The Bella Moon Chronicles

Plan B

2009-07-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm having issues posting to blogspot so I'm switching over to a new blogging site. You can find us at www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site?ID=28141

We're in Beijing

2009-07-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

What a long night....but we are finally in China. We landed in Beijing at 4:00 am - almost an hour and a half early. So far we have five families here but more are expected later today and tomorrow.

We pretty much have a free day today to explore. We are meeting our group downstairs in just a few minutes. Tomorrow we go to Tianmen Square, Forbidden City, tour the Silk factory and check out some local restaurants. Our guide wants to make sure we have a true sense of China. How awesome is that?

I'll post more later.

Take care!

It's Travel Day !!!

2009-07-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks I've been working and stressing over packing. I've made about four trips to Babies-R-Us and Target over the past couple of days alone. Now, I am very glad to say that the bags are officially packed and zipped and ready. I've triple checked my list and I'm hoping and praying I didn't forget to add anything to it. Of course, at this point both bags weigh right at 40 pounds. The limit is 44 so if we had to make another stop by Target on the way out, we still have about four pounds per bag to spare :-)

Our flight doesn't leave until 9:15 tonight. We fly into LA where we have a two hour layover. From there it's a 12 hour and 40 minute straight shot to Beijing. We are scheduled to arrive at 5:20 am Thursday morning. We'll be in Beijing until Sunday. While we are there we'll get to do a few tours which we are looking forward to. Sunday we fly to Chongqing. In my last post I said we would be getting Ella Sunday but the final itinerary has us picking her up Monday afternoon.

For now, I'm waiting on Rob to get home and trying my best not to take a nap. I took the day off to finish up the packing and getting the house ready for my sis-in-law who is house / dog / cat / fish sitting for us. It all started about 5:00 am and considering the fact neither one of us got a good nights sleep I'm having a hard time keeping the eyes open. Just one more hour before we leave. Guess I should find something else to keep me busy.

A great big THANK YOU

2009-07-28T13:12:00.001-07:00

I have to give a great big THANK YOU to my girls at Pacesetter. They threw the shower of all showers for us last week and I can't even begin to imagine how much hard work went it to it all. Thanks guys....love you all and will miss you while we are gone.

I also want to thank all of my PSSI family. Thanks for the gifts, support and never ending advice you have all given me.

Shower Pics

2009-07-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Travel Plans

2009-07-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

This will be short, sweet and to the point because I'm mentally tired and need to get to bed.

We found out this morning that our consulate appointment has been confirmed so we were able to officially make our travel arrangements to head to China. We fly out Tuesday, July 28th to Beijing. We get there early on the 29th. The next couple of days will be spent getting acclimated to the time difference and doing some sight seeing. Then we'll fly to Chongqing City Sunday August 2nd which happens to be the day we finally meet Ella. The rest of the trip will be spent finalizing the adoption and bonding with our little girl. Our flight home lands around 6:20 am on August 13th.

Interesting little tidbit...I listed August 2nd as Ella's arrival date on one of our registries.

Man...the past couple of weeks have flown by

2009-07-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Where in the world have the past couple of weeks gone? I've been so busy that it's making things fly by (thank goodness). Since my last post, we have received more background information about Ella along with her latest measurements. She is now 27 " tall, 17 pounds. This puts her in the 25 - 50 percentile in height and 10 - 25 percentile in weight. So, she's a tiny little thing. I would have never guessed it considering her pictures. BTW... one cool little tidbit... her latest measurements were recorded on my birthday.

We've spent lots of time with family and friends over the past couple of weeks. My entire family was together for the Fourth of July weekend. Rob's cousin and her girls (who I adore) are visiting and we've been able to spend some time with them. We've also had friends in from Dublin who have a seven month old. What a lot of fun and a eye opener. Have to say that little girl can steal any one's heart with her little smile.

I have to give a great big THANK YOU to Susan, Dianne and Emily for throwing a baby shower for us last Sunday. Being the center of attention has never been something that I enjoy, but it was so much fun opening all the great gifts from so many people that are just about as excited as we are to bring Ella home.

The only paperwork required over the past week or so dealt with applying for visas. It was a little nerve wracking but we received them within a week. I'm sure Rob is ready for the stress of it all to be done. I've apparently been talking in my sleep lately. Last night it was something to the effect of "but I thought I sent those documents". I actually woke up Wednesday morning and decided I needed to take the day off to ease some of my stress. I spent the day shopping for the trip and buying clothes for Ella. I slept a little better Wednesday night :-)

Now for the latest and greatest news so far....We received our travel approval from China. The last major hurdle has been conquered!! Our agency has requested a consulate appointment for us and hopes to have us traveling to China the last week of July. So, in about a week and a half we should be on our way!! I'll post more as soon as things are finalized.

