Whispers and Murmurs...

All around the world the earth is starting to rumble. At this point it is just mere whispers and murmurs but hopefully by the end of the week we'll have a full blown explosion of referrals. I'm really following this batch closely because it will give me some sort of idea where we will fall with our referral and this should be a big batch of referrals.
People lets keep our fingers crossed for a huge batch of referrals this month!

I'll post the stats when they are released.

A week in review

Since I've been sick a few things have happened in the adoption circle that I thought I would bring you up to date on.

Deb and Kirk have arrived home safe and sound with Olivia (you can check out their website on my blog under the website section and it is called Olivia's blog), friends of ours have finally adopted their foster son (yay Heather and Fred!) and are continuing to plod along with their Russian adoption. (guys, the hubby and I are keeping our fingers crossed for you that your referral comes soon!) and another mom in waiting has just recieved her precious son's referral. He is 2 years old and from the WCP in China (waiting children's program). They have decided to name him Daniel and they are now waiting for their travel approval to come (travel time should be around the summer). He is such a handsome little man too! You can see Daniel under my website section and it is called Daniel's blog.

Finally, 5 families have just left for China to pick up their babies. They are all from the same orphange and are quite young. Their gotcha day will be on Monday so check out the link I have under my website section called Maggie's blog. There will be a CBC interview about it sometime around March 16 so keep an eye out for that too.

Well, that's my week in review for baby news.

Round n Round it goes, Where it stops no one knows...

Well, I'm finally back on the mend after a horrible week of the flu. You know, I never really knew just how many avid readers I have collected with my blog. Glad you decided to join me and please keep reading!

Back to my title for today's post. I thought it was fitting as this past Sunday, February 25th was 5 months since we have been logged in. Now the question is, will it be 18 months till referral as I had predicted or 24 months as our agency has said. I've decided that I'm still going to work with the 18 month prediction. The hubby and I discussed it over the weekend and when we retraced our adoption steps we noticed a pattern of sorts. We first decided that we would register to adopt domestically. We were told that we would be placed on a wait list for 10 years. Yikes! Then, we decided to adopt internationally and again, we were told we would be in for a LONG wait of at least a year to begin Pride. The actual wait to complete Pride for us came down to 4 months. The process could not be straight forward for us - nope, we decided to build a house and put the paper chase off for about a year and when we decided to pick it up again this past summer we were told that with vacations etc. it would take till at least November before our file would finally be sent to China and logged in either Dec '06 or Jan'07. What happened? Yup, our file was sent and logged in on Sept. 25, 2006.

Now, as I've said before my mind is a calculating mind. I believe that things tend to fall out of the sky for me when I least expect it and that being the case I have this gut feeling that 18 months is more probable than 24. Perhaps its just my stubborn streak refusing to give into the horrid idea that the adoption agency may be right over me. Plus, it is the year of the Pig and I am a Pig so this is MY year - 18 months it shall be then. (My, oh my, won't people be laughing if it turns out to be 24 months!) Bottom line, round -n- round it (the CCAA) goes, where it stops no one knows.... 18 or 24, what shall it be?

Hmmm, I wonder, is it possible to go around for a year with eyes, toes, fingers and anything else crossed without inflicting any kind of long lasting medical condition upon oneself?

Golden Lotuses

Its really funny how my mind works. I was TOTALLY bummed this Friday past with the news of the longer wait time before referral and by late Friday night my mind started to wander. Association can be an interesting thing. My mind wandered from can't go to not being able to travel to feet... of course, my love of all things Chinese kicked in and the next thing I know I'm thinking about history and foot binding. The associations make sense right? I'm stuck, can't travel to get Jade therefore I'm bound here in good ole NL for longer than expected. So I thought why not- blog time again. This practice has always fascinated me so settle in for a discussion on the ancient tradition of foot binding. All I ask is that you try to remove yourself from the "Western" perspective and examine it in Chinese terms. ( I've included two pictures but you need to click on the picture of the girl to really see her feet. Those 'little' shoes are amazing aren't they!)

