Pearl River Cruise

Our hotel is located on the banks of the Pearl River, and every night we have watched the wild, light and laser show that goes on over the river from our hotel window. Our guide took us on a dinner cruise on the Pearl tonight so we could experience the laser show firsthand. It was a cold and rainy night but we still had a good time. Lia Kate ate noodles and jabbered, jabbered away. It was the most we have heard her talk yet. There is a picture of some of us who went ... everyone in the picture works for our (awesome) agency, Lifeline Children's Services. Lily, on the left, is the amazing woman who matched Lia Kate with us! She lives here in China. Janelle is next to her and she is here with her husband adopting their little boy. She works for our agency State-side. The other person pictured is our guide Rebecca. It was a fun night! We came home and got Lia Kate successfully asleep in her crib -- the first time that has happened in several nights. Hoping it lasts until morning! We went to the U.S. Consulate today for our swearing-in/oath. We had to pledge that all of the information we provided them pertaining to our adoption was true. That was it. We are just waiting on Lia Kate's Visa now. We will get it tomorrow instead of Thursday as was planned. This means we could be headed home on a flight late, late tomorrow night  if we had known the Consulate was going to rush us through so they could close early for the New Year. Everyone here is bummed b/c we are all in the same boat. No way to rearrange flights this late. Oh well. We'll have two more days of sightseeing here. There is a picture above of me and Lia Kate with all of the other adopting families here just before we all loaded on the buses and descended en masse on the U.S. Consulate. I am off to sleep ... just two more nights here at the White Swan!