Let the countdown begin!

As we approach our 18 month LID anniversary, I feel a little foolish making predictions of when we may see our referral. Over and over I predict "X", only to change it to "X+1" the following month. Continually, we are 6-8 months away from referral and have been so for almost a year and a half.

There are ups and downs in the process. The ups include making such great friends, watching others get their referrals, and of course seeing other babies absolutely bloom when they come home to their forever family. The downs.....well... the waiting, of course. The uncertainty. The complete lack of reliable information. The worry of whether it will really happen. The farther away it gets, I think, "What if there's another SARS?" Bird flu pandemic? Another terrorist attack? What if the North Korea situation gets out of control? What if the whole program shuts down. There is so much to worry about when you are weak with sadness.

So on to the point of the post: My latest prediction.

Jeff and I both agree that the most likely month of our referral (for now, anyway) will be December 2007. Probably closer to the middle of the month with travel either right before or right after Chinese New Year 2008. I think it falls on Feb 4th next year. The absolute earliest it could be, baring a miracle, October. The absolute latest, baring a tragedy, February. December is smack in the middle. I feel confident enough in the December prediction to say.....

...let the countdown begin.