The Grace Wait

I'm going to show you how all questions regarding our adoption of our dear daughter Grace can be answered in three simple phrases.

Phrase 1: Nope, not yet.
Phrase 2: Not soon enough
Phrase 3: Make it a double

Here's how it plays out:
Friend/Co-Worker/Family: "Have you heard anything from China?"
Us: with a sigh, "Nope, not yet."
Friend/Co-Worker/Family: now with empathy, "When will you know something?"
Us: with another sigh, "Not soon enough."
Friend/Co-Worker/Family: trying to be supportive, "Well, do you at least have her picture?"
Us: with yet another sigh, "Nope, not yet."
Friend/Co-Worker/Family: with a new found defeatism, "When will you have some information?"
Us: with the final sigh, "Not soon enough."
Friend/Co-Worker/Family: sensing the meltdown, "Can I buy you a drink?"
Us: with a smile, "Make it a double."

Who knew that all questions regarding our adoption could be condensed down into three simple responses. Truth be told, though, the process is long and hard and, sometimes, painful and lonely, but we trust, beyond all hope, that God has a beautiful plan where we will someday be united with the heart of our heart--Grace Hawkins.

So, here's the best and the worst of it:
Best case scenario: Travel to get Grace in late May/early June 2007. I know many of you had hoped for earlier, but this really is the best, best case scenario (not even the realistic one).
Realistic scenario: Travel to get Grace in fall of 2007.
Worst case scenario: Travel to get Grace in May of 2008.

Where do I get these projections? History. We have been researching the referral rates for babies for quite a while, and the CCAA (the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs) is slowing down... way down. When we started, the referral timeline was 6 months. Now, the referral timeline is inching towards 18 months. There are lots of factors for the slow down, and if you really want an earful, buy me a drink and ask... two or three hours later... you'll have the history of the CCAA referral timeline to date.

So, there it is... the hard truth in print. For now, we're simply in line. And it's a long, long line. And there's never any news in the long, long line. And unfortunately, they don't even serve lo mein in the line... or dim sum... or chicken feet... or anything... in fact, we have to pay to be in the line. Do you know what we call this in the English world? Irony.