I haven't blogged the past few days because there hasn't been too much going on to write about. I'll catch you up on what we've done the past few days, starting with the most important:
Today, Kevin and I took Cheyenne to the U.S. Consulate. This is the final formal piece of journey. This is basically like finalizing the adoption on the U.S. side. We had to take an oath that all information we have given is honest and still accurate. Then we had to have an interview with a U.S. Department of State agent and had him review all of our paperwork. Of course we passed with flying colors! Now, they will issue Cheyenne her immigration Visa into the United States. With this process behind us, it means she will become a full-fledged American citizen as soon as she steps foot on American soil. They told us during the interview that this particular document (the US Visa) is the "hardest document in the world to obtain". As he said that, I was thinking, "No S*%t, we've been working night and day for the past 9+ months to get it!" :)
After the consulate appointment, we had a little down time in our hotel room but then all decided we were sick of the four walls. We hailed a cab and went to the Teemall - this is like a mall on steroids! It is a total of 8 floors. We just planned to walk around and kill some time, but we stumbled across a full size movie theater and it was perfect timing to see the new Beauty and the Beast in 3D. We debated whether or not Cheyenne would handle it but the boys were BEGGING to watch it and we haven't done much FOR them this trip so we decided we would try it. Kevin graciously agreed to be the one to leave with Cheyenne if she got bored or overwhelmed...but she did great! For the most part she was very focused. We then grabbed a quick dinner and came back to the hotel.
Yesterday we were supposed to have a free day. Well actually, originally we were scheduled to go with another family to a Buddist temple and a Folk Arts Museum, but we decided we've had about as much culture as we can stand, so we opted not to go. Instead, much like today, we decided to try exploring on our own. We hailed a taxi to the Guangzhou City Zoo. It was a holiday here, so the place was PACKED, but we still managed to have a good time. The first thing we did was watch a cool marine life show with seals and dolphins. Then we walked around and saw the other animals. The zoo has a small "Amusement Park" as part of it. The size was similar to the kiddieland part of Kings Island. On Friday, we are planning to take the kids to a real, full-sized Amuzement Park. We thought we would try a few rides at the zoo to make sure Cheyenne like to ride before we spent the money on the real park. Overall it went ok, but one of the ride we rode was a small roller coaster. She loved it and giggled the whole time - until we took a turn too fast and she hit the side of her face on the side of the car. when we got off the ride it was a little red and she told us it hurt. Thanks to Google Translator, we managed to get a baggie of ice to put on it for the 10 seconds that she would allow it to be there. We thought we may be the first family to show up at the US Consulate with a child with a black eye - but fortunately, this morning you could hardly tell it was there. She was definately hesitant to ride anything else after that happened, so hopefully she isn't scared too long and will be willing to try again on Friday. Kevin, the boys and I are all coaster junkies and really hope we can make her one too. :)
Monday we went with another family and our guide to a place call White Cloud Mountain. We rode a cable car to the top of the mountain. Cheyenne thought that was coolest thing ever and laughed the whole time. The view from the top was a panoramic view of the city of Guangzhou and it was beautiful. Once we were back at the bottom of the bottom of the mountain, we went into this beautiful garden area. There were multiple fountains, statues and more species of flowers than I've ever seen. After spending some time in the garden, it was time to head back to the hotel. Nathan did homework while Casey, Kevin, Cheyenne and I went to the pool. Cheyenne loves swimming and as soon as we pull out her bathing suit, she starts jumping and dancing because she is so excited. We attempted to swim in the pool but the watch was still frigid, so again we "swam" in the hot tub.
Overall, everything is still going very well for us. Cheyenne is doing great and is adorable even when she is being honery. The boys (including Kevin) and I are starting to miss home and spent a good portion of the day today talking about what we miss most, mainly foods, and how we can't wait to get home. The next few days will be busy, so hopefully that helps the last few days pass quickly. I pointed out to Kevin that it's been just under two weeks and we are home sick and craving many foods we miss - but at least we get to go home. We need to keep in mind that once we've been home a few weeks, Cheyenne will most likely start to miss the "home" and comfort foods/items that she has always known. We will need to be mindful of that and try to give her what we can as much as possible. Fortunately, we have many great Chinese restaurants near us - and I make a killer Chicken Fried Rice, if I do say so myself!
