Consulate Appointment!!

Today was a big milestone.  We completed all of the paperwork for Alliot’s VISA and took an oath.  We did this all at the U.S. Consolate.  While we were there, we heard announcements over the loudspeakers about having to evacuate the building.  But, it turned out only to be a test, and we didn’t have to do anything.  We will receive Alliot’s VISA tomorrow and come home on Friday!  We are so excited to come home. 

After our VISA appointment, we did some more shopping on an island for unique Chinese items and gifts and then went to an American style restaurant and had a little taste of home (cheeseburger, chicken tenders, and fries).  The restaurant is called Lucy’s and is well known amongst adoptive parents.   Alliot was afraid of some of the statues on the island.

At the orphanage, they told us he didn’t get many snacks because of his cleft lip and palate, but he seems to eat anything we give him, if we break it up into small enough pieces.  If we don’t break his food into small pieces he will still shove it into his mouth.  Fore example, we gave him a French Fry not broken up to see what he would do, and he shoved the entire thing into his mouth.  However, he has started to cry in between bites and often acts like he is afraid he won’t get enough food.  Anytime he sees food, he fixates on it until we give it to him and throws a fit if we don’t.  We are still trying to figure out how to handle this.  We are trying to teach him that we are always going to feed him, but we are also trying to teach him not to throw a fit and cry when he wants something and that it is okay to wait more than 5 seconds between each bite.  Also, Alliot is starting to be a little bit calmer at bedtime and bath-time.

We got him some shoes that squeak when he walks.  He loves them and is a little more motivated to walk than crawl when these are on.  He even did a little foot stomping just for the fun of it.

Now that the consulate appointment is over, there isn’t much left for us to do other than wait to come home.  Tomorrow we are going start packing and attempt to enjoy the warm weather one more day before getting on the plane on Friday.  

Dan

Loving his bath

Our sweet friends from Texas, they left us today :( What a breath of fresh air they were for us

Lucy's restaurant

Some one is seriously afraid of the statues

All of the kids being adopted. The girl standing in the back is 13, and is being adopted too. Notice that Alliot is eating a shoe... He stole it from the girl sitting next to him.

Our whole group

Someone was not really excited about getting up early for his  consulate appointment today