Foot binding was an ancient Chinese custom of beauty and torture. It was passed from mother to daughter and from generation to generation. It was achieved by bending a young girl's (usually when she reached the age of 5 or 6) toes so that they pointed inward eventually breaking the arch of the foot and the whole process took two years to complete. They often began the binding in the fall as they believed that the cold weather would numb the pain. They would begin by soaking the feet in hot water to soften the skin, the feet were massaged and then bound with strips of cotton cloth two inches wide and ten feet long. They left the big toe alone and exposed for it was needed for balance. When they finished binding the feet the rest of the cotton strips were tied and she was forced to walk which quickly broke the arch of the feet. At the end of two years the girl was unable to walk without assistance.

The tradition began in the mid 10th century in the royal palaces of the Tang dynasty and ended during the 17th century when the practice spread to the lower class.The Chinese believed that the best shaped feet were tiny. The perfect foot could be no more than three inches long. The tiny feet were called 'golden lotuses'. If a girl's feet were more than 3 inches long she would be viewed as undesirable and un-marriageable ( it was said if a girl did not have bound feet she was more of a man than a woman and bound feet brought with it a MUCH higher bride price). A man's status was linked to his wife's bound feet. It meant he was wealthy enough to support an idle woman. Women in those days had to work in the fields and those who had their feet bound couldn't, they stayed home and 'lounged'- this was a symbol of wealth. Unbound feet began to be associated with lower class and rough work.
Many families bound their daughter's feet to show that they had a good reputation.
Men believed if they had a wife with bound feet it meant she was incapable of cheating on him or leave the marriage. Men thought that bound feet enabled a woman to walk like a flower blowing gently in a breeze making them graceful, erotic, sensual and respectful.

So, to sum it up, bound feet and the young age of the girls made them very desirable. They brought in a high bride price and were married off young. Men found bound feet highly sensual and that believed she would be faithful to the marriage.


Finally, during the Qing dynasty uprisings against the foot bindings began. The ruling family didn't believe in binding and called to have it abolished. Missionaries who entered China at the end of the Opium Wars saw the deformed feet and called it torture. Binding went from a symbol of beauty to a symbol of oppression and barbaric.
Foot binding had lasted 1,000 years before the Republic of China officially outlawed it.

Beauty or torture? I guess it all depends on which side of the fence you are standing on.

What the!

I just received a newsletter from our agency informing us that the wait time till referral has gone up YET AGAIN!!. We were logged in on September 25, 2006. We were told then that our referral would come approximately 16 months later which would have been December 2007 or January 2008 travel to follow shortly after.

Well, not any more! We have been told to expect AT LEAST a wait time of 24 months. I thought we finally got to countdown not up! This 24 month wait means we MIGHT get a referral in September 2008 and travel in October/November of 2008. Good Grief Charlie Brown!

That being said I guess it is really out of our hands and we just have to sit and wait some more.

I don't think I have anything else to say at this point, my 'faces' say it all.

Questions and more Questions

I've decided that since I'll be;

1. over the moon completely when I finally reach 'gotcha day' and

2. Won't have a singe coherent thought in my brain

I'll post a list of questions to ask the Orphanage people now. (that is, assuming I'll GET to ask anyone questions) It will also be a huge part of Jade's early life story to have even if some of them are not answered.

Anyone who would like to use the list for their own, go for it as you, too, will probably be over to moon and thoughtless during your 'gotcha day'. I found this on the Rumor Queen site (I think.... I read way too much!) and I felt they were relevant.

1. Where/how was she found and on what date?
2. Who found her?
3. How do you know her age?
4. Was there a note or any other mementos found with her?
5. Who chose her name and why? Does it have any special meaning?
6. Is there a nickname you call her?
7. How was her health the first year?
8. Any prior illnesses, accidents or injuries? If so, what was the treatment. (good question to get an answer - wonder could we get the answer in writing for medical purposes back home?)
9. Does she have any known allergies?
10. Has she had immunizations?
11. What kind of food is she eating now? How much? When?
12. What are her sleeping habits - how much does she sleep and when? Does she sleep on her tummy or back?
13. Does she have any dislikes,likes, sensitivities?
14. What is her personality like? What makes her happy?
15. What makes her angry/upset?
16. How can I calm/soothe her when she cries?
17. Was there a particular person she was attached to?
18. Was there one person who took care of her at the ophanage or many? Did she go home with someone at night or sleep at the orphanage?
19. Does she drink from a bottle or a cup?

Now I know some of these questions will be answered when we receive her profile but it never hurts to ask them again in person. You never know what answer you'll get or what other information it might lead to.

