Clarification on Name Translation...

There is a wonderful lady on the Rumor Queen site that many PAP (prospective adopting parents) who are adopting from China rely on for information related to China's culture and any other relative information. I just found out that she provides a translation of your child's name if you provide the Chinese pinyin characters so I decided to ask her what Jadyn's full name means since I felt like we were missing part of the translation. I also wanted to be sure that we should keep both of her names as her middle name. Here is what she wrote:

留 translates as "keep", or to "reserve", or can mean " wear" (this is Liu)

Click below and hover over 'liu' to hear prononciation:
English-Chinese Dictionary: liu

碧 translates as "green jade", which is the most precious and revered of the jades in China. (this is Bi)

Click below and hover over 'bi' to hear prononciation:
English-Chinese Dictionary: bi

留 碧 combined conveys a meaning of "treasured jade", with treasured meaning a family heirloom, something that would always be kept and never let go of.


I think this is just perfect for a daughter that we will certainly treasure and never let go of!

There is a shop owner in China that will beautifully write the pinyin characters of your child's name; we'd like to do that with Jadyn's name and hang in her room.

Now, only if our TA would come! I've only heard of one person receiving theirs and one other person said that they were told by their agency that they probably would not get theirs until early April, but that seems hard to believe because travel would then be 1-3 weeks beyond that, which would make it 10-12 weeks after referral!

Let's hope that is not true!

The Care Package...

I received an email from Ann at Red Thread with two pictures of the care package that I ordered; it includes some cashew shortbread cookies and tea for the foster family and a panda bear and blanket for Jadyn. It also has a letter that I wrote to the foster family with some questions that I've asked about Jadyn and a disposable camera that they will hopefully use to take pictures while we wait to come and meet them. It looks great!




Here is a close up of the blanket; I think she wanted to be sure that I knew it was pink since I accidentally ordered the 'boy' package on the website - she was sure to correct that error for me!



Ann is wonderful and I highly recommend her!

I've been busy shopping and packing; I have almost all of the items from my list and most of it fits into one suitcase and the two backpacks, but not all. I am also worried about the weight limit so I will have to distribute the items accordingly; I still have to get one more suitcase, though, and then we should be all set.

I am waiting for our visas and then I have to get our paperwork in order. This past weekend I got my new computer up and running and have my oldest son, Justin, loading my camera and camcorder software on it today. He is also going to be labeling the cords and chargers so we can begin to pack up the laptop backpack. We will want to make sure everything is fully charged before we leave though.

Now, we just need to wait on our TA which will hopefully come in the next week and then we can book our plane tickets - WoooHooo!

Another Update on Jadyn...

I received an email from Ann at Red Thread last night and she has already received some information from the orphanage on Jadyn - we are getting so excited to travel so we can meet and hold this precious little child! They sent her three pictures; two of which we had already received, but here is another new one:



They also sent Ann the following information:

height :62cm
weight :7.5kg
head :42cm
chest :44cm
feet :9cm
teeth:8 (up4,down4)

Liu Bi (Jadyn) lives in Gui Yang !

I Googled some information on this city and found - Guiyang City, capital of Guizhou Province is located in the southwest of China, on the eastern side of the Yungui Plateau. It is said that in ancient times, Guiyang was surrounded by dense bamboo groves and was famous for producing a musical instrument known as a Zhu. Hence the city is known also as Zhu.

Guiyang is one of China's Spring Cities like Kunming . The climate is often mild and moist, neither extremely hot nor very cold. Spring, summer and autumn are the best seasons for visiting Guiyang.

Right now, the temperatures seem to be ranging from a low of 50 degrees at night to a high of about 80 degrees during the day.

Here are some more pictures from the city and province:

Guiyang City


Guizhou Minority Girls


Guizhou Local Traditional House


Skyline of the City

Wow! My head is spinning…

I have been busy trying to accomplish a lot of things in the last few days. I had to complete some paperwork so that they can begin Jadyn’s adoption paperwork in China. I have completed visa applications for Jerry and me (three times over). I have ordered a care package for Jadyn through Ann at Red Thread (love her!) and she has already requested updated information and pics for us through the orphanage, but she said that the orphanage is crazy slow so we are not sure how long it will take. I wrote a letter to Jadyn’s foster mother to send with the care package and Ann will translate that so I hope to get some of my questions answered. I did send a SASE so she could send a reply or maybe we will just receive it when we travel, we’ll see.

