No definite travel plans yet...

Thank you for all of the well wishes and support, everyone. We know many of you have been wondering about travel--as have we! We do not know our departure date yet and will, most likely, not know until the week prior to leaving. (Yea...so much for planning) We are hoping for a mid-May departure and will share our news as soon as we receive official word. Oh, and for those dog lovers out there worrying about Gruzin during our absence--thank you. We promise he'll be well cared for (aka spoiled) when we're in China; we've roped family into doggie/house sitting. : ) (Thank you, family!)

The Importance of a Name

We'd love to share more details about our daughter, including her full name! In mid-October, 2009, a kind person found a newborn and brought her to Zhang Shu Social Welfare Institute in Zhang Shu (Jiangxi Provence, China). The caretakers at the SWI named our daughter "Zhang Man Chang". The family name (what we would call the last name) is Zhang (pronounced "Jawng") because she is the child of the city. "Man" means "full" and "Chang" means "prosperous". This very moment, her caregivers are calling her "Man Chang" (pronounced "mawn chawng"). This very moment her caregivers are calling her "Man Chang" (pronounced "mawn.............. chawng")................................................................................................................... .........We created our daughter's name from the joy we know she'll bring into our lives and from the energy we feel from the gift of each new day. EMMAXIA=Emma (universal or whole)+XIA (glow of the sunrise/sunset or summer)--pronounced "emma-see-ah". We will keep her given name as her middle name to honor the first step of her life's journey and to accept the wish of her caregivers--that she thrive and prosper...CHANG. ................. .........................................................................................EMMAXIA CHANG ROCKWEIT, We are honored to be your parents and send you all of our love until we are able to wrap you in our arms and tell you, "You are home; you are safe; you are loved."

It's A Beautiful Girl

Our minds are whirling with little tidbits of info on our daughter. Born in October, laughs out loud, can be obstinate at times (how cool is that), loves to play and her whole body shakes when she is happy (how cool is that). In general, she shows healthy signs of development and is a regular pooper (how cool is that). It's been 3 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and one day, so, without any further delay, it is with great joy that we introduce our daughter...

Emmaxia Rockweit

How cool is that!!

No news...

We're told not to expect a call today (Friday, April 2). Boo. Our agency's courier service said it has no packages to deliver today. What a long week--with our phones never out of reach and our hearts skipping a beat with every ring. Oh well, the weekend of spring cleaning, yard work, and Easter with family will be wonderful. Thanks for watching the blog closely, everyone! Take a break, but tune in early next week! : )

Soon...very soon!

The word on the street is a cut-off date of April 17th (which means the next referral group is expected to match families with a LID of at least April 17th, 2006). Today's news basically confirms that we will, indeed, be in the next group of referrals! Lately, the trend has been to see referrals in the mail one-three days after the rumors started. Is it possible? Could we really see BabyRock's face this week?! Crazy!

Still waiting...and planning and waiting and planning...

We owe you an apology. We suggested you stalk us; we said we'd post often; then, we give you nothing for nearly two weeks! We are here. We are here. WE ARE HERE! (Had to throw in a little "Horton Hears a Who") We have not heard even a whisper of a rumor, but that happened last month too--nothing and then, without warning, we hear referrals are in the mail! We are hoping to hear by the end of next week although our agency is suggesting the week after. (Our prediction is Friday, April 2nd--Tara's dad's birthday. How cool would that be?!) We are so close now. Actually, it doesn't seem real. We've been waiting for so long, not knowing how much longer and constantly being disappointed by the reality of the wait. We may just have to wait to see Baby Rock's face before we believe this is finally happening. Wow--we are going to see our baby's face in the very near future...okay, maybe it's sinking in a little bit now. Thanks for your continued support and the heal clicking! We will post again soon...promise. : )

No News Yet

Our main source is killing time just as we are--so we continue the nesting process. We've nearly finished BabyRock's room now and finally organized the stacks of paperwork from this entire process. So, we're on schedule with our pre-referral checklist (according to Todd). Not bad for a few days, even with a nasty stomach flu interruption and the distraction of 60 degree weather! We are still anticipating news by the end of March or early April. Thank you, all, for your continued support! We hope you realize how much it means to us! (Please continue to follow the blog for updates. We look forward to posting the first pictures we receive of our little one and will continue to use this blog to share text and pictures once in China!)

Officially nesting!

Today is all about baby prepping! Yes, after four+ years of waiting, we still have a lot to do. After devoting two hours to creating our three master lists--until the referral, after receiving the referral, and after receiving our travel arrangements--we are good to go! Today is all about "making room for baby"; Good Will is going to have to clear a few shelves for us! We've also decided to update this blog more often since so many of our wonderful family and friends are stalking now (thanks!). Well, we've just accomplished one list item with this post; clearly, this is going to be a very productive day!

Congratulations to the new forever families!

Families are receiving referrals through April 11th! We are so excited for the many friends we've made through Chinaadopttalk.com and continue to keep those who have not yet received "the call" in our thoughts. What does this mean for us? Well...are you sitting down? We believe we'll be next! (April 12th's numbers are a bit large, but the 13th and 14th are small; the three days combined are about 2/3 of this group's numbers.) Thank you for all of the clicking heels, everyone! It seems to be working!

Holy Cats!

We've just learned that CCAA mailed referrals today. The rumors suggest April 11th or the 12th as a cut off day! We won't know the cut off until the referrals arrive next week, but we are elated either way! We think we'll be in the next group! Yea, you read correctly--THE NEXT GROUP!!

Our predictions

For a long time now, we've avoided making predictions--just too frustrating to be wrong... Now, though, we are close enough to make some guesses, so here it goes!

