Still Patiently Waiting....

It seems that we got a little to comfortable with the apparent predictability of the referral process. As we had previously noted (both in prior posts and to you personally), we were fully anticipating receiving our referral (also known as "The Call") that first week of November. But as that week came and went and than the next week came and went, it now is clear that the only predictable thing about this process, is that it is unpredictable.

Here is my best guess of what has happened. I have been lurking (such a lame term) in a very large and rumor filled Yahoo! Group Site dedicated to families who sent their dossiers to China in March 2005 (the internet does have everything). It seems that when the March referrals arrived in early October, they were only for LIDs from the first half of March (referrals seem to be sent by the CCAA en masse to the various adoption agencies around North America and Europe). Families with LIDs of late March were left waiting (our LID is April 12, 2005). When the referrals did arrive in early November, they were only for the remainder of the March LIDs. So those of us with April LIDs are still patiently waiting.

When will the April LIDs arrive? Your guess is as good as mine. Based on recent the recent history of referrals arriving every four weeks, early December would not be a bad guess. However, rumor has it that in the past the referral process slows down a bit during the end of the year. As with the rest of this process, it seems that it will happen when it happens. In the meantime we have a few more weeks to finish the addition and to prepare an acceptable nursery.