Last Night In GZ!

We took the oath at the consulate today.  Really just one more step left.  We should receive Cali's passport with a US Visa in it by 4:00pm tomorrow afternoon.  We leave Guangzhou around 8pm.  Looking forward to getting home, but I really will miss being here.  The girls have been so sweet and cute.  Graci, particularly, has looked out for me and encouraged the other girls to be sweet and obedient and grateful.  We've done a lot of shopping over the past couple of days.  Visited the pearl market today and then walked down to Shamian Island.  There are several of the shop owners there that know us by sight at this point.  Not on the second and third visit of our trip, but on the first :).  No joke.

Tonight the girls wanted to go swimming.  The temperature was probably in the upper 50s and it is an outdoor, slightly heated swimming pool.  It was a bit chilly!  But they really wanted to go, so we went.  Cali really seems to enjoy the pool.  She obviously hasn't had much experience swimming, but she's starting to get more comfortable.  At first, she didn't know how to plug her nose and go under water, but now she does it comfortably.  She goes all around the edge and like to swim across on my back.  She's even gotten better at that.

This afternoon we did group pictures with the seven CCAI families that are here.  I tried to buy Cali a Chinese dress to wear for them, but she would NOT have it.  I finally convinced her to get a shirt and a pair of shoes.  She looked so cute.  During the group picture of just the adopted kids, there were a bunch of 2-3 year olds and Cali.  But she was a great sport, in fact she looked extremely comfortable with the younger kids, which goes right along with what we've heard about her at the orphanage.  She even held one of the little boys for the pictures.  Lots of fun.

Cali continues to get more and more comfortable with us.  She has more spunk, she is talking way more and she is much more willing to assert herself now.  She has been calling us mommy and daddy, which we both absolutely love.  Tonight we were about ready to go swimming and I was on the computer.  She asked several times when we could go, and I just kept saying, "In a couple of minutes."  She finally said, in a loud voice, "Daddy!  1...2...3..."  Way to go Cali!  Needless to say, we got up and went.

Looking forward to snow capped mountaints and blue sky.  Not looking forward to icy temps.  Looking forward to hugs from Taylor, Parker, Elli, Xander, Lexi and Sophi.  Not looking forward to going back to work.  Looking forward to Christmas!  Not looking forward to being on a plane during BYU's bowl game.  Looking forward to seeing all of the kids interacting with Cali.  Not looking forward to seeing her dental x-rays.  (Hopefully they're more like Lexi's than Graci's when they got to America!)  Looking forward to her meeting the wonderful group of neighborhood girls who have been anticipating her arrival.  Not looking forward to her meeting the myriad doctors she is sure to need to see in the first few months home.  Looking forward to Cali getting integrated into school.  Not looking forward to the inevitable tears that will be shed as she adjusts to American culture, language and food.  Looking forward to sleeping in my bed.  Not looking forward to sleeping in my new bedroom:(  Looking forward to seeing Cali meet grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles and cousins. 
Heading to bed on our last night in Guangzhou!

Jer