Bittersweet

Tomorrow we come home.

Funny that as I write that sentence I am filled with such mixed emotions. What a journey this has been. For two years Kylie had been a paperwork dream. Just when it seemed like we'd never get word, we finally got a picture of the baby that would soon become ours. Then we waited out the torturous time for permission to come meet her. Despite snow at home, we then traveled half way around the world. In addition to the wonderous joy of meeting Kylie, while here we've done some sightseeing,(we've filled 7 mini-dv tapes on the camcorder and taken over 1000 pictures to share with her about her homeland as she begins to understand) but we've also crossed our t's and dotted our i's on pages of paperwork to make the adoption legal in the eyes of two governments. Today we went to the US Consulate here in Guangzhou and took her oath of citizenship for her. Tomorrow we pull her from this land.

I'm not sure I can really explain the sadness I feel about leaving China. Maybe it is because of my extreme humble gratitude to the woman that gave birth to Kylie. Maybe it is because I'm thankful that the Chinese government will work with the American government to make adoptions happen. Maybe it is because of the overall warmth of the people here. Maybe it is because to this point this is all my child has ever known, at least here she can still hear Cantonese being spoken as we walk around in public. While we are still here it is so easy for her to spend time with the other girls from Lianjiang, when we return to the states we are in NC, VA, KS, IN, & MN.

I know in time that America will be all she remembers, and maybe that is a little bit of what makes me sad too. After all, you need to know where you came from to have an understanding of where you are going...

A good bit actually happened today, but it is so late and we have to be in the lobby at 5:45 in the morning to catch our flight to Hong Kong. We have a 9 hour layover in Hong Kong, so maybe I'll find Internet connection there. If not, I'll type again after we reach home...

I leave you with three parting shots. One last image of the peaceful side of China...
Kylie with Amy, our guide. But it really doesn't seem to do justice to Amy to just call her our guide. She has been so helpful during our time here!!! I think that Amy has connections everywhere in Guangzhou, she was amazing and so instrumental in this entire legal process! I wouldn't want to try and navigate the in China portion part of our trip without her! And she wasn't just business, she was also very encouraging to all of us with our girls, especially us first time parents.

Apparently Kylie was concerned that we might try and leave without her. She was crawling right into the suitcase. Don't worry baby,Daddy and I wouldn't go anywhere without you!!!