wait, TV

The wait continues.... There should be another batch of referrals coming by the end of next week or the first part of the week after (of course, this timing is just an estimate based on history).

Everyone (meaning all the adoptive parents waiting in the wings) is hoping that the CCAA at least gets up to 11/21/05 (11/22/05 is a huge day and there are a lot of dossiers logged in on that day so it is doubtful that this batch will include that date). I suspect they will get through 11/21 in August, then (maybe) a few days in September (I'm thinking maybe 11/22, 11/23, 11/24 (fingers crossed anyway)) and then hopefully I'm next (if they refer 11/25, 11/26, 11/27, 11/28, 11/29, 11/30) in the October referral batch.

Or-semi worst case scenario - they refer all the way up to 11/29 in the August, September and October batches which would mean I would miss it by one day and have to wait until November for my referral - which could mean I wouldn't actually go to China until January 2008 - now that would be a hoover (or should I say "Dyson" since they have much more powerful "suction" capabilities!!!! and here I admit, I am taking after my daughter as you will surmise if you read to the end of this post!)

No sense stressing about things out of my control. There are fees that are going up unfortnately (in addition to having to re-work documents due to expiration while I wait), the Chinese Visa is doubling from $50 to $100 per person effective August 1st. So that was a rush to get our pics taken (you think DMV and passport pictures are bad? I look 80 years old in my Visa pic!!!), fill out the paperwork, fed-ex it with money orders to my agencies travel department in order to get this before the fee increased. Now, I just need to get into China before Feb 2008 or I have to get another visa at the higher price. I can't imagine we wouldn't get there by then but this is the world of IA so its all guesswork and conjecture to say the least!

C: Mommy, what are you doing?
M: Cleaning the toilet.
C: Oh [while watching intently, practically putting her nose inside the bowl}
C: Theres stuff that has more power
M: What do you mean?
C: There's stuff that has more power mommy, lots of power!
M: [knowing where this is going but couldn't help but ask} What do you mean by more power honey?
C: On TV, there's stuff with a lot of power to help you clean the toilets!

Driving to the club one night
C: Mommy, there's this fat lady that lost a lot of weight!
M: Where? What do you mean?
C: POUNDS MOMMY! She LOST POUNDS, now she is SKINNY! [whenver I ask for an explanation she thinks I can't "hear" so ends up yelling at me]
M: What on earth are you talking about?
C: ON TV MOMMY!!!!

After picking her up from Grandmas house where Grandma was babysitting her and her cousin B.

C: I have a number we can call for this stuff mommy
M: What stuff?
C: This stuff that you can play with, I have a number
M: What do you mean?
C: A PHONE NUMBER!!!! B and I wrote it down!
[showing me this pc of paper with very large numbers written in 2 rows across the page - incidentally no dashes and not enough numbers but it did start with 800]
M: Oh...that's interesting...
C: We can't call but you can because you're over 18!
M: Oh yeah?
C: Yeah, can you call when we get home mommy?
M: Um, I guess so but what am I going to say when they answer?
C: You tell him you want that stuff that you play with that I saw on TV!
M: Well ok, but do you have to pay for it?
C: Um, I don't know....I think so, it said $19.99! It's $19.99 mommy!
M: Ok, do you have $19.99?
C: No
M: I guess we are going to have to wait until you have $19.99 then. Do you want to save that phone number?
C: Ok!

Since...we've been limiting the TV to 30 min a night....