Medical Exam and Shopping!

I'm up late typing this because I want to catch the blog up to what we have experienced in real time. Plus this was a very fun and memorable day for us, and the pictures are great!

After a delicious breakfast at the White Swan, we met our group and fabulous guide, Shiyan, in the lobby to head for our babies' medical exam. This is a required medical exam required by U.S. immigration in order for Riley to enter the United States. I have heard nightmare stories about it, plus our guide warned us that it would be crowded and probably take a while. We headed on foot through the cobblestone sidewalks and quaint little shops. Our first stop was a drugstore where the babies had their visa photographs made. Then we proceeded on to the medical center. It was an interesting walk and we got to observe a number of things from school children doing their exercises to the military police doing their drills.

When we arrived at the medical center, it was air-conditioned, very organized, and not very crowded. We waited only a few minutes until they started us through the stations of the exam. There were three stations to the standard exam. I also requested that an ENT examine Riley's throat and ears since she has been coughing and had a runny nose for a few days. She was diagnosed with a sore throat but needed no antibiotic. They said to just continue with the cold meds that we have been giving her. Thankfully, Riley did not have to have any shots today because of her age and our immigration status! I thought it was a non-invasive exam but Riley had other thoughts as you can tell by the pictures. They listened to her heart, examined her skin and body, and answered our questions. They also weighed and measured her; she is even smaller than what they told us in April--barely 20 pounds! Her favorite part of the exam was taking off her clothes and not putting them back on when it was all over. Again, the stares these people gave us as we left with our diaper clad baby and cute headband. It was so sticky outside and she was sweating buckets already from her crying fit. Chinese people believe in dressing their babies in layers, even in warm weather. I had one Chinese lady tell me that my baby needed clothes. I didn't understand a word that she was saying to me, but oh how she expressed it through her actions and stares!

Then, let the shopping begin! This is what Elizabeth has been waiting for! Riley has acquired several new outfits and some squeaky shoes in the past 24 hours! Elizabeth helped me find some beautiful Chinese jewelry that I was hoping to find while here. Elizabeth and David have also found some clothes for them. David is still being David; it is hilarious to see the salespeople try to find Chinese clothing to fit him! I have never seen him so into clothes shopping! He just cracks me up; I wish I could read the minds of the Chinese clerks assisting him! He carries on with people like they understand English as their native language, plus adds all his Tennessee slang. It's really quite a show!

We turned a corner with Riley today when we made the best purchase to date--her new stroller! We watched another family purchase one and how their baby adored it and how they just strolled her effortlessly right out of the store in it. We tried to imitate their tactics, but Riley was having no part of it. She screamed her little Asian lungs out and we admitted defeat and pulled her out of the stroller. We did some more shopping, but something deep inside me (mainly my low back pain) said never give up. We put her in the stroller again, and EUREKA she liked it this time! We just kept her moving in the store without seeing me while she was riding. Within five minutes, I kid you not, this baby was dead asleep. This was a stroller with magical powers! We brought her home not wanting to waste this nap. I was afraid to move her because I knew the spell would be broken, so we propped her up where she could recline more and covered her with a blanket. (Remember she is still wearing only a diaper and headband and our room is very cool.)

She slept for a good two hours in that stroller. Right as she was waking up, I was preparing to leave our room for a paperwork meeting with our guide to prepare our documents for our visa meeting on Monday at the U.S. Consulate. I was nervous about leaving her with David and Elizabeth for an hour, not because they couldn't take excellent care of her, but because of her behavior towards them. After being gone for a little over an hour, I returned to our room so anxious to see my baby. I have not been away from her that long, except during sleep. So David opens the door and I say, "Where is my baby?" He says, "Out!" I thought he meant that she went back to sleep. No, she was really gone for a stroll with her big sister. He then told me all that events that had occurred within the hour.

She barely cried after awaking from her stroller nap. The two of them fed her lunch, changed her diaper, and gave her medicine for her cold. All without a hitch--no problem at all! Then he says that Riley walks over to her stroller and wants in it. They quickly decided to take her down to the lobby to see the beautiful fish they have in the pond. She had a blast looking at the fish and riding in her stroller. Then this threesome goes shopping again. He buys her an adorable Chinese dress, and they return home and put it on her. Amazingly, Riley still wants to be in the stroller, so she and Sissy go back out to stroll some more. This is where she has gone when I return back to our room. I could not believe it, and all in an hour's time!

We still had to play some stroller psychology when we went to dinner with our group this evening. My presence complicates the power of the magical stroller, but we are working on that and have made so much progress in only one day! If you read Elizabeth's earlier post about how she was feeling as we arrived in Guangzhou last night, then you will see the great importance of today's events. Again, I must end this post savoring another special day and reflecting on how good and loving and practical my God is!

love to all of you and goodnight from Guangzhou.....