Rumors are flying this way and that way about the China program and how many LIDs will receive referrals in early August. We've heard a rumor that CCAA may actually finish November and get into December 2005 LIDs with the next two batches of referrals - ie August and September 2007. This would be HUGE if it actually happens. If it did happen, they could get well into January 2006 LIDs before the end of the year. I'm not keeping my fingers crossed or holding my breath that it will actually happen, but it would be nice.
Hubby agreed to look into Kazakhstan with me. We'd automatically rejected it after hearing that we had the option of either a 6 week in-country stay or two trips, one of 3 weeks and another trip about a week in length. That's a long time to be overseas, especially if you're not by the beach or in some well-traveled tourist locale like London or Paris. It would be especially difficult if we couldn't take M. with us. But we keep coming back to Kazakhstan as a possibility. We could adopt a baby girl who'd likely be under a year old when we travel. The orphanages are supposedly very good and the children fairly healthy. And it turns out that some of the bigger Kaz agencies actually have an escorting program. We'd still have to travel for the first trip of about 3 weeks, but then instead of returning to Kazakhstan a few weeks later, our child would be brought to the US. Cost-wise, escorting appears to be about the same cost as it would be for Hubby and I to fly back to Kazakhstan, stay a week, and bring our daughter home.
On to domestic matters... I have decided to go back to work. If we are going to adopt, we need to get our finances in order, and that will happen much more quickly with me working. We lucked out and nabbed a spot for M. at a really awesome daycare center, so I'm very happy with that. I'm currently job hunting, and I hope to find something soon. I'm nervous about the idea of leaving M. after being at home with her for such a long time, but I'm sure she'll do great in the new center.
Hubby and I have been pondering the 3rd bedroom in our house and still haven't made any progress with it. It is ostensibly going to be an office/guest room until we welcome a second child into our family. We don't know how long it will be before another child arrives, so we're unsure how much time and money we want to invest in creating a nice office/guest room. I mean, I don't want to run out and get nifty office furniture and guest linens and paint the room and all that if it's going to be turned into a nursery in another year or two. But we also can't just leave the room like it is either. As of right now, about 2/3 of the room has been primed. We stopped when we realized we weren't sure what color we were going to paint the space.
Along the same lines, we've also been debating what to do with the master bedroom. The existing furniture is not in the best shape, and we'd like to replace it soon. I came up with an idea for a very neat arrangement of furniture in the space that would allow us to put the computer in our room, which would then make it much easier to convert the 3rd bedroom into a nursery. Hubby likes the idea, but it will involve a lot of work. We're talking about building a new headboard, an armoire, two night tables, and a desk, PLUS creating a custom storage system in the master bedroom closets that will allow us to store most of our clothing in the closests instead of in dressers that take up a lot of space in the room.
You know, when I look at that list of furniture, I can't help but think that maybe we should get in line for China. If we go with a quicker adoption program, I'm not sure we could accomplish all of that before the next baby arrives.