I wonder what I'll dream about tonight????

Just trying to get ready

2009-07-02T18:47:00.001-07:00

Goodness Gracious it's been a crazy couple of weeks.

A couple of days after we received our referral we received the next travel packet from our agency. Included in it was a list of documents that needed to be signed, notarized and sent back to them ASAP. It also included a list of other things that needed to be done like contact the NVC (National Visa Center) to make sure USCIS sent our case to them. So...I called NVC and found out they did not have a record of our case. Wow...not exactly what I expected to hear. Needless to say, CCAI (our agency) received a call. I was told that sometimes it's better to email NVC so I did and for good measure I attached a copy of the I-797 (our governments formal approval for us to adopt which explicitly stated that the documents were sent to the NVC). The good thing is it didn't take long for them to respond. The bad thing is they still said they didn't have a record of our case.

The next step...a phone call to USCIS. Apparently the rep on the other end of the line was trained to read word for word the documentation in front of her in a very monotone voice (gotta love government). In that very monotone reading I was told that I would need to email the local office of the USCIS. Fortunately, she was able to get the address for me.

So...I email the local office attaching the I-797 (again for good measure). In this email I explained how anxious we were to make sure all the paperwork was in order before we leave. I also asked that they send the appropriate paperwork to the NVC. Believe it or not, I received a response within a couple of hours. A very pleasant surprise. The response was "We did mail the I-600A packet to the NVC on March 5, 2009. It was never returned to our office as undeliverable. Have you contacted the consulate?"

You know, I usually consider myself a fairly patient person but this just about sent me over the edge. Have I contacted the consulate? Are you kidding? Come on!! How about just resubmitting the paperwork. How hard could that possibly be?

OK...deep breathes. Being ugly in a reply isn't going to get us anywhere. Instead I politely replied and said I wouldn't know how to get in touch with the consulate or who I would talk to. I then asked if he had any suggestions. That was about 3:30 this afternoon. I didn't receive a reply and considering the holiday probably won't hear anything until next week.

On a lighter note, for months we've been holding off on buying anything for Ella because we just didn't know how old she would be or how big. And considering the baby showers that are being planned by both family and friends I had to take the time and register. I'm really surprised at how overwhelmed I was. Thank goodness for my friend Cindy. She isn't too far removed from having to deal with a baby and the things that make life easier. She, along with my niece, Ali, made the whole process a little easier. I really don't like being the center of attention, but I'm really looking forward to the showers. It does my heart good to share this experience with the people who have been waiting with us.

New pictures

2009-06-23T17:27:00.001-07:00

We received a couple of new photos of Ella today. How could anyone not fall immediately in love with this little girl?

Introducing Ella Addison Moon

2009-06-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to introduce our daughter, Ella Addison Moon (FINALLY)!!!!!

She was born September 20, 2008 (9 months old) and has been cared for by the Chengxiang Social Welfare Institute since she was about five days old. She is in excellent health, loves to listen to music and play outside. At the time of her exam approximately 3 months ago she was 15 Lbs, 26 inches.

Words can not begin to express how blessed we feel. It's finally starting to feel real.

The next step...wait for travel approval from China which usually takes about 3 - 4 weeks. According to our agency we should be in China within five to seven weeks. Of course, we're ready to kiss those cheeks NOW!!

Today is referral day and I'm a nervous wreck

2009-06-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

The day is finally here. Rob and I aren't waiting around for a phone call this time. We're actually headed to our agency to pick up our referral this afteroon at 1:00. I trully can't believe it's actually happening and I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest. My hands are shaking, my mind is going a hundred miles an hour and my real want of seeing her face for the first time is consuming me.

Sleeping last night was a joke. But, at some point I must have been sleeping because I had a dream. In that dream I walked into work this morning and was immediately bombarded by people needing help. By the time I had a chance to look at the clock it was 12:45 and I was still surrounded. I had to wade through everyone yelling that it was time for me to leave. Like I said...I'm a nervous wreck.

Just six more hours and we'll know. We'll know the name she was given by the orphanage, how old she is and where she is right now. We'll find out if she's been in an orphanage or was lucky enough to have foster care. We'll get general information about her health and find out how tall she is and how much she weighs. And, most important, we'll get to see her face for the very first time.

I know we have a lot of people who have been waiting with us that anxious to know about her. So, as soon I can I'll post all of this information. In the meantime, say a little prayer for Ella please so that she is well taken care of until we can bring her home.

So Close...

2009-06-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

New update from CCAI:

6/19/2009

Matches Arrived!!!

