August 21, 2010: Guangzhou - Medical Examination and exploring Shamian Island

Today is the required Medical Exam for Kate to get her US Visa.  We ate breakfast at the famous White Swan Breakfast Buffet and then met our CCAI group to walk together to the Clinic.  Our adoption process for Kate is slightly different from Caroline's in that all of our paperwork and requirements are per the new Hague International Adoption Rules which went into affect after we got home from China with Caroline.  Hague sets a standard by which all countries participating in international adoption must adhere too.  It means more hoops to jump through and longer waiting time for paperwork to be processed...but it is intended to protect the children being adopted.  One of the new requirements is kids being adopted by Hague families must get immunizations in addition to the physical exam.  I am really not looking forward to this.  The clinic as always is packed with adoptive families having their children examined...which is a requirement for the US Visa.  I have included some pics of some of the families in our group.  We filled out the paperwork and then we had to visit 3 different rooms. First, was the ENT - where a woman checked Kate's hearing by squeaking a squeaky toy and looked in her mouth which she hated.  You can tell by the look on Sean's face...he was not enjoying it either!  In the second room, Kate was weighed and measured.  She weighs 10.1 kg which is just over 22 lbs.  She is 31.5 inches.  The 3rd room was labeled in English as "Surgery" and fortunately all they did here was look over her body, measure her head and listen to her heart. 

 

Next, Kate had to have a TB test per Hague requirements since she is over 2 years old and then she received 5 immunizations. Sean was such a champ and held her through it all.  I was literally in tears as she was screaming her heart out.  She was was scared to death and in pain.  It just killed me to watch it...6 needles in my poor baby.  None of us were happy when we left the Clinic.  

 

Later we walked around the island a bit and stopped by a shop that was selling turtles, snakes and fish.  Gailie thought it was like a pet shop...like maybe for an aquarium.  Sean and I were laughing so hard as we told her that these were being sold for food.  I have a picture of the turtles and snakes and Gailie in front of the shop.  The landscaping and the architecture of Shamian Island is so beautiful that a lot of Chinese folks come here to have photos for their wedding album taken.  We have seen so many couples decked in their wedding finery.  Then we found the Starbucks which is new since we were here with Caroline.  We are loving it!  We ran into a sweet couple from our group that just got twin girls.  Kate and Rachel and Hannah (the twins) were all asleep in their strollers while all of the Moms and Dads got their Starbucks fix!  

 

We took a swim in the pool which is so great especially since it is so hot here.  Caroline and Kate both loved it!  I am so glad Kate likes the water!!  They don't let you take pictures at the pool...but maybe I can sneak a few later in the week.  Caroline loves her swim cap from the Xian Sheraton...but fortunately, we do not have to wear them here!  I did include a pic of Caroline playing in hers.  We gave the girls a bath which was big fun for both of them and then took a stroll around the hotel.  We had dinner at the Cow and Bridge Thai Place which is really yummy.  Kate slept through dinner.  She was completely worn out by the events of the day.