Projections
Let’s talk about measurements for just a bit. By definition, a measure needs to be something that is the same and does not move around. This is so when you are making comparisons you can be sure of the comparisons. Being told something is “10 hands high” doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how big the person’s hands are. Sure, you can get a rough idea, but if what you are looking at is 9 of your hands, then you have no way of knowing if this thing that you are told is “10 hands” is taller or shorter than your own 9 hands.
That’s why “feet” eventually became standardized. That’s why we have the standardized units of measure that we now have, we can measure in inches or centimeters and email measurements to someone and they’ll know exactly how big the thing you are describing to them is.
The same goes with my Horrid/Bad/Mid/Good scenarios. I realize it has been a long time since we had what is now called a Good Case Scenario, but if we completely do away with it then we’ll lose that unit of measure, that benchmark. And, worse, if I rename the “mid case” and call it the “good case”, well, that’s just bad record keeping.
I do want people to have an idea of how previous months have gone. That’s what this first graphic is designed to show. It doesn’t go back farther because in June of 2007 I settled on some numbers to use and have used them consistently. As I said last month, I’ve tweaked those numbers so that the new poll should fall within the same benchmarks.
Also, for those who want to look at raw numbers, here is the size (in poll numbers) of the previous batches and this batch. This graphic does go back before June of 2007 so you can get an idea of the size of previous batches.
And finally, here are my projections:
And to end this with my standard disclaimer: As always, projections are based on the CCAA continuing to do what they have been doing. There is nothing to say they will follow their recent behavior. They could choose to do a lot less, or a lot more.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Thanks for the number crunching, RQ. Just a quick question. On the first chart, why are there 3 X’s on August 2007 referrals?
Thanks,
Vanessa
LID 1/5/06 NEXT!
March 10th, 2008 at 9:58 am
The Bad and Mid case projections were the same that month, and that ended up being the cut off date. So when showing where the projections fell, it’s accurate to put an X in all three columns.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Thanks, RQ! I think we’ve all been looking forward to this post. Isn’t it sad that the “good case” is now laughable? Maybe it will get there again someday (in 3-4 years).
March 10th, 2008 at 10:21 am
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
…but thanks for the math RQ
March 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I know it’s hard to plan further ahead to 2007 LID’s, as we never know what might be around the corner. But for those of us with 2007 LID’s, I’m calculating it as 4 months of referrals to get through each month of LID’s, hence each year will get us through 3 months of LID’s. With an LID of Feb 07, that would give me 4 1/2 more years to get my referral. Does that seem accurate?
March 10th, 2008 at 10:30 am
>>The Bad and Mid case projections were the same that month, and that ended up being the cut off date. So when showing where the projections fell, it’s accurate to put an X in all three columns. ~RQ
March 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
all I can say is it gave me goosebumps to finally after 26 months of waiting to see our LID of 1/10/06 on the projections post and on our LID anniversary no less… Thanks RQ for all you do.
Susan R
LID 1/10/06
Sophia
wwwchinaladybug.blogspot.com
Anti Spam word is CCAA…. come on CCAA you can do it….
March 10th, 2008 at 11:24 am
All these projections seem pretty horrid to me.
March 10th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I just wanted to let you all know that I went to a meeting with my agency this last Saturday and they said that they talked to the CCAA directly about the wait and this is what the CCAA said: “We are also not happy with the wait. We want our children to be in homes and we want these families to be happy. Please be patient with us and expect things to go faster in 2009.”
I just wanted to pass this on since I found it encouraging. I hope it brings a little hope to some of you as well!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Please CCAA- let things go faster in 2009. These precious children need to be with their mommies and daddies!!!!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
ash2008-
Thanks for the info. Every bit of encouragement helps!
LID Feb 07
March 10th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
The projections are spot on to what I had been thinking for months now.
I also have to say it is SURREAL to see our Feb. 9/06 LID included in the projections. Surreal & exciting!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Encouraged by 2009?! … People, we are at the Beginning of 2008!
So we have gone from Referrals every 6 months …to… throwing out nearly an entire year is no-big-deal.
