Almost HOME!!!

Ni Hao Everyone,

Almost home! This is the final stretch of our whirlwind adventure, and boy are we ready to come home.

Max is getting along just fine, with every day he gets more used to us, our sounds, and his comfortability with us. We found the " kiddyland" here at the hotel to be a great resource to let him run around and play. It's hard to be couped up in a hotel room. Max loves the slide, and like other typical kids this age, finds it hard to share or wait his turn, when Sean is also around in the playroom. Although we rented a stroller from the hotel, he loves to cruise around in it, which sometimes makes him fall asleep (hooray)

Max loves his bath with each new day. With an energetic toddler sitting on dirty floors, all around, picking up things, it's bath night every night.

We think in the short time Max has been hearing english, that he is understanding better, what we are saying. Because I may say, "do you want to get down and walk" and he shakes his head "no". Pretty amazing. Although his pouting face is quite noteworthy (see photo)

John is getting excited to shave his "reverse mullet" haircut. He talks about it quite often, Sunday he says. Sunday is the day.. It's cute, a little tuffet of hair, common for the boys here. I want to spike it up with gel...it's so cute.

We are running low on clothes, as we presumed we would do laundry here. The hotel is extremely expensive, so I thought, I can just wash some stuff in the tub, with some laundry soap. Yep, we're Beverly Hillbillies all of the sudden (cue the banjo music), as we have all of our clothes hanging off the vents...needless to say none dried since it is soooo humid here. Our guide found us an outside laundry service for a very reasonable price. They picked it up, and brought it back clean, and packaged so nicely. How cool.

Sunday morning, the breakfast room was filled to the gills with Americans. It was a Princeton class of '58 trip to China, so many Americans in our way to the Western-style buffet. They asked me if I do business here, my first thought was to have a fake accent, sometimes I like to do that, but, I knew the Princeton peeps probably outsmarted me. I told some of them who were curious about Max, and many came over to say hello and congrats.

We were running low on water (again) so we decided to take a taxi to the grocery store. (note the taxi ride was just $2, crazy right?) The grocery store, was a multi-level monolith type of store, I loved it immediately. The escalators carried shopping carts up to the different levels on a slanted conveyor belt, similar to some IKEA stores if you have seen one like that. If not, it's kinda un-nerving, thinking the cart will fall backwards on the flat escalator belt. But, low and behold it didn't. We needed more pull-ups for Max, so I pointed to his that he had on, and they directed us, also deodorant (did I mention it was humid) and pointed to my underarms, and they directed us. Easy right? So fun, trying to get along in a non-english speaking country. It's really a confidence booster to make yourself understood, get somewhere by taxi, and get back.

The best part was, the concierge, gave us a little sheet that says "please take me to" and he checked the box: "grocery store's name". We just showed the driver, let's not lose that paper, seriously, because it had a picture of the hotel for our way back.

Tuesday, we spent the morning with the other families on the Shaman Island again, collecting some souvenirs. We also took the traditional "red couch" photo there at the White Swan Hotel, a tradition for adoptive families, bringing good luck. The vendors there, were very eager to have us shop at their stores. It was so hot and humid that we only shopped for a bit, and headed for the closest air conditioned place, Lucy's restaurant again, for some American food.

I know it may seem like we are eating a lot of American food, but, really...well we are. We do not have a guide at all times, like on our last trip to China (we miss you Kathy!), so it makes it more difficult to know what to order and where to go. Something that would have been nice on this trip, but, oh well, we're all doing our best to be adventurous, but, not too much just in case. We're just sticking to the "please take me here" list of places.

Tuesday afternoon was our official U.S. Consulate appt. Elsie, our guide came and got us at our designated time, by little bus, and we headed over there. As we got closer, which was located in the main downtown of Guangzhou, large skyscrapers, etc, lined the streets. The consulate is located on the 4th floor of a large office building. We pulled up in front, and started noticing, many other American families with adoptive kids of all ages, waiting to go in. Some, we recognized from the medical exam office earlier this week.

