Medical Appointment

While in China, there are a few really important things that happen in between all the eating, sightseeing, shopping and eating. (Yes. Eating belongs there twice. In China, we eat all the food.. and its all delicious.)

Typically, you arrive in China, adjust to the timezone for a few days, meet and receive your child. Then, you sign all the documents saying you will love him forever and ever and ever and ever, and that he will be yours for that long. A few days later, you receive your child's passport. And then you're off to Guangzhou for more important stuff. 

The first thing on the agenda is your child's medical appointment. Because being handed off to two strangers and adjusting to them being your primary caregivers, being on a different routine, and traveling halfway across your birth country isn't traumatic enough, we'll throw in a mini-marathon doctor visit on top of all that!

Our adoption agency has arranged for some pretty great guides to... well... guide us each step of the way. And we are so grateful! 

We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at our hotel's buffet dining room this morning. Not only was the food great, but the company was even better! Our agency arranged for several families to travel together in a group. We spent a few days together in Beijing, departed for different provinces and now, we're all back together! It has been such a wonderful blessing to have the camaraderie with them!  And on top of that, our hotel is like adoption central. There are so many families staying here that are bringing their precious China babes home. It's been fun to see lots of other families in the same shoes as us.

After breakfast, we met our guide downstairs to make the trek to the medical office. Our first stop was to get an official picture of Benjamin taken for his file. Next, he had to be weighed. 

You could say he strongly disliked being weighed. How dare Daddy put him down!

We were shoo'ed into a room for a general "once over" where a Doctor asked questions much like a pediatrician in the United States would. The Doctor also checked his heart and lungs out, and prodded here and there. We've been praying that his appointment would go well today.. and specifically for his heart. Benjamin received heart surgery to correct a heart murmur and valve when he was almost a year old. The reports we received showed the heart surgery was a success, but I was still slightly anxious whether the reports were accurate or not. And Praise God, there was no detectable heart murmur when the Doctor checked him out today! 

As long as Daddy is holding him, everything is okay. (Most of the time.)

Next, an ENT checked Benjamin's ears, nose and throat out. While not fond of the Dr's headlamp, our little champ did pretty good.

Waiting on the ENT to work his magic. 

Then, Benjamin was taken into a room to do a blood-draw. It was the first time he'd been out of our sight or our hands since he's been in our care. And we weren't allowed to go in the room with him. It was heartbreaking to hear him crying on the other side of the door, but it was over in about a minute. He came out grateful to have hugs from Daddy.. and a few snacks from Mommy. 

All in all, our medical appointment went pretty great for Benjamin. Like any kid in his situation, he got a little frightened and didn't really want a few doctors messing with him. But he calmed down easily when Daddy would hold him or reassure him. (He's still learning that Mom loves him too. Its quite hard for him to adjust to two people doting on him nonstop.)

Now, we wait for our appointment at the Consulate for Benjamin's visa. And then, we wait for that to be processed and ready. 

And while we wait, we'll soak up all the time with our great new friends and fellow adoptive parents. 

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After the medical appointment, we went to Walmart... no really, it was a real Walmart. We made sure to stock up on all the essentials, like Lays potato chips, coke, snickers, and water. Oh.. and diapers, wipes, and a few healthier snacks for our little peanut.

We opted NOT to get a live fish out of the tanks though. (Talk about fresh seafood!)

Nor did we get a live turtle or frog for consumption. 

Oh, China.