Foster Care or Orphanage Care and Emotions

what shall it be for Jade and what may Ray and I be faced with in terms of grieving and emotions? This topic has had me wracking my brain for months and I've researched it endlessly.

I've come to learn that the babies can be grouped into two categories;
the first are those that have received orphanage care only. They will be the babies come 'gotcha day' that remind me of a deer caught in headlights. They will show little or no reaction when placed in the arms of a stranger (terrible I know but that's what we are to them). They will often stare, are quiet and in shock. The second category will be those babies that have been in foster care. They will be the ones howling their heads off; screaming and flailing their little bodies around trying to find their caregivers. They are the ones that learned early on through foster care that crying will have their needs met and if they cry long and hard enough their caregivers will come and take them away from the strange smelling/sounding people and back to the comfort they have come to know.The orphanage babies on the other hand have learned that crying is useless as no one comes to sooth them.

Then guilt can enter the equation. I've often wondered how many parents have felt this. When they have a screaming or delayed baby (by delayed I'm referring to the orphanage babies - no outward emotion - not delayed as in there is something wrong with them) in their arms for the first time do they feel a little guilty or apprehensive. I understand that parents have been waiting with anticipation for up to 3 years or more but when you are faced with a baby's tear streaked face, little grief wracked body and questioning eyes, longing for their life as they have grown to know it, wouldn't you, even just a little, question whether or not you were doing the right thing - after all, you may have been waiting for this baby for three years but the baby hasn't been waiting for you. I've been wondering about this as I've read posts where parents are actually dreading 'gotcha day' often expressing their hidden anxiety over taking the babies away from all that they have ever known.

When I dig a little deeper I come to the conclusion that perhaps it really isn't anxiety and guilt as much as it is nerves. Lets look at it for a minute. Everyone, no matter where they live in this world, pretty much goes through the same steps when they adopt, give or take a few added bumps in the road along the way. You decide to adopt, contact the appropriate persons, begin the home study (suffer though it), the paper chase, the approval, translations and finally the file is off to China. Then you wait. You wait for the DTC date(for those of you who are not familiar with China lingo DTC means document to China), then you wait for the LID date (again, China lingo for Log in date). THEN, when you Think you can finally stop holding your breath and breathe again the the first time in about a year you realize you are not out of the woods yet. You now need to watch the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) website daily for the "The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before...) Those of you not familiar with the CCAA what I'm referring to here is the CCAA has logged in your file but now someone needs to review it with a fine tooth comb to make sure all is peachy keen with them. They may not pass your file though to the matching stage if they have questions and would like more detailed information e.g doctor's note concerning a medical condition etc. All of this and you still have not been "matched". Who in their right mind would not be a basket of nerves by now? O.K, let's move on and say our file has passed the inspection phase and is now in the matching room. What happens next? You guessed it! We wait again. Add to this, financial issues, the hope that nothing changes in your health and wondering what the baby will look like, will she/he be healthy, is she/he being loved, what kind of conditions are they living in, are people being kind to them etc - you get my point.

Finally, the day of all days actually arrives and you are staring at the precious picture you've been waiting to see for YEARS. What happens now is a whirlwind of activity. Rush to the doctor to make sure all is well, contact the agency to let them know you accept the baby, tell family and friends, get the nursery ready (if you haven't already), shop till you drop, pack, re pack, wait again, this time for travel approval and most of all secretly worry -about what- everything.

You know, I've heard people say that everything falls into place when you get that picture but it makes me wonder. To me, I look at it as just another chapter. The waiting and anxiety still continues. It continues when you get on the plane, arrive in China and seems to explode in the hours, minutes and seconds before the 'gotcha moment'. I really don't think that deep down people are questioning whether or not they are doing the right thing. When you first contact the adoption agency you've already made up your mind that it IS the right thing for you. I think every little step in the adoption journey builds up inside of us and when you finally reach the gotcha moment you let it all out and sometimes people confuse this 'emotion' with anxiety or grief/guilt. (I'm not saying ALL people experience this but from my readings it does happen and seems to be more common than I ever would have thought)

What does the road ahead hold for Jade and us, who knows, but I do know I will be uptight, anxious and even a little scared BUT I will NEVER question whether or not I'm doing the right thing - I know I am, how about you?