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
ash2008,
Thank you for this info. Don’t want to sound negative but unfortunately we’ve heard all this before: something about things speeding up in 2008 with 15 day batches??
Ring any bells with anyone??
I suppose if they keep projecting a speed up in the following year, it will always give people some hope, a carrot that’s always just out of reach.
Marion.
March 10th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
FindingHope,
I was told to expect a speed up (hopefully) in 2009 from the agency too. She said they need to get through March. I am thinking March will be done summer of ’09?? I think a 2011 referral time will be somewhat accurate. We are close in LIDs. By the way, in response to the donation fee increase, banks are running good CD rates right now. Savings accounts are paying little interest. By switching a minimum of $5000.00 from savings to a CD that pays 3.5% interest, the extra $2000.00 could be paid in the extra interest alone over 3 years.(For those of us with a couple to three years to go , this could be helpful). You are required to keep the money in a CD for roughly a year, but for most of us that would be OK. Thanks!!
March 10th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
p12-
When is your LID? For those of us in 2007, yes, we are encouraged by any hope of things speeding up in the next 3-4 years. In fact, I was relieved by 8 day batches as this calculated out to something that would still make this possible for my family. It’s different for those of us so far out there that any encouragement at all is a good thing.
March 10th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Saw this article online and thought others may want to read it:
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/world/2008/03/02/China.One.Child.Policy/
March 10th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Wait4ever-
Thanks for the tip. I found a bank that is offering 5-month and 8-month CD’s at 4.5%. I have all of my savings in CD’s right now, and the interest is really great.
I can’t wait until you and I are waiting for our referrals. We seem to have a lot in common.
March 10th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
FindingHope – Our LID March 23 2006
March 10th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
p12-
You’re getting really close, which definitely makes me understand your frustrations more. You’re in that “so close and yet so far” stage that must be terribly hard. Had things not slowed down, you would have your baby by now. That’s definitely tough.
But try to hang in there. It will happen.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
For those of you being afraid of the one child policy changing, it was announced today on the news, that it will not be considered to change for AT LEAST 10 YEARS. Thought everyone would like to know.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I have to say, I try to stay positive, and I usually do. But with an LID of 4/11/06 and nearly two years of waiting, I’m starting to lose my sense of humor about this. My husband and I are fine, regardless, but my daughter is now five and it’s getting pretty difficult to talk to her daily about this phantom sister she’s expecting. She’s the one I feel sorry for, and it is getting stressful.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
FindingHope – Thanks for the kind words
March 10th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
kyleigh – ak, i know where you’re coming from. our daughter is nearly 4 (the wait for her – only 6 months!), and we expected it to take a little more than a year to bring her little sister home. it has been a year-and-a-half, and it seems we’re only half-way there. not a single day goes by – barely a single hour it seems – when she doesn’t talk about how she’s going to show her little sister how to do this or that, or how her little sister can’t do what she’s doing yet, etc. etc. etc…. my heart aches for her. she got slighted at a dance class last week by two older girls who didn’t want her to dance with them, and dissolved into tears saying, “when my sister gets home, i’m not going to let them play with her!” ughhh. i can wait. but her…. i worry about them being 4 or 5 years apart. i was hoping they’d share a room and be buddies. but i think that spread is just a bit too wide now.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
FindingHope & Wait4ever: Thanks for tip on CD’s. Sometimes its so hard to look outside the box. Especially when all we see is spending more money and no means to an end any time soon.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
buzzbuzz,
Thanks for your sympathy! Yes, it’s exactly the same for my daughter. She’s always saying, “I’m going to show Phoebe how to [insert activity here].” We asked for a child 15-24 months and we’re so hoping that we get that age, considering we don’t want there to be a huge age gap either. My brother and I are 4 years apart and we’re very close, so that’s some consolation. Our daughters are supposed to share a room too. Now my daughter tells me she’ll get up and “give Phoebe milk” when she wakes up in the night. We’ll see! :-) Hang in there!!!
March 10th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
jadelinsmom-
I have some more ideas on my blog for creative financing – BringingHomeMeiMei.blogspot.com – if you want to check it out. I learned the first time around that you can never let money, or lack thereof, stand in the way of something so important.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Let me try this again. I think if you put the address at the end it comes out as a link.
