Hi, Everyone,
We had a good and slow start to the day today. We got to breakfast in plenty of time and then ran some errands before having to be back to the hotel to prepare for our consulate appointment.
Our new little Mr. Poopipants set a personal record this morning with 3 diaper changes within about 45 minutes – all quite necessary, and likely a direct result of the pork meatballs he couldn’t get enough of last night. The incident forced us to recalculate the number of diapers we need to get home. Fortunately, we found a source close by for XL diapers. The large couldn’t cut it. XL diapers in China are not all that easy to find. In all this, Max has learned to powder himself by watching us. Our theory is that a kid who can learn to powder himself is likely ready for potty training.
We were on-time for the consulate appointment. The consulate is in a large office building across the city. We learned today that it’s the largest consulate office in the world, processing some 25,000 immigrant VISAs last year. The appointment went without a hitch. There were some toys in the back that kept the kids engaged. The Fischer-Price accounting office was very popular, complete with abacus and sun roof. They were right under the video screen repeating the instructions for the interview: when to approach, fingerprinting, and finally “just relax and tell the truth”. When the time came, we relaxed, took the oath for Max and received his VISA. With that, we have everything we need to come home, now, and when we enter the US, he will automatically become a citizen.
Traffic was pretty bad when we left the consulate. There were a number of families there from the hotel, so the hotel sent their bus to bring us back. There were too many exciting close calls to count with people pulling in front of buses and vehicles jockeying for position against bicycles carrying LP tanks and little cars that looked like you could crumble them with your bare hands. It took a long time to get back to the hotel. A few kids tried to start a mutiny, but it was quickly put down with granola bars, fruit chews and some bubble gum. Our kids didn’t get a nap with today’s schedule. We were hoping they would sleep on the bus, but there was too much excitement in the air. Unfortunately, this would come back to haunt us.
We didn’t have to wait long for the haunting. We went down the block to a Cantonese place we had been to before. A lot of Chinese people go there. Before we could even order, Max blew his first gasket and Kira soon after. Max was reaching critical mass so Michelle took him out to the street. Kira was rebelling, too, insisting on performing one of the bigger no-no’s. I told her I’d be taking her out for a spanking when Michelle returned. There were two mood changes by the time Michelle got back, but even then, Kira reminded me of the threat (which was not an idle one, as she found out.). Unfortunately, the crabby defiance rose and fell through the rest of the evening, like so many tides. Max, on the other hand, was fine once there was food. Service was excellent – may be a little too excellent. Being the only Caucasians in the place, we garnered some attention. The waitresses insisted on Max eating with a spoon rather than a fork. That freaked him out a little, but there was still food, so he was OK. They also seemed impressed with his capacity for eating, both in terms of quantity and efficiency. “Stand back”, we had to warn. “He’s more stomach than boy.”. Things were pretty level until the steamed egg was whisked from the table (we don’t know why). Max was upset by this and turned to where his mom had been, but she was gone on a toilet trip with Kira. The combination proved too much and he went over the deep end. In no time, there were 4 waitresses and 2 hostesses all around him and the table, trying to figure out in Cantonese what might quiet him. Fearing, a full-blown meltdown by the little citizen, I pulled-out a chocolate chip protein bar from the backpack. Critical mass was averted, and we earned several respectful nods from the wait staff.
Despite the unruly American kids, the food and tea were excellent. One of the items (the eel dish) didn’t arrive with the rest of the meal. When I asked about it, I understood when they said it was late, but didn’t realize they were preparing it fresh – really fresh. It was easily the best I ever had. Max liked it, too.
We tried to finish some errands, but the kids were melting too fast. Three tantrums later, they’re in bed and everyone is asleep.
Missing naps was a gross, but unavoidable error, as it turned out. In the end, we felt lucky to have the appointment done and everything work out so well. Our agency and reps did a good job for us. There were 4 families with other agencies who had issues with their paperwork and were delayed in-country for an additional week or maybe even longer.
Tomorrow we leave Guangzhou for Shanghai again so we can catch our flight for home the next morning. We’re anxious to get home and into a routine with the kids. We’re also a bit sad to leave Guangzhou because it will be a long time before we’re back again. We’ve had many good experiences here. We'll miss it.
As before, we hope that all is well with you and you’re having good adventures, too!
Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max