Chinese Military History

O.k.I guess by now you've noticed that my blog is not the typical adoption blog that you often see. (I have to say this blogging thing is great!) I am a history buff or nut (I'm a History major specializing in German History and the Holocaust - but that's another blog one day perhaps)and I love all things Chinese. So, that being the case I feel I've been let loose with this blog.
Since my husband has complained that I have gotten carried away in writing some of my earlier posts I've decided to just list some adult books on Chinese Military (history) that you may find interesting. So, if you do find that you would like to do some reading on Military topics how about getting your hands on one or more of the following:

Modern Chinese Warfare,1795 - 1989 (Bruce Ellerman)
China at War,1901-1949 (Edward Dreyer)
Soldiers of the Dragon: Chinese Armies 1500BC-ad 1840(C.J.Peers)
This auther also wrote Late Imperial Chinese Armies 1520-1840 AND Ancient Chinese Armies 1500-200BC
Code Name Kindred Spirit: Inside the Chinese Nuclear Espionage Scandal (Notra Trulock)
A Military History of China (David Andrew Graff)
Ancient China and its Enemies: The rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History (Nicola Di Cosmo)
Overall Chinese history book entiteld "China: A New History" (John King Fairbank)
Colonel C.L. Chennault and Flying Tigers (book on how Claire Chennault helped China in the war against Japan.)
Fire and Water: the Art of Incendiary and Aquatic Warfare in China (Ralph Sawyer)
Rescuing the Doolittle Team
The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China and the Japanese Occupation (Philip Snow)
When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne 1405-1433 (Lousie Levathes)
The Great Wall of China 221 BC-1644AD (Stephen Turnbull)

Books

I've decided to add Chapter's to my list of web links thanks to a comment made on my Inventions post. For anyone who believes their children might be interested in leaning more about Chinese inventions there is a really cool children's book called "Miss Frizzle's Imperial China" available at Chapers. (I have it on very good authority that kids will love it). Thanks Kim!

There are many children's books on the topic of Chinese New Year. Some of them that you might like to check out are;

"The Year of the Pig: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac"
"My first Chinese New Year"
"Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story"
"Happy Happy Chinese New Year" and,
for ages 4 -6 "The Chinese New Year Mystery".

Heartwarming and a little sad

Hi everyone,

This will be a very short post and really not from me. I just finished reading Deb's post from her day in China yesterday. I suggest anyone who has a minute should read it too. It tells of the mixed emotions new parents often face when visiting their baby's orphanage in China which can be very heartwarming and sad at the same time. There are some lovely pictures attached to her post as well. You can read Deb's post by clicking on my link called Olivia's blog near the bottom right hand side of Jade's blog.

Wendy

Did you know?

I've decided to post about inventions, yes that's right, how many of you knew that some of the greatest inventions came from China? To confess I really didn't know any of these either until I took a Chinese culture class at MUN with the lovely Dr. Rainey. I was astounded at some of them, I really thought they were invented by the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks or British - who knew? Of course, this post is for Jade but I'm also going to dedicate it to my husband Ray too.

We all know fireworks were invented by the Chinese but did you know that the wheelbarrow was too? It was invented during the 1st century BCE and it was originally made out of wood.It was called the wooden ox. (I bet the Hebrew slaves wished they had the wheelbarrows when they were building the Pyramids. Would have saved a good many backs!) Wheelbarrows never surfaced in Europe until the 11th or 12th century. The Chinese also invented the compass which was made out of wood and had a piece of ore moulded into a spoonlike shape. It was first used in terms of harmony, making sure that man made objects and nature were in tune and later they used it as a navigational tool for Chinese ships.

The Chinese invented the first earthquake machine. (I've included a picture of it at the beginning of this blog) It is now known as a Seismograph. It was a vessel shaped jar with 8 dragon heads protruding from all different directions. Each dragon had an open mouth which contained a ball. Under each dragon head there was an open mouthed toad and depending on which dragon head vibrated and dropped its ball into the toad's mouth, the Chinese could tell from which direction an earthqueske was occuring. Modern seismographs never surfaced elsewhere in the world until 1848.

They invented gunpowder as well. This was by accident as the Chinese Emperors were obsessed with achieving eternal life. They would hire alchemists to find the elixor that they could swallow therefore living forever. These alchemists would combine many different chemicals and one combination they happened to create was explosive. They decided to put this mixture in bamboo tubes and the gases the mixture emitted made the bamboo tubes fire; gunpowder was born.

