Every child being adopted through the Consulate in Guangzhou has to get their medical exam in this building also. There were literally hundreds of children there with their forever families. It was chaos!! It was loud, children were screaming, children were running around, children were yelling, laughing, you name it is was going on. Parents were all talking and comparing their stories, and we met another couple from Savannah Georgia, their daughter was 14 months old also, a tiny thing. She had a repaired cleft lip, very sweet. You wait your turn to go through the 3 lines of the exam. But, with New Life (our agency), and us having Frank there we got to skip to just about the beginning of the lines. I don't know why he has so much pull but we'll take it where we can get it. I do feel bad that we are whisked to the front in front of other families though.
They take the babies temperature, height, and weight first. Avery was a perfect 96.9 in temperature. I wondered how she would be when they took her from me to weigh her and measure her. But when they did take her from me, she yelled and held out her arms to me and cried "Mama, Mama, Mama"- and she really meant me, her Mom -another first!! Usually Mama means I want something specific like cookies, or juice. But she did mean me, and I of course lost it, started to cry, I wanted my baby back. So in this room of 100's of people I was crying amongst all the screaming babies, and parents. It was breaking my heart to see her so scared. She calmed back down in my arms though.
Next was the physical exam by the doctor. Talk about being lost and it really wasn't much of an exam, and they don't tell you anything. He looked at her legs, measured her arms, and looked at her belly, measured her head, looked at her feet, looked at her bum, and listened to her heart. Wrote a bunch of stuff, and closed the papers and said, "ok, good, done". Literally just like that. He said, "you Mother?", I said yes, he said, "sign here"...done. Okay? Whatever!?
That was pretty much it. Total chaos. They did check her hearing, and her ears and her throat. Oh, and she is 17.6 lbs. and 28 inches long. All her paperwork came back fine. That's good, because you don't want any problems listed on her sheet that weren't already there.
A lot of people looked at her ankles yesterday and were concerned. We have been putting some baby eczema cream on them that we got from Jan. It seems to be helping. This is the first we could put anything on it because we couldn't get anything in province. So we have been wearing longer socks to cover up her marks here too. It realy just cuts down on the amount of stares and whispers.