Sunday, January 24, 2010
DAY TWELVE IN CHINA

We had a great morning. Tia woke up happy and we all enjoyed the buffet breakfast again today. After breakfast one parent from each family was to meet with Shiyan, our guide to complete paperwork for the US portion of the adoption. Shawn decided that he would go take care of the paperwork and I would watch the girls. Keep in mind that I’ve been the one to prepare all of the necessary documents thus far for the adoption. I quickly reviewed the docs with him so he would be familiar with what she would be discussing. After 1 ½ hours Shawn came back to our room looking dazed and asking me to sign various forms. As it turned out Shawn did a great job, even if he didn’t enjoy it. All of the documents are in order and Shiyan will be taking them to the consulate tomorrow to apply for Tia’s visa. This visa will allow her to enter the United States . When we land in Chicago on Thursday she will be a US citizen.

In the afternoon today we took a walk outside by the river. The White Swan hotel is immediately beside the river. We have seen many barges hauling cargo up the river. We also checked out the swimming pool and waterfall. Of course we did more shopping. I am hoping that we will be able to take a cab tomorrow to buy pearls. We got some advice from our guide about where to go to find the best deals.

We went as a group this evening to an Italian Restaurant for dinner. It was a nice walk to the other side of Shamian Island . The food was good. I think the servers were a bit overwhelmed by the size of our group. The weather was warmer today but we still needed our coats.

Kassidy and I took Tia to the Swan playroom today while Shawn was doing the paperwork. She loved it. She was running around playing and she loved investigating the new toys. It made me think of how much she will enjoy playing with the toys that are waiting for her at home. We can’t wait to introduce Tia to Lancaster County , PA. !