Red Thread Dreaming.....

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."

-Chinese Proverb

Orphanges please...do it right!

Orphanage investigated, officials punished over baby adoption scandal in SW China
http://www.chinaview.cn/index.htm 2009-07-03 21:15:53

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GUIYANG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A joint work team including family planning, civil affairs, police and disciplinary officials are investigating a scandal in which babies were sent overseas from southwest China's Guizhou Province for adoption, an official told Xinhua Friday.
Yang Jiesheng, deputy secretary general of the Qiandongnan Prefecture government and deputy head of the work team, said that the public orphanage in Zhenyuan County was suspected of violating rules in accepting so-called abandoned babies.
Orphanages are supposed to take in abandoned babies after someone declares the finding of an abandoned baby and the declaration is confirmed by police. In the Zhenyuan case, at least three babies were taken away from the homes of their relatives or even their own parents.
The orphanage has taken in 81 abandoned babies since June 1995,of which 60 were adopted by foreign families, said Han Hui, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committee in Qiandongnan Prefecture.
The orphanage was awarded 3,000 U.S. dollars for each child placed with a foreign family.
Meanwhile, six local party and government officials have been punished this week for their roles in the scandal, Han said.
Wang Daohua, former assistant head of Jiaoxi Township, Zhenyuan County and now head of the work committee of departments under the CPC Zhenyuan county committee, was dismissed from post for "direct liability," Han said.
The township's deputy head Tian Rongbao, the head of the township's family planning office Tian Shiwu and family planning official Shi Guangying were demoted, she said.
The township's former party chief Pan Jianguo received a serious warning and the then government head Wu Changqing received a demerit for "leadership responsibility."
Han said the prefectural Party disciplinary commission received a report in February that three babies were missing in Jiaoxi Township.
Initial investigation showed that Jiaoxi family planning officials sent three baby girls from different families, whose parents violated the nation's family planning rules in the pursuit of a male heir, to the county's orphanage in 2004. Two girls were then sent overseas for adoption in 2006 and the other in 2007.
The families could have been fined thousands of U.S. dollars for having an extra child, which is an unbearable burden for many families in the impoverished Guizhou Province.
In rural China, families are allowed to have a second baby if the first is a girl. However, some families keep on having babies until the birth of a boy.
One of three baby girls was the third child in the family of Li Zeji. Li had two girls before her and one girl and one boy after her.
Li would not pay the fine of 40,000 yuan (5,865 U.S. dollars) brought forth by the birth of the girl, so he sent her to his cousin when the baby was 36 days old in March 2004, according to media reports.
Li's cousin told local family planning officials, who found the girl at his home, that the girl was abandoned. The girl was then sent by the officials to the orphanage on April 20, 2004 and adopted on Jan. 7, 2007.
The second baby girl went through a similar experience before she was adopted at the age of three on Dec. 10, 2006.
Family planning officials also persuaded a mother to give up a baby, who was then sent to the orphanage and adopted at the age of three in December 2006.
It was not known how much the family planning officials benefited from the adoptions.
Editor: Bi Mingxin

I am so so sad to hear that this has happened. I know that this does not usually happen, but this is one reason why we've all waited so long. I want a legitimate adoption. I don't know what I would think or do to find out that my child had been taken from her home and placed for adoption. Please please pray for China.

I know a name a glorious name...

So this will probably be a short post...but hey it's summer who's got time to sit around and blog with all the stuff going on?

The hubs and I have been racking our brains since we started the adoption process to come up with a name we love for our little one. Most of you know her first name...Emma. We actually had a hard time coming up with names that we both agreed on. We decided on Emma a long time ago and since then, the name has become wildly popular. We still love it anyway so she will still get this name. In addition to this name we have been trying to come up with the rest of her name. While we thought for a while that we would like to incorporate part of her Chinese name into the name we give her...I'm just not sure yet.

We have, however, come up with a lovely middle name that will be part of her name, but for that you all have to wait.

I will give a hint though....she will be Emma J.

Another missed LID!

Wow...another LID completely missed. I don't know how this happens as I feel each day beginning and ending in this wait for our daughter. Our 34 month LID anniversary was on the 11th. I really and truly cannot believe we have waited this long.

