We Are HOME!

Sorry for the lapse in my daily blogs while in China. I wanted to let everyone know that everyone (grandparents, Mom & Maeve) all made it back just fine. The first two to three hours of the flight were tough as it was Maeve's bedtime and she was tired...only problem is that she likes to be laying down on her stomach when she sleeps. So the question is, "How many times can Mommy walk up and down the airplane aisle with her upset little girl?". The answer is, "Many, many times. " :) She finally crashed out splayed across my Dad's and mine laps. It was adorable.

Now that is just a memory and Maeve is zonked out in her new room and enjoying life again. Just to bring everyone up to date. Guangzhou was very nice. Maeve really opened up, not just with me, but Grandma & Grandpa too. She smiles, laughs, giggles and plays. She still grieves a little bit, but now she looks to me for comfort and is comforted. Such a huge step for such a short time span.

Just to catch everyone up. We arrived late on Friday night in Guangzhou and checked in to the very lovely White Swan Hotel. This is the last leg of the adoption trip for everyone, so we saw all the other GWCA families with their newly adopted children from other provinces. It was a real treat to see all the new and expanded families. While there we finalized our paperwork for the American Consulate to obtain our daughter's Visas allowing them to come into the US and become citizens. So we tromped off for passport photos and then the doctor's exam. All went fine, except Maeve cried whenever I had to hand her to anyone. Of course, about half the babies did this too, so we were not alone. After that, we were pretty much done and just waiting for the Consulate to process our paperwork and issue the Visas. We did some sightseeing and, of course, some shopping. I had a lot of fun bargaining the prices lower - I was in my element! Maeve had a great time seeing the sights, visiting the White Swan play room and hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa. We did have one scare! Our last stop on Tuesday was a visit to the US Consulate to take our oath and pick up our Visas, then straight to the airport. We arrived to discover that the computers were down and they only had processed half of the Visas, so some families would not be able to leave (their babies did not have legal status to enter the US without the Visa). That was a heart stopper, luckily we were in the group that made it and were able to travel on time. Unfortunately, I know some of the families that did not get their Visas and will possibly be delayed. Our guide was on the phone the entire trip to the airport and walking us through our check in process working with the US Consulate on this. He told me before we left that the computers were back up and everyone else would have their Visas first thing in the morning. I will say the US Consulate was great about this problem. They really took it seriously and had escalated the problem stateside. There wasn't anyway they could issue the Visas, but they expanded their hours and dedicated themselves to resolving this issue. They were there to answer any question and/or concern and really did their best to take care of the families that were without their Visas.

I promise I will download pictures and post them tomorrow.

Posted by Laura at 11:35 PM