This morning was a morning of formalities. We gathered after breakfast for our “Red Couch” photo. It was very calm and collected, the babies behaved themselves remarkably, and no fathers elbowed each other for a better shot. 
That previous sentence is a complete lie. After taking the red couch photo, we gathered as a group and had a large Harrah’s photo taken and people posed according to orphanage. The photo of the mothers and babies (and some dads) by the waterfall is of the Shangrao Orphanage group. Finally, Ileana and I posed for a picture just before the swearing in.
The final piece of the adoption is
when we all march over the consulate and swear that our paperwork was truthful and correct and this makes our adoption official. The gentleman that did the swearing in the U.S. was very nice. Sophie celebrated by passing out and hs been asleep in her bed since. She is officially “ours” and when we set foot on American soil, she will officially be an American.
We are in the middle of packing and had to buy one more piece of luggage to get all of the items we purchased back home. At $15 a bag, we should come to China of our entire luggage. Hopefully we won’t have to leave too much behind.We pick up Sophie’s visa at 3:30 and immediately board a shuttle to the train station
so that we can train to Hong Kong. We have had mixed reviews of the trip so those of you that may be adopting in the future, you may 
want to stay tuned for the next blog to see what was good and bad about it. Goodbye Guangzhou – our next blog will be from Hong Kong if we have internet access.-Chris
6 comments:
Wow... she's officially yours! Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! So, so happy for you! It has been so much fun to watch the whole trip on the blog, cant't wait to hear about it in person and to meet Sophie. And personally, I think sleeping is a great way to celebrate!
-Libby
Chris & Ileana - Congratulations from the E. Schulz family. We have been checking your log every day. Peter can't wait to outfit Sophie in some offical HOS sportswear!
Congratulations to the three of you!! We are so happy for you and, like everyone else, have really enjoyed watching your journey unfold here on the blog! Have a safe trip home - now the real fun begins...Lots of love!
HI
Have a safe trip home and we cannot wait to meet the beautiful Sophie ( with the best hair). I'm definately buying her some cool hair accessories. Can't wait to talk to you guys.
Love,
Lisa, Dave and Jordyn
I think the Red Couch photo is one of the classics! Come Home!
Kelley
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