This gunpowder led to many more inventions, one being the cannon, which was made out of iron and it fired the gunpowder filled bamboo. Another invention was what they called shooting flaming arrows. The Chinese strapped the bamboo filled tubes to arrows and lit them, hence the name flaming rockets/arrows. There is also folklore that surronds the gunpowdered flaming rockets. It is beleived a man decided he wanted another mode of transportation and upon seeing these flaming rockets decided to strap a bunch of them to a bamboo chair. He then created a top to go over the chair. He sat in the chair and had people light the rockets. The result was that the chair and the man were blown to bits. (I never said it had a happy ending!) hmmmm, I wonder was that a first introduction to air planes?

Speaking of air travel and airplanes did you know that the Chinese invented the first helicopter rotor and blade? No, neither did I. During the 4th century they invented this as a toy. It had a top on it that served as an axis and a cord was tied around it. There were blades sticking out at different angles. When the cord was pulled this toy would launch into the air and fly. It was called a bamboo dragonfly and today's helicopters are modelled after this toy.

China is responsible for a whole bunch of other inventions as well. They invented kites, which were made out of square pieces of silk and fastened to bamboo sticks (the first kites of Europe were seen in 1589). They were the first to harness their animals and made plowing equipment out of iron for agricultural purposes. They made the first waterproof boats and the first steering rudders. They developed a counting abacus, paper money first surfaced in China during in the 9th-10th century. (In Europe paper money was not introduced until 1661), acupuncture and anaesthetics were made from wine for health purposes and they introduced many herbal remedies/medicines.

The Chinese invented the first printing press as well as paper making and writing. The oldest piece of paper was found in a tomb near X'ian and dates between 140 and 87 BCE. They were the first to have books and even had bookshops during the Tang dynasty. The Chinese created the first planetarium. The viewer would sit in a chair that hung from the ceiling of the building. They invented the decimal system in 14 century and made matches from sticks of wood with blobs of sulfur on the ends.

A few last interesting points that I bet you didn't know. The Chinese created their war armour out of thickened paper, were the first civilization to perform skull surgery and they invented chess.

too cool huh! Now you know...

Chinese New Year

Well, February 18, 2007 will officially ring in the year of the Pig. This is especially exciting for me as I, according to the Chinese zodiac, fall in the Pig category. (I'll provide a link of the Chinese zodiac at the bottom right hand side of Jade's blog in the website section so you too can find out what animal you are). I do believe it is the first time I have ever been linked to a pig - I guess it could be worse. Anyway, I've decided to discuss Chinese New Year for Jade so take a seat and enjoy. Perhaps at the end of this post you'll find that you are intrigued by the Chinese New Year and even decide to practice in some of the rituals that surround it even just for fun.

Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. This year the first day of the lunar calendar falls on February 18 and in 2008 Chinese New Year will fall on February 7 (every year the Chinese New Year will fall on a different day and even fall on a different month). The conclusion of the Chinese New Year is marked by a festival known as the Lantern Festival. The Chinese New Year is the most important traditional holiday. Chinese New Year, like North American Christmas has an "eve" and is called "Chuxi" and the Chinese New Year is celebrated by massive numbers of people who travel home to China from all over the world to be with their families on Chinese New Years Eve.

Days leading up to the Chinese New Years Eve are heavily based on tradition and ritual. Of these rituals there a few that must be done before the New Year arrives. The first of these rituals is house cleaning. The entire house must be cleaned literally from top to bottom (ceilings, walls, floors etc) and on New Year's Eve all cleaning supplies must be hidden. It is believed that if any sweeping is done on New Years Day you will sweep away your good fortune. There are rules that must be adhered to while sweeping during this time as well. You must make sure you do not sweep over the threshold door, by doing so it is believed that you will sweep away a family member therefore you must sweep all the dirt inward and then carry it out the back door.

Doors and window panes are to be decorated and are often painted red, which is considered to be a 'lucky' color. People will often hang paper cuttings in their windows, on their doors and throughout their house. These paper cuttings have themes of happiness and wealth and longevity painted on them. (This paper cutting can be traced back to the Han Dynasty and is called Spring couplets) There are 10 lucky Chinese symbols that are often painted on everything and anything during the Chinese New Year.

