China Day Eight - More Appointments

Waking up on June 26th was so nice... to be able to spend my birthday in China with my family that now included THREE little boys. 

Before breakfast we skyped with my mom and also Uncle Daniel's crew  back home to introduce them to Davis.  

After breakfast we took some bread from the buffet out with us to the koi ponds to feed the fish. They are well trained to understand that "people = food" so when you walk to the edge of their ponds all of them swarm in that direction ready to eat. 

On our way back inside we spent some time really checking out the lobby of the Garden. It is so impressive in size and in decoration! 

Our first appointment of the day was at the medical clinic. All adopted children must submit to a medical examination in order for the US Consulate to issue their travel visa. Children over 2 must have blood drawn as well in order to prove that they do not have TB. 

First they took a photo for Davis' visa and then we went to the side of the clinic for adoption medicine. They tried to make it a nice child friendly area, but I'm pretty sure Disney doesn't know that they have licensed characters in their floor tile! 

Then we started getting called back to the different stations for the medical check. First u was a physical exam. Davis did great sitting on Daryl's lap while the doctor used a stethoscope for his heart and his lungs. But the second we had to lay him down on the examination table, Davis freaked out. And who can blame him really? The doctor really tried to speed up through his exam. 

At the next station, Davis was weighed (12kg) and measured for height (89cm). Then we went to another room to see the ENT which went fine with him sitting on Daryl's lap again. Then it was time for the "bloody test" as our guide Helen said - the blood draw to test for TB. What was so upsetting was that they recently changed the rules and now they take your child from you into a separate room for the blood draw. We were sitting in chairs right outside in the hallway and it was heartbreaking to hear Davis scream and not be able to do anything for him. So when he finally came out he got some snacks and some time to play cars. 

After leaving the medical clinic, we were dropped off at the hotel so that we could grab lunch and a nap. We went to Oggi Pizzeria, not far from the hotel and they made a pretty good Hawaiian pizza that was a hit with the boys. Davis slept hard when we got back to the hotel. We ended up having to wake him up in order to leave for our next official appointment with all of the families. He did not appreciate it and cried inconsolably for about the next 30 minutes, which included the entire trip to the police station (to apply for his passport) and most of our visit there. Eventually he stopped and went back to being the happy little boy who likes his snacks.

Helen took all of us to a shop next to pick up some souvenirs. We got Chinese silk shirts for Daryl and myself and outfits for the boys as well as a jade bracelet and a tea set. Back at the hotel, we decided to see what the third floor pool looked like. Wow! 

After a little time to freshen up all three families met with Helen so she could take us to a local Cantonese restaurant for dinner. One member from each family participated in a game at the table - who could pick up the most peanuts from the bowl with their chopsticks. Daryl tied for first! 

Some of the food was very unique - like the crunchy fried fish that still had eyes! At the end of dinner, Daryl had arranged for me to have a birthday cake and everyone sang and we dug into it. Plus the Garden hotel had sent along another cake with Helen for me! Both cakes were absolutely delicious. 

We finished off the evening with a trip to the hotel pool. We started Davis in the kiddie pool and eventually migrated over to the steps of the big pool, so we could watch Parker and Wesley do their cool jumps. Davis enjoyed the water a lot and found his brothers to be very entertaining. 

All of the boys crashed out quick and hard after the long day. And after sorting all of our laundry to be sent out for cleaning the next day, I was able to join them.