Welcome to My First Blog

Okay, in the world of international adoption where so much is out of my control, I decided today to take on the blog and at least get something off my "to do" list. I wish I could say that the whole blog will be up and running shortly but that would be a lie. My poor friend Chris is going to have to help me figure this and downloading pictures out well before that happens.

So, I will just introduce myself. I live in Chicago and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first child. I am adopting a baby from China and don't know any specifics at the moment except that I hope to have her referral by March or so. I started this adventure in June of 2004 so it seems like a long wait at the moment. Here's my timeline in case you are interested:

June 2004 Accepted by Adoption Agency
January 2005 Started my Paperwork, Homestudy, Fingerprints, Government Approvals
March 2005 Documents completed and sent to Adoption Agency in Texas
April 2005 Documents sent to China
May 2005 Documents "logged in" by Chinese Government
Referral???

I am just working on her room at the moment with a great deal of help from my parents and the artwork produced by my nephew Sean. My Dad will spend some of Thanksgiving Day putting together the crib and dresser. Hopefully we survive this part! I don't know yet how old my daughter will be but I do know her name. She will be Marcella "Ella" Lin. She will be named after my maternal grandmother and my mother.

Thanks for joining me. I am sure that in the coming months (and on our trip with Uncle Rob) we will be able to keep you plenty entertained!