Visa Medical Check

Saturday, May 20, 2017

As much as we would have loved to sleep in after not getting to bed until after midnight, it was not to be. 

The group of 12 families from our agency, Holt International, met in the hotel lobby at 9 am to take a bus to a medical clinic for all of our 12 adopted children to be checked and declared "healthy" enough to fly and leave the country. 

 

Outside the medical clinic. 

Countless tall buildings at the medical clinic. We were on the 5th floor. 

 

Some of the families waiting for their turns to go through.

There were four stations 

1. Height/Weight/Temperature

 

Where Ruthie cried. 

2. Ear/Nose/Throat (where Ruthie cried when he put the tongue depressor in her mouth).

3. General medical assessment. 

 

Where Ruthie cried when the doctor made her lie down on the table. This doctor was also confused about her thalassemia and tried to get us to give her a blood transfusion today. Her thalassemia is minor and I was trying to explain to the doctor that yes, her medical records showed she had a transfusion but it was just because of her lip repair and she doesn't require regular transfusions. We grabbed one of the guides and explained the situation and she translated to the doctor. 

Hopefully nothing will come of it but he did insist on having a copy of the medical information we brought with us from Ruth's original file. 

4. TB Test. 

 

Where she cried. 

Unfortunately they draw blood for this and they don't allow the parents in the room. I understand it, though, and she was super happy to be back in my arms. 

We left around noon and Ruthie was wiped out. She fell asleep on the bus ride back to the hotel. 

 

 

We were all so exhausted when we got back to the hotel that we gave Ruth her bottle and all took a nap. 

I had to go at 3:00 to accurately compile our Visa paperwork. When Ruth woke up from her nap at 3:30 and I wasn't there she apparently screamed and cried and was completely inconsolable. While it is hard, it was also good for her to see that I will come back. She lost some very important people in her life this past week and I know it will take time for her to build the trust that I will come back. 

Construction site out our window in Guangzhou. It's a huge city. We have only been here one day but I think Nanning is a prettier city. Guangzhou seems a bit run down. It's also a huge city, larger than every city in the US except NYC depending on how "city" is defined. 

 

Dinner was McDonald's across from the hotel. 

 

Ruthie mostly liked the ketchup and fries. 

 

Isn't she so sweet sitting up to the table? She loves to do what everyone else is doing. I can't wait to get her home to her big sisters so we can enjoy watching her learn and grow. 

 

Ruthie knows the signs for "more" and  "water" which are her most basic needs. It's still a guessing game as to which food she wants more of, but we can usually get it in a couple guesses. Tonight she kept signing "more" for chocolate animal crackers. I gave her two and told her "all done" (still working on that sign). But she was so cute when she signed "more" again that I said, "Fine. One more." And I held up one finger and said it firmly. 

 

Girlfriend loves chocolate!

 

When she finished her "one more" she looked at me very seriously, held up 1 finger, and said "one more". Her words are not clear at all, but the sounds and inflection are all there. 

 

And yes, I caved and gave her one more. 

 

I painted her toenails pink and she loved this. She insisted on having her fingernails painted also. 

We are loving this time to bond with Ruth. It has been a really unique and wonderful experience. As lovely as it is, we are missing our girls at home and counting down the days until we will all be together again.