I have compiled my packing list (mostly going off of my cousin’s – thank you Anne! (CheeseinChina) and am trying to cross items off accordingly. Jerry and Justin are actually on a mad shopping trip today to get much of it done. I have been reading up on all of the travel tips that I can get my hands on – and, I just found out that there is a trade fair in China that begins on April 15! This is not good news for us unless we can be in and out of there by then. Now, I know why many of the flights are starting to fill up in early April. The costs for travel and accommodations will skyrocket due to the trade fair, if we are lucky enough to find any. Hopefully, our TA (travel assignment) will come next week and we can book our flights – please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Updated Information...

We received updated measurements and two updated pictures!!!

height: 62cm, weight: 7.5kg, head: 42cm, chest: 44cm. So she is just about 2 ft, and weighs about 16.5 lbs (note - this weight may be while fully clothed).

Here are the updated pictures from 2/8/10 - I believe the first picture is with her foster mother; this will be a treasured picture!

The Invisible Red Thread…

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." - Ancient Chinese Proverb

We received Jadyn’s translated medical report yesterday which included the meaning of her name – Chen, Liubi “jade” (Chen is the surname and Liubi is her first name) – we were so surprised to see that her Chinese name means Jade; we decided on the name Jadyn a little over three years ago!

Her full name will be Jadyn Liubi Sinjakovic

The report also stated that she has been in foster care since August 3, 2009. We are very happy to know this as she has most likely been receiving very good care and has been able to bond to a particular caretaker. It will be difficult for her to leave that caretaker to be placed with us and we are understanding and prepared for that transition.

The notes regarding her personality state that she likes to giggle, likes sound toys, especially drum bell, likes to be carried walking, likes music and dances with beats.

Everything appears to be healthy and we are preparing to send a care package to her and the foster family. Hopefully, we will receive an update on her in the near future!

Her Bedroom...

I know I've been away for a few days, but it has been a busy few days:) It was a painting marathon over the weekend because we both wanted to get Jadyn's room done. It felt so good to finally work on it and see it come together. Now, we just need our little girl!

I started painting on Friday night at 6 p.m. after we got back from our trip to Portage to pick up our referral packet. I went until midnight when I ran out of purple paint. It was a good thing that I ran out or I may have stayed up all night to get it done!

Saturday morning we ran a couple of errands and picked up more paint, then I got to work, with more of Justin's help, at around 1 p.m. and we worked until about 10:30 p.m. I only had one small section of a pink stripe left to complete on Sunday. Saturday night Jerry, Justin, and Brandon put together the crib, dollhouse bookshelf, vanity table and stool, hung the pictures, butterflies, and placed the applique (which you really can't see well above her crib) that reads "Such a Big Miracle in Such a Little Girl".

We had a great time working on the room; our two little guys, Ryan and Colin, even wanted to get in on the painting. They were determined to help with their sister's room! I have to get some new curtains since the bedding set only came with one valance and I bought it about 3 years ago, so I know I will not be able to find another valance. I think some shear curtains tied back would look nice, too!

Here are a couple of pictures; although, the colors are not really true to life:

Here She Is...

Name: CHEN LIU BI
Birthdate: 7/18/09
Currently residing at the SWI of Qiandongnan Region, Guizhou Province

Words do not describe the joy we feel; we are so in love with her already and can not wait to hold her in our arms!

We Have A Daughter!!!

OMG!!! I just got the call from our social worker and she confirmed that we have a daughter! The only other thing I know is her birthdate is 7/18/09 - she is only 6 1/2 months old!

Wow! I am totally shaking right now!!! It's a Happy Day!!!

A Little Information...

Jerry called the social worker this morning, who told him that the package had arrived at the agency in Minnesota, and there were five referrals received. However, she could not confirm that our referral was one of the five...SERIOUSLY???

I am on pins and needles right now!!!

