Thursday in Guangzhou

Well, we are getting ready to call it a day. We went to the Botanical Gardens this morning. When we first left the hotel, it was a bit cloudy, so our guide was optimistic that it wouldn't be AS hot as previous days. WRONG... that sun came out and WHAM! I was sweating so badly that it was dripping into my eyes. Mia gets this prickly heat rash when we are outdoors for very long we have discovered, so it didn't take long before she was broken out all over. There was an indoor area with lots of beautiful orchids, ferns, palms, and succulents. At the top of the gardens, was a large rose garden. The roses were pretty, but as much as I hate to say it, we just couldn't get into the Botanical Gardens because of the brutal heat. I think that I probably would have enjoyed it... in February... LOL... We went back to the hotel and tried to get in a quick rest and then met again in a couple of hours to head over to the U.S. Consulate Building to take our oath. This oath ceremony is done as a group, and the consulate officer comes out and you repeat after her that basically you've been honest with all information regarding your child's adoption and pending citizenship. The officer congratulated us, because basically we had run the race and won... our child had been successfully adopted and their U.S. citizenship would go into affect once our plane touched ground in the U.S. Several of the mamas in our group cried... I almost did. For some reason, I think I'm able to hold back my emotions now, but when I finally get off that plane in Birmingham, Alabama... I may totally lose myself for a few minutes. It seems like this adoption has been going on forever, but in actuality, ours has been in record speed. Most of the families in our group have been waiting for this day for well over four years. After the oath ceremony, we had dinner with our good friends we've made from Georgia. Their daughter, Ruthie, is a few months older than Mia. I really hope that our girls can remain friends. Us mommies, too, of course. We ate at our favorite Italian restaurant that has kept us alive over the last couple of weeks. We will begin packing up tomorrow to prepare for our trip home. There are no words to describe how glad I'll be to finally be home with Mia, to see my boys again, to see my family, to sleep in my own bed, etc. etc. Only two more days... You all cannot know how much I look forward to reading your comments on my blog each day. It has helped me very much to know that so many care about us. Until tomorrow...

Much love,
Ashley