I don't know if the wait feels harder now or back in the beginning. People I know are now receiving their referrals and that is very exciting to see happen. I keep thinking it won't be long now...but the CC*A hasn't referred for a whopping 69 days. Just hearing that makes me feel bummed. I was thinking we might go next year, but I'm just not so sure now.

Things that are keeping me busy right now are vacations, family get-togethers and Lyssa-Lou and her ever complicated rotating and spinning schedule. She will be attending Girls camp in about 3 weeks and them Pioneer Trek two weeks after that. I can't believe how busy kids are today with all their activities. When I was a kid we had to find stuff to entertain us.

Here's to hoping that referrals start speeding up and that someday hopefully soon all those waiting mommies including me will see our sweet babies faces.

DO NOT MESS WITH MY FRIENDS!

I'm sorry but I have kept my mouth shut far too long. I have seen acquaintances and friends with mean and hateful comments posted on their blogs under the cloak of "anonymous" way too much.

There were some unsolicited comments posted to my friend's blog who is in China right now picking up the most precious thing in her life (her child). People wonder why this world is filled with wars, hate crimes and inhumanity...it is because of simply hateful awful people. Live and let live, geez is that so hard to do. Apparently these people know everything about everything and they were the perfect picture of an adoptive parent...I think not.

Keep your nasty, inaccurate and unsolicited opinions to yourself. Did you forget how to play nice in Kindergarten???

This one is too good to pass by....

Surfing the blogs this morning I went to the Rum*r Q*een site of kid videos. I saw this and laughed hard. It is too funny, so I had to repost it here.

Here is the background on this video:

Libby Doodle Doo joined our family in late January, 2008. Although she and her big sister Little Zo Peep have forged deep sisterly affection, they still have occasional rivalry smack-downs. This encounter last week at their aunt's house illustrates their Alpha kid competitions.

We cool

So my last post was about the dumb swine flu and what was left in it's wake. While I know it's serious sometimes I think people go a we bit crazy nuts over stuff like this.

The hubs and I are so excited to get outta town, doesn't matter where or under what circumstances we always have fun together...NO MATTER WHAT. Who knows what adventures cruising in the rain might bring...hmmm maybe we'll have to make our own. wink.wink.nod.nod

In just a few days we will pass our 1,000th day of waiting for our daughter. We will also have our 33 month LID anniversary.

What do I think about this?

1. Never expected to wait more than 16 months.

2. The longer wait time has brought much sorrow.

3. The longer wait time has made me more appreciative of the gift she will be to us.

4. Waiting is really, really hard when you've wanted something for so long.

5. Once she entered my heart, she became real and I miss her.

6. I have imagined her face and body and feel in my arms one thousand times.

7. I will wait for however long it takes to get her.

8. Some things are worth waiting for.

9. My husband and I have grown closer together because of this.

10. I am a better person because of her and this wait.

Time,Time,Time...See What's Become of Me

Time...what a precious and evil thing. You can't buy it, get it back, pass it on, save it for later, stop it, slow it or control it. The only thing you can do is make the best of it. I have been thinking about time lately. What does time do to a person who is waiting?

How do you live as you hold your breath?

Yeah, well it's been happening lately...

Well it seems as though I've had another LID anniversary and I've totally forgotten about it. I have noticed this has been going on the last 4 or so months. This wait seems excruiating when you sit and think about it...but the earth keeps on turning from day to day slowing passing the months and then years. I even posted a LID anniversary like two months ahead of time.

I've got the head spinning, delusional, crazy thing of having to count my months over and over to figure out where I'm at. So here's to another LID reached and passed. I think we are 32 months now???

#32 and some eye candy!

Vacay on a May Day!

My Hubs and I have been talking for a while now (I know so incredible...) :), about possibly giving ourselves a very much needed break. We've been chugging through this China adoption process for a very long time now. I know it is hard for all of us, but when Lyssie Lou isn't here, it's hard for me to keep my mind off when Emma is going to come, how much longer etc., etc.

We've not only been dealing with that stress, but our family has recently undergone a big big change. We have been involved with a custody situation with Lyssie Lou and everything is pretty much settled down just recently. We've had a few health problems arise...and this economy is really a downer.