We just received a group of matches today! The CCAA matched our families with log in dates of March 15, 2006! We also received matches for our expedited families due to Chinese Descent who were logged in through April 10, 2007! At this time, the CCAA has not updated their intranet website, so we do not know the official cut off date.

Congratulations to all of our families who were matched in this group! We are excited to be calling these families on Monday!

Can we really last through the weekend????

Deep Breathes

2009-06-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

Referrals have arrived in Europe!!! We're getting closer :-) Just have to remember to breath now. How am I supposed to concentrate long enough to get anything done at work?

Pins and Needles

2009-06-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

OMG....I'm on pins and needles. From CCAI's site:

6/17/2009

Matches Completed!

We have learned the CCAA has completed the next group of matches. We do not know the cut off date for the next set of matches at this time. We do hope the CCAA mails matches soon!

I spoke with my agency this afternoon and was told that as soon as they receive the package and have time to translate everything they'll begin calling. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll hear from them by the end of the week but I have a feeling it may be the beginning of next.

Please CCAA, send those referrals already!!!

Nothing Yet

2009-06-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, June 5th and we have no news yet. So much for CCAA getting back to sending referrals at the beginning of each month. At this point I'm guessing it will be another couple of weeks. Anything before that would be awesome but I'm not getting my hopes up. As soon as we start hearing any rumblings I'll let everyone know.

Finally...another set of referrals.

2009-05-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

After waiting 48 days (dang you Swine Flu) CCAA has finally mailed the next set of referrals. They include those logged in between March 9, 2006 and March 14, 2006. This officially makes us NEXT. That’s right….NEXT!!!!! I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am. It’s like there’s the great big bubble ready to burst around my heart. I know as soon as it does there better be a whole box of tissue ready.

Now the question is when. Will CCAA try to get back on track with sending referrals at the beginning of the month or will we have to wait another month? All I know is I’m ready NOW!!

A Letter to Family and Friends

2009-04-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

As we prepare for the arrival of our daughter, we have learned that while decorating the nursery and stocking up on baby essentials is important, even more important is the emotional health of our baby. In her short life, Ella will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle. Imagine how much harder the changes will be for her. While she may not consciously remember the events, she will still experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma. She's already experienced the loss of a birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers as well as the sights, smells, and language of her birth country. Her world will turn upside down. She will struggle with feeling safe and secure and may lack the ability to trust that we will meet her needs.

We have prepared to meet Ella's emotional needs so that she does learn that we will always take care of her and we will always keep her safe. We need your support. In order to form a strong and healthy attachment we will allow her to regress so that she has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with us despite her chronological age. Although it may appear that we are spoiling her, we have been advised that it is best that we meet every need quickly and consistently. Until she has learned that we are her parents, we will need to be her primary caretakers at all times. It is essential that we always hold her, feed her, and do all of the nurturing. You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child. We will follow Ella's lead and trust our instincts as her parents rather than worry about what society expects.

We have all been waiting anxiously for our daughter to arrive but she has not been waiting for us. She may show her grief and confusion in many ways and we are prepared to help her through it and prove that we are a forever family and this truly is her last stop. We trust that as our family and friends you will help us to do what is best for our daughter, and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,
Rob and Laura

Finally....a name.

2009-04-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

We've finally made a decision on a name and we're sticking to it this time. After all, the writing on the wall makes it official. Ella Addison Moon....I can't wait to meet you. And I can't wait to tuck you in safe and secure in your room. We finally finished it last week. Hoping you have many sweet dreams here.

Status Update - We're getting closer

2009-04-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

The last set of referrals arrived a couple of weeks ago and they got through two more log in dates. Families logged in on March 7th and 8th of 2006 were included. Believe it or not, I was a little shocked they actually got through two days considering the 7th was considered a pretty large day. So, now there are only 7 more log in dates to get through (two of which are weekend dates. Considering this along with the poll numbers we're guessing we'll get referral in early June. Yep....just about six more weeks before we possibly see our little girl for the first time. And just another five to eight weeks after that we'll be on our way to China to bring her home. Excitement doesn't even begin to cover how we are feeling right now.

Committed

2009-01-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Every year the people of China celebrate Chinese New Year and every year (or at least in the three that I've been tracking it) CCAA has done their best to send out a set of referrals before they leave to spend time with their families and friends. This year was no different. While I am extremely grateful they matched more families I can't help but be a little disappointed as well. You see, on average CCAA has referred approximately five log in dates per referral period (every 30 days or so). This time they matched only 2 days. It’s not just the two days that’s disappointing. It’s the number of people. Based on poll results (which I’ve also been following for three years), over the past six months, CCAA has matched between 60 and 80 families. 24 were matched with this referral batch.