BringingHomeMeiMei.blogspot.com
March 10th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Don’t know if any of you are GMAC customers, but if so, you can log into http://www.demandnotes.com and as a customer, I believe you are eligible to participate in the demand note offered by GMAC. They are currently paying 5.00% and it is compounded monthly. This works like a money market account, there is no time limit as with CD’s and you can write checks on it as well as set up for EFT transactions. Every penny counts. Best Wishes… We too, are later log in dates, “JUNE ’07″ and a speed up in ’09 is postive for us down here at the bottom of the bucket.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Findinghope (and others)…please be very careful of unusually high cd rates. They are high for a very good reason – - increased risk. And in these days when banks are getting hit hard financially, I wouldn’t take the risk. Put your money someplace safe instead. (I used to work in finance!)
For those of you with other children at home asking for their siblings… I really feel your pain. My 4 yr old is very anxious for her sister to be home. It is so heart breaking!
March 10th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
The idea of holding garage sales as a “charity event” really gives me the heeby jeebies. Too many older adoptees have talked about how knowledge of this made them feel as they were older, like they felt like they were a charity case. Something as simple as a neighbor saying “I remember when your folks were trying to raise the money to adopt you, they had this big yard sale to try to raise money, I gave them all of Jimmy’s old stuff to sell to help them out”
Even worse are the kids who see pictures of huge church events, with banners to “Help Bring Jane Home”. Too many kids feel like they somehow owe the entire church for their life – no way do I want to create a situation where my child can have those kinds of thoughts.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Glasshousejewelry,
The girl at the bank said a CD had no risk of losing $$. This was the first question I asked. I haven’t done it yet. I am waiting for my tax return. Per what you just said, I will most certainly check out more info. I don’t and can’t afford to lose any money. THANKS!!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
buzzbuzz and kyleigh,
I have a 17 yr. old DD and an 8 yr. old DD that share a room. I also have a 14 yr.old DS sharing a room with his 7 yr. old brother. They are close and as long as boundaries are respected, it has been good for them. Don’t worry about that part. But then mine aren’t just LONGING to share their room with a third.:)
March 10th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
kyleigh – she’ll give phoebe milk – that’s so cute! and how wise of you to ask for a bit older…if i had had a clue about the increasing wait, i may have been that smart (but that’s doubtful, too…!). anyway, we’ll all just have to breathe deep and be patient. good luck, and thanks for the hope about close sibs and a 4-year-gap. it may seem like a lot at first, but in the big picture, it’s really nothing. thinking long-term is very helpful through this process….
March 10th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
It is strange how life works. My husband and I wanted 4-5 years in-between our adoptions. Now, because of the wait, it looks like we will be starting again asap when we get our first daughter. I am young enough not to worry about the age requirement, but my husband is 9 years older than I am. If we survive the next 3 years, yes we are willing to do this again. It is still the best way to build our family. God bless everyone in this situation. I keep telling myself by hearing all the words of encouragement that when we see her little face, it will be worth every tear and lost night sleep.
March 10th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
RUMOR QUEEN:
Thanks for all your helpful info, however hard it may be to accept.
Question: If you were in my shoes with an LID of 1/13, would you give up on expecting a May referral?
Thanks
March 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I keep thinking what you said about standardized measurements, RQ. Maybe your measurements ARE “feet”..but the CCAA pace has slowed to “inches”. Unfortunately.
So maybe keep the old categories, but add a few new ones below “horrid”. (My own suggestions are “DAIICGW” (Don’t Ask if it can get worse) and “The pits”
That said, I appreciate all that you and the mods do, RQ. Y’all ROCK!
Tracy
LID 1-12-06
antispam word: crib…and ours still isn’t put together
March 10th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
My agency just told me that CCAA does not want to go over a 3 year wait. I know we have heard this type of comment before. And another big agency has a wait of 2-4 years on their website. I do not believe it will go over 4 years.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
LGM:
For that to happen (not going over a 3 year wait), CCAA would have to start referring 2 weeks out SOON/now and then maintain full months. 4 years sounds more realistic.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for the post RQ.
