think it is even possible to do an interim adoption while you wait for a Chinese referral...at least I haven't yet heardof anyone attempting it. Perhaps a domestic adoption is allowed, but an interim International adoption is not. I know this is the case in some US states. Because of the huge increase in wait times between DTC and referral/travel to China (upwards of 18 months at present and rising), some people are actually choosing to pull their file completely from China and begin another adoption. Some estimated put the current attrition rate as high as 25%. Not sure if I agree with this....its not easy to gather clear info to come up with that type of stat b/c once people 'pull' their files, they tend to diasappear from the China/IA community...they tend not to announce what they have done. Agencies would be reluctant to give this type of confidential info out - even to their other clients, I would presume.

I wonder what, if any, effects attrition or the rule changes with have on those files already logged in in China - will CCAA be able to process files any quicker (I don't mean referrals, but rather the paperwork that comes after - especially for WC Program - LOA, TA.....)? Will staff be reassigned? Supposedly there are fewer babies available for adoption - or I should say 'paper ready'....meaning that the orphanages are not completing as many babies' files as there are PAP files waiting to be processed.

I'd love to hear input or opinion...but I've yet to receive a single comment on this blog....is anyone even reading this? If so, please let me know :)

First, The Fonz did it.....

OK...it was inevitable, only a matter of time, bound to happen sooner or later....
This week, something I was not looking forward to finally happened - The Gilmore Girls offically 'jumped the shark'. I knew when I saw (and gasp....heard) Lorelei sing Karaoke, that the days of Stars Hollow, Logan Huntsberger and the Friday Night Dinner are numbered.
The only question now....Do I keep watching? Ahhh, yes....like a rubbernecker at an accident on the 401 at rush hour, I'll watch each episode until its finale...some I'll even watch twice. Because I'm crazy like that :)

'jumped the shark' - for those of you less informed Re: t.v. series speak - this terms refers to the exact moment of the episode that a series no longer retains its 'untouchable' good qualities....when a show begins its trickle-down towards cancellation.....the term originates from the series "Happy Days", when The Fonz and the gang go from Milwakee to California, and in the episode, Fonzie literally jumps over a shark on waterskis....some kind of challenge akin to his previous motorcycle antics....but this time in the water!! The show never really regained its former glory after that. Ever since, industry insiders (and wannabees like HM!) have used the term to describe a series in decline.