What's DTC? Is it Contagious???

We had a great time last Friday night celebrating our DTC status. Cake, party blowers, and confetti poppers were in order. Audrey was sick with strep and running a high fever so our plans to blast "China Girl" through the streets of Tucson will have to be postponed.















Since our DTC announcement last Friday, we have received lots of e-mails from family and friends asking questions about our adoption. Do we know who she is? Has she been born yet? What on Earth is DTC? Is it contagious??? All great questions!

For those of you who don't speak adoptionese, D.T.C. stands for "Dossier to China." Our dossier is all of the paperwork that we have been accumulating over the last 5+ months. DTC is such a momentous occasion because it means that our job is done-now we just sit back and wait!

We don't think that Meili has been born yet, but she could be born sometime very soon. It could be 10-12 months before we find out any information about our little girl. At that time, we will learn her Chinese name, her birthdate or estimated birth date, where she is at, and receive a few small photos along with a very brief medical history. We do not choose our daughter from a line-up. Instead, we are matched to her by a government agency in China. This 'match' along with the information that we will recieve about her is called a 'referral.' Don't worry, we'll make sure nobody misses it!