Feelin' Optimistic! LID April 6-11 (8th and 9th fall on a weekend)...March referral group, April 12-14...April referral group, April 14--That's us!!

Feelin' a Little Less Optimistic LID April 6-7...March referral group, April 10-11...April referral group, April 12-14...May referral group (That's us!!)

Okay, everyone, we need your positive vibes. Maybe if we all

click our heels at the same time...

One, Two, Three--

CLICK and WISH!

Referrals through the 5th!

Congratulations to those with families with LID of 4-4-06 and 4-5-06!

Quick Update

Another delivery of referrals arrived at the end of December. While this is certainly good news, we were a little disappointed because the referral group only included one day (April 3, 2006 LID). This was not the "speed up" we'd hoped to see, but, as long as we continue to see movement, we are pleased. Only 8 LIDs until ours! Thank you, all, for your continued support!

Happy New Year!

Tiny hearts--that’s what we made to celebrate the end of a decade. Chinese dim sum, small appetizer "hearts", a practice run for a future tradition, the very act nodded to our unspoken chatter... Yet, for an afternoon of preparation and an evening of indulgence, we didn’t think about the challenges of 2009; we didn’t send hopeful wishes to the universe for 2010. For one day, we simply cooked together, created together, enjoyed together. We tasted the tiny hearts and savored the champagne moment. Wishing you all a very happy new year!

Referrals arriving--March '06 finished!

March is finished--finally! We just learned that CCAA has matched children with families through LID 3-31-06. What a long wait, but we finally made it to April! Yeehaw! What does this mean? Well, only 9 LIDs are before ours! (Remember that CCAA doesn't log in families on weekends; the next log in is April 3, 2006. Our LID is 4-14-06.) We still don't know what this means for our wait, but, remember, March's numbers were huge--much bigger than April's. We obviously will not receive a referral for Christmas as we'd hoped, but at least we can celebrate the holidays knowing that CCAA has started matching again and that we continue to move closer to Baby Rock. Thank you, all, for your support and for keeping Baby Rock in your thoughts this holiday season. Wait, Hope, Dream, Repeat.

No news...

We have no news, no sign of more referrals in the near future...no explanation of this new delay. Some speculate that CCAA is waiting to sign referrals until after the H1N1 runs its course. We don't care to share the other rumors as they are quite negative--too devastating to consider, actually. Therefore, we are assuming that the delay is purposeful, designed to protect the children waiting in the orphanages. As sad as we are, we hold on to the hope and the belief that our little angel is being kept safe, protected from exposure to the virus harming so many. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of our many gifts. We are grateful for those who care for the waiting children, and we are humbled by the love in our lives. Wishing you all good health, time with people who make you smile, and a close connection to the joy of the season...

Update

We promised to share news as soon as we had any... Families finally received referrals yesterday after a 2 week delay (Chinese holiday). Unfortunately, March 29th was not included in the group as we had hoped and been led to believe (only LIDs of 3-27 and 3-28-06). We also do not know if we'll see another round of referrals this month or if CCAA, in effect, skipped a month. (This recent group should have received referrals in September.) I am reminded of a quotation shared by a wonderful friend--"To find joy in another's joy is the secret of happiness." Today, we offer our sincerest congratulations to families who are finally united, and, until it is our turn, we wait, hope, dream, repeat.

Tara's "Good and Good for You" Pick for September

ZUCCHINI BREAD is a fall favorite. This recipe is not all that clever, really, but it always receives great reviews. I simply start with Betty Crocker's recipe and add a few twists. Here it is...3 c. shredded zucchini, 1 2/3 c. sugar, 2/3 c. veg. oil, 2 t. vanilla (I use more), 4 eggs, 3c. flour, 2t. baking soda, 1 t. salt, 1 t. cinnamon (I use more.), 1/2 t. ground cloves and 1/2 t. baking powder. Now, for the GOOD FOR YOU part... I use whole wheat flour instead of white; try at least half and half if all ww makes you nervous. Instead of eggs, I use egg beaters or a combo of 2 to 1 egg whites to whole eggs. I set the oil aside for applesauce. (Using all applesauce does result in a heavier bread, but going 50/50 works really well.) Oh, I've also used honey and brown sugar in place of or in combination with white. Combine all wet ingredients; then, stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into 2 loaf pans (bottoms sprayed). Sprinkle the top of each with cinnamon/sugar mix and bake at 350 for 50-60 minuts. I hope you give it a try; I'd love to hear if anyone finds new ways to improve this fall favorite! Be sure to make an extra loaf for the freezer; I have a yummy "day after Thanksgiving" sandwich that will make hiding a stash of turkey and cranberries part of your holiday tradition. Mom and RJ, this is for you!

Rumors starting...

We're hearing rumors of referrals including March 29, 2006. This is good news because the numbers for LID 3-27 to 3-29 are huge, and, if you've been following the last few months, you know that we've seen one and two day batches for a while. We'll take a three day group! Now, we, of course, were hoping that this would be the last of the March referrals because we believe getting to our LID will only take two months once we get through March 06. (Yea...so we already started thinking we could receive a referral by Thanksgiving.) A five day group (3-27 through 3-31) is probably too much to hope for at this point, unfortunately. Oh well, this three day group still keeps us in line with the predicted December 2009 referral for us. We can see the light!

We're on the prediction chart!

Rumor Queen's most recent information predicts April 14, 2006 (OUR LID!) referrals for December 2009! We know we've been hopeful...then disappointed before but this woman is accurate. We really believe we could at least have a picture of Baby Rock for Christmas! Can you imagine...after all this time? Oh my...four years of Christmas gifts waiting in a box...could this be the year?