August 8, 2012. U.S. Consulate Appointment!

When I received Travel Approval several weeks ago in Ohio, my travel dates depended on the approved date for the U.S. Consulate Appointment.  FAC put in 5 most preferred dates, and we waited to be contacted with the approved, confirmed appointment date.  August 8, 2012 was our first choice (because it was the soonest!)... The first preferred appointment date was approved for the Consulate, and that was this morning at 8:30am.  Luke and I woke up pretty early this morning.  Both of us could have continued to sleep, but today was a very important day!  We went downstairs for breakfast, and met Lucia at 7:50am in the lobby of The Garden Hotel.  Our appointment was 8:30am.  We'll both sleep well tonight!

Luke and I went inside the U.S. Consulate, accompanied by Lucia and the family from Michigan.  We we're all really excited... It felt like a really important milestone we were preparing to reach in our adoption journey!  There was a line for adults waiting for visas, and a line for adoptive parents waiting for visas.  Lucia escorted us to our line, and waited with us until it was our turn to enter.  She wasn't permitted to accompany us, past that point.  She told us that she would meet us downstairs when we had finished.  No cameras or electronics were permitted inside.  Luke and I went into the room, with all of the other families, and just waited!  Luke is such a good boy, no matter where we are!  They first took attendance, to make sure we were all present, and we were.  There may have been about a dozen other families.  I can't be positive.  We were all asked to stand, raise our right hands, and take an oath of honesty.  Each parent swore the honesty and integrity of his or her documents.  I'm not sure why, because it wasn't especially poetic or sentimental in any way, but that oath choked me up a bit.  Wow, Heaven help me when Luke and I are at his first Reds game, and he hears The National Anthem for the first time!

Each family then waited for their name to be called.  Luke and I hear the 'Wendy Tardiff Family!' and we make our way to the window.  It was quite a simple moment, and I turned over Luke's paperwork, as well as his Chinese passport.  When we were finished at the window, I took Luke over to show him the beautiful American flag with the gold fringe.  I put a little of the flag in his hand.  I told him he would like the United States very much, and that he could be anything he wanted to be when he grows up.  The visa will now be processed, and Lucia will ideally bring me Luke's passport, including visa, tomorrow at approximately 4:30pm.  Hurray!

We left the U.S. Consulate, and went to a very large shopping district.  Lucia took us to a preferred jewelry store for fresh water pearls, Maosheng Pearl.  I bought a few small items, with Lucia's discriminating assistance, and I was terribly pleased with my treasures!  We walked around a bit more, bought a few little trinket carvings for the baby's room, and had just one more stop to make.  Lucia took me to a little store that sells children's clothes.  I wanted to purchase a little pair of pants for Luke to wear on our long flight to the States... International flights are actually quite chilly!  On my trip here, I flew very close to Alaska, and saw ice covering the ocean, as far as the eye could see!  I bought him the cutest little pair of plaid flannel pajama bottoms.  Luke is very cool!  He likes to be comfortable, and look good at the same time!

Luke is napping now, but we are getting ready to meet a nice lady and her 2 daughters at the pool!  Luke has little heat bumps on his forehead.  Tonight is our dinner and Pearl River Cruise!