Today, Kevin and I took Cheyenne to the U.S. Consulate. This is the final formal piece of journey. This is basically like finalizing the adoption on the U.S. side. We had to take an oath that all information we have given is honest and still accurate. Then we had to have an interview with a U.S. Department of State agent and had him review all of our paperwork. Of course we passed with flying colors! Now, they will issue Cheyenne her immigration Visa into the United States. With this process behind us, it means she will become a full-fledged American citizen as soon as she steps foot on American soil. They told us during the interview that this particular document (the US Visa) is the "hardest document in the world to obtain". As he said that, I was thinking, "No S*%t, we've been working night and day for the past 9+ months to get it!" :)
After the consulate appointment, we had a little down time in our hotel room but then all decided we were sick of the four walls. We hailed a cab and went to the Teemall - this is like a mall on steroids! It is a total of 8 floors. We just planned to walk around and kill some time, but we stumbled across a full size movie theater and it was perfect timing to see the new Beauty and the Beast in 3D. We debated whether or not Cheyenne would handle it but the boys were BEGGING to watch it and we haven't done much FOR them this trip so we decided we would try it. Kevin graciously agreed to be the one to leave with Cheyenne if she got bored or overwhelmed...but she did great! For the most part she was very focused. We then grabbed a quick dinner and came back to the hotel.
Yesterday we were supposed to have a free day. Well actually, originally we were scheduled to go with another family to a Buddist temple and a Folk Arts Museum, but we decided we've had about as much culture as we can stand, so we opted not to go. Instead, much like today, we decided to try exploring on our own. We hailed a taxi to the Guangzhou City Zoo. It was a holiday here, so the place was PACKED, but we still managed to have a good time. The first thing we did was watch a cool marine life show with seals and dolphins. Then we walked around and saw the other animals. The zoo has a small "Amusement Park" as part of it. The size was similar to the kiddieland part of Kings Island. On Friday, we are planning to take the kids to a real, full-sized Amuzement Park. We thought we would try a few rides at the zoo to make sure Cheyenne like to ride before we spent the money on the real park. Overall it went ok, but one of the ride we rode was a small roller coaster. She loved it and giggled the whole time - until we took a turn too fast and she hit the side of her face on the side of the car. when we got off the ride it was a little red and she told us it hurt. Thanks to Google Translator, we managed to get a baggie of ice to put on it for the 10 seconds that she would allow it to be there. We thought we may be the first family to show up at the US Consulate with a child with a black eye - but fortunately, this morning you could hardly tell it was there. She was definately hesitant to ride anything else after that happened, so hopefully she isn't scared too long and will be willing to try again on Friday. Kevin, the boys and I are all coaster junkies and really hope we can make her one too. :)
Monday we went with another family and our guide to a place call White Cloud Mountain. We rode a cable car to the top of the mountain. Cheyenne thought that was coolest thing ever and laughed the whole time. The view from the top was a panoramic view of the city of Guangzhou and it was beautiful. Once we were back at the bottom of the bottom of the mountain, we went into this beautiful garden area. There were multiple fountains, statues and more species of flowers than I've ever seen. After spending some time in the garden, it was time to head back to the hotel. Nathan did homework while Casey, Kevin, Cheyenne and I went to the pool. Cheyenne loves swimming and as soon as we pull out her bathing suit, she starts jumping and dancing because she is so excited. We attempted to swim in the pool but the watch was still frigid, so again we "swam" in the hot tub.
Overall, everything is still going very well for us. Cheyenne is doing great and is adorable even when she is being honery. The boys (including Kevin) and I are starting to miss home and spent a good portion of the day today talking about what we miss most, mainly foods, and how we can't wait to get home. The next few days will be busy, so hopefully that helps the last few days pass quickly. I pointed out to Kevin that it's been just under two weeks and we are home sick and craving many foods we miss - but at least we get to go home. We need to keep in mind that once we've been home a few weeks, Cheyenne will most likely start to miss the "home" and comfort foods/items that she has always known. We will need to be mindful of that and try to give her what we can as much as possible. Fortunately, we have many great Chinese restaurants near us - and I make a killer Chicken Fried Rice, if I do say so myself!
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