Anyway, she said that she would probably be seeing us sometime today or tomorrow.

I know...that is not much information, but that's all I know for now. Hoping to hear more soon!

Thanks to all of you for your love, support and kind words of encouragement - we do appreciate it!

And Still We Wait...

I spoke to our social worker late yesterday afternoon and she didn't have any information to share with me. Apparently, the process goes something like this:

Minnesota agency receives packet - sends to our agency in Portage after translation - our social worker calls us when she has it in hand and says to come in and see our precious little one's face. Our agency is about an hour and a half away from where we live and I just started a new job a little over 5 months ago so I'd like to give them a little bit of notice that I will need time off and when. Jerry is a police officer and he just can't leave without coverage for his shift - I explained this to the social worker and she said that she would email the main agency in Minnesota to try to find out what they know so that we can prepare to take off of work to come to the agency and pick up the packet. THIS WAS YESTERDAY AT 4PM...I STILL HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HER!!!

A few more of my April buddies are getting their calls today which makes me so happy! Although, I know that there are still a couple of us waiting for news and it is getting more and more difficult with each passing day; we just continue to try to support one another.

Especially, since I haven't heard from my social worker to say that the agency in Minnesota even received the package yesterday via FedEx. That means, that it may not get to them until today's delivery, then they have to do their 'thing', and FedEx it to my agency in Portage (probably going out Thursday) which means it probably won't get to Portage until Friday- YIKES!!! I'm not sure I can hold on that long! I'm going to go bananas!!!

Still Waiting...

We are still waiting to hear something from our agency. I must say that it is getting difficult as I have seen many of my April buddies post their information - I am extremely happy for them, but a little bit of me has always had a fear that something would go wrong and we would be overlooked. That just seems to be the way the last 5 years have stretched out to be. I even called my social worker before Christmas to verify that our LID was in fact 4/4/06 - just to be sure - and she assured me that it was...so why am I feeling more nervous than excited???

I just want the darn phone to ring!!! Until I hear it from her that we have been matched I just can't let myself go there!

I'm trying to focus on work and it's probably a good thing that I am here today or I'd be going crazy at home!

Not so patiently waiting anymore....

Referrals Arriving in Europe...

Wow...things seem to be moving fast, but that is alright by me!

RQ just updated her blog to state:

February 1st, 2010
I have a report that referrals have landed in Europe.

I do not have reports from any U.S. agencies that they have something on the way. Normally, the U.S. agencies have checked by now and have let their families know whether a package is on the way, and when it is scheduled to arrive.

Now, we just have to wait for them to hit the U.S.

We've Been Matched!!!

According to the Rumor Queen website:

R5 – April 5th
February 1st, 2010

We’ve got seven agencies confirming the cut off date as April 5th. I believe that calls for an R5.

Congrats to those families included in this batch!!!


If you expect to be in this referral batch and you’d like to share your blog with us, please include blog name and blog URL in the comments to this post. Also, if you are in another program and would like to share your news, please share your blog URL and blog name in the comments.

I do not see any agencies saying when they expect referrals to arrive.

We are so very excited knowing that our daughter has been matched to our family! Now, the difficult part is waiting for that phone call!

Ring...Phone...Ring!!!

A Few More Rumors...

Well... According to the RQ site - A few agencies are starting to talk about referrals. One is saying they are “about to start matching”, another is saying they think referrals will arrive next week.

I’m not seeing anything that tells me agencies are hearing cut off information.

Amazingly, I have been very peaceful over the last couple of weeks; I've tried not to think about this too much. However, if I said it wasn't one of the first thoughts to cross my mind when I awoke I'd be lying and if I said I didn't think about it nearly 1,000 times a day, I'd be lying, but I haven't had that 'anxious' feeling.

After reading today's post though, I am starting to get a little excited - the thought that our paperwork will soon be in the hands of someone who will make the decision to match our daughter with our family seems a little surreal.

Here's keeping our fingers crossed that next week is the week...

No New Rumors...

Bummer...There are no rumors floating anywhere! This leads us to believe that it will definitely be early to mid February when we see our daughter's face, but we know that she will definitely be worth it!

