It's Official! We passed the Consulate Appointment Today!

Happy Thanksgiving. Hard to relate to all the cooking while sitting in a
hotel room in China, but I hope someone saves us some turkey!

Today was Group 96's big day. Our paperwork was submitted to the US
consulate early this morning by Norman and the China Team. We were told to
stay either in our rooms or in the breakfast area until 11AM. And trust me,
we all obeyed. If there is a question, you want to be available to answer
it. The first priority is getting this adoption completed.

After 11 we were free until 3pm, when we had to go to the Consulate for our
swearing in. To kill time, Maggie, her Dad and I headed to the Jade Market.
A very fun place to visit that we missed last time in China. It was an
amazing scene: Loads of jade, crammed into small shops situated in narrow
alleys. Usually two or three people worked in each shop and it wasn't
uncommon to seek cover in a shop when a hand cart filled the alley. It
really made you feel like you were really in China. We spent two hours
wandering the alleys, shopping for souveniers and people watching.
Definitely, something you shouldn't miss. It was an unforgettable
experience.

We made it back to the Hotel in time for a diaper change, bowl of rice
cereal and some fruit, then it was off to the lobby for the bus ride to the
consulate. Compared to the last time we were in the consulate, it was very
uncrowded. Only 30 families had appointments today due to the Holiday
tomorrow. We had to take Maggie up to the window so they could verify she
was the baby in the picture. Maggie slept through the whole viewing in my
sling. Then we took a very brief oath in which we just agreed all our
paperwork was true. There are no pictures of this event as cameras are not
allowed in the building. Security threat. Maggie only opened her eyes when
everyone clapped at the ended of the oath.

We decided to stay out on Shaiman Island to shop and had dinner. We picked
up a few more items to take home and had a wonderful dinner with a few other
families. It was really a delightful day.

Maggie is doing great. She was a trooper all day today. I just stick her
in the sling and go. I can last a couple of hours at a time without a
break. That is about all she can last too without running around, so it
works well for both of us. My only complaint is that we both get hot with
her in the sling. Maggie's walking skills are improving dramatically by
the day. She is all over the place and pretty steady. From refusing to
walk to a very steady walk in a little over a week is just amazing. We just
adore this amazing little girl.

Tomorrow we need to start packing. We need to figure out if we need to buy
another bag to get everything home. Scary! Again, Happy Thanksgiving!