Bryan took a detour to our travels, and went to Tokyo for the weekend. As luck would have it, his meeting with Japanese orthopedic surgeons that had been planned for a year, happened to fall right in the middle of our China adoption travels. Crazy, right? So, on Friday, while he went to enjoy some Japanese hospitality, we flew to Guangzhou. Since landing, we have had very little down time and several important appointments.
As I type, Poppy is sitting on my lap giggling and pressing buttons.
Poppy and I were up and out the door early Saturday morning. We met our group in lobby of the hotel and went straight to the U.S. Visa medical office. This office is filled with people who want to come to America. I cannot help but feel very proud of the country that we live in while here. I also feel thankful to the Chinese medical staff who care for so many people to help others fulfill their dreams.
The office is set up in stations. There are at least 25 families with children who need medical checks as part of the U.S. Visa application process. Since I have gone through this before, I was comfortable with the managed chaos. First, Poppy visited the ENT. All good! Then, it was height, weight and body temp check time. I wish I could tell you the numbers, but I was too in awe of our brave girl to ask questions. I believe I read 10.2 kg for weight. I took no response to the temperature check as good news, and off we went to the general medical check. The doctor was very sweet with Poppy. He sees numerous children on a daily basis, so to see his compassion towards Poppy spoke volumes. He's right where he's suppose to be. He sent us off with a clean bill of health! One more room...the TB test. I remember dreading this test with Evie because they have to do a blood draw, and it was no different with Poppy. The nurses wisp them away for the test and return them quickly...usually screaming. Not Poppy! With tears in her eyes, she looked at me with a sense of comfort, dug her head in my should and held on tight. That was it! In and out in 30 minutes! We waited in the lobby for the rest of our group. Thankfully, it's a large lobby so plenty of room for running. I also packed snacks to hold us over until lunch. We were back to our hotel by 11:30 am, ready for lunch, a nap, followed by playtime with Brycen, Finn, Bennett and Evie.
On Sunday, Grandad, Grammy, the kiddos and I ventured over to Shamian Island via the subway system. Shamian Island is an older island filled with souvenir shops, beautiful buildings, restaurants, ice cream shops and lots of people. It's a great place to take photos. In fact, many people stopped our family to take photos with our children. Even school children wanted photos with the boys and Evie, and they like to practice their English with conversation. We are amazed at how well the children speak English. It is no longer uncomfortable for Brycen, Finn, Bennett and Evie to have photos taken with complete strangers, young or older, usually women but some men, often children. Finn suggested we start charging them like Disney characters. (That's my Finn!)
After our long day at Shamian Island, the kids and I met our group in the lobby to walk to a local restaurant for dinner. I always enjoy eating with the locals because they know how to order and we tend to enjoy the food more. This dinner did not disappoint. Brycen and Bennett can be picky eaters, so I was very proud of all of my children's sense of adventure when trying some of the foods served. We had several types of pork, chicken, beef, rice, noodles, vegetables and eel. Evie and Poppy are in heaven with every meal. I love watching them enjoy the foods that tap into their familiar taste buds.
On Monday, we went to the zoo! It was a long day, but worth the sweat and tired legs. We enjoyed seeing many animals, big and small. The panda bears are always a special treat to see in China! When we arrived back to our hotel, Bryan was back! I was so relieved and happy to have him with us again!
Today, was a big day for Poppy and all of the other beautiful children in our group. We went to the U.S. Consulate with our documentation in hand to get Poppy's U.S. visa. I cannot tell you how excited we are to get to this point of the process. We should receive Poppy's visa on Thursday, and leave for America on Friday!
Poppy continues to warm our hearts with her gorgeous glowing smile. She has quite the personality and gets called "a ham" at least twice a day. I think she is loving all of the attention all of us are giving her. Next Monday, when Brycen, Finn, Bennett and Evie go back to school, it's going to be a huge adjustment for all of us. Poppy is going to miss them so, and I know their minds are going to often be on Poppy. Bryan and I continue to be so proud of our children and our parents. This is a long "16 days" for everyone, and we cannot complain about one person on our team. Although our children have big days with tourism, hotel living and adjusting to a new normal, they do their daily dose of homework. I cannot tell you that they don't complain and procrastinate, but they get it accomplished. Our parents help and support us hourly, and we know we could not do this without them.
Our journey home begins in three days!
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