First Day in Guangzhou: Medical Exam and Grocery Run (24 Mar 2012)

Well all slept well after our flying adventure from Kunming. Shane woke up happy and appeared to be fairly comfortable with us. We rushed off to the hotel cafe for breakfast...the China Hotel provides a wonderful variety of Western and Asian breakfast foods. We tried many foods on Shane but he still hasn't an appetite for meat and prefers mostly fried noodles, some fruits (apples and watermelon), and crackers. In fact the big hit of the morning was the discovery that he loves Ritz like crackers--who knew? So we are still trying creative ways to get some protein in this boy, but yogurt drink seems to be the only real source of protein that he doesn't spit out. He also turns his head with many foods just based on sight. We have tried ice cream a couple times, but it is obvious he doesn't like the cold sensation.

From breakfast we rushed to our bus at 9 am and we were off to the medical clinic for his required physical exam and TB test. The clinic was full of adoptive parents from other agencies all trying to navigate the controlled chaos. Thank God we had a wonderful guide (Amy), who definitely knew how the system worked and how to get our group through all the individual steps (picture; height, weight, and temp; ear, nose and throat exam; physicians exam). Amazingly, I believe we were done in less than 75 mins. Shane handled all the prodding and poking pretty well. Although at one point he seem very uncomfortable with the crowd and was impatient that we we waiting in line. So he proceeded to take a couple of swings and punches at a couple of near by children...I guess we might need to enroll him in anger management classes. :) The doctor spent a lot of time listening to his heart and poking at his hernia, made a lot of copies of what little medical records we had, and in the end provided very little feedback. He told our guide that he didn't think the heart sounded that bad, but he also told us that he looked a slightly cyanotic. After the exam it was time fora a TB test-a US requirement for all children older than 2....we were not looking forward to him getting a needle. Susie was prepared with a very large sucker...something that we recently discovered he like a lot...the boy definitely has a sweet tooth. The sucker did the trick. As the needle pierced, he began to blow. Susie immediately popped a large sucker in his mouth and his countenance immediately became much more peaceful. The thought was that bigger Is better-- in this case she was definitely right.

From the clinic we were off to do some grocery shopping. The store we visited was like a Chinese Macy's with a small grocery store but with US prices. The clothes they carried we beautiful but at 2 to 3 times what we would pay for them in the US. We picked up water, cup of noodles, crackers, cookies and some yogurt drink. Then group returned to the hotel to allow our kids to decompress, tank up with some food and get a little rest.

At 3:30 one parent from each family met with our guide to complete Visa paperwork. Susie was able to complete in less 20 mins and then we were off to the 4th floor of the hotel where they have a small outdoor playground and park. Most of the adoption parents of the hotel must have had the same idea, because when we arrived there we at least 10 or more families. It made for a wonderful afternoon. Shane was immediately drawn to the little tykes-like play ground that provide several small slides and tunnels for the toddlers to explore. For Shane, he found the area that had a small door and he proceeded to go in and out, closing the door and several times waving and saying goodby. It was obvious he had never climbed before and was hesitant to try. He was drawn to the slides but really required us to hold him as he slid down. By the end of the afternoon he was sliding down the smallest slide with little assistance except for getting to the top. At one time he was drawn to the highest slide--about 5.5 ft tall. So we let him try it...after a few try's he slid down on his own...but after he did it once, it was enough excitement and he migrated back to the small slide.

That night, our group's 6 families met for dinner at the hotel's Japanese steak house. Susie and I tried the filet-- it was wonderful. The meal came with fried, noodles, rice, tempura, and vegetables. The noodles and vegetables, especially the onions and peppers were a hit with Shane. The meal included ice cream, but Shane still would not have anything to do with something that cold. We will keep trying. Shane was great at the dinner except in beginning wen he threw his chop sticks and fork at the chef and they landed on grill. I guess he was telling the chef that is it was time to get this meal started. After that he settled down, ate well, and seemed very content to have our company. The meal gave us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the company of several of the families in our group.

From the meal it was back to the room for his ritual bath time. He definitely loves the water and we are anxious to get him in the hotel pool tomorrow. The big treat of the day was right before bedtime. Susie was playing with Shane, dancing and jumping around. She all of a sudden jumped up into the air and Shane burst out with a laugh. Quickly, she did it again and he laughed even harder. It was the first time we had really heard him laugh and it was wonderful.

The change of hotel environments plus being surrounded with other adoptive families has made Shane more comfortable with his new parents and surroundings. He is very comfortable in our hotel room and appears to explore and get into everything like a normal toddler. For him, he probably thinks this is home-- little does he know that in a few days we will bringing him home to the US.

Tomorrow we will do a little sight seeing and enjoy relaxing in the hotel as we continue to bond with our little one. God has truly blessed this journey and we will cherish these first day with Shane for the rest of lives. Please continue to pray for Shane's transition.