U.S. Consulate Appointment & Red Couch

Friday the 13th was not an unlucky day for Chloe. Chloe sat in the highchair for the first time and received her visa from the U.S.

At 11 a.m. we all met in the hotel lobby and went down the street to the U.S. Consulate. We were ushered into a room with another group and were greeted by a U.S. official who told us the statistics of Chinese adoptions.

After that, we all raised our hands and swore that all our documents were accurate. And, that was it. Chloe was free to enter the U.S. and would become a U.S. citizen when she set foot on American soil. An important day, but pretty unremarkable in the delivery.After the consulate, the entire group met at the famous red couches of the White Swan Hotel and had the girls group photo taken (you can see it below).

In the afternoon, we all had a playdate in the hallway as we waited for the delivery of the girls' Chinese passports. Two of the families were leaving for the States' that evening and another 6 were leaving early in the morning. Most families packed.

Matt, Chloe and I went to the Lucy Bar for our last dinner in Guangzhou. It was a nice,cool evening. A very pleasant way to end our stay.

All U.S. families adopting from China must stay a minimum of four days in Guangzhou, where the U.S. consulate is located, to get their child's U.S. visa. Most of these families stay at the White Swan Hotel. Located on the 2nd floor of the hotel are red couches. Travel groups go there to have their daughters' photos taken after the U.S. has cleared them to enter the country. On the red couch in this photo are the babies of Qujiang SWI and then children of our travelmates. Chloe is in the white shirt in the center.