First post

Hello!
This is my first post to our blog.
We are now in the waiting phase of our china adoption. Actually we are about 3 1/2 months into our wait. Yeah, I'm a little late getting started.
I will give you a quick timeline of our paperchase and wait up till now.
March 05
Applied and were accepted as potential parents by CCAI (an absolutely superb agency so far)
Both applied for passports (as you can tell we are not world travelers)
Filed I-600A with the USCIS
State police clearance and fingerprints
Mikes BC certified
Wait
April 05
Applied to Burlington United Methodist Family Services for our homestudy
Received our passports
USCIS fingerprints
Jill's physical
Wait
May 05
Home visit with Jennifer our social worker from Burlington
Home study completed
Mike's physical
June 05
Home study to USCIS
July 05
Received our I-171H!!
All documents notarized
All documents certified by the WV Secretary of State
Sent documents to be certified with the US Department of State
Wait
August 05
Received documents back from Dept of State
Documents authenticated at the Chinese Embassy
Documents to CCAI
Documents to China
Wait
September 12, 2005
Official LID!!!!!
Now the real wait begins.

Since Sept. 12 we have had Chinese food as a monthly celebration on the 12th of each month. (not to mention the numerous times in between)
When we began this journey, the wait was between 6 and 8 months. Since then the wait has increased to 9-10 months. We have no idea when to expect our girl. The CCAA, the China Center of Adoption Affairs, is the governing agency in China that is over adoptions and dictates all that goes on as far as adoptions are concerns. Either they or all adoption agencies are pretty tight liped about the increase in the wait time. No one really has a good explanation. The CCAA claims not enough "paper ready" babies...Whatever. Some of the government agencies have been changing locations in China. I'm hoping that once everyone gets moved and settled and Chinese New Year is over we'll get back to the shorter wait. Only time will tell. One way or another, our baby girl is waiting for us to come and get her and bring her home.
We love her so much already. We can't wait to see her face and know her name so we can give her one of our own.