Anyway, on Monday I spent 3 hours in a meeting with our group (led by our guide, Connie), gathering, reviewing and filling out paperwork needed for our consulate appointment. By the time the meeting was over, we were STARVING. We, along with of our friends from the group- Kim, John and their kids Sebastian and Naomi (Emily's best friend here) decided to try out a local Thai restaurant for dinner. It was EXCELLENT and we really had a great time.
Yesterday, Tuesday, was a pretty low-key day. It was the day of our consulate appointment. Connie took all of our paperwork (completed on Monday) and went to the consulate interview/ appointment on our behalf...so we were not required to go. However, we needed to stay in the hotel room from 10-1:00, just in case the consulate had any questions and needed to call. We took that opportunity to start packing for our trip home Wednesday (although, admittedly, we were not that productive)...heehee. We spent most of the time watching Chinese VH1/MTV equivalents and Chinese soap operas. In the evening (at 5:45), we met up with some of the group and went for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The ride was AMAZING. All the buildings along the river are lit up beautifully at night and there are lights along either side of the river, leading the way. It really was a beautiful cruise and a beautiful night. We had a great time with all of our new friends. There was music playing inside the boat and Emily and Naomi spent a good part of the ride running around the boat doing their own interpretive dance. Abby seemed to enjoy herself too, although she had a few cranky moments, as she is teething (getting a couple of molars)...but overall, she had a great time and spent most of the ride practicing her walking....first holding on to one finger on each of my hands, then letting go and just standing by herself (but making sure that Mommy stayed nearby). There was a cooler filled with ice cream novelties, and Abby kept running over to it and staring at the big picture of an ice cream cone on the side of the cooler. After the cruise, since none of us really ate anything, we were starving and decided as a group to go out for ice cream. There is a little deli/ shop next door to our hotel that sells homemade ice cream....really smooth and DELICIOUS...like gelato. We ordered 3 cones, one each for Mike, Emily and me.....I really should have ordered an extra for Abby, as she ate three quarters of my ice cream. Did we mention that Abby has a ravenous appetite.....? This kid eats more than Emily and I do combined. When we first met her a week ago, she had obviously been taken care of, but was the first baby we ever saw with ZERO fat on her at all. Now, only 9 1/2 days later, after many good-sized meals, while she is still small, we have nicknamed her our "happy Buddha". The "happy Buddhas" are the ones with the cute round bellies. :)
Anyway, last night, we stayed out with the group til about 10:30 or so, before returning to our rooms. I don't know if it was the ice cream or what, but Abby was WIRED! She just kept cruising in circles, giggling and walking laps around our bed until she finally conked out after midnight.
Today, was our infamous "red couch photo" and a trip to the US consulate for our "swearing in ceremony". This was it. Our last adoption step. Abby has her visa to enter the US and we are all set to come home. While we are happy to return home, we do feel a bit sad about leaving Abby's homeland. We have had such an amazing journey here...a truly incredible experience....and it is a bit sad to leave. We know that this adoption is a happy thing...that we have gained so much and are so lucky to have this beautful new daughter, and that on the flip side, Abby has now been united with her "forever family". However, we do get sad when we think that she is leaving behind this country when we board that plane for the U.S....her culture and her native language which will leave her all too quickly.
Abby fits into our family so well. It's like she has always been with us. "Adopted" or "biological" doesn't matter. She is ours, plain and simple , and she has already brought so much joy to our lives. We look forward to watching her grow up.
We will be leaving for the US really early in the morning tomorrow (Wednesday), so this is our last travel posting. However, we will keep this blog going after we come home, with regular updates on the life and times of our family post-adoption. See you all soon!!!!!! :)
Pictures taken on the Pearl River dinner cruise:
Our "red couch photo". Some of the kiddos from our group are missing from the picture, as not everyone liked the red couch. It is a tradition of adoptive families staying at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou to have a photo taken of the groups' children on the red couch...for good luck, as red is a lucky color in China.
And here is a photo of our travel group:
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