Our uncertain timeline

Since we don't yet have a photo of Miss Maryn on her 747 en route to America, this one will have to do. After our long flight home with baby Carlyn from Beijing via Tokyo in April, 2003, we somehow had the presence of mind to ask for a photograph with one of the pilots. Among our many hopes and wishes is that Maryn will be a good flyer like her big sister.

We've been asked frequently about when we'll leave. The short answer is: not soon enough! The other answer is that we don't know but fervently hope it's before mid-September. That's because we'll need two weeks in China to complete the necessary adoption-, passport-, and visa-related paperwork. We need to get out before the October 1 National Day holiday because government offices will close for three days. Beyond that, in October, there is a major, three-week trade fair in one of the cities we need to visit. So, if we don't get into and out of the country before October, our trip might be on hold until nearly November, which would be excruciating.

We sent off our visa applications this week and our adoption agency instructed us to write that the earliest date of arrival in China would be September 1. The travel liaison went out on a limb and said he is hoping we'll be able to depart the U.S. around the 9th. Adoptive families make a science of parsing the statements of their adoption agencies. My reading of his comment is that he's optimistic, maybe even strongly optimistic, about our chances of leaving then. Otherwise, I don't think he'd get our hopes up.

We'd love to be in China for what is called Mid-Autumn Festival, held this year September 22-24. I've made the world's most inauthentic Chinese Moon Cakes, a traditional holiday treat, and would like to taste the real thing!

In the meantime, we continue to think of and pray for our little one, twelve hours ahead of us on the other side of the world.

The Stubborn "Comment" Feature

I just learned by reading a comment on Carlyn's blog that no one has been able to comment on this one! Sorry about that. I'm going to see if I can diagnose the problem now!

New photos of Miss Maryn

Today we received updated photos of our sweetie - an unexpected surprise. Just on Monday, we ordered a care package for Maryn and her caregivers from Ann at Red Thread China .

What an amazing company!

Not only did Ann put together a lovely selection of items, but she requested updated photos and measurements of baby Maryn. And voila! They magically appeared!

Maryn looks like she's strong and thriving. We're told that she now weighs 13 pounds. We're so grateful for the care she's receiving at Zhangshu Social Welfare Institute and can't wait to see her in person!

And she shall be called...

Maryn! We'll pronouce it "Muh-RIN," like Marin County, California. We've liked this name for a long time, and our only cause for hesitation has been the knowledge that she will have to spell and pronounce it for folks, just as Carlyn and I do. If Maryn is like her mom, there will be points at which she'll wish she could be one of a million Madisons or Isabellas. In my case, it was Lisa or Cindy. Carlyn sometimes tells other children who can't remember her name, "Just call me Hannah [as in Montana] for short!" But we hope that Maryn will eventually appreciate her uncommon name.

Big sister liked but wasn't sold on the name when we planned to spell it Marin. Then one day her dad suggested the "-yn" spelling, whereupon she became the name's #1 proponent. The name also reminds of us of several in our immediate and extended family whose middle names are Marie.

The next named-related task? Her middle name. It will be Chinese, we know that much.

Presenting Zhang Mo Ruo!

The principles have been notified in person so we can now announce the referral of Zhang Mo Ruo, waiting for us at Zhangshu SWI in Jiangxi Province. According to our adoption agency, she was born on March 15, 2010, which seems almost unbelievable: just four months old if the information is correct. We'll have more information as soon as her referral documents are translated.

We are over the moon!

We haven't quite settled on her American name yet and we don't know when we'll travel, though it's typically 4-8 weeks after referral.

We're so grateful to God, the People's Republic of China, and all of the friends and family who've supported us during our long wait.

Closer & Closer!

This morning, the Rumor Queen reports that at least one referral phone call has been made! Although I've refrained from bugging the good folks at our adoption agency up to this point, I had to call them this morning. They don't have any information to report, but assure me that we'll have our phone call within an hour after the referral package arrives. That won't necessarily be today, though, or even this week. But one can hope!

Mei Mei Approaches?

We've just returned from an almost-three-week stay in Montana where we had to drive at least seven miles for internet access. It was rough not being able to check ChinaAdoptTalk.com for updates on a daily (well, hourly!) basis, but as it turns out, there wouldn't have been much news anyway.

In the last couple of days, though, there have been fairly credible reports that matches have been made. So presumably, our little sweetheart has been chosen for us. Even with our previous experience of waiting for Carlyn and the past four+ years of uncertainty, it still seems surreal to imagine that our daughter's photo and information are somewhere in Beijing or perhaps in a DHL plane or truck on their way to us as she waits on the other side of the world.