Packing, Play, and Paperwork Approved

Today was all about getting ready to go HOME!!! First though, there was the matter of "the tooth."  Rudolpho discovered that his tooth was loose about two days ago.  He was nervous about it because it bled a little, but we reassured him and told him it was very exciting to have a loose tooth. (He has lost several on the bottom, so this is not a new experience for him.)  Sweet One has had the same tooth loose for months.  With the threat of a little brother's loose tooth she increased her eiggling efforts immensely and by breakfast this morning, it was barely hanging on.
  Fairy Godmother apparently has a close relationship with the Tooth Fairy and helped the matter along with a lasso of dental floss.  She wrangled that tooth right out.  We spent a few minutes learning about the Chinese traditions involved in loosing teeth and determined she could either bury the tooth or place it at the foot of her bed.  (Good thing it wasn't a lower tooth or she would have had to throw it up on the roof!)  The tooth fairy doesn't visit in China, so we've contracted with the nearest one we could find (Australia) and she will be making a house call late tonight.  And I'm sure the Fairy Godmother will receive some sort of kickback.

 

 

Once we had that little bid of drama behind us, I worked on packing for awhile until my "helper" became a little too helpful and started mixing dirty clothes with those fresh from the laundry.  It was obviously time for some playtime.  Rudolpho tried helping me with my Mandarin pronunciation.  He went over "yellow car" with me several times.  I apparently can't quite master the tones because he quickly had his head in his hands shaking it with pity.  He was pretty forgiving though when I proved myself through my wicked car jumping skills.

 

We later received Rudolpho's visa and citizenship paperwork and then headed to dinner.  Rudolpho has been enjoying riding on Sticks' shoulders quite a bit and Sweet One wanted her turn.  Sticks treated them to a (short) ride in tandem.

 

We then headed out for our final dinner in China.  Since we haven't had Chinese since we left Urumqi, we decided a good Cantonese meal was just the ticket.  We consulted with the concierge and headed to the nearby restaurant.  Once again, complete failure.  It was closed.  Luckily, Pizza Hut was just two floors down, so instead of hanging my head in defeat, I decided to admit that we are simply not adventurous (and barely open-minded) eaters and walked proudly through the doors with my happy crew in tow.  At least we avoided the golden arches on this trip!

Back at the hotel, we are putting the finishing touches on packing and winding down for our last sleep in China.  We have more than enough packing space, so Rudolpho decided that Bear can ride to America inside a suitcase!  (I was able to unload most of our remaining snacks and all of our pediatric meds to a few other families here.  One is an American family living in China who was thrilled to be able to get mac 'n cheese, trail mix, pedialyte, and pistachios.  She called them a "treasure!"  So glad I could provide my extra stuff as someone else's treasure.  :)  (Hi, C!  I know you're reading...) 

We will leave the hotel tomorrow morning at 10.  That's 10pm Wednesday for you.  We will arrive at IAD Thursday a little before 8 pm.  By the time we get through customs and immigration, get the car, and drive home, it will be almost exactly 24 hours of travel time.  Phew!

Thanks for sharing our adventure with us!  You've been wonderful travelling companions.  Your comments and encouragement via the blog, email, and FB have been such a wonderful link to reality.  Thank you.