What to Expect When You are Fifteen Months Pregnant

Wow! Fifteen months will be down January 13th. (Our paperwork was logged in in China on 10/13/05.) We are about to hit the 15 months "paper pregnancy" mark. I can't believe how much has happened since that day in February '05, when I called Jeff at work and told him that I thought that God was telling us it was time to adopt. Silly me, I thought that it would take about a year. Well, next month marks two years since I threw the kids in the trusty minivan and drove to Hand in Hand adoption agency to pick up our packet.

Now that I look back, I am glad that it took a little longer. I think that this has been, and will continue to be, an amazing life lesson for me. First of all, it has taught me unbelievable patience. I have never been a roll-with-the-punches-kinda-gal, but I have had to through this. Each month, when China sends referrals, and the line scoots up only a small bit, I go through a little grief, followed by a renewed sense of spirit.

Referrals were received last week, which means that the next ones should come in 3-4 weeks. The referrals covered log in dates (LIDs) through September 27, 2005. We are Oct. 13, and they have been doing app. 2 weeks each time, which will put us on the cusp for the next referrals. It will most likely be a day before or a day after us.

The excitement I had when we started this process is coming back...full speed ahead! I can't wait to see my daughter's face, to know where she is, and to learn when she was born. (I know that I will try to remember what we were all doing that day, and wonder if we had any sense of what an important day it was.) I have a million tears that I have kept close inside through the last fifteen months. I know that they will all come the moment we get THE CALL. I will keep everyone posted...please keep our little girl in your prayers. We love you all!!!