Consulate Appointment

April 19 2012

We got up and out the door early this morning because finally, finally, we had our Consulate Appointment! We went by van (15 min away) and sat in a big waiting room with a bunch of other adoptive families. Our kids were the oldest, other than two 13 year old children. The one boy who was almost 14, kept his head down in his hands (maybe crying) the entire time. I felt terrible for him (and his parents) because I remember how hard it was for John, only two years ago. Anyway, we swore the oath (standing up, right hand raised), signed more documents, and then we were back at the hotel by 9:45am. Cheng’s parents were supposed to meet us at 10:30, but then, since it was pouring rain, they didn’t come to our hotel until noon. John, Ben and I went with the Liang family to a wonderful museum. David stayed and napped with Leo and Sam. They had been awake for 6 hours by then, and needed a rest. Ben really enjoyed the museum, and John took over 300 photos. We returned to the hotel at 4:00pm, and all 10 of us walked to a restaurant for an early dinner. As I’ve mentioned before, after an enormous breakfast buffet in the morning, we rarely eat more than a piece of fruit for lunch. We are always hungry by 4p. We walked across the street to another restaurant and again ate a long and elaborate meal. I’m sure I’ve gained quite a few pounds this trip! At 7:30pm, we were once again playing UNO in our room. By 8:30pm, we were back in bed. Tomorrow is our last day in China, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much we are looking forward going home!!!!