But I don’t think Heebie Jeebies is the right word to describe asking for charity in order to complete an adoption. I think downright wrong would be closer to the mark. One requirement for something to be a charity is that the person running it receives no personal benefit. Paying one’s own personal expenses just doesnt meet the definition of a “charity”.
As well as the valid points made by RQ, I think that anyone who feels they must resort to asking for charity in order to complete an adoption should ask themselves honestly whether they can really afford to adopt a baby and/or raise a child.
Now, I’m sure quite a few people in here will dump on me for this comment, and say things like “adoption shouldn’t be only for the rich”, blah, blah, blah… but that website with the “fundraising ideas” really puts the whole issue in focus. There are certain things you need money to do properly, and giving a child a good home is one of them. Sure, you need more than just money, but there is no getting around the fact that one of the things you need is money.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
wait4ever…I am glad to hear that you checked! That is good news then. I just always like to be cautious. :)
March 10th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Waittting you said, “As well as the valid points made by RQ, I think that anyone who feels they must resort to asking for charity in order to complete an adoption should ask themselves honestly whether they can really afford to adopt a baby and/or raise a child.”
I have to say that I disagree with you. We make enough money to proivde very well for our children and for the one that we are in the process of adopting. What we don’t have is a surplus of $20K for us to put toward the adoption. I have had 2 garage sales with the money going into our adotion savings acct (yes we have a separate savings for the adoption that we put money into each month). I think that saving this way is not wrong or will damage my child later. We didn’t make it public that we were having a garage sale to raise money for our adoption. My concern was not to draw attention to the reason for the garage sale. My concern was selling things I no longer want or need to people who may want or need them and putting the money toward the adoption. I don’t see a problem with that and I definitely don’t think it reflects on our ability to provide for our family.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Perhaps instead of Horrid, Bad etc. the headings could be changed to 100 files/month, 110 files/month etc. and remove any connotations of Horrid, Bad etc.
For the record my predictions are:
Apr-to Jan 10
May-to Jan 13
Jun-to Jan 22
Jul-to Jan 26
Aug-to Feb 9
Cheers to all
LID 2/9/06
March 10th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
RQ…I have to agree with you re: the charity idea. I know my five year old would be appalled by this idea…
just-the-ticket…I agree that the 10th is the likely cut-off for next month…after that..not so sure…I really hope they get through March 2006 before the summer of 2009!!
March 10th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
buzzbuzz–I’d say a four or five year gap is actually a good thing for the children. Especially when the siblings are the same sex, a lot of competition can develop when they’re very close in age. Seeing her wait is difficult, but it seems to be enjoyable for her to talk about the adoption, nonetheless. I guess since I know so much more about it I worry about things going wrong. She really doesn’t. She just continues to say, “Phoebe’s adoption is taking a long time. Mine was short.” It was. We adopted her in “04 and the 13 month wait got cut to 7.5 months for us. We didn’t begin the second adoption right away because the waiting time got cut to 6 months. If we had only known! Let’s all hang in there and I guess we’ll just have to accept things as they are, as much as that stresses us!
March 11th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Wait4ever and everyone else!
I sure hope there is no one here who is afraid that the one child policy will change. Honestly, we’re not HOPING for babies to be abandoned, are we?!
March 11th, 2008 at 7:16 am
ash2008 – I don’t see anything wrong with holding garage sales or taking on a second job if you aren’t announcing that you are doing it to fund the adoption. If the neighbors and your family don’t know you are raising money for adoption fees or airline tickets or whatever then they can’t say anything to your child about it later on. That’s the key, not making a big deal out of needing money for the adoption. Do what you have to do to raise the extra money quietly, just don’t turn it into a charity event. And it doesn’t sound like you did.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:00 am
It must be a geographical thing. We live in a small New England town (an old mill town), and we hold benefits for EVERYTHING! The last collection I gave to was for a woman whose dog had to be put down (I’m not kidding).
There’s a difference between “charity” and “community”; and I love what my daughter is learning from that. At 6 years old, she already bakes cookies for “Meals on Wheels”, helps the neighbors clear their walks and collects food for our church.
