Keep your hands inside at all times

I had hoped this was the Burlap-Sack-Down-A-Slide ride.

I swear I stood in line for that slide ride. We strated standing in line for this ride on Thanksgiving day, 2004. We had decided to adopt a child. I read books, joined forums, bought items. We went to doctor appointments, sent for copies of certificates of all kinds that had State Seals of the fragments of our lives stamped on them. We pushed papers in front of our managers at our jobs, which they signed, seemingly proving our monthly worthiness to work.
Then, one by one, we checked off pieces of the to-do list;
Agency application check
Questionnaire check
Autobiography check
(insist that Scott does one too) check
Scott's reluctant Autobiography check
Certification of identity check
Marriage License check
Divorce Decree check
Financial Statement check
(look franticly for filed IRS return from 2001) check
(find said IRS return) check
Compile three years of IRS returns check
Insurance verification check
Reference letters check
I-134 check
I-600A check
Child abuse clearance check
Police clearances check
(call Sioux Falls police to inquire about records of Scott breaking windows on abandoned building when he was 9 yrs old) check
Advise Scott that this is all worth it check
obtain Passports check
complete homestudy with Social Worker check
CIS Fingerprints check
Physical exams check
(vow to lose weight) check
Income/Expense check
I-171 check
designate guardians check
Intent to adopt letter check

Thus, bringing the time closer to sending our documents to China, and proudly announcing to everyone, "We are now DTC", only to get blank stares from co-workers and family members, while they repeated, "DeeTeeCee?" followed with a "huh?"
"It means, Dossier To China" I would proudly reply.
It was so long getting to this part of the line, and I could finally see the front...but only because it looped around again. But we stood there, and waited.
"What do you mean we are not going to be DTC in March? We turned it all in, in March. The person that takes it for authentication is on vacation? OK so when will we be DTC? Early April? ok...."
What else could we say? We were in the line and we had to keep looking forward.
April came and went....but we WERE Logged in with China in the month of May. May 7th to be precise.
Now what?
Expect a referral in November. But not so quick! We've heard rumors that the November referrals will be for the rest of everyone currently waiting for referrals in October. Perhaps we won't get our referral in November, perhaps we'll get it in December...or January....but then again.....

Does this roller coaster have a slide on it? I paid for the slide ride.