"Rumors" are Flying!

The rumors are flying from the Rumor Queen! The Rumor Queen has a website called ChinaAdoptTalk.com and she somehow compiles information that she gathers from different adoption agencies about referrals, dates and travel appointments. She then rates them on how "reliable" they are.....Well, "rumor" has it that there are at least 3 agencies that are saying the October 17th IS included in this next batch of referrals that will probably be out next week!! I am getting very excited...a very controlled excited. Even after the extremely long wait I am having a hard time believing that it is actually happening and that we could be going to China very soon to bring our little girl home! She is in my thoughts constantly and it is difficult to concentrate on other things.
On Feb. 3 our church is having a garage sale to help raise money for our adoption. I am so grateful to all of you for your hard work, your excitement in our excitement and your love and prayers.
This week I have been at Mom and Dad's helping. Mom had a stint removed from her kidney. The cancer is not gone so she will have to resume chemo in several weeks. We are not looking forward to it because it is a very toxic one. Please continue to pray for her. Dad is still hanging on. He has good days and bad. Susan and I have been able to help with bills and office stuff for him, but it sure causes him much anxiety. The hope of him being able to meet Melina is definitely there especially since it seems likely that we will be in the next batch.
I was telling Barry on Sunday that I am more ready than I have ever been before. I have heard others talking about "their daughter" that they needed to bring home. I don't know if I can articulate the feeling, but I had not understood that exactly. I couldn't think of her yet that way. I knew we were adopting a child, but I didn't have a connection, even though we/I had been praying for her and her birth mother for a while. For some reason, this Sunday I was overcome with an urgency of needing to get to her and realizing that "our daughter", the daughter that God had chosen for us before the foundation of the world, was waiting for us to bring her home.