Guangzhou

Friday October 14 was a sad day for us.  Stephanie had to leave us early in the morning to head back to Boston.  We feel so fortunate that she was able to spend a week with us and for Claire to get a taste of what a wonderful Jie Jie (Big Sister) Steph is.  We also left Jinan where we made a lot of wonderful memories, the most important of which is that is where we met Claire! 

We flew from Jinan to Guangzhou.  We stayed at the Victory Hotel which is on Shamian Island.  It was our favorite spot we stayed in China.  It is a quaint spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Guangzhou.  The Island was easily walkable even for Kevin.  There are lots of shops for souvenirs and while they are probably more money than going into the city, the people that own the shops were so kind to us and our children that we didn’t mind spending a little extra.  We made friends with many of them and really will miss seeing them every day.               

                                                                                                                                         We did do some local shopping through the markets(which were interesting for the types of things they were selling) and visited the Safari Park.  The Safari Park was pretty neat, but the kids were just fried and so the day wasn’t as great as we’d hoped.  But we’ve been here 14 days and on the whole they have been troopers so they get a little grace for a bad day!   The Pandas were amazing and everyone perked up when we got to their exhibit.

While in Guangzhou we completed all the US requirements for our adoption.  Claire underwent a physical examination, which included a TB test.  On the 18th we had our appointment with the US Consulate.  There we took an oath that the paperwork we filled out was true and correct.  We signed paperwork to apply for Claire’s Visa which was approved.  The end result of all of this work is that the minute we are wheels down in Seattle, Claire is a US Citizen!!  When they told us that at the US Consulate, I teared up.  This is the culmination of approximately a year of paperwork and prayer to bring Claire home.  I can’t believe that we are finally to this point!

As I type this we are on the road to Hong Kong and will fly out early in the morning for home.  We’ve been looking at pictures and are amazed that this wonderful trip is over.  With that said we are looking forward to getting home, getting back to our routine, sleeping in our own beds and eating some of our regular favorite food.  First up . . . .Tacos!!

And by the way, in case you were wondering . . . .Claire is fitting in just fine!!  Yes, those are her underwear on her head!