We were all out of sorts this morning when we woke up. We were in a new hotel and in a new city and it looked like our 3 suitcases and 3 back packs had just exploded all over our room. There was stuff everywhere as we were too tired to unpack and set it all up last night. Living in a hotel room is like playing house…trying to decide where to put everything…our makeshift kitchen over here and our makeshift pharmacy over there and dirty clothes piled here and paperwork, electronics and cords all over there. I had to get ready while holding Gracie and get down to breakfast quickly as we were meeting our guide and the rest of the Holt agency families in the lobby at 9:00 am to head to our medical check up appointment. All adoptive families must bring their children to this checkup and their medical information is confirmed with what is in their file. I wore Gracie in the front carrier so I could get my plate of food and her food downstairs in the restaurant. We sat down and she seemed to be doing ok as she sucked down a whole cup of yogurt. And then it happened. She threw up all over me and herself too. And remember… she was in the front carrier so a lot of it went down my shirt and down the carrier. All of this in a new hotel and in a pretty fancy restaurant…ya know the kind…with placemats, several forks and spoons and little saucers for everything. Thankfully there were other adoptive families around me who started giving us napkins (the napkins here by the way are about the size of a playing card). I finished up and headed back upstairs so I could wipe down a bit more before getting on the bus. Denny was very concerned about him not going with us to the appointment but honestly it was going to be easier with me going alone than both of them coming as well. This appointment is very well known for being just flat out crazy. Especially the one today because there are so many adoptive families here right now…our agency has 16 alone! Our guide told us there would be 200+ people at this appointment and that we would be there for approximately 2-3 hours. I went to get on the bus bad /we headed to the appointment. I was actually the only one who was there solo with their child but I was fine with that...we needed to divide and conquer today. The lines twisted around like a bowl of spaghetti.
It was pretty simple once we got there as we had three medical stations to visit…ENT, general check up and a measurement station. The other family who was in province with us is also with Holt so I stuck with them as we got in line. We got in the general check up line first as this one takes the longest amount of time. The other family said I could come in the room with them so we could stick together the whole time so that was nice to see them go through the appointment first and then it was Gracie’s turn. I was prepared for a total full-fledged freakout but she did great! She only cried when the doctor laid her on the table. The doctor confirmed her “special need” with the information in her medical file and said all looked well. I mentioned she came to us with a little cold and she listened to her chest and said she sounded good. We were off to the ENT station which was a bit entertaining. I’m not sure if this doctor spoke any English….and he had quite the tools for his part of the checkup. He looked in her ears and then got a different toy in each of his hands. He squeezed one toy near her right ear and she turned to look at it. He then squeezed the different toy near her left ear and she turned to look at it. That was the hearing check. Very technical, I know! And that was it for ENT. The measurement part took even less time and they confirmed the information in her medical file as well. Pretty simple but by the end of it she was exhausted as it was past nap time and she didn’t sleep well last night. She was also hungry but I didn’t want to feed her too much because she had thrown up this morning. I gave her a few crackers and walked her around and tried to get her to rest because there were SO many people there and it was once again, a lot for her to take in. When all of the Holt families were finished with their medical check ups we loaded back onto the bus for the 15 minute ride back to the hotel. As we were leaving the appointment I saw this vending machine that sells wine and liquor. This is in the downstairs lobby of this very official building. Random.
By the time I got back up to the room, I think Denny had worn a place in the carpet pacing back and forth. He was so concerned about us not knowing if Gracie had thrown up the whole time we were away or not. We actually managed wonderfully and while we were gone, Emma had done the laundry…in the bathtub!
There were clothes hanging all over our room to dry. Emma and Denny had also gone down for breakfast and had organized the room. She also “decorated” her side of the room with the sweet notes she had received from friends before we left. She taped them to the wall above her bed and has really enjoyed looking at those every day. One special friend wrote a note with a verse for each day of this trip. Love, love, love the hearts of our sweet village.
We decided we all needed to get out and have some fun after that medical appointment so we went ventured out for lunch to a local restaurant just down from our hotel. Thankfully they had a picture menu and the food was delicious!! We ordered stuffed dumplings, a beef dish, a chicken dish, plain noodles, and a child’s congee and our total bill was around $15! We will be back here!