Does she “owe” our community something? ABSOLUTELY. Not because some people helped with her travel expenses, but because she lives here. It’s just how we do things in our neck of the woods.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
FindingHope – What a great community! I do see the difference where you live.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Mamman – Do we really need to go through that again?!
We are are involved in this system and Need to discuss how it affects us as PAP’s. OBVIOUSLY nobody wants infants abandoned anywhere! Does this really need to be stated every time?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:15 am
RUMOR QUEEN:
Did you see my question above? Wondering about your PERSONAL thoughts. Thanks!
March 11th, 2008 at 10:16 am
…or anyone else’s thoughts about my above question….xiexie
March 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am
p12-
We’ve always got room for more :)
I hope you’re feeling better today. I felt bad yesterday, you sounded so discouraged. Try to hang in there. You’ll have your baby soon, and she/he will be extra special because you waited so long and wanted her/him so badly. It will be your turn soon.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am
RJK – If things stay between Horrid and Bad then a May referral is a possibility. So, no, I would not give up on it at this point.
FindingHope – I don’t see it as a geographical thing. To equate raising money to have your dog put down with raising money for an adoption is just wrong. We’re talking about a human being, not a pet. A human being who will have lots of conflicting feelings in her teens and twenties about her life and how she got here and whether she is lucky or not and who she owes for not being brought up in an orphanage with no belongings to call her own. Being glad that she owes the community is just scary. There are teens who’ve attempted suicide because of the stress this has put on them. The idea that if they got less than straight A’s that they were letting the entire church down, everyone who had worked to “save” them. Scary stuff.
Yes, “community” can be a great thing, but my children will not be raised that they owe anyone for being my children. That’s a slippery slope that I want to stay far away from.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I agree on the garage sale thing. One word sums it up: tacky.
I’d also like to point out to wait4ever: We should not be ‘relieved’ that the one child policy has been extended ten years. Ten more years of the one-child policy means ten more years of abandonments, selective sex abortions, and back alley abortions.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am
p12
Yes, I think so. When someone chooses the words “For those of you being afraid of the one child policy changing, it was announced today on the news, that it will not be considered to change for AT LEAST 10 YEARS.” it looks very much like if it would be something good. Hopefully that’s not what Wait4ever meant, but in such a huge site like this, with readers all over the world, with varying knowledge about International Adoption, I do think it is very important to clearly state that no one wishes for China’s one child policy to continue, so we can have babies to adopt. It might be clear to you and me and Wait4ever, but it’s not clear to everyone. For example imagine that an adopted child, maybe teenager, comes here and reads such a comment. What will he/she think?
So yes, I do believe we need to go through it again. Over and over.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:57 am
My Grandmother was the 1st female to attend University from a small town in Lithuania. The whole village chipped-in to send her because they saw her potential. Yes, she “owed” them, and when she emigrated to the USA during WWII she did a lot to help all those that were left behind the “Iron Curtain”. I know it was very difficult for her, both financially and emotionally…and there was a lot of stress because she felt she had to repay a debt. Last year she died at the age of 96 and I know it was one of the things she was most proud of.
I do side contract work (therapy) at rehab centers and constantly meet post-stroke patients in their 80′s & 90′s who never have any visitors. It is very common to hear them say…”my kids have their own lives, they don’t owe me anything”. This I find sad.
What has happened so that a community like FindingHope’s now seems abnormal?
March 11th, 2008 at 11:14 am
RQ-
Maybe I didn’t express myself right. My daughter owes her community in the same way that I do, my parents do, my neighbors do, all the people in our town do – because she’s a part of it, not because she was adopted. And we didn’t raise money for the dog. We raised money for the poor grieving woman who lost her beloved pet. Yes, that was important to us.
As my girls grow up, I believe they will feel the same sense of security that I did, and my mother before me, living in a town full of such great, close-knit people. You’re never alone; and no matter what you get yourself into, someone’s always got your back. As my mom would say to me during my wreckless teenage year…”Keep yourself safe, kiddo. Losing you would hurt an awful lot of people.”
