Our Journey of a Thousand Miles

"A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step"  ~Confucius

It was over five years ago that we took our first steps in starting this amazing journey…our journey to our daughter.  It was 15 days ago that we embarked on our trip across the world, traveling thousands of miles from home, all in search of our sweet Amelia Mei.  Those first steps we took in beginning this process and every step thereafter have led us to this one amazing little girl whom we know in our hearts was meant for us all along!  With only a few more days left, we are taking our final steps and we will soon be forever home!

Our stay in Guangzhou has gone so fast and we can’t believe we’ll be traveling home this Thursday!  We arrived in Guangzhou last Friday where we took an 1-1/2 peaceful car ride from Shenzhen where both kids slept, thankfully.  The final steps of Amelia’s adoption take place here, including her medical exam, our US Consulate appointment and receiving Amelia’s US Visa to travel home!  Her medical exam at the SOS clinic took place on Saturday.  Since we were the only family, rather than spending hours at the clinic, we were in and out in a matter of 30 minutes.  Amelia did not cry a peep as she was briefly examined by the doctors.  We learned that she is in good health, she is currently 24lbs and 30inches, her hearing and eye sight seem normal, and she is free of infectious or communicable diseases.  This all being determined with a step onto the scale, a look inside her ears, nose and mouth, a peek at her bare behind, and a hearing test consisting of a squeaky, dirty ball.  Gotta love it! 

As we await our Consulate Appointment (which is tomorrow morning…October 11^th!), we’ve taken the time to explore a few of the main sights here in Guangzhou.  Our favorite spot is Shamian Island, which is a very small island 10 minutes from our hotel and it’s full of great little souvenier shops, restaurants and beautiful grounds and architecture.  Former adoptive parents used to all stay at a hotel on this island, but this hotel is temporarily closed, so are staying off the island at The China Hotel.  Shamian Island really caters to tourists, especially adoptive parents in search for little girl’s Chinese dresses, squeaky shoes, chop sticks, artwork and more!  For any future adoptive parents reading this, know that this island is good for cheap souveniers, but to get good quality things, particularly jewelry, go to the markets outside of the island (Anne from Red Thread can give you a shopping tour for cheap).  The best part of Shamian Island has been spending time in the square and watching our two sweeties run around and explore.  Plus it’s provided yet more opportunities for my most recent favorite pastime…taking pictures of my little sweetcheeks and Liam…

We also took a half day tour with our agency representative to see a few famous sights, including a Buddhist Temple and the famous, historic, Chen House.  The Chen House is ~200 years old and was formerly a house of worship.  Now this house is like a museum, with many different rooms displaying artifacts such as porcelain, ivory, jade and embroidery.  Much of the detailed carvings throughout the house are also made out of porcelain dating back to it's original structure. 

After the Chen House, we visited our first Buddhist temple, this one in particular is one of the oldest Buddhist Temples in China--the Six Banyan Tree Buddhist Temple.  It’s name comes from the Banyan trees that make up much of the landscape. 

Although the gold Buddha statues were an incredible sight in themselves, for us, and many others, the best attraction was seeing our Amelia Mei showcase her very own “Buddha Belly”.  As we were standing outside admiring the temple, Amelia started walking around lifting her dress up and sticking out her belly as far as she could.  Before we knew it, all the nearby tourists were instead looking at our little Buddha Bellied girl.

Here in Guangzhou we are staying at The China Hotel which has been very nice.  Former adoptive families have stayed at the famous White Swan hotel, but it’s closed for renovations.  Although the location of The China Hotel is not as good (as it is not on Shamian Island), the rooms, food, amenities and service have all been wonderful.  The biggest negative is that there aren’t many good restaurants within walking distance (with the exception of McDonalds that is right next door), but a big bonus is the Starbucks right downstairs!  The hotel has a small baby playground, which Liam and Amelia have really enjoyed.  Amelia loves the swing.  The outdoor pool is also nice and although it doesn’t have a baby section, Liam and Amelia have still enjoyed swimming in our arms—with Amelia already being way more brave in the water than her 4-1/2 year old brother!   

As we approach the end of our trip, we have so many mixed emotions.  We feel sad to say goodbye to China, the birth country of our daughter, a place we have truly grown to love in so many ways.  Yet we are just bursting with excitement to bring our daughter to her forever home!  Tomorrow morning is our Consulate Appointment where we will take an oath to grant us permission to bring Amelia home to the USA.  With these upcoming, last and final steps of the adoption process, our journey here in China is about to end.  Yet, in our hearts we know, our journey of a thousand miles is only about to begin…as we soon travel home to begin our life together as a Forever Family of Four!