China portion complete!

Hello all-
It's 9:30pm here, the wind is picking up a bit tonight, but for the most part, it was a decent day for weather. The rain seems to be on it's way out which makes us happy campers.

Today was a big day in regard to the adoption process. In the China program, during your stay in the country you complete the adoption for both the Chinese and American Government- this allows for the babies to return to the States as US Citizens, hence no need to do any further processing or court work upon our return. This afternoon we completed the Chinese portion of Audrey's adoption at the Entry/Exit Administration of Public Security Bureau, Gongdong Province (which is what the sign reads in the background of the photo) WOO HOO, we're halfway to completion!!


What a difference a day makes....I feel like a new woman today after getting some much needed rest last night. Both girls slept great which made for the first night of real rest for Mom & Dad since we got the news that our Travel Notice came in.


Audrey as well as the other babies in our group Mia, Natalie, Asia and Anna are all doing well (Madeleine thinks it's great that one of the babies is named Natalie- she tells everyone about her cousin Natalie). Audrey is the youngest at 11 months and the others range in ages up to 18 months old. It is apparent simply by their behavior and smiles that everyone is settling in. Madeleine is the mother hen of all the babies- she checks in on each of them and is quick to help or let their Mommies know if they are tired, hungry or crying- she is too much.

We had quite the excursion today- after we completed our paperwork our guide brought us to a local store that is equivalent to our WalMart- many of us needed formula and some staple items to bring back, so at the time, we thought this sounded great. Little did we know that going to the "Mega Mall" was comparable to the rush at Macy's in NYC on Christmas Eve. We were dropped off out front and got instructions of how to reach the lower level and told we needed to be back up in 1 hour. Off we went, naively thinking we could grab some bottled water, formula and some snacks for the hotel...yikes- it was a nightmare. Inside it was plain chaos- couple that with a complete language barrier and a 3y.o. who decided that it would be a perfect time to nap and that about sums it up. Did I mention that on the way out, with all of our bags in hand, Madeleine out cold, and trying to juggle huge jugs of spring water, Audrey wet through her diaper all over me- oh my- I must admit, it was quite the scene. I think my Mom and I almost split our pants laughing and crying trying to figure out just how we were going to make it back on the bus.

Back to the hotel to change and then we walked across the street to our favorite hangout called Lucy's. Lucy's serves Western food and drinks, so it is the hotspot on the island. Christian and I have fond memories of several nights outside on the patio with The Herringtons from our last trip, so it was deja vu for me tonight- I missed you Jodi!!



Thank you all for your comments- today they really touched me and brought tears to my eyes.


Happy Birthday shout out to Claudia...I sure hope you are doing well my friend!

We have a busy day planned for us tomorrow, so I'm signing off early tonight...

Oh- how could I forget to tell you- aside from completing the Chinese portion of the adoption today, the best part of the day was when Christian discovered Audrey's tickle spot and we heard her giggle and belly laugh for the first time- it was so awesome. She is such a sweet and gentle baby, we just can't wait for you to meet her!