Days 11 & 12- Consulate Appointment and trip to Hong Kong

Well, the Consulate appointment proved to be a piece of cake. We were in and out in no time. Over a loud speaker we heard, "Would the parents of Chen Fu Mei please come to window number 32." Kevin and I were the first ones called to the little window where they ask you if all the info you've provided is correct. We arrived with our group, and of course, people were everywhere, so about a half million of us all took an oath together by raising our right hand saying all the paperwork we have provided is accurate and legal. Then we were called one family at a time to a window to complete everything. That was it. No questions asked. We were expecting it to be much different. I thought they would ask questions like why are we adopting, why did we choose China, etc. Nope. It kinda felt like we were just another number. At any rate, I am so glad to be getting my daughter out of here!

After that we went back to Shamian Park to take some pictures and explore a little more. We ate lunch with our group at a restaurant called Lucy's. Mostly a menu of western food. A lot of people really rave about this place. It was okay....we got cheeseburgers that were pretty good, but not like home! We crashed early after getting back to the hotel. I think I was still tired from the zoo excursion.

So today is Thursday, March 29 and it's about 1:30 in the afternoon. We are going back to the Consulate at 3:00 to pick up the children's visas and then taking about a 2 1/2 hour road trip to Hong Kong. They say Hong Kong is beautiful, but I'm not sure we'll see much of it. I figure it'll be nearly dark when we get there and we fly out of China tomorrow morning. Woo Hoo!!! Also, they say everything is more expensive in Hong Kong. I think years ago they sort of separated themselves from Mainland China. So for now, we're packed, I'm blogging and Maggie and Kevin are napping. On a sad note, I found out this morning that my uncle has passed away. He was the last sibling my mother had. His service is on Friday and we won't be home until Friday night. This makes my heart heavy for my mom and his family. He was my favorite. Please lift them in prayer.

I may or may not get to do a blog post tonight. So please continue to pray us home! For safety and our health (so thankful we have not been sick from anything thus far) and for Maggie as she meets everyone for the first time. Oh yes, we had another breakthrough yesterday! Every morning we have breakfast here in the hotel. And every morning the servers ask if we need a highchair. Have I mentioned she won't sit in anything but my lap? :-) Anyhow, the girl pushed a highchair up to our table and I turned to Maggie, pointed at the seat and she nodded "yes"! Hallelujah! I got to eat breakfast without getting greasy food dropped in my lap. She did also get in the stroller for a few minutes yesterday, but that's because we bribed her with ice-cream. So anyway, I'm still nervous about our car ride home, but I guess if I've survived this foreign country for 2 weeks and found that I have physical strength I didn't know existed in order to carry around our princess, I can surely survive a car ride home. Here's several random pics to share. She'll sit with Ronald even if she won't sit with dad, lol. Also, the pic of us getting on the elevator is to show you the cute panda on her tush. She has on her pink "squeaky" shoes as well. Too cute! Love to you all from Guangzhou. Next stop- Hong Kong!