One month

We have now been waiting for one month on Cathwel's list.  I find myself thinking "ok, so that's what a month feels like.  Now do I have 10, 20, 30, or 40 of those left until we get a referral?"  I'm not really anxious about it or anything--I've resigned myself to a long wait--but it is just interesting to speculate about.  Of course its been over a year and a half since we originally started the Taiwan adoption process, so one month is really a drop in the bucket any way you slice it.

Adoption Info #3 - Status of International Adoptions

In honor of National Adoption Day today, I thought I'd post this interesting article I came across.  It outlines the status of international adoptions in the US this year.  I have to agree that it seems international adoptions are getting more and more difficult, and that ultimately they will be phased out more and more.  While in some cases that will be good (i.e. it will mean that there will not be as many orphans in the countries and/or more children will be adopted within country), but in some it will be bad (i.e. the kids will just stay in orphanages or foster care rather than being adopted).  I predict the world of international adoption will be very different 5 years from now.

http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=683

Fox the Turtle

Taiwan Fun Fact #5 - Vegetarianism in Taiwan

Ah, two of my favorite topics: vegetarianism and Taiwan. I came across this interesting article, and just had to share:
http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=47665&CtNode=430

Did you know there are approximately 1.7 million vegetarians in Taiwan?  That is a fairly notable amount, considering the island only has about 23 million people.  This article actually mentions one of the restaurants (Jen Dow Vegetarian Buffet) that I posted about in my last Taiwan Fun Fact post.  I cannot WAIT to hit that buffet when we are traveling to get our future daughter!! 

In case anyone is wondering, Chris and I do intend on raising both of our children as vegetarians.  We are not vegans (i.e. we do eat eggs, dairy products, honey, etc), but we do avoid all meats (and, yes, that includes poultry and fish products).  We are hoping that there may be a birthmother out there who is vegetarian and would like to see her baby raised vegetarian, as well, and our family would be chosen because of that.  I would really love to know that we would be raising our daughter the way her birthmother hoped she would be raised.