Did They Run Out of Babies?

Over the past few weeks there has been a terrible slow down in referrals. When we called our agency they said not to expect a referral until late February. Ugh!

CCAA - the Beijing beuracracy that process the applications just posted this on their website:

近来，就外国收养家庭来华收养弃孤（残）儿童的办理时间长短问题说法很多，表明大家非常关心这个问题，在此一并说明如下：
中国收养中心一贯重视提高工作效率和质量，并为此做出了不懈的努力。但收养家庭递交文件后等待选配儿童的时间长短是由来华收养家庭的数量和可涉外送养儿童的数量两个因素决定的。在来华收养家庭数量多于可涉外送养儿童数量时，收养家庭等待的时间将会延长；反之，来华收养家庭数量少于可涉外送养儿童数量时，这个时间可能缩短。所以收养家庭等待的时间长短并非人为控制，也不是固定不变的，请大家正确了解。

In case you are having trouble deciphering what this means:

Recently, there are many speculations on the waiting time period for adoption process for inter-country adoption coming to China to adopt children. The following will help clarify such concerns: CCAA highly emphasizes on efficiency, effectiveness and quality, we have put unremitting effort to achieve this. But the length of processing time after adoptive family apply for their application is correlated with the number of inter-country adopting families and the number with the adopting children waiting to be adopted. If the number of adoptive families is higher than the number of children to be adopted, the waiting period will be extended, on the other hand, if the number of children waiting for adoption out numbers the number of adoptive families, then the waiting period will be shortened. Therefore, the waiting period for adoptive families will vary according to this and not due to inefficiency or other controlling factors.

I am not sure what is more ironic. That they appear to have run out of babies as soon as it was our turn, or that a communist government agency seems to be giving a supply and demand explanation to american families.

- C2K