Thankful Thursday.....

Dinner anyone???

A tired baby at the Notary Office!

How many more times in and out of the car Daddy???

Bike parking in Beijing....

Outside the CCAA building!

Laundry and toilet paper rolls tuckered me out!

After an interesting room service dinner, another high fever(yes, we did start his antibiotics this morning), and a decent nights' sleep, we were up and ready early this morning, headed to breakfast before 8am(which we did find Cocoa Krispies and other cereals this morning :) all packed for the Great Wall trip...................well, we didn't get to the Great Wall! BUT......we have exciting news! We have Matthew's official adoption certificate AND we have applied for his passport!

When Frank arrived to pick us up this morning, he was on the cell phone and had just gotten a call from the Civil Affairs office that our paperwork was ready to be picked up. He told us "plans have changed" and we need to do paperwork today instead of tomorrow being Friday! One thing we have realized on this trip is to just go with the flow. So, it was off to the Civil Affairs office where we were given Matthew's adoption certificate in a beautiful red plastic/velvety case, and we were fingerprinted again. We were then back in the car and headed to the notary's office to have all of the paperwork notarized. When we got to the notary building, Frank showed us the CCAA buildingf(China Center For Adoption Affairs) where all of our paperwork has been processed over the past few years. He said there are thousands of dossiers in right now, and that is just heartbreaking to know so many people want to be parents, and are just waiting for their children. We were at the notary for over an hour and a half waiting for paperwork to be done and ready. We now have Matthew's birth certificate, his statement of abandonment, and other important paperwork! Good thing I brought the plastic expanding file folder because it has grown with paperwork over the past few days!!! After the notary, we were back in the car and headed to the police station to apply for Matthew's passport! Matthew did not like the people that were trying to take his passport photo! It was a lengthy process and we had some tears to fix after that was done. Thankfully, Mommy and Daddy were able to do that!!! It's amazing to us how we comes right to us and puts his little arms up for us to pick him up and hold him when he needs something, or just comfort. We have only been with him for 4 days, but it really does feel like forever! So, now that Matthew's passport was applied for, we THINK the plan is for us to sightsee on Friday and Saturday, then fly to Guangzhou on Sunday for the duration of the trip. Matthew's passport won't be ready until NEXT Friday as it takes 5-7 business days to process here in Beijing so the plan is for Frank our guide to pick it up on Friday and get it to us in Guangzhou Saturday or Sunday so we have it for Matthew's medical appt. on Monday. Then, we we have our Consultate appt., get Matthew's visa, and can come home! Of course that's 2 weeks away, but at least the adoption is final, and now we just await the passport, medical exam, and Consulate!!!!

After a very long morning/afternoon, we were brought back to the hotel and told that we would be seen tomorrow at 9am for the Great Wall trip! We sure hope so!!!! We'd really like to do some sightseeing while we are here, and are kind of bummed that we haven't done any of that since we have been here in Beijing....we asked to be taken somewhere to shop, etc. but Matthew and I were dropped off at the hotel and Chris was taken somewhere to buy himself a belt and some groceries. Chris wants everyone to know that he finally achieved his life long dream of receiving his Martial Arts black belt in China - even though it was purchased at the market next to our hotel and it looks very similar to a JCPenney black belt :) But, at least his pants won't fall down now....hahaha to my husband! The cultural things here are so interesting, and once again I was not "permitted" to come along shopping with Chris and our guide. After Chris helped me get back in the room with Matthew and all of our stuff, he turned and said to me as he was leaving to meet the guide back downstairs "Now Melissa, this is a man thing - stay here and take care of Matthew." Haha....too funny! I got Matthew out of his coat, and the next think I knew, he was taking his shoes off and he lined them up along the wall where Chris and I had shoes lined up in the room - how in the world did he learn that????? The socks came off then, and I now know for sure - I have a barefoot loving kid!

So, Matthew and I played for a good period of time before Daddy came back and we were thankful he brought some lunch/dinner home. The guide stopped at a restaurant and tried to help Chris preorder some things for us in case we decided to venture out tonight to eat out. We had lunch together and played some more. Matthew had a really bad coughing fit when he was choking on his thick mucus, and his poor little nose started to bleed. It was interesting trying to hold pressure on a 22 month old's nose that's for sure and I think Mommy's white shirt held most of the blood. Matthew sure didn't mind anything at all and thought it was a fun time playing with tissues!

So, then it was laundry time for the Roslevege's in the bath tub and the sink! We wanted to get the blood out of our clothes and decided to clean some other clothes while we were at it! Matthew is a messy eater and we needed some of his stuff washed anyway especially since some of the 24 month pants we brought are way too big for his little butt and we are using mostly the 18 month pants!

Laundry time proved amusing for Matthew, Mommy and Daddy. Matthew and Daddy were in the tub washing clothes and Mommy was working in the sink. When Mommy turned around, Matthew had found the toilet paper roll for the very first time and had toilet paper everywhere. I wish I could have captured the entire moment on the video, but I wasn't quick enough so you only get part of the experience. When he was unrolling it, he was giggling so hard, but then he didn't know what to do with it when it was stuck on his legs walking out into the hall! Guess I will have to look out for open bathroom doors at home and make sure the toilet paper rolls are put away :)

Matthew then was asleep in about 10 minutes after the toilet paper incident, and looking like a little angel curled up in bed. Chris and I are loving the fact that he comes over to us puts his arms up and wiggles his fingers when he wants to be picked up! He then nestles into our necks and moves his body until we start swaying side to side telling us he likes to rock. (sure wish we had a rocking chair!) He's so snuggly and he seems to love being kissed and hugged all of the time! He better since he's going to have a lifetime of hugs and kisses frow now on!

He took about an hour nap and is now playing with his Daddy on the bed with his links and his cell phone. He has figured out how to hold it as if to say hello and hands it off to Chris and I when it rings. He has also picked up our travel alarm clock and because it folds up, he holds that like a phone too. Watching him doing all of the little things he does is just amazing.

Chris went downstairs to the "coffee shop" a little bit ago to try and a get a coffee. There were a bunch of businessmen in there smoking and sitting together. Chris tried to ask for a coffee to go, and they ended up sending it up via room service. It was a $10 cup of coffee that only filled half of a tea cup!! Chris described it as "being able to kick start a mule" It was the worst thing he'd ever tasted and what a waste of money...but, no one can ever say we didn't try to do things here on our own when no one understands us!

Well, now we are off to just enjoy some more playtime and hopefully get Matthew back in bed for the night before it's too late since our plan is to see the Great Wall tomorrow! We don't think those plans are going to change, and sure hope they don't!!!! We want him to be as rested as possible and I need to think about layering him up since it's supposed to be really cold tomorrow. Also need to get the backpack packed again for the day tomorrow - you know, there's a lot of things that need to go along now with a little one :)

We do miss talking to our friends and family often, it's so hard with the time change and us being on a schedule most mornings! Please know we love you all, and hope you are doing well!