I’ve had my ups and downs with this wait and I’ve really tried to think positive. After all, it’s not like we are the only people on this crazy ride. And, it’s not like we can do anything about it. We’ve been committed to this process from the beginning. We will continue to be committed until we bring baby moon home…no matter how many ups and downs of this sometimes heart breaking process we have to go through.

Patience

2009-01-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

There is official word that CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) has begun the matching process for the next set of referrals. In the next week or so families who have been waiting for almost three years will finally see a picture of their baby's face. Think about that....three years. In that time some of their friends and family members have had at least one baby. They've been to baby showers with smiles on their faces while in the back of their minds (or sometimes right up front) they were thinking about the day it would be their turn. They've listened to the daily joys and challenges their friends have faced as parents and wondered how they'll handle being a parent. Three years of wondering and waiting. If that isn't a test of patience I don't know what is. And now they are on pins and needles waiting for referrals to arrive. And we are one step closer.

Procrastinate Much???

2009-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Almost two years ago we received the official "travel" CD from our adoption agency, CCAI. At that time we still thought we were going to be traveling a year and a half ago. Anyway, we finally watched it tonight. This was prompted by the receipt of the "Pre-Placement Packet" we received yesterday. Of course, the packet suggested we revisit the CD (nothing like a little procrastination right?) It's all beginning to seem real again.

So, now I'm diving deep into what needs to be done ahead of time. Researching strollers and car seats. Figuring out what we need to bring with us to China (gifts for the caregivers and government officials, medication for us and the baby...). Baby proofing this home of ours. And the list just keeps getting longer. We've had three years to think about this. No more procrastinating. It's time to get to work and I couldn't be happier.

A New Year has Begun

2009-01-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

The new year has begun and we are still waiting. Waiting on CCAA to get through all the dossiers that arrived before ours, matching deserving families with precious children. The good news is they have officially matched families whose dossiers were logged in up to February 28, 2006. Our log in date (LID) is March 15, 2006. CCAA has been averaging approximately 5 log in dates per month so the light at the end of the tunnel is getting a lot brighter.

Today my mil, sil and I went shopping for Baby Moon for the first time and it made me realize how much I have to accomplish before we actually travel. A to do list is definitely in order but where do I start? I guess finishing her room might be a good place. We have a good start. I actually painted it over a year ago. But, knowing me, I'll probably change it again by the time it's all said and done.

Celebrating milestones in Costa Rica

2008-09-07T08:33:00.001-07:00

2008 was supposed to be the year that we finally added a little one to our family. Since this obviously isn't going to happen this year, we decided it would be a great time to celebrate other miletsones by taking a trip. On June 6th we marked our 10 year anniversary. On July 6th I hit my big 4-0. To celebrate both, we spent some time in Costa Rica with my family. What a beautiful place. We stayed at the Hotel Diria which is right on the beach in Tamarindo and absolutely gorgeous.

Tootie (my sister, a/k/a Juanell), Rob and I arrived in San Jose Thursday afternoon and began our four hour drive to Tamarindo through the mountains and farm lands. This was an adventure in itself given the main roads are two lanes and drivers tend to take road rules as suggestions only. Of course, it didn't take long to get the hang of things. We arrived in Tamarindo after dark, tired and really hungry so decided to grab a bite at the hotel restaurant and call it a night.

Friday morning we wake up and make our way to the restaurant for breakfast. Words can't describe how beautiful and relaxing the setting is at the Diria. The restaurant is open air so you sit back and take in the views of the water and mountains around you while eating a light breakfast if are up really early or a fantastic breakfast buffet in you are able to sleep in. Being the early risers we are, we ate the light breakfast of fresh fruit and toast and then took a walk on the beach.

Dad and Laura (a/k/a Nana) were scheduled to land around noon at the Liberia Airport which was about an hour away. My brother, Rob was scheduled to land around 7:00 that evening at the same airport. To kill time between arrivals, Dad, Nana, Tootie, my Rob and I ate lunch and took a very bumpy ride to a waterfall.

The rest of our trip was spent gliding through the trees, riding horses on the beach and spending extreme quality time with family. I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate.

2008-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is my first post on our new blog. The whole purpose of creating this is to keep family and friends up-to-date on our adoption process. I guess the best place to start is explaining how we got here.

Rob and I have been married for ten years now. The first seven of those years we tried desperately to get pregnant which actually did happen twice but we lost both. In 2005 we made the decision that it was time to start looking at other alternatives to building our family. After a lot of research we decided to apply to adopt from China. At the time, the process was supposed to take six to eight months from the time our dossier was received by CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs). Now, almost three years after we began this process, we are still waiting. The light at the end of this long tunnel is getting brighter so we decided it was time to get things ready to share.