This morning we had our visa appointment and oath at the United States Consulate Office in Guangzhou.  There were about 10 families that took the oath with us.  We also applied for Molly Kate’s immigration visa to travel to the United States.  We submitted a stack of paperwork that will allow the office to provide us with three things tomorrow afternoon – her visa, her final immigration paperwork that will officially make her a US citizen as soon as she steps on American soil, and a Hague certificate.  I got teary this morning while taking the oath just thinking about this entire process and our sweet girl.  All the paperwork and time that went into this (or any) adoption wasn’t easy but it was SO worth it.  I am so excited to be at the end of this process – so close to bringing our little girl home forever to a family that LOVES her.

After completing the oath and submitting our paperwork, we headed back towards the hotel for a meeting about departing Guangzhou. It is hard to believe it is almost time to go home. Some days have been really slow but for the most part, it seems to have gone by quickly.   The closer I get to going home, the more anxious I am.  We miss our boys terribly and cannot wait to see them when we get home.

This afternoon all the families from our agency met in the lobby to take pictures.  The kids wore traditional Chinese clothing and looked adorable all dressed up.  After 30 minutes of pictures, several of us went to an Irish Pub for dinner.  It was pretty much just regular American food.  A nice change. 🙂

We will spend tomorrow packing.  Molly Kate’s visa should arrive late tomorrow afternoon and we’ll leave for Hong Kong immediately after receiving it.  We are SO close!  Please pray for safe travels for all of us and for Molly Kate being on a plane for 15+ hours. We have met a lot of families that will be on our flight home which is nice.  There will be a lot of understanding people!

 You are not allowed to take cameras into the Consulate’s office so here we are outside in front of the sign.

 I LOVE this girl!

 Family photo before the big group CCAI photo.

 The entire CCAI group in Guangzhou!

 Zach, Molly Kate, and I with our guide, Maggie, and our travel buddies – Ron and Paula (with Emma).  Maggie was wonderful!

 I tried to get a good picture of Molly Kate in her Chinese dress but she would not stand still today. She was very independent today…walking around the lobby and refusing to hold our hands.  This is the best shot I could get.  I was also bummed that I didn’t have a bow to match her dress!  I’ll work on that when I get home. 🙂