We made it! Our last days in Guangshou were fairly uneventful - dave
for the "Swear Ceremony" at the US Consukate - the reason we were in
Guangzhou. The bus picked us up at the hotel and we all boarded, along
with a group that had adopted from aother province - people we'd been
tourists with in Beijing, actually, and a few families we'd flown to
China with originally. Our guide gave us detailed instructions on what
would happen the next day with heading to the hotel, passed out copies
of the adoption certificate, and talked us through the upcoming
ceremony. The otehr group was in awe of how organized, efficient, and
clear our guide was - we were so lucky. At the consulate, we passed
the copy-cat Starbucks in the lobby, and headed up four flight of
stairs, through a security checkpoint, and into a glass-walled waiting
room. The babies were all well behaved, and there must have been forty
of them with hteir new families. The swear ceremony is pretty simple -
the gentleman from the consulate asks the group to stand, and the
parents raise their hands and swear that through the adoption
proceedings, teh answers and information they have given have been
true. The babies do not, at this point become US citizens - that
happens when they cross through the airport checkpoint (or a bit
after, depending on their type of visa which is dependant on whether
both parents were present or not at the ceremony in China), but it was
still an emotional experience - the last China hurdle to leap before
coming home - in fact, two of the families in our group headed to the
airport immediately afterwards. I cheered and yelled loudly enough for
all of us at teh swear ceremony, so you can feel duly represented, and
of course, I had tears in my eyes.

Afterwards, there was a mad dash for the restroom fo diaper changing,
and a flurry of bottle-making in the room, and we were back down the
escalators and waiting for the bus in front, when Veronica gave the
group copies of the red couch picture - it has become tradition in the
White Swan hotel that each group take a group picture of the babies
sitting on a red couch in ine of the lobbies - a hysterical
experience. The parents were directed to put their babies on the couch
(each dressed in a gorgeous chinese outfit, of course), and then to
run quickly out of the frame. Which left 12 babies alternately crying,
smiling, pulling hair or clothes, falling into each other, attempting
to wiggle off the couch, or staring confusedly at the mad group of
camera-wielding parents oohing and aahing before them. Then the
families all got in a group picture infront of the lobby waterfall
(this was a nice hotel), and that was lovely, too. So the pictures
were a lovely gesture from our guide, and it felt like the beginning
of the going home process from there. We came back to the hotel and
headed out for a last shopping session before packing our bags.

Guangzhou is sort of like a large, slightly more formal flea market,
with store after store selling hte same bags, shirts, dresses, toys,
art, etc. There are some wonderful things, and a lot of repetition.
Since China is where most everything is made, the main attraction at
these stores was baby girl clothes - seconds, ostly, of fashions
intended for teh Gap, Gymboree, or any dozen other American or
European brands. Some darling stuff - Jordan didn't get anything as
she has an incredible closet full of beautiful things from her cousin,
her grandparents, and her aunts and uncles. I did get her gorgeous
Chinese silk outfits which she is compltely unimpressed by ("Did you
get me anything else, Mama?") We had a last dinner at an
American/Chinese place that has a soup Cerys loves, and is a great
place to see the families we'd met at the beginning but gone to
separate provinces from. A nice way to end the trip, before returning
to the hotel to pack. Becky bought another suitcase; we probably could
have made it back without it, but it was nice to not worry. Cerys will
be very well dressed in Chinese and American clothes, and Becky has
wonderful taste in art and jewelry - it is a tradition to buy the
girls Chinese presents for each birthay from 1-18, and I think Becky
got there with some lovely things.

We didn't sleep much that night, Becky tried to help Cerys stop
coughing at 4:15, but she never went back to sleep before our 5 am
wakeup call. It was straight to teh airport, and off on our
firstflight to Hong Kong - a short one. In Hong Kong we ran for the
transfer desk all the way across the airport, adn then beelined for
Starbucks. It was on the US bound flights that impromptu check
stations were set up to get all the gels, creams, liquids out of
people's bags - I wish the orphanages were on the receiving end of the
formula, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, juice, babyfood, and water taht
was thrown out. Ah, well, all in the name of safety, and who doesn't
want that?

Becky had bought a seat for cerys and so we were relatively
comfortable, except for the fact taht the flight attendants seemed to
have it out for Becky and Cerys and slammed into their seat nearly
everfy time they came by with a cart (which, granted, was a lot less
on this flight - a marked decrease in customer service quality on the
US bound flight). Cerys did pretty well, didn't sleep long enought or
continually enough, but was mostly happy. Becky didn't watch any
movies or read more than half a page of her book - in short, she's the
parent of an infant/toddler now! We landed at 9, crossed through our
checkpoint with decidedly too little fanfare - no brass abnd awaiting
the arrival of our newest citizen - and were in our car by 10:30
heading home.

I got huge hugs and kisses from Jordan at school, felt my malnourished
heart swelling in my chest. At home, Sawyer wanted nothing to do with
me, screamed and cried when I took him from TOm's arms! I didn't mind,
I had to hold him anyway,a nd he seems to love me again though Tom is
the clear favorite - ah, well! They both seemed so huge to me, so
blond after the Chinese babies, and they have doted on Cerys (although
those two slept from 9pm-3pm the first day/night!). We took them to In
N Out last night, and Cerys LOVED it - ate more double double than
anything esle she's touched - that's what she's been waiting for.
wait'll she gets a taste of Texas BBQ!

Sawyer has swiped a few toys from Cerys and beaned her in the head
with a car, but they seem to like each other pretty well, and Cerys is
quieted in the dreaded car seat by Jordan's singing. It is a joy to
see them all together, adn I can only imagine how Sammy and Jack will
respond - too sweet! She is already family, and though I thought I'd
marvel at the differences between tehm physically, I don't- we lookk
for their emotions and responses to one another, and love that. It is
unexplainable, how a family is so quickly built and expanded - from
the look of love in Jordan's eyes when seeing her brother for thei
first time, to the moment Becky and Cerys met - just like when both
our kids were born I saw an immediate belonging in TOm's eyes.Pretty
astounding.

Becky an Cerys will go to TX tomorrow and begin that chapter of their
life together. They are quite an inseperable pair, so clearly a family
already.

Well, I'm off to clean, do laundry, get ready to dole out more kisses
and hugs to my kids while they'll still let me. Hope I get to go on
another trip soon so I can write again about another adventure
overseas!

LOVE YOU ALL,

H