First Extended Family Visit

Last night we had our first extended family dinner.  My aunt and uncle were in from Massachusetts and we had a laid back dinner last night at my parents house.  I walked in with some anxiety with Hanna about entering a new environment with new faces, and like she has most of our journey together, surprised me with how great she did.  She played hard, was social with most of the family.  She and Davis played hard, so hard in fact, Hanna didn't make it out of my parents neighborhood before she was knocked out.  She didn't move the entire way home.  She slept like a log last night and woke up at 7:20 this morning.

Photos of the two in Action

Davis and Hanna are getting to know each other each day and so far so good...

First Night at Home

We finally left DC at around 1:15 AM on Friday and made it to Raleigh around 2:15 AM.  Davis was up and ready to see us.  It was so great to see him.  We got home and chatted a bit and let Davis and Hanna play.  They were great together, like two peas in a pod.  We finally went to sleep around 5AM this morning.  Vince was up by 10 and me, Davis and Hanna were up around 11.  We made it through the day without naps, so fingers crossed, all will sleep like babies tonight.   I have been to busy today getting unpacked, picking up and washing clothes.  Hope to post some photos of them both shortly.

Delayed in DC!

Our travel started 26 hours ago...and we aren't leaving for RDU for another 2 hours.  The good news is that Hanna slept most of the time on the flight from Beijing.  The bad news is also that she slept on the plane- which means when Vince and I are ready to crash tonight- she will be full of energy.  Oh well, we figured it would take her a bit longer to adjust than us.  Just missing home sweet home.  Davis is excited to meet Hanna, we spoke to him moments ago.

USA bound

We are checked in and awaiting boarding for UA 898 for Washington Dulles. Our fingers are crossed that Hanna has an eight hour sleep in her.

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Hanna's Passport and Visa in hand

All paperwork came through- finally. Now we just waste a day in GZ
and head to the airport tomorrow after breakfast. We were able to
adjust our flight from GZ to Beijing to a later time to reduce our
layover in Beijing from 7 hours to 4 hours. The journey home begins
tomorrow (Friday). Couldn't get here fast enough. I am really
homesick for Davis and our house. While we are biding time, I have
been able to get some good photos of Hanna, the scenery, and a few
locals. I will try to send a few photos to our friend to post later
today- perhaps during Hanna's nap.

Picture Update

US Consulate

Yesterday (Tuesday) around 3pm was our swear in ceremony where we took
an oath to the US government in the consulate office of Guangzhou. It
was a room full of Americans who were finalizing their adoption. It
was a long bus ride (mainly due to traffic) to the office and it was
nice to meet other families and be introduced to their daughters.
There were more adopted boys that I was expecting as well. Once you
arrived, we had to go through security and then sit in a large room
until the attendants called out your child's chinese name and adoption
agency. Well guess who was in the bathroom when they called our
name? Me and Hanna of course! I felt like Christine Lahti after
being called to come and get her Golden Globe! Our guide was standing
outside the bathroom door (male) with a look of panic and said in the
best English you could imagine full of chinese accent- They called
your name!!!! So Hanna and I ran to the counter, for which once they
saw our face, said OK. Really- was that it? Vince just shook his
head as if to say, yep, "welcome to my life". I have to mention,
Hanna had a blast laughing as we both sprinted across the room, and
everyone heard us in her shoes that have squeaks in the soles of her
shoes. The rest of the time was spent waiting for the other families
to be called and then we took the oath. I have to admit, it was more
emotional than I was expecting it to be. Maybe it marked the finality
of such a long process for us. Upon entry into Dulles International
Airport on Friday, Hanna will be a US citizen and we will receive her
Certificate of Citizenship within 45 days of being home. It is with
that paperwork we can apply for her social security card, birth
certificate and US passport. It is encouraged not to travel with her
Chinese passport upon entry into the US because technically she is no
longer a Chinese citizen. Only 2 more days until we are home. It's
been an amazing experience and Hanna has been quite relaxed through it
all.

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