Hope: One Less: September 2016

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Welcome Home

Lixia was welcomed home, in style, by Nana, Papa Swing, and Grandma Barb, complete with welcome posters, balloons, and gifts. She was so excited to see everyone and gave out lots of hugs and kisses. She was even treated to Chinese noodles at a nearby restaurant afterwards. This sweet girl is already loved by so many. Can't wait to see what God has in store for her life.

In addition to our warm welcome from family, the gate agent remembered us from two weeks ago and wanted to know if we made our connection in Dallas and how things were going with our new daughter. She also pointed out another family who was departing from Champaign to fly to China to adopt their daughter. We were blessed to chat with them for a few minutes and compare stories. What a cool encounter to end our journey home!

Hong Kong

We had an overnight layover in Hong Kong before we truly headed home. It was great to see a small part of the City as we were just passing through. Hong Kong Park was just a few minute walk from our hotel. We walked through the park and took the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak. It was a quick 10 minute tram ride to the top. The views during the tram ride and once we arrived at the peak were breathtaking. There was tons of stores/shopping and food vendors at the top as well. It was an amazing, albeit short, trip.

We made our way to the airport for our 13 hour flight to Dallas. Lixia was a great traveler. She slept on me for probably 6-7 hours of the trip. She also watched some Disney movies to help pass the time. Her only motionsickness was during the landing. Despite being physically ill, she loves to fly or maybe it was just her destination. She was so ready to be at home. We arrived in Dallas as planned. We had extra processing at U.S. Customs and Border Protection due to the adoption. The special sealed packet was delivered and processed. It actually did not take much time at all. Lixia Marie Swing is now officially a U.S. citizen.

After an overnight layover, we continued on to Chicago and finally to Champaign to meet our welcoming crew.

Exceptional view from our hotel room (61st floor)

Entrance to Hong Kong Park

Walking like a big girl

Cool fountain

Love being in big city parks where you can see the skyscrapers

Riding the Peak Tram

The Tram track

Views from Victoria Peak

Posing with our Tram

Getting ready for the long plane ride

Ready to be HOME

Airplane selfies

And again

Sleeping beauty

Last Day in China

We wanted to keep our last day in China pretty simple. We had breakfast with our friend, Evie, which may have involved several rounds of Ring Around the Rosie in the middle of the dining area. We also spent time packing and repacking. Lixia was quite the helper with putting items in the suitcases.

To help pass the time until our flight late in the day, we walked down the street to an Aeon department store. On the third level, there was a playplace. Lixia spent several hours there playing. She was a little skittish around some things as I am certain this was a new experience for her. The ball pit seemed to be a favorite once she got the hang of it. Once we returned to the hotel, we went to the hotel playground one last time.

Around 4:30 pm, Kelly (our guide) delivered the final paperwork to our hotel. This was the special sealed packet that had to remain sealed until we delivered it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Dallas. Around 7:00 pm, we departed the hotel and headed to the Guangzhou airport to begin our trek home. Lixia had been bouncing around all day telling everyone she was going on an airplane home. Her excitement was so heart-warming. We arrived at the airport and had to say our goodbyes to our guide, Kelly. I teared up a bit when saying goodbye and before we knew it, Lixia was crying too. We're not sure if she was crying because I was, or if she was scared, or who knows. Unfortunately, we learned that our long flight from Hong Kong to Dallas had been delayed 6 hours and our connections had to be re-booked; thus, the cancellation of the welcome home party. This was a super quick flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. Lixia did great and even fell asleep for a while. Once we arrived in Hong Kong, we took a taxi to our hotel. Lixia had no motionsickness while we were in China, but she did on this drive.

Breakfast with Evie

Loving on Evie

Enjoying the ballpit

Our wonderful guide, Kelly

Airport selfie

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Cancellation

The airport welcome home party is cancelled due to unexpected travel delays.

Monday, September 12, 2016

US Adoption Finalization

Today we had our U.S. Consulate appointment to finalize Lixia's adoption. We were there with many other families who have become friends. Unfortunately, our bag and phones had to stay at the security checkpoint so we were not able to take any photos inside. All of our paperwork is finally finished and we will receive her VISA tomorrow. As soon as she lands on U.S. soil, she will be a U.S. citizen.

Afterwards, our guide, Kelly, took us and another family to Yuntai Garden. The park was really beautiful and full of bright, vibrant colors. This was our first day here that it has not rained which was nice but it was extremely hot and humid. After a short stroll around the park, we were ready to be done with sightseeing. We decided to spend some time in the pool. Lixia likes to "swim," put her head under water, and today Chris taught her how to blow bubbles.

We headed to dinner with our favorite hotel buddies, Evie and Mathis. We went to an Italian buffet and Lixia ate really well (3 plates full). The kids had fun playing together and I'm sure are going to miss each other when it is time to part ways. Speaking of which, we begin our trek home tomorrow. It has been an enjoyable trip and great bonding time, but we are beyond ready to be home. Lixia wants to ride the airplane home everyday although she is not too eager to see Bessie, our dog.

We are so appreciative of all of the thoughts, prayers, and supportive comments during this journey to bring Lixia home as our child. For anyone interested, you are invited to join us at University of Illinois Willard Airport in Champaign on Wednesday, September 14th at 8:30 PM to welcome her home for good. She will be so excited to see everyone.