Day #10

Hello all, no pictures to show today (sorry!). Today we went to the U.S. Consulate for the so-called "Oath Ceremony". It really wasn't much of a ceremony; we just had to promise that all the information we provided on our various applications and paperwork to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service was complete, accurate and true. That's it, nothing about the adoption itself, or all the adopted children becoming U.S. citizens. We were not allowed to bring any cameras into the consulate with us. In addition to the "Oath", we were provided with a sealed packet of immigration documents that we must provide to customs upon our arrival in Newark on Saturday. The highlight of the Consulate visit was that we got Tatum's visa to enter the U.S. I guess she's stuck with us now!!! I think the highlight of today was taking all the pictures of the kids and parents on the infamous White Swan Hotel red couch! That was an interesting event...try as we might we were not able to get all the kids to sit still!
We have a busy day tomorrow. We are flying to Hong Kong at 8:30 a.m., which means we must leave the hotel tomorrow around 5:15 a.m.! That means a 4:00 a.m. wakeup call...the kids are going to love that. We had to pack all our stuff tonight (camera included, hence no pictures to add to this post)so that the bell hops can take our bags at 5 in the morning. We will post some pictures tomorrow when we arrive in Hong Kong.
If all goes according to plan after checking in to the Novotel, we hope to make a visit to Hong Kong Disneyland tomorrow afternoon if Tatum and Colin are up for it. After that, early to bed in preparation for our flight home on Saturday.

Day #9

Hi Everyone,
We had another quiet day here. Our visa appointment went off without a hitch. That means that we can come home soon!
We spent quite a bit of time in the play room today. Colin had a great time with the Lego's and the balls. Tatum was exploring and getting into everything. At one point they both got into the playpen and played ball together. It was too cute!
There was a thunderstorm this afternoon with some lightning. The storms come and go so quickly here. It seemed to only last about 10 minutes!
I went to a store today that wrote out the kids' names in Chinese calligraphy. It is so beautiful. It turns out that Tatum means sweet peace and Colin is forgiving forest. Seems to fit a think, especially the forest part!
We walked around the hotel a bit and took some pictures. Afterwards, we went to Lucy's and had dinner with two other families from the agency.
Tomorrow, we are swimming in the morning before the aftrenoon storms hit. We have our group photo at the famous red couch. I'm sure that will be a trip with all the kids! We then travel about 40 minutes to the US Consulate for our oath-taking ceremony. We are not allowed to take any pictures, but I will take some before we leave and after we return.
Then, it's time to pack!!!!!!!

Day #8

Hi Everyone,
Today, Tatum had her medical appointment and visa photo. She is 23 pounds and 30 inches tall. Dennis brought her himself because the room is very small and they said it would be very crowded if everyone went. They had three stations there. The first one checked height and weight. The second was heart, lungs and temperature and the third was an ENT. The doctors didn't speak any English, but all went well.
We spent some time in the playroom again today and Tatum is getting more comfortable going off on her own. It is amazing how far she has come in one week. She smiles and giggles and loves to tease!
It wasn't too hot today, so we went to the pool! Colin was in is glory! He swam away from me and smiled the whole time. Tatum liked the water and played with Dennis in it for some time. The pool area is beautiful and the water is so clean here. So much different from Nanchang.
All the excitement sent the kids into crash mode this afternoon. They both slept for almost two hours!
Tonight for dinner, we had Thai food. It was good for the parents, but not so kid-friendly. Colin spent most of his time playing with his Little People and reading while Tatum played with her toy phone. (thanks Nana!)
Tomorrow is our visa appointment. We actually don't go to the Consulate for this. Our agency goes in our place to file all of our paperwork. We just need to be available in case something is missing or the Consulate has any questions. We plan to hang out at the pool again tomorrow and maybe do some shopping. Rita, I will grab some shoes for you!
We are so looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone!

Day #7

Hi Everyone,
We have had Tatum with us for one week now. She is getting more comfortable everyday. She is still a daddy's girl, but I think she is getting used to both Colin and me. She is smiling and playing with me and lets me touch her. She fed Colin a cracker today and they had some parallel play in the room. :)
We took it very easy today. Breakfast in the hotel was fabulous. They had tons a food with many Western style choices. I was on cloud 9 because they had tater tots! Colin had some toast with real butter and some fresh melon.
We went down to the Mattel playroom and spent 1 1/2 hours there. It was beautiful! The carpet was soft and clean. They have a DVD palyer with many Disney movies available. There are tons of toys! There is a play kitchen, balls of all sizes, and Legos!
For dinner, we went to Lucy's. It is a restaurant on Shamian Island that caters to adoptive families. The menu is full of recognizable dishes. Colin loved his grilled cheese! Dennis had a chicken wrap and I had chicken tenders. Tatum ate a little of everyone's!
Later, Dennis is running down to Starbucks for our coffee fix!
Tomorrow, Tatum has her medical appointment at the Consulate and then photos for the visa. We also have our group photo on the famous Red Couch. We're going to try and hit the pool tomorrow as well. It seems to rain in the afternoon everyday, so we need to time it right.

Greetings from Guangzhou!

We have left Nanchang behind and started the final leg of our journey. We hopped on a plane this morning at 10:15 and landed in Guangzhou a little over an hour later. It took about 40 minutes to get to hotel. Tatum was a bit wiggly on her first plane ride. Colin was a trooper as usual, playing with his stacking cups and giggling all the way.
Guangzhou is very different from Nanchang. It is very tropical and beautiful. It is the 4Th largest city in China. There are high rise apartment buildings as far as the eye can see. It is very humid, but not as scorching hot.
We are staying at the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island. The hotel itself is very beautiful and it overlooks one of the rivers. The Island is very western with some of the familiarities of home. We can get cheeseburgers and chicken tenders for Colin. We went to a 7-11 and bought Evian water...very comforting! You'll notice a picture of Dennis looking very happy. There is a Starbucks here!
Tomorrow, we are taking it easy as the heat is a bit much on us. We plan to hang out by the pool! Also, there is a very nice play room for the kids filled with Mattel toys. Tomorrow night, we head over to the Cow and Bridge, a Thai restaurant.
I will post pictures of the kids swimming and playing tomorrow, as well as, some of the Island.