We haven't had much time spent together and last year on our 5 year anniversary we were not able to do anything or go anywhere because of many different things going on. Well, we finally decided that we need a break. Badly. We figured that we pay into our budget for vacations so we are darn well going to use that budget to go somewhere relaxing.

Looks like the Hubs and I will be going someplace warm and relaxing in the very near future. Yay...Yay...Yay...Yay...Yay...Yay...Yay...I'm just a little excited.

It's a dog's world!

So just a quick post today. It is our 32 month LID-aversary today. Do the numbers really mean anything to me anymore...Nah! Just another month waited for the most momentous occasion in my life to happen.

On another note. My littlest niece Avery came over this morning for a little visit while her mom went to the dentist. She was extremely excited to play with our dog. She just couldn't get it out of her head though that Buster is not Ace's name. So while Ace was excited to play with a new pal...he was quite confused about who this new guy Buster was. Kids are really funny!!

Avery

Ace a.k.a Buster

Another one bites the dust

Here we are again, another month bites the dust. How many more before we see our precious baby? Don't know just hope it's sooner than later. Here's to making it 30 months!

Thirty months logged in with the CCAA!!!

On another note, I love my neighborhood. Everyone has a different neighborhood some are better than others, but ours is great. We have met wonderful people over the 6 years we have lived here and we wouldn't change it for the world.

Last night we were "Heart-attacked" by some of the kids in our neighborhood who are around Lyssie-Lou's age. You should have seen the huge cookie-eatin' grin on her face when we found the goodies. I'll post a few pic's for you to see.

Adoptive Mom Craziness

I've been thinking about posting for a while now, but we've been pretty busy here around the homestead. A friend called a few weeks back and asked me for a favor. Her husband had the car with her baby's car seat in it. She asked if I had one she could borrow. As I think about this is seems funny to me, but I guess all adoptive moms aren't the same as me...I thought to myself, "Do I have a car seat you could borrow?", "Of course I have a car seat." I have Emma's car seat, which I've had since I sent my papers to China almost 3 years ago!

Then I thought, but wait...it's Emma's car seat, it's brand new, never been used and in my mind she of course would be the first to use it. I came to my senses as I cut the tags off and took off the plastic. I thought dang, that was a really crazy line of thought and that it would be no problem for her to use the car seat (just don't get it dirty). Unfortunately I think this wait makes us all a bit looney. I have to admit I'm a bit that way. Now 2-3 weeks later I like the look of it in my car, and I can't bear the thought of taking it out.

Guess I'll just be a little crazy for a while longer.

A Good Day

Just a quick post today. I was taking a little power nap today and I dreamt of Emma. I have never really had dreams of her, even in the beginning. I would fall asleep thinking of her, but no real concrete dreams.

Today as I slept I saw her lying next to me. Her olive skin so soft and smooth. I touched it and it was warm. I smelled her sweet smell and I saw her eyes looking up at the ceiling fan...moving left and right. I have no idea if this means anything. Some adoptive moms say they just know the day their children were born, this dream told me nothing of that. It did, however, leave an indelible image in my mind, a feeling of a simple touch and smell and an incredible memory that will last me many months ahead.

2009?!

Holy Cow it is 2009! Time seems to fly and yet at times it passes so slowly. Yes we are still waiting for Emma. I haven't talked about this in a while and sometimes it helps me to remember how far we have come. We started our paper chase in February of 2006. Our LID was August 11, 2006. That means today we will celebrate our

LID-a-versary.

I really hope we will see Emma by the end of this year, but I also know that when we see her depends entirely on the CCAA.

I wanted to say hello to the friends I don't see very much any more. They feel like home every time I'm able to spend time with them and I appreciate each of their individual impacts they have made on me. Nelly, DeAnn, Brooke...You guys are great. Please know that I think of you often. DeAnn, I will always have your back, no matter what you need. I know you have the inner strength to beat all the difficult things that you face.

On another note all of the fun people I met back in the summer of 2006 at a big blog party are now starting to receive their referrals. It's amazing to see this. I am so happy for you all, I shed tears of joy when I see your little ones and I wish you all the best in the future.

The Hubs and Lyssie Lou did some Utah redneck sledding and I've got some cute pictures to show. Hope you all enjoy!!