Our agency booked the first time slot so that was helpful in getting things done right away and not wasting much of the day. We had to wake up our sleepy boy to head down for breakfast and then out the door and into the van at 7:45AM. Our guide, Aron, took a picture for us outside of the Consulate since phones are not allowed inside.
We made it easily through security and grabbed our numbered ticket. We were family #5. Each time slot was arranged for 12 families. Our agency had the majority of those slots. It was an air-conditioned room with a little play area for the kids. It was definitely family friendly. Josiah sat on my lap for most of the time playing with his stacking cups...and throwing them. When he threw the cups, he got down off my lap and picked them up. I was pleasantly surprised by this reaction. He even stood near a chair and screamed playfully as he mixed all of his cups up. This made my heart burst! He's rarely made a peep up until this point when he's been out in public.
A little while later, several other families showed up for their time slot. Now, there were a lot of families and a lot of kids. Josiah showed interest in sitting at one of the kid tables. We played with a wooden bead maze for quite some time. He'd move the beads along the lines and we'd clap when they reached either end. I even said "Yay!" and he imitated me and said "Yay!" I could not stop smiling. Then a few other kids came up and played with the same beads...and he interacted with them. He also got a little upset when one of the girls tried to take the toy away. Ha! We'll work more on sharing when he meets his little sister.
When it was our turn to speak with the State Department agent, we walked up to the window. He said hello to Josiah and Josiah waved. I was so tickled! Josiah even smiled at him! The man commented on how impressed he was that he could wave and said how cute he looked in his patriotic gear. We couldn't disagree! Ha! (Biased parents for sure.) Josiah must have heard the man compliment him on his waving because then we gave some high fives. When it was all said and done, Josiah also waved goodbye. My Mama heart was so full! Here we are ready to leave and enjoying mini M&Ms for being so good!
Now we wait and pray that D.C. approves his application and we are issued his Visa. It is out of anyone's control here in China. Eek! We made arrangements with 2 other families who have our same flight out of Hong Kong. We'll leave via a van at 7:30AM on Friday to make our way to the airport. It's about a 3 hour drive.
Josiah took a short morning nap after our CA and woke up a little cranky. Taking an afternoon nap turned into a battle. And he won. He played well, considering the lack of sleep, but had moments where he fluctuated between crazy tired and crazy ornery. This boy! We did manage to master the sign for "more" and he says "Thank You" so those were nap-less victories. Ha! 💜
The cruise was interesting. It was narrated the entire time, but in Chinese...so we basically had no idea what was being said. And it was loud. At one point, a mass of people rushed up to the buffet, almost pushing and shoving. We could only assume she said it was time to eat. It was amazing at the plates people were grabbing as our travel group sat there in awe. It was as if they hadn't eaten in weeks! Manners are not something you see much of here. Our guide was kind enough to grab food for all the kids since we were still in shock at the rush for food and still sitting down. Needless to say, I barely ate anything. The broccoli was good so I had a few pieces of that. The lights along the river at night are beautiful. Our evening on the boat was capped off with a little entertainment. It was just the comedic relief we needed! Josiah loved clapping but wasn't a fan of being part of the show.
Tomorrow we visit Shamian Island! This is our last scheduled event for the week...yay! We're hoping to get some of the famous pictures taken that other families capture during their time here. We'd also like to pick up a few things for the kiddos. Today was a much better day for my heart. Thank you for your prayers. We're almost done with Tuesday!
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