It is also a time to acknowledge and pay respect to the many Chinese Gods. One of the most important of these Gods is the Kitchen God. Every traditional Chinese family has a picture or statue of the Kitchen God in their kitchen. It is believed that this God was sent to the family to take charge of the family's affairs and to report what the family had done in the last year. During the time leading up to the Chinese New Year each family would make a sacrifice to the Kitchen God. (This sacrifice is in the form of a kind of a sticky cake called Nian Gao). The purpose of this sacrifice was to ensure that the Kitchen God did not speak/think ill of the family. They believed by offering the Kitchen God a sticky sweet cake he would not be able to speak ill of the family because his mouth would be sealed shut by the stickiness of the cake.

All debts should be paid by the Chinese New Year and no moneys should be lent during this time as it is believed that anyone who does lend will be lending all throughout the coming year. As well, no foul language could be spoken during this time or to use words that were considered unlucky or bad. An example of an unlucky word would be Si ( meaning the number 4) . Si is like the unlucky #13 for us. Si sounds very close to the word for death and therefore is avoided. Nor do people speak of the year ending instead they focus on new beginnings and the year ahead.

There is also no washing your hair on New Years Day. This was another ritual that was to be followed. If you washed your hair it was believed that you would be washing away the good luck of the New Year. In terms of clothing the preferred color was red and it had to be new. Red was considered to be lucky and if you wore red it was believed you would have a bright future. Red envelopes are also given out to children during New Years Day. In every red envelope was dollar bills (often referred to as lucky money) and this signifies good fortune in the New Year. It was also considered lucky to see or hear birds with red feathers. Red also symbolizes fire and it is thought to drive away bad luck and evil spirits.

You are not allowed to use knives or scissors on New Years Day for it is believed that to do so would mean you would cut off your good fortune. It is a time when it is considered unlucky to meet anyone in their bedroom. All gatherings must be held in the living room. Also, the first person to meet another and the first words spoken/heard are considered to the fortune you would receive in the New Year. It is believed that if you cry on New Years Day you will cry throughout the New Year. Chinese elders believed that if they stayed awake through New Years Eve they would be granted a long life.

Firecrackers also play an important role in the New Year. It is believed by the lighting and setting off of the crackers you are ridding yourself of the old year and ushering in the new year. There is also other folklore attached to firecrackers. This lore says there once was an old beast (called Nian) that could swallow people whole. This beast terrified the Chinese people until an old man (often believed to be a god in the disguise of an old man) tamed it and took it away from the village. The old man told the people that they should hang red lanterns and put bamboo in fires to create a loud bang to keep the beast away. After firecrackers were invented people chose them over the 'exploding bamboo'.

Chinese New Years Eve and New Years Day also revolve around family and feasting. Ancestors play a significant role during the festivities. Families will prepare a feast to honor living and dead family members. Departed family members are remembered with great respect. It is believed that this feast brings the spirits of the ancestors to the banquet table to feast with the living relatives. It is a time of family unity of the past and present generations. (Don't forget that the preparation of the New years food had to be done days ahead as they were not allowed to use knives or scissors on New Years Eve or Day). The banquet foods consisted of seafood, vegetables, noodles and dumplings ( called jiao zi which sometimes had coins hidden in them and those who found them were believed to be blessed with good luck) each associated with good luck. Most of these foods were prepared whole and not chopped up as to leave whole symbolized luck - to cut up meant to invite misfortune.
People would also set out a "tray of togetherness" which could be a tray or a box with many little compartments each holding a treats. ( treats can be lotus roots, seeds, melon seeds and other sweet candy treats). When families finally did visit others usually from the 6th to the 10th day tangerines and oranges were given as gifts.

The second day of New Years is called the "Day of Commencement" This day consists of feasting on meats which symbolizes good spirit and hope for a profitable year. On the third day of the New Year people avoided visiting and prefered to stay home in hopes of avoiding " the Day of Squabbles" which, if occurs, will last throughout the New Year. The fourth day of the New Year marks the return of the Kitchen God who has returned from giving the report of the family's last year. The seventh day of the New Year is called "Everyone's Birthday" which marks a time of re birth and blessings.

The last Day of the New Years celebrations is the 15th day and is called the Lantern Festival. During this time red lanterns are decorated (they can be decorated with birds, beasts, and themes such as words to ward off evil spirits or can be riddles) and hung throughout China (indoors and out) They eat sweet dumplings (called Yuan Xiao - round rice balls with either sweet or salty fillings that symbolize family reunion and unity) The highlight of the Lantern festival is the dragon dance. This dragon can reach a length of a hundred feet long and consist of paper, silk and bamboo. This dragon will dance through the streets of China with a parade of dancers, drummers and gongs accompanied with lots of red lanterns and firecrackers.

