We are home!

Well we have been home since the 21st. Not gonna lie there have been some moments. Overall we are doing quite well. I went back to work on the 23rd. (I am lucky enough to work from home). Chandler and Carter started school on the 25th and Christian started pre-school on the 30th. I feel like we are into more of a routine, at least this week. I can tell that each day gets a little bit better.

Mia is doing so good. The boys adore her and she likes them! This girl is a smart little cookie. She watches and then she tries it. She is definately feeling more comfortable here and acting like a typical 19 month old. (playing in the toliet water, unrolling the toliet paper, trying to climb in the dryer, etc...)

Almost time.....

I pick up Mia's visa at 5:20 today in our guide's room. Some people in our group are heading out tonight, most of us leave tomorrow. We leave The White Swan at 5:30pm and head to the airport. I am hopeful that Mia will do well on the long plane ride. Shoot, I am hopeful all 3 of us do well on the long plane ride! We fly Guangzhou to LAX; LAX to Detroit. My ride will be waiting for me in Detroit. We are ready.

We went back to the Pearl Market today. I finished up my shopping there. I did buy Mia a pearl necklace for later; wedding day or college graduation--a big event.

We explored the hotel grounds more today. We saw the lap pool, and had heard about a pool with a waterfall. That waterfall pool was really nice. I would love to have the trees and landscaping in my backyard!

I think that re-entry will be a doozey. At least until we get a routine down. Please be patient with us. ;)

Consulate

Today we went to the US Consulate in Guangzhou and took our oath. Pretty painless, Mia's visa gets issued tomorrow and we leave on Friday night. She was feeling really good today. She even played with Maw Maw (that is a first).

Squeezing in a bit more shopping tomorrow before we leave. ;)

Tuesday the 17th

Today was visa day. We had to hang out in our rooms until 11:30 in case something was wrong. Turns out I missed filling out a paper. Not a big deal, took a whole 3 seconds to fill it out. We did some shopping today. Let me just say that it is a good thing Guangzhou is far from Ohio at Christmas time. Good prices on nice stuff.

We also had the infamous Red Couch photos today. We were running behind--shocking right? Mia was not thrilled, and cried. We also did a group shot of all the families.

The waterfall picture is what is in our hotel lobby. It is pretty.

My brain feels foggy. I am sure I need rest. Mia is still feeling the effects of her shots. We also confirmed our flight outta here today. China has been nice, but I am ready to see my fellas. ;) (we have been using Skype, and that has helped.)

Pearl Market and Shots

Today Mia got 5 shots. She did fuss, but did very well. She settled down right afterward. She is a good eater, and has even started giving me kisses on the cheek. :)

As a group we went to the Pearl Market. Not really a pearl kinda girl, but the prices were right. The market is 2 buildings that are 4 stories tall, with shops everywhere. The one picture is of the inside of the pearl shop the other is the inside of the shopping center.

Guangzhou

We made it to Guangzhou on Friday night. We saw the active and lively girl on the plane that was described in the paperwork from the orphanage! She did very well on that short flight. So far we have had her physical; she weighs 23 pounds and is 31 inches tall. She will get 5 shots on Monday. She will not be a happy camper.

Today we visited a Buddhist temple, Old Chen House and went to a small shopping center. Monday morning we head to the Pearl Market. Per our guide the prices are 1/6th or 1/7th the price we pay back home.

Sleepy....