“Why does our adoption trip take 2 weeks?”
That was one of my initial questions, once we got into the process.
It turns out that each day is another step in the paperwork, meetings, and examinations. Our guides are doing a lot of leg-work each day, running our paper work from Consulate to doctors to offices all over Guangzhou.
Today was the day for doctor visits. The rest of our group arrived last night, so there are 7 families now moving through the city together. It’s a little crazier, because each family has a new member, most of the adoptees are babies, and all of them have special needs. The whole process was long, as the clinic was already crowded, and another load of adoptive families arrived while we waited. Annabelle kept herself occupied by taking pictures. In addition to the 2 shots below of the clock on the wall, we have about a dozen pics of Lauren, 6 pics of a baby girl named Pearl, and 10 pics of the eye exam chart (I think she was studying it, but that didn’t help!)
Every child saw a doctor today for a physical examination, and 6 of them got SHOTS! Annabelle was scared—she didn’t want anything to do with a needle, much less 5 of them. She shed a couple of tears, and even shook her head NO when Kim offered a Barbie as a reward for bravery. But once she got over her initial fright, she was a trooper. She didn’t even flinch as the nurse gave her the injections.
We went to the shopping place after the doctor’s office. Kim wanted to find a cool Chinese t-shirt for Levi, but I intervened. We bought a cool little flying saucer toy. I bought some batteries tonight so that I could charge it and give it a test run. Annabelle LOVED it. I hope Levi doesn’t mind sharing. I also hope that it survives another week of us playing with it!
The afternoon was spent relaxing in the hotel—that’s code for watching Mulan again! I caught a nap while Kim got our paperwork ready for the visit to the American Consulate tomorrow. We’ll be getting Annabelle’s travel visa lined up.
Tonight’s dinner was a treat. There’s a Japanese steak house in the hotel. We got to watch a chef prepare our meal right in front of us. There was a huge prawn included in the meal, which turned out to be pretty tasty.
Kim and I felt like Annabelle had a little breakthrough today. She’s been pretty reserved, which is understandable with the language barrier and the newness of her situation. But she seemed a little more perky, had a little more bounce in her step. She seems to be getting more comfortable with us. We’re having a blast looking at family pictures, teaching her names.
Kim and Annabelle are asleep now, tucked in all snuggly together. Annabelle talks in her sleep. It’s the loudest I’ve heard her talk. Last night she cried out pretty loud, sat up, and started to get out of bed—in her sleep! She was pretty out of it!
I don’t know if it’s possible to catch up on 9 years of missed hugs and snuggles, but we’re having fun trying.
0 Comments