Consulate Day

Monday May 20, 2012

We met our guide at 0745 to go to the American Consulate in Guangzhou.  There were about 8 other families there also.  We were all there to apply for visa's for the children.  This was not at all what I was expecting.  There is really nothing exciting about it at all.  They herd everyone into this small sterile looking room with a row of glass windows.  There was an older girl of maybe 11-12 there that was being adopted and she just loved Konnor.  Apparently she was having a rough day, but once she started playing with Konnor her little face just lit up.  They have everyone stand up and swear all at the same time that all the information we have given is true and accurate.  Then they call everyone up one family at a time, you hand over the paperwork your guide helped you fill out, sign on the dotted line and then you are done.  They remind you to apply for the Social Security card when you get home, they remind you about keeping the citizenship form for the child (b/c it is like a birth certificate for the child) and they remind you that the child will be an American citizen once they clear customs at the first airport in the USA.  That's it.  Really?  I kinda thought there would be a little more to it than that.  No little flags for the kids.  Nothing.  I could have done this in my pj's.

Then we went to a book/music store where our guide helped us pick out some CD's that are in Cantonese.    Konnor is from southern China and is therefore considered Cantonese.  Cantonese is the native language for this area.  We also bought him a couple of puzzles for when he is a little bit older.  We headed back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon where all three of us took a 3 hour nap.  We actually ended up waking Konnor up after 3 1/2 hrs b/c he usually only sleep 1 1/2- 2hrs in the afternoon and we didn't want him to be up all night.  Let me just tell you how that backfired later.  We went to dinner at Pizza Hut with 2 other  adoptive families.  It is great to get out with some other families who know what you are going thru.  Both couples are wonderful.  We have been very blessed to meet some amazing people on this trip.  Oh and on a side note, the Pizza Hut here is SOOOOO much better than the Pizza Hut back home.  Don't ask me what the difference is, but I am trying to talk Mark into going back for dinner tonight.

Sleeping is starting to become an issue around here.  We woke Konnor up from that long nap and then he was totally out cold by 745.  He usually doesn't go to bed till between 8-930 (closer to 9 usually).  He sleeps (and I use that term loosely) the whole night, but he is very restless.  He will start fussing/whimpering in his sleep and he tosses/turns all night.  He isn't having night terrors which is a huge blessing, but I think he is starting to worry that we won't be there when he wakes up.  He will fuss and when he opens his eyes and sees us he starts smiling and then goes right back to sleep.  Sometime he will put his hand up for us to kiss and then go back to sleep.  It is like he is just making sure we are still real and there if he needs us.  I am happy that he is finding comfort in our presence, but the poor guy is exhausting himself.  Unfortunately he is doing this more times during the night than I can even count which is also exhausting MaMa and BaBa.

The next 2 days are going to be trying so keep your fingers crossed for us.  Right now it is Tuesday morning and Konnor is down for another unusually long nap.  This would be fine except I need to start packing and everything I need to pack is right by his crib.  Today at 430 our guide will be dropping off Konnor's passport and visa to us.  This is the last of the paperwork we need for him and then at around 7 pm we board a bus for Hong Kong.  We are staying the night in a hotel and then tomorrow morning we board a plane for the 15 hour flight home.

So this is our last day full day in China.  It is definitely bittersweet.  We are all tired and can't wait to get Konnor home so we can start living our normal life as a family.  We are a little sad though b/c this is Konnor's last day in China. We hope to bring him back for a heritage tour someday, and who knows where his life will lead him, but for the foreseeable future this is the last time Konnor will be in China.  He has spent the first year of his life here, and even though we may complain about this or that, China really is a beautiful country with an amazing history.  For now we will just try to teach Konnor about all we have learned and hopeful he will grow to appreciate the country of his birth.  He has already come so far in the week he has been with us and we can't wait to see how well he will do once he is in a stable environment.

So for now this is us signing off.  Goodbye China.  Maybe we will see you again someday, but even if we don't we will always be grateful for this little angel that is now the center of our lives.

Last dose of cuteness from China.  The next post won't be for a couple days, but it will be from home sweet home!!

Next stop......Home!!!!