Travel Journal - Day 13

Tonight is our last night in China, and I have such a heavy heart. I am beyond happy to go home and I just can't wait to see Scott, Evan and everybody, but I still feel very sad to leave this beautiful place that is Abby's homeland.

We had our breakfast this morning (gee, what did Abby eat?) and then we changed the babies into their Chinese outfits for pictures on the red couches of the White Swan Hotel. This is a famous thing that adoptive families do at the end of their stay at this hotel. The pictures came out amazing - all the babies were sitting there and sat beautifully. We have a great group of babies - besides being adorable, they are so good. I was hoping to post pictures, but my friend Eric who has been helping me email them isn't feeling well, and we all had to pack up tonight, so I didn't want to bother him. Maybe I can post them once we're home, because they are so great.

After the pictures, we had to go to the American consulate for our swearing in ceremony. We got Abby's visa to come into the US, and then all the families have to raise their right hand and swear that the information that they have given the consulate is true. It's kind of silly, but at the same time it makes you so excited to come home and bring the babies to the US. Most of the babies will become American citizens as soon as they land on American soil. Abby is coming in on a different visa since Scott didn't actually see her in person, so she will be considered a Legal Permanant Resident (LPR) until we re-adopt her in New York (more money, more paperwork LOL) Anyway, LPR is close enough. I dressed her in red, white and blue for the appointment and she looked C U T E! Can't wait to post those pictures too.

Afterwards, we had an early dinner at the buffet at the hotel. We are all so excited to come home, but we are all dreading the length of time it takes to get there! We are leaving the hotel at 6 am. From Guangzhou, we will be flying to Beijing. (3 hour flight) We have a 5 hour layover in Beijing, and then a 13 hour and 45 minute flight to Newark. Please pray that the Thanksgiving Day traffic won't be as horrible as we are expecting and that we will get home from Newark in a couple of hours. I cannot, cannot, cannot wait to see Evan - it's been so hard to be away from him for so long. I'm happy to hear that we will have a greeting committee at the house - we 'll be tired, but I'm so excited to see all of you and show off Abby. Scott, I'm living for the moment for you to see Abby for the 1st time. It will be one of the happiest moments of our lives for sure. :)

So, I will end my last post from China here. What a wonderful country China is - the history, the people, the culture. If you ever have a chance to visit, do it - it is truly an amazing place. And if any of you reading this are considering adopting from China, all I can say is that it will be the most rewarding and beautiful journey of your life. I am trying very hard not to cry as I sit here...Thank you for sharing this journey with us. I will post once I get home and give you an update on our new family of five. Thank you, China, for giving us the privilege of raising one of your beautiful daughters.

Love, Kris

Check back for photos.