Oh happy day it's referral day!

Not for Ray and I of course. We still have about 12 months to go before we get ours but at least the countdown has begun! The CCAA (aka China Centre for Adoption Affairs) has just sent out their latest batch of referrals around the world. Many, many happy people today I suspect. I do love referral days. To see all those precious faces is indescribable. Why am I trying to explain see for yourself!

On the right hand side (near the bottom) of Jade's blog you'll see a link called Rumor Queen. Just click on that and scroll down. The Queen will have a list of blogs that have referral pictures. For those of you who are not familiar with the Rumor Queen she is the lovely lady that seems to have some kind of inside scoop when it comes to guessing what is going on inside the CCAA and when referrals might be approaching. Her site is a USA based site BUT anyone can join her group.

Anyway hurry up and get your baby fix! (I'm also going to post links to some canadian blogs so check them out too.)

Why butterflies and ladybugs?

When trying to decide what to call Jade's blog I thought long and hard. I considered calling the blog China Jade, Precious Jade, the ever popular Journey to Jade and Bringing Jade home but none of these 'quite fit'. I'm a believer of trying to keep ties with China if at all possible so it seemed natural that I choose something along those lines hence ladybugs and butterflies. I think the ladybug part is self explanatory but for those of you that are just beginning a China journey of your own or those of you who are not familiar with Chinese symbolism etc. I'll fill you in. Ladybugs in China symbolize good luck. As far as I'm concerned individuals going through the 'adoption process' need as much good luck as possible! I also like to think that Jade will have as much good luck as she can handle after all, a wee little thing who has gone through so much upset and turmoil in the short span of life deserves it. So, bring on the good luck till my cup runneth over! Many expectant parents will often keep on the look out for lady bug sightings as well. Every time one is sighted the adoption circles wait in anticipation because more often than not those precious referrals come soon after and who in their right mind would not like to associate those lucky little lady bugs with that? I've come to look at the ladybugs as the Chinese version of the stork.

Now, butterfly symbolism on the other hand, may not be as widely known. In China, butterflies symbolize all sorts of things. They symbolize love, long life, beauty, joy and my personal favorite, new beginnings. It is believed in China that if you see a butterfly that has landed on a plum blossom you will be granted long life. If paired with a cat (for instance on a piece of jewelry) it symbolizes that you will live 70 to 90 years. If a butterfly settles on you the Chinese believe that you are being blessed. When you see two butterflies dancing in the air entwined, it is believed to symbolize a loving couple. (Chinese folk stories often call these couples 'Butterfly Lovers'). Since butterflies are entwined with love, it is quite common for Chinese people to give brides and grooms items with butterflies on them as wedding gifts. Lastly, during the Qing dynasty it was common to see the cuffs of silk robes of the Empress embroidered with dancing butterflies.

One of my any wishes and hopes for Jade is that throughout her life she will be blessed, loved, have and see beauty, live a long life and experience as much joy as possible. (the good luck part is a given) As I said before butterflies symbolize new beginnings and that is what this WHOLE journey for us and Jade is about. A new beginning as a family. That is why I chose to name Jade's blog butterflies and ladybugs.

Welcome to Jade's blog Butterflies and Ladybugs!

Well,

After 3 years of reading many, many blogs I've finally decided to start one of our own. For the last three ( yes, count them, 3!) years we have embarked on a wonderful adventure and are currently waiting for our daughter Jade to let us know she is ready for us.

This is a journey that we have shared with so many other people before us, many of whom we'll never have the chance to meet in person. This road, long and winding with many ups, downs and at times seemingly never ending, will ultimately carry us to Jade. It is a road that has been by now, well worn. The road, like the Great Wall of China, has been forged through much time, sweat, tears, blood love and hope.

Through Jade's blog I've decided to invite you to walk with us to get her. This blog will serve as part of Jade's history and will, I hope, serve to answer some of her questions of who, what, where, when and why. It will attempt to show her the history of China - the land where she began her walk to us, the culture, beliefs and anything else I decide will be beneficial to her. So, pull up a chair, get comfy and come along with us to China and Jade!

Wendy