Denny attended a meeting at 2pm for all of Holt families to finalize the documents and preparation for visas. They also went over this week’s plan and optional activities. Holt has a lot of families this week and the organization has been amazing…they have told us exactly what to do and what they need from us…which has made this process run so smoothly.
Emma wanted to go swimming at our last hotel but she never got the chance with all of the back and forth with appointments and Gracie being sick so today was finally her day to hit the pool.
We decided we all needed to get out and have some fun after that medical appointment so we went ventured out for lunch to a local restaurant just down from our hotel. Thankfully they had a picture menu and the food was delicious!! We ordered stuffed dumplings, a beef dish, a chicken dish, plain noodles, and a child’s congee and our total bill was around $15! We will be back here!
Denny attended a meeting at 2pm for all of Holt families to finalize the documents and preparation for visas. They also went over this week’s plan and optional activities. Holt has a lot of families this week and the organization has been amazing…they have told us exactly what to do and what they need from us…which has made this process run so smoothly.
Emma wanted to go swimming at our last hotel but she never got the chance with all of the back and forth with appointments and Gracie being sick so today was finally her day to hit the pool.
I have seen this pool in so many pictures and videos over this last year from following along other family’s journeys to China to adopt their child…it was surreal that Emma was in this same pool! Gracie of course has never seen a pool and was pretty terrified of it as well so we just sat and watched Emma.
Thankfully some friends we have made while here also came down to the pool and Emma so enjoyed getting to talk with their little girl, Willow. This is the same family who we got to watch receive their little boy on “Gotcha Day”. They are a precious family who we have so enjoyed getting to know and learning more about their story. After the pool we got dressed and went on the hunt for the traditional style Asian dress. We found a shop that other’s had recommended and found what Emma was hoping for her and Gracie to wear on Easter. And of course they needed to match. We even got to bargain on the prices which was fun for me. We headed back to the room and decided to eat upstairs where they have heavy appetizers and decided to make dinner out of that. We met another family who is from Atlanta and they both actually went to college about 30 minutes from my hometown! We knew a few people in common and really enjoyed getting to know them better. They brought their 10 year old son with them to adopt their 4 year old daughter who was a hoot! She’s a very active little girl who obviously only speaks to them in mandarin and they can’t understand a word. It’s hilarious as they don’t know if she’s calling them names or wanting to go to the restroom.
After dinner Emma was able to play with Gracie for a few minutes while I was able to put on pajamas instead of sleeping in my clothes. Change is hard for Gracie…even changing clothes and it’s also pretty difficult to change clothes when another person is attached to you. What happens in China stays in China….or so I’ve heard.
Gracie made big steps tonight with Emma while they played and after a while she let Emma hold her finger while they walked down the hall.
After dinner Emma was able to play with Gracie for a few minutes while I was able to put on pajamas instead of sleeping in my clothes. Change is hard for Gracie…even changing clothes and it’s also pretty difficult to change clothes when another person is attached to you. What happens in China stays in China….or so I’ve heard.
Gracie made big steps tonight with Emma while they played and after a while she let Emma hold her finger while they walked down the hall.
This trust has to be rebuilt every day but at least she is now letting Emma play with her. Emma having to hold back her excitement for Gracie has been hard for her….but it’s what’s best for Gracie right now. Emma is doing a great job taking things slowly and letting Gracie lead the play. She is starting to imitate Emma and I know they will soon be inseparable. We are heading to bed tonight hopefully a little earlier as we have another long day tomorrow. Tomorrow we get to explore Shaman Island….which is about 20 minutes away and apparently looks similar to Savannah, GA. And there is a church we hope to visit in the morning for Easter! I am excited to be here for Easter…Emma is starting to get a bit homesick and wishes she didn’t have to miss Easter at Coolidge Park. She wanted to bring some Easter eggs and candy with us because she wants to have an Easter egg hunt here for any other kids whose family is adopting. She is super excited about that and has also planned a tea party for her and her little friend Willow after we get back from Shaman Island. I just hope we get a good rest tonight as Gracie has started coughing and her nose is running again.