Almost home.

I tentatively titled this post, "Day 16... more chinese food" but I figured I'd focus on the brighter side of things and talk about our preparation to come home.  Maddie was successfully granted a U.S. Visa to enter the U.S. with us, so we will be bringing her home : )  We were waiting to get her passport back with the visa from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou Thursday afternoon, and as soon as we secured that, we headed out back to Hong Kong.  Leaving Guangzhou was somewhat bittersweet.  We were all VERY ready to leave, but this also meant parting ways with our travel companions and in-China support network.  I was a bit skeptical at first that such strong bonds could be created when traveling with a group of people, but the shared experiences, triumphs, and tribulations will surely tie us together for life.  We were blessed to have so many great families on this trip.  However, life goes on, and so does our trip.  We took some group photos, said our goodbyes, and hopped in a van to Hong Kong.  When we found out we'd be traveling back through Hong Kong, Darlene had the idea to take a quick day trip to Hong Kong Disneyland as a reward to the girls (and to herself) for a successful trip with limited meltdowns.  This served as a time for us to celebrate, as a family, the best way we know how - spending some time with the Mouse.  Hong Kong feels like the closest thing to home this whole trip.  It truly is a modern-day city that feels like any other metropolitan area in the U.S.  We navigated the public transportation system with no problem, went to a local grocery store and found all our familiar snacks, and have pretty fast wifi in our hotel room.  We'll have one last night in Hong Kong, and be on our flight to Chicago tomorrow morning.  We leave Hong Kong around 11AM on Saturday the 14th, and get to Chicago at 2PM on Saturday the 14th - talk about super fast flying...  We can't wait to see our family!

Maddie wore her USA gear to the U.S. Consulate for our Visa appointment

We spent a LOT of time at the pool both to stay cool and alleviate boredom.

Darlene feeding the local feral cat colony

The girls got some Chinese dresses, which they wore our last day in Guangzhou for our group photos.

Here's the motley crew!

And here are all the "babies" that were adopted.

Disney!

Maddie's first ride was the winnie the pooh ride, and her second was the carousel.  She enjoyed all the rides (whew).

Entrance to "It's a small world"  

The castle at Disneyland is MUCH smaller than Disney World.

Racoons in a Zoo

Took a trip to the Guangzhou zoo.  Two things of interest here:  1.  The animals seem much closer to the people than in any zoo I've ever been.  The gorge that typically separates you from the lions seemed a bit too shallow and not wide enough.  2.  Racoons are foreign enough to the Chinese that they are a specimen in the zoo.

Racoons!

Begging bear

White tigers

Tears and Cheers!

Yesterday was Maddie's official checkup in order to receive her immigrant visa.  We arrived at the Guangzhou clinic in the morning, and luckily they had a small section of the clinic quartered off just for adopted children.  Most of the checkup went pretty well, and everyone seemed to cooperate.  Since she's over 2 years old, Maddie required an additional blood draw to test for TB.  Unfortunately we couldn't be with her in that room, and as nurses scurried in and out of the room, we tried to grab glimpses of the happenings inside, but they quickly closed the door behind them.  There seemed to be a bit of tension in the room for which we attributed an inability to find a vein suitable for tapping.  As she emerged from the room, tears filled her eyes, and we immediately presented her with her reward - a strawberry sucker.  She recovered quickly, and then we could inspect her arms to find multiple venapuncture wounds on both arms.

After naps, we went for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.  The girls thought it was awesome.  The food was adequate, the views spectacular, and the entertainment, well, entertaining.  They really light-up the buildings and bridges along the river.  Of course the girls were, once again, treated to a photo shoot.

ENT Check

Big sister Regina demonstrating "Ahhhhh"

Keegan and Regina's new best friends

Just reward for a job well done.

The lobby of the clinic has a wine vending machine.

Getting ready to board the boat.

Colorful spire along the Pearl River

Regina getting a ball spinning demonstration.

Chinese paparazzi