Our Last Day

Hannah treated us a little this morning by sleeping later than usual. Her cough is much better, but she is still consistently waking up in the middle of the night. She will cry and scream and become very restless. She will cry out to me and will let me hold her and rock her and will then go back to sleep. In the mornings, she will cry out a little and then come crawl in the bed with me. She'll be so sweet and playful. She'll point over at Beth and when I whisper and motion that she's still sleeping, Hannah will "whisper" in her best 2-year old whisper. It's so cute.

After breakfast, Beth and I took Hannah for a walk and did our last little bit of shopping. In one of the shops, a worker asked us where Hannah was from. When I said that she was from Wuhan, the girl told us her boss was from there. The woman came over and talked to Hannah. She told us there were not many kids that came through from Wuhan and she was so excited. She gave Hannah a little jade bracelet and said it was a gift since she was from the same province. It was so sweet and not a "sales gimmick" because I had already bought and paid for my items. The sales people here are all very nice and friendly, and they are all very good salespeople. They've got this "sell to the adoptive parents" thing down. When a baby gets fussy, they give her a free small toy. They'll take the stroller and push and entertain the baby so parents can shop. And they all say they "give you a very good price. She's so cute - I give you a very good price". I've gotten better as the week has gone on with the bargaining. True to what I'd heard before, the first price quoted is almost never the price they'll sell it for if you're wiling to bargain a little.

We ate lunch in the room and Hannah took a nap. This afternoon we went to the US Consulate for our swearing in ceremony. Basically, about 20-30 families boarded a couple buses and drove 40 minutes to the consulate. We went inside and waited. Imagine that many families with newly adopted children 6 months to about 6 years old. Mostly in the 6 month - 18 month age range. It was a bit chaotic! I was proud of Hannah though. She did really well. Eventually, we were all told to stand and raise our right hands. (Hannah raised both hands with a huge smile!) We were asked if everything we submitted was true - we all said "yes" and that was it! Hannah clapped. Of course, Hannah also clapped as soon as the official came out with the microphone and said "Welcome". Hannah even claps for me when I sing for her. Those of you who have heard me sing may not believe it - but to her, I sing beautifully!!!

We went back to the hotel and then met several other families for dinner at The Cow and Bridge Thai restaurant. Then, it was back to the hotel to finish packing. Hannah is asleep now - which is where I am headed.

This trip has been AMAZING! Hannah is AMAZING! And God's grace throughout this journey is most definately AMAZING! I can never thank you all enough for your love, support, and prayers. I have felt them each day and have seen the answer to those prayers in so very many little and big ways.
Please pray for our travel to go smoothly and for Hannah (and us) to be able to get some rest during the flights- we are leaving our hotel at 7:30 Wed. morning (6:30 Tuesday night for you at home) and will be traveling 24+ hours. And please continue to pray for us as we adjust to life together in our home.
love, DeEtte