Just a reminder that the CCAA will break for Spring Festival around February 12th so we estimate that this is the latest that they would ship the next batch of referrals. Until then, we will wait:)

Where is that stork????

How The Matching Room Works…

Well, since the CCAA will be looking at our file any day to match us with our daughter/sister, I thought it would be good to post some information on how the matching room works. This excerpt is from the Rumor Queen website and is written in her words:

First, they review the baby dossiers and make sure there are no issues with them. We are told that they then count up all of the baby dossiers that are eligible for matching that month and then look to see how far this stack will go in the parent dossiers without sending out a partial day, and they pull all of those parent files. That is the likely cut-off date. Sometimes something happens and they don’t get this far. Sometimes something happens and they get farther.

Next they match orphanages up with agencies. This orphanage has six babies, this agency has six families. These two orphanages are in the same province and have a total of 12 babies, this agency has 12 families. When they are through with this is when (I believe) some agencies start to get information about the cut-off date. Or at least it is when they used to start getting information.

And then they start matching individual babies to individual families. At some point during this part of the process most agencies used to hear from their person in the matching room to let them know how many referrals they will be receiving and from what province(s). Some agencies shared this information with their clients. Some chose not to. Recently I’ve gotten the feeling that many agencies are still getting this information but they are being given orders by the CCAA to not share this information with the families.

Just as in the review room, each matcher is assigned certain agencies and is responsible for communicating with their agencies. Some matchers tell their agency the cut-off date, some matchers tell their agency “you have X number of referrals arriving”, some matchers give their agency a list of that agency’s families that will be receiving a referral. And some matchers don’t say anything at all to their agencies.

The next question that comes up is generally how the matchers match families and babies. I’ve heard from several people who have had the opportunity to speak with someone who works in the matching room. The various conversations seem to all agree that they first look for something that stands out: a matching birthday, a baby who looks a lot like a parent, or a baby who likes music and a parent who teaches music. Several matching people have stated they match by bone structure of the baby’s face and the parent’s faces (this is why they need our passport photos, so they can compare our mug shot with the baby’s mug shot). Some have stated that they used Chinese astrology, also. Once they’ve matched the obvious matches they then start to look at things like age of child requested. The age requested is not a priority for them, they feel they are matching families and not filling orders. And I have to say that they’ve done a wonderful job matching us and our Big Girl, and now I trust they will do an excellent job matching us with her little sister.

Well, hopefully, that gives you some idea of how we will come to know the child that will become our daughter/sister. We are getting anxious now that our time is near and are eager to see any sign of matching rumors to be posted!!! Take care and we will be in touch!

One Last Curveball…

Well, we were thrown one last curveball on Christmas Eve when it was announced that China matched dossiers with Log In Dates through April 3, 2006. As you know by now, our LID is April 4, 2006 so we missed this batch by one day –

CCAA Status

Reviewed through:
February 29, 2008

Placed through:
April 3, 2006

That would have been one sweet Christmas gift, but after feeling a little disappointed we realized that it is all good since we know that we will be included in the next batch – yeah!

The one question remains as to when that next batch will arrive – for that answer we searched the Rumor Queen site yet again…

If we were to look purely at numbers then the soonest we’d expect to see referrals would be Friday, January 22, the latest would be Thursday, February 18, and the most likely date would be Monday, February 1. And most months that’s all we need to do for the When post, look at raw numbers. But not this month, this month there is more to consider. We need to take CNY into consideration.

If the CCAA is going to mail a batch on or around February 12, then that could possibly mean we aren’t likely to see another batch until somewhere around that date. But by the time they arrived that would be a 48 day interval. Could they do two 24 day intervals? It’s possible, sure. Should we hope for it? I think we should keep the possibility of both scenarios in mind and not get too attached to either. I think our best window in this case is that the next batch will arrive either around Wednesday, January 20 or Monday, February 15. (Give or take a few days, obviously). Unless the CCAA is no longer going to be concerned about clearing their desks before Spring Festival. Which, with a new director, is possible. But Spring Festival is a really big deal, and one of the important traditions around Spring Festival is cleaning up, so you come back to a new start.

Projections...

