Medical Exam Day

This morning was pretty tough for all of the kiddos. We left the Hotel at 9 AM to head over to the medical exam building. When we walked in, Jason had his picture taken for his American passport. Next, we took an elevator to the fifth floor for the medical exams. There were three rooms that we had to be tested in. The first room was a medical examination room with a doctor, the next room was with a nurse who mainly weighed him. The final room was an ENT doctor that looked in his ears only. Jason had to have a TB test since he is over the age of 2. We will get the results in 24 hours. We went back to the hotel and met Lisa, Eric and kids for lunch. We tried out a new restaurant just down the street from the hotel. The food was good and super cheap. We came back to the hotel for Jason to have a nap. We let him sleep about an hour and then took him outside to play on the playground for some exercise. 

We went on the Pearl River Cruise this evening. The lights were stunning. It was a bit chilly and windy on top floor of the boat, so Jason and I didn't stay there long. After the cruise we came back to the hotel for some needed rest.  

Chen House/Provincial Art Crafts Day

Hello from Guangzhou!  Jason is doing a wonderful job sleeping through the night. This morning, he just picked around with his breakfast. He definitely has some strong food preferences. We are trying to get him to branch out a little. I'm sure this will come. 

We face timed with our family this morning. We were informed that Brittany was in a minor, single vehicle accident Saturday afternoon. She has some bumps, scrapes, and bruises. She was checked out at urgent care, but nothing too serious.  Brittany will definitely be sore over the next few days.   We are Thankful for God's presence there as well as with us. I was shaken up a bit from the news and decided to stay at the Hotel with Jason while Joel worked on some adoption paperwork and toured a couple scenic spots in Guangzhou. 

While Joel was out, Jason and I went to the playground at the hotel. He is a little daredevil! He reminds me a little of his sister, Gianna. I showed him how to climb the steps of the slide one time and that was all it took.  I can't wait to get him home and introduce him to his brothers and sisters. His little eyes just sparkles when he sees pictures of them or gets to see them when we face time.  He is so precious!

Hello from Joel. We visited a Buddhist temple and walked the grounds some of which was under restoration.  We then went on to The Old Chin House and Privisional Arts and Crafts shopping area. This too was under some restoration. They were painting many of the handcarved trim. Since Jason was born in 2012, his Chinese zodiac is the year of the Dragon. I had his name placed on a dragon scroll. We went on to do some additional shopping and since jade is very important in Chinese culture, I picked Jason up a jade bead to make a necklace out of for him to wear when he's older. When we were done there, we were able to do some shopping across the street at a local store for water, diapers and a few snacks before returning to the hotel. At 4:00 PM today, we met with CCAI Reps to complete about an hour worth of paperwork to prepare for Jason's medical exam scheduled for tomorrow as well as the Consulate appointment this week.  

Our group walked to Macao Restaurant which is walking distance from our Hotel. The servers brought us at least six dishes to try in a family like setting. The food was wonderful. 

We went back to the hotel and I gave Jason his bath. Jason is making such wonderful progress. He has gained 1.6 lbs. so far and really seems genuinely comfortable with us. 😊

Guangzhou!!

This morning we got up at 5 AM, got dressed, and finished packing. After a great breakfast, we got in the bus and headed to the Zhengzhou Airport. It was tough saying goodbye to Rita and Yisha. They are more than CCAI Rep Guides, they are more like family. You couldn't ask for kinder, more compassionate ladies. 

On the flight, seat belts were merely a suggestion. I ended up holding Jason for the majority of the flight including ascending and descending.  Visibility was zero and it was a choppy flight with lots of turbulence. We were relieved to touch down in Guangzhou. Cathy and Jason (CCAI Reps) were waiting on us. It was super nice to see Kathy again. We made it to the Hotel and then went next door to McDonalds for a quick meal. We are so glad to be one step closer to going home with Jason.