US Consulate & Bonding

We started bright and early, eating breakfast just after 6:30 am and leaving the hotel for the US Consulate building at 7:20.

(This was a photo from the evening but we’ll pretend I look this put together at 7 am).

We can’t bring phones into the government building but our guide, John, took one for us outside. 

These are four of the six families here from Holt International. There are several other families here as well from different agencies that we are getting to know. 

Heidi was pretty unhappy to be here. Once inside the Consulate building we took a number from Window 8. Then they called half of the group up to another window for the oath taking ceremony. When it was our turn Heidi wouldn’t stop screaming so I walked away made my own promise to love, cherish and protect her while Trent took the formal oath. 

This floor is sort of spacious but there were a lot of families and a lot of children. A few families brought their biological children as well so the number of kids was pretty significant. I really think Heidi was just overwhelmed by it all. 

After we took the oath we gave the medical report from the medical check we did Saturday, along with other information when they called the number we got in the beginning. Next we went to a cashier to pay for Heidi’s visa. After we paid we went back to the window to show our receipt. Then we waited until the American representative working at the Consulate called us up. He asked us a few questions then I had to provide an e-signature which was my fingerprints. 

All of this took us until about 10:10. By the time we got back to the hotel it was 11:00 and I was exhausted. We tried to lay Heidi down but she wasn’t interested. She did doze off for awhile in Trent’s arms and I fell asleep. 

We fed her a big bowl of rice cereal and then took her to the pool. 

She liked it much better this time. She kept trying to put her face into the water. 

She even let her legs float out behind her this time. 

We had to be back to the room before 2:00 so I could go to another paperwork meeting. The meeting was over in good time but we all enjoyed a nice chat. The parent that the child was most attached to stayed back in the rooms so none of us felt too bad to have stayed longer. 

In the evening we headed out for a traditional Cantonese dinner with our group. 

Isn’t Heidi so cute in her bonnet? 

We tried all kinds of different foods: frog, beef, pulled chicken, curried seafood (including squid tentacles), noodles, sweet and sour pork, and lots more. My favorite was the noodles and the sweet and sour pork. 

Trent and I alternated standing aside holding Heidi. She really doesn’t seem to like when we are with a big group of people. Hopefully she won’t mind when the big group of people are her sisters. 

We’ve come to love several of these people and have relied on each other to see us through a large change in our lives. I’m so glad adoption has brought them into my circle of friends. 

This was the beautiful light in the private room we were in to eat. 

Outside the restaurant they were selling all the things we had eaten, but still alive. These are farm-raised meat frogs. 

 Eels, which we did not eat. 

Back in our room she was so happy. It must be something with going out or with the bigger group of people that she doesn’t enjoy as much. 

She looks sad here but she was actually laughing and squealing with joy right before I took the photo. 

Earlier today she was playing with a little toy mermaid. I had mentioned before how she can’t/doesn’t hold anything in her hands. We have seen some improvements with that already. She will reach for a toy, pick it up and instantly drop it. However, today for the first time she picked up the toy, switched it to her other hand, then dropped it. 

I totally get that this is probably a skill for a baby maybe 8 months old. But, it’s also a skill she didn’t have one week ago. 

She seems to enjoy bathtime more each time she has one. She’s learning to splash and pick up toys with her hands (not just kick them away with her feet). 

Trent gave her a bottle before bed. I had tried feeding her some cereal earlier that made her angry. We did think it could be a new tooth that was bothering her, but again, it’s so hard to know. 

All of our appointments are finished now, but we have to stay here in China until we get Heidi’s passport back with her US visa inside. We will get that on Thursday and then leave Friday morning. 

Soon, and very soon, we’ll be heading home!