Hatching a Plan...

Have you ever noticed about life that things seem to happen when you are least prepared for them or when you least expect them or when it would be the least convenient? For example, if you go shopping and don't have a dime to spend, you will find a thousand things that you would be perfectly happy taking home with you. On the other hand, if you go shopping with cash in your pocket and really want to buy some new outfits either everything will be ugly or won't fit.

I tested this theory on life out once when I was a teenager. I was getting ready for school in the morning to find that I was out of hairspray. It was aerosol and I was too young to be concerned with the environment. However, the prospect of going to school with flat hair (it was the 80's mind you) was worse than a global catastrophe. I had noticed before that if you tilted the can a certain way you could sometimes get one last spray out so I proceed to contort every way possible in an effort to get the perfect 'claw' bangs before heading out the door to no avail. Then, I had an idea. I said to myself, 'I'll bet if I aimed the hairspray at my open eye, I would get hairspray out on the first try.' That was a VERY painful way to prove my theory.

So, with that in mind, here is the plan for ensuring that the China adoption referral process will speed up:

STEP 1: Set aside no vacation time in 2007 for China travel or bonding/attachment once returning home. Last year, we declined an invitation to our annual block trip to Mexico. (Sounds so exotic when we are in fact only 60 miles from the border!) The trip was in October during the kids' Fall break. We didn't reserve a condo because we were SURE that we would either be in China or just returning from China with Meili. Boy did we feel like IDIOTS when October rolled around and we sat around staring at each other for a week. We have already contacted the condo owners to make a reservation for next year so the likelihood of October travel to China has already increased dramatically. For good measure we also filled in as many days on the vacation calendar as Matt has coming to him. Last year he left 2 weeks 'floating' just in case. Not this year. We are hatching a plan!!!

STEP 2: Let's talk finances. I am willing to bet my right arm, or maybe the left that if we spent every dime that we have squirreled away for the impending adoption expenses we would receive a referral so quickly that we would not be able to put the money back in time. This idea tempts me almost daily.

STEP 3: Don't buy anything for the baby-not one wipe!!! Don't compile a packing list. Don't even bother getting your travel vaccinations. The hep series takes 6 months so if you start the series, you are ensuring that your referral is at least 6 months away no matter what your LID is. Don't read any books on adoption, attachment or bonding. It seems to me that the wait seems to increase exponentially the more research I do. I'm still working out the kinks on the rest of my plan.

So, are you with me???