March 11th, 2008 at 11:39 am
RQ-
I must have expressed myself wrong. My daughter “owes” our community in the same way that I do, my parents do, our neighbors do, everyone in our town does – because she’s a part of it, not because she was adopted. And we didn’t raise money for the dog. We raised it for a poor grieving woman who lost her beloved pet. Yes, that was important to us.
As my girls grow up, I believe they will feel the same sense of security that I did, and my mother before me, growing up in a town like this. You’re never alone; and no matter what you get yourself into, someone’s always got your back. Trust me, that has saved a lot of kids around here from hurting themselves.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
WOW! There sure are a lot of different ways of looking at all these topics. Garage sales, Charities, One child policy, age differences, SUICIDE. It makes me wonder what people think about our trying to adopt. I feel excited, but some people look at me like I have some selfish motive or something. I don’t really care what they think but all these conversations help me realize that people sure do look at things differently.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
inHistime-
You’re right, many of us seem to be at complete polar opposites on many issues; yet we’re all here for the same reason, just trying to get our kids home.
That’s one of the things that I find so beautiful about adoption. For as different as our families are, the babies being matched with us are just as different. And somehow, miraculously, we all find our way to that wonderful child who is so much like us, so meant to be a part of our family. It so confirms how much all of this is meant to be.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Mamman – Sorry I see it as two completely different issues: One Child Policy & Adoption. We have absolutely zero control or influence in the One Child Policy…we only are involved in its effect. Even if I were to hope and pray for the end (or continuation) of the policy, there would be zero effect on it. Anyone who reads this or any other forum, and comes out thinking otherwise, is either an idiot or has their own agenda. In either case, anything I say would have little effect on their view.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Anybody notice how we all seem to get a little testy around this time of the referral cycle (when the latest batch of referrals have just come, and there’s just this empty 3 weeks of waiting for the next batch)?
Carol
LID 1/6/06
March 13th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
p12 you said your lid is march 23 06, our lid is march 22 06 we are from canada…where are you from…new the site…
March 13th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
p12 am i right in saying your lid is march 23 06, ours is march 22 06..so close but yet so far away…at least we finally have 2005 behind us…we are from canada…and new to the site…
March 13th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Just a note from a mom who just returned from China with daughter #2: My original LID was August 2006 — when I contacted my agency in October 2007 to let them know (again) that I was definitely interested in SN, they sent me two girls’ profiles the next day. So, I’m now the proud mommy of both a five year old and a three year old from Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province.
Here’s why I’m posting on this specific topic–Shamian Island (where the White Swan Hotel is, for all adoptive parents going through Guangzhou for the consulate work) has clearly declined since our first visit in 2003. Some of the businesses that were there before are gone, and the White Swan itself looks like it’s suffering from a decrease in adoptive families staying at the hotel. When we were there in 2003, Shamian Island and the White Swan were buzzing with activity–lots and lots of adoptive families, every shop on the Island was busy. Now, it looks quiet and even depressed. Almost all of us at the White Swan had SN kids (no, not an official survey, just from my observations and conversations with the other parents). Most of the SN were cleft lip/palate. A few SN were heart conditions, ear atresia, small head circumference, and missing digits.
During our discussions with our agency’s local staff about the current situation of IA in China, our agency’s local staff member told us that she’s concerned about losing her job after the Olympics–that the agency (and it’s a big one) has had fewer families go through and that they can’t guarantee her employment much longer.
And, last but not least, my LOCAL social worker told me a few days ago that her agency will be shutting down their international adoption unit within the next few months, and SHE’LL be out of work, too. Apparently, the other big local agency in our metro area that does home studies for the big national IA agencies is also shutting down their IA unit, too, and as of May/June, all of the in process families will have to go through another big city that’s about 100 miles away from us. And, we’re in a fairly large metro area!!!
My point is that the slowdown has had a domino effect on all the other folks involved in IA–from the IA agency programs and staff, to the little businesses (and the White Swan) on Shamian Island, to the local social worker who does your post-placement visits.
I really do hope that things speed up in 2009, like the current rumors suggest, but quite frankly, I’m relieved that we jumped out of the “standard” process and went SN when we could. Otherwise, it looks like the wait might have been at least another two years!