One Month Anniversary

One month - 35 to go? Speculation seems futile at this time. It's a little like taking a trip on Amtrak. You know that eventually you'll arrive at your destination, but it's unlikely that it will be on the day you are scheduled to and may include other forms of transportation. Amtrak (like China) will do their darndest to get you to the destination, but there are a lot other things to factor in (like, all freight trains have higher priority) and they have to work around them. It's better to just pack your camera, several books, a favorite pillow and lots of snacks so you can enjoy the trip.

Personally, I love riding Amtrak when on vacation. It's a great way to see the country without having to put up crazy drivers, rest stop bathrooms and clogged highways. However, the comparison to adoption for China differs when I factor in the length of the increase in waiting time. Amtrak may always be late, but I'm not going age significantly everytime we go past a station. In the last 5 months, the wait has increased by shocking amounts. Or maybe it hasn't. Maybe I've been holding out false hope that it would level off at some point.

Actually I have come to dred referrals because they always bring news of a longer wait, rather than gaining any ground. There are rumors of referrals being sent out on Monday and all I'm wondering is whether or not this batch will put me into 2011. Because a baby has become unreal at this point. Three years from now, my life will have changed significantly and who can realistically plan for it? I could have a new job, a new career and new place to live. People in my life right now will no longer be here and they'll have been replaced by people I've never even met before. Who knows what the world will be like and if my home will be above the water (global warming and all that). Already I'm planning on having to renew my homestudent and immigration documents three times and there is talk of new adoption requirements coming into force. Those are things I know about it. The unknown is crossing a wide spectrum.

So what does that mean I do? To be honest, nothing. At least in regards to my paperwork. It's sitting on a shelf in China and it's easy enough to just let it sit. In the meantime, life goes on. The garden needs to be planted, work needs to be done and maybe I'll look into other options. Maybe I won't.