Well, as I stated in my last post, I felt fairly confident that we will be in the next batch of referrals – and now I feel even better after seeing the data on Rumor Queen’s website. As you know by now, our LID (log in date) is April 4th and she is predicting that the CCAA (China Center of Adoptive Affairs) will get through April 5th with the next batch of referrals – Woohoo!!!



The next big question is when??? Here is what Rumor Queen has to say about that –
The last 12 referral batches arrived at 37, 36, 18, 24, 39, 32, 47, 30, 32, 31, 52, and 51 day intervals.

The average is 36 days, and the median is 34 days. The shortest interval is 18 days and the longest is 52.

But, if we look at the last six months then the average is 44 and the median is 43.

We’re told the 52 day interval was because no one was in the office to sign referrals, and the 51 day interval was because of the change in directors. It occurs to me that the SN list was put out December 1st, and that the referrals were signed and mailed on the 1st as well. I realize the “they’ve used up their quota for the fiscal year and have to wait until December to issue any more” thing is just rumor, but with both programs being held back until December 1st, it does make one wonder.

Why is the reason these batches were held back important? Because we’re trying to figure out if we can expect the next batch to arrive in 30 days or in 50 days. If the reasons for the 47, 52, and 51 day batches are no longer an issue, then perhaps we can go back to shorter intervals. But, if those long batches are due to something else (another way to slow IA, or a slowing because of H1N1, or some other reason entirely) then it’s possible the longer intervals are here to stay. As usual, only time will tell.

Our window is now huge: Based on the last twelve months, referrals should arrive sometime between Monday, December 21 and Friday, January 29.

Based on the last six months the window isn’t as big, but I’m going with the last twelve months because I think we also have to consider Chinese New Year at this point in time. I think we need to remember that there is a possibility the CCAA is going to start looking at a time frame between now and then so they can get referrals out just before they leave for their holiday. Spring Festival is February 14, and I believe the official holiday is going to fall from February 13 to 19. If they are going to mail a batch on or near February 12 (not a sure thing, but a fairly good probability) then we have 73 days between December 1 and February 12. Divide that by two and the next mailing would be somewhere around Wednesday, January 6 (to arrive the 7th or 8th). If we divide it by three we get 24 days, which would put the next mailing somewhere around Christmas Day. So, are we going to get 24 day intervals, 36 day intervals, or one huge 73 day interval? I think it depends on the reason for the previous delays. Three approximate 24 day intervals are quite possible, but based on previous months we should probably hope for two approximate 36day intervals.

And to be clear – those two 36 days could turn into (for example) a 30 day and a 43 day – they likely will not divide them equally.

Normally I give a “most likely” date, but I’m not sure we can do that this month. If they were holding off until December because of the whole fiscal-year-ceiling-thing then it’s possible we will see the next batch come at the end of December. But if we’re seeing these longer intervals as the new norm then we’re more likely looking at the end of January.

We know the CCAA employees prefer to get referrals out before their new year so they come back to clean desks, but with a new director in place we don’t know for sure that this is what will happen.

An Update And….Are We Next????

China has now officially matched through March 31st 2006 – YEAH!!!

CCAA Status

Reviewed through:
February 29, 2008

Placed through:
March 31, 2006

Now, the big question is will they get through April 4th with the next batch? April 1st and 2nd are a Saturday and Sunday and they typically have minimal paperwork that is logged in on weekends. In fact, according to the polls on Rumor Queen, there are a total of 3 people logged in on those days (please keep in mind that this is only a snapshot of the adoptive community), but it provides a consistent analysis by which to estimate. April 3rd reflects 22 people and April 4th reflects 21 people. I honestly can not recall China only doing a one day batch of referrals so I do anticipate that they will get through April 4th with the next batch, but I say those words with the greatest amount of caution as nothing in this process has gone as expected.

We can anticipate the next batch to come sometime in the next 4 to 8 weeks. Until then, we will be keeping ourselves busy with the activities of the holiday season:) I have plenty of gifts to buy and wrap, cookies to bake, and decorating yet to do – especially in Jadyn’s room!

We will keep you all posted as we hear any news! Happy Holidays!!!