There is no activity this week. We're waiting on update #2 from our agency. If our case manager doesn't receive it by Friday, then we won't receive it until the week of June 6th. Below is a photo of Meili with one of her caregivers. I received this pic in update #1 from Ann.
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It's official! After praying to God, saying a few Hail Marys, and projecting positive thoughts, I received the email that I've been waiting 21 days for. Meili's LID is 5/09/11 - exactly when I predicted according to the travel to TA table on Rumor Queen. The downhill descent has begun!

I found out via email while sitting in the waiting room @ the dermatologist's office. I had a few minutes to kill so I pulled up my personal email account on my iphone. I saw 2 emails from my agency. The first one was congratulating us on Meili's LID. The second was asking us to list questions that we wanted answers to for update #2. I think I emailed our agency about 20 questions. I know that we won't get all of them answered but a few would be good. I also asked several of the same questions from update #1. I want to compare answers to see if the information provided to us is the same.

After the MD appointment, I got into my car and started crying. It's really happening. I've wanted this little girl for almost 20 years and it's finally coming to fruition. I called Ben and left him a message while I was crying. I collected myself and called my Mom. I started crying again as I talked to her. I briefly cried at work. After work today, I cried twice on the commute home. It's happy tears...tears of relief and joy. Ben and I have wanted a child since we got married and this dream is about to come true!

The skeptic in me says to wait until Meili's LOA arrives, before truly believing that this will work out. The LOA should be here in approximately 60 days from the LID. Just have to wait 2 more months for my confidence and belief to be 100%. All I can say is that Meili is so very much loved, wanted, dreamed, and hoped for by Ben and me. While I cannot speak for my husband, I can say that she will fill an empty space in my heart. A space that previously has been occupied by anger, sadness, despair, and sorrow.

I cannot wait to meet this little girl and bring her home to Arkansas!
 
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The average time frame from DTC to LID is 17 days. We are now past this. WTF?!?!!! LID marks the half way point of waiting. And I'm waiting for the half way point of waiting. WAITING! WAITING! WAITING! for a LID date.....

My daughter is waiting in an orphanage. in China. with no parents to tuck her in at night. no one to say "I love you". no pets to pester her. no cousins to fight with. She has hundreds, yes hundreds, of people who can't wait to meet her. Yet, she continues to wait in an orphanage. At least she has a family waiting for her. Even if it takes us another 6 months to get there. What about all of the other kids in orphanages around the world? They have no parents. no siblings. no pets. no home. What about them? It's times like right now that I wished I had millions of dollars so that I could adopt all of the orphans of the world. I would need a gigantic house as there are about 147 million orphans. At least by the end of 2011, there will be one less.orphan in the world.

And maybe by the end of 2012, there will be two less orphans in the world. But that's a tale for another blog - as this one is ALL about MEILI.
 
 
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I've finally been able to send care package #2 to a family that will be visiting Yangchun in July. I would have loved to send a suitcase filled with items for Meili and her friends. For now, she will have to settle for these 4 items. I included a wipeable photo album of family photos. Hopefully, this will be able to stand up to a 1 year old. I also put her photo at the front of the album - in the hopes that her caretakers will know that this family belongs to Meili!

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The photo album contained pictures of the entire family, not just Ben and me! And yes, the only other family members include 2 dogs and 2 cats.

 
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