Day 16: US Consulate appt, Huacheng Square, 5th floor with friends!!

It was an early start today for BenBen!! This kid loves to sleep!! We had to wake him at 5:30 a.m. to eat breakfast and meet our guide by 7:05 a.m. He was NOT happy. But, as soon as we told him we were eating, he was a new kid!! The van taking us to the US Consulate was filled with 6-7 families all from the White Swan Hotel. The Sloan family from FTIA was with us (adopting their first child, a darling little guy named Daniel) - but all the other families were with CCAI and adopted their children from the same province!! Must be a huge agency!!!

Cameras/cell phones/any electronics (even toy cell phones!) are not allowed in the US Consulate area. There was a security checkpoint where we left our stroller and all of our electronics for pickup after we exited the room. There were approximately 20 families with appointments at the same time as ours. We entered a nice room with seats lined on either side of the center doors. Adoptions to the right, regular Chinese visas to to the left. There was a nice play area for the kiddos (chalk board, table, chairs) and we all stood and chatted until we heard the American voice!!! A Caucasian lady made the announcement for our attention - followed by some instructions....and finally, the Oath. We all raised our right hand and promised our documents were legitimate, among other things which I don't recall. Then, one by one we were called to the window by our agency/child's Chinese name. They verified our passports with the information provided, we signed a document and that was it!

Our guide did take our picture downstairs in the entry way in front of the US Consulate's sign (which contained the American Flag). Thumbs up for all!!!!! It was such a relief to have this last appointment behind us. All of the paperwork and possible what-ifs are behind us!!!! He's ours and we cannot wait to have him in America....with his whole family. We can't imagine what he'll be thinking as we escort him through yet another drastic change....new country, sites, sounds, smells, language, etc. Nothing will be familiar to him but us. We're so thankful we've had this time to bond with him and build some trust before we throw him into the Schultz family routine!!! LOL!!! He's gonna fit right in!!!

BenBen is doing great! He has his moments, like any 2 1/2 year old but overall he's amazingly happy and good. He LOVES to laugh, give kisses (I'll be across the room and he'll yell, "Mama!" - I'll turn and he'll pucker up and smooch me!!!) and roughhouse/play with Sam. They are going to be buddies, no doubt! He's very adaptable to most situations and goes with the flow...as long as there's food and water. The kid wants to be eating constantly. We're giving in for now...but we'll need to limit the "snacking" at home. 

We came back to the hotel and journeyed out for an early lunch (early nap to follow!) to Subway. BenBen loves the Chicken Teriyaki. He eats all the chicken and some of the bread....no veggies of course. NOT a fruit or veggie guy. Not even apple juice (to try and help his recent constipation). There's a little convenience store next to Subway (where the lady gave him the "meltdown" sucker a few days ago), we found some awesome little teddy bear graham thingys with chocolate inside! He LOVES 'em!!! We'll have a backpack full for the 14 hr flight home!!!! -- and we debated...and finally broke down.....and bought a pacifier. Yes, we know. It's ridiculous....but, if it helps soothe him on the flight home we'll try anything!!!!! He sucks his thumb when he's really tired or sleeping, but not when he's in the "zone". We're hoping a meltdown does not develop in flight, but if it does, we'll give it a try!! (along with every other possible snack item imaginable).

BenBen is napping now and Sam/Greg/I are blogging/watching movies/resting. We're meeting our guide and the other FTIA families at 2:30 p.m. for a tour of "modern Guangzhou"....not sure what to expect but we're going with it! I believe we are dining above Jordon's (5th floor) again tonight - with the Sloans and the Teagues - from our group. Should be a lot of fun!

Our "Red Couch" photo is tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. For those not familiar with Chinese adoption, it's legendary for families to have their photos taken (along with the other adopting families) on the red couch in the lobby of the White Swan hotel. Families not even staying at the hotel will journey to the hotel for this photo. The newly adopted children typically wear "traditional" Chinese outfits. We can't wait! We bought BenBen AND Sam an outfit for this special photo!!!!

We toured "Huacheng Square" with our group - it's Guangzhou's largest square and Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower (largest in the world) is a new landmark of Guangzhou. We saw the new Guangzhou Opera House and the site of the 2010 Asian Games. It was a beautiful area - the financial district of Guangzhou....and full of 5 star+ hotels (Ritz, W, Four Seasons). We asked John if the people who work in this district make a good living, and where do they live? He said, "only people who work for the government are rich"! LOL!. John, said his cousin has a 2 bedroom condo overlooking the square and paid 10 million yuan or $1.5 million USD. I asked what his cousin did for a living and he said, "he works at a hospital but his wife works for the government." Hmmm......

Dark rain clouds were looming, so we boarded the bus back to the hotel and headed to the 5th floor restaurant above Jordon's (with the Sloans and the Teagues and John!). They sat us in a very nice, banquet type room and it was a blast! We are really enjoying our group and John is a hoot! We love picking on him :) He's a big kid at heart and great with the kids. We drank lots and ate even more!!! Good times, treasured memories.

We walked in the rain back to our hotel and of course, a stop at our favorite gift shop "Chinese Life" next to the hotel. BenBen is a rockstar there and it's always fun to stop by and say hello. Sam asked the Teague's sons (Carson and Spenser) to come back to our room and teach him to play chess (with Carson's new chess set). It was fun having them in the room with us! They are such great kids and Sam has thoroughly enjoyed being with them. We have too! Finally, off to bed!

Tomorrow we're packing (YAY!!!), swimming, Red Couch photos and dinner with our group and the Harrell's (the couple we dined with in Beijing) at Lucy's. A perfect way to end our trip!!! We are so excited about getting home....but the journey (over 25 hrs. + of travel) not so much. We will be exhausted and jet lagged for quite a few days, if not a week. We're fortunate Greg's mom (Meri) is staying in town until the 9th so we'll have help with the kiddos not suffering jet lag!! -- and everything else!! We're so thankful for Meri - 3 weeks with Ellie and Jack and not a single issue!!! She's ready for us to return home but we're thankful for her patience and care of the kiddos more than she'll ever know. It made this journey possible for us and we're VERY, VERY thankful for her.