Just like any other government-esque type of building with security, we showed our passports, went through metal detectors (they took my camera, no photos inside) and we took our seats in a sea of about 50 chairs. Our guide told us we had to wait for our names to be called and sign a paper. Then after EVERYONE (about 50 families) signed their sheets, we ALL took an oath together, by raising our right hands, and repeating that "we will something, something..." I would know, but, I have a rambunctious toddler running around, so I'm sure John said what needed to be said. I still got a bit teary-eyed as we all congratulated each other, this was one of the final hurdles in this gold medal race to the finish.

In 2009, 25,000 immigrants from China were allowed into the U.S. via this process, 3,000 of them were Chinese adoptive babies, and 57% of those kids were special needs, a record number. Hooray.

The last piece Max needs to get into the U.S. is his passport back with that precious VISA stamped inside. Our guide Elsie will pick them up for us tomorrow, along with a plain brown envelope, that is ONLY to be opened by the customs clerk. I vaguely remember this part with Juliette, what's in the brown envelope I will never know, maybe it's the secret recipe for steamed egg. Really, it is proof that he is naturalized as an American citizen.

Our last day here has finally arrived!

We all returned with tired kiddos, and retreated back to our rooms. John and I feasted on what is left from our "red" suitcase fillled with our Costco stash, hoping to lighten our load, as we fill it back up with souvenirs, trying to stay below the 23 kg weight limit for each of our suitcases. Note to anyone who will listen, can we all get on the same page with measurments and money, it's way to confusing for me. Multiply this by 2.2 or by 7 ahhh, seriously? (Note: feeling blue about eating Mc.Donalds? Weigh yourself on a kg scale, it makes you feel better)

One last trip to the awesome super-sized grocery store, to get some items, Just me, Max, and the Williams family via taxi. I still am amazed when the cashier said that will be 130, and my heart races for a bit, but, then I realize it's only about $17. I bought Max some shoes, turns out his were two different sizes (on each foot) from the orphanage, oh well. They have the cutest shoes here! Especially the "squeaky" kind, they have air pockets in them with plugs that when the kids walk they squeek. Cute, as ever.

One stop at the coveted Starbucks (just had to see if it was the same) since we were hot, we decided to get green tea frapps. Awesome idea, but, do they use ice to make it? I do the impossible. I ask for mine to be made without ice (just in case). Kudos to Starbucks for good customer service, it's done, and tastes better than any other Starbucks I've ever had.

We visited the local park today on a "sauna-walk." That's what it felt like. The three families, 3 strollers, 3 piles of sweat we were, I think I almost fainted a bit when I saw people jogging...seriously, in this humidity, no way. We stoped briefly to watch a few unique things happening in this very busy park. Not only the crazy joggers, but, there was public exercise equipment that was filled with people. It looked like people from all ages were using it. Note to self, no one here has a weight problem. Hmm.

One man, stopped Carl, from our group and asked him to play ping-pong with him. Of course Carl obliged (John wanted to, I could tell, he kept moving closer to the match) It was so cool, such a nice gesture. A group of people gathered to watch, did I mention Carl is about 6'5")

Max was extremely overheated, dressed only in his tee, shorts and no socks or shoes, we couldn't get back to the frigidly-cool hotel fast enough. Still looking around at the other kids, at the park, still dressed in layers....ahhh.

Our guide Elsie, brought us the sought after VISA stamped in his little red passport, all ready to go. She stayed and talked for a bit which was nice. I asked her to ask Max if he didn't feel well, he didn't say anything, which appears that he is just fine. She talked to him a bit in Mandarin, and he responded to her, but seemed a bit confused since he was hearing english for the past 2 weeks, although I'm guessing we sound kinda like "snoopy" along with some "no's"

We returned the fabulous rented stroller to the consierge in the lobby and saw there was another wedding going on here. It must be a lucky day, because it's a Wednesday night, not common for weddings. How appropriate, a new beginning for them, a new beginning for us. As Max doses off in my arms, looking up at me to make sure I am still there, I realize wow, this was an amazing trip for all of us.

Juliette get ready to finally meet your little brother, America here we come.


Dorothy was right.


With Love,
Beth, John & Maximus Pan Bin Tiberius* Lloyd

p.s. Juilette is having a blast with Krystal this week (see her mani/pedi photo). We talk to them via Skype daily, we realize it's hard for her to understand, but, it's nice now to say, see you in 1 day! We miss her a ton!

*only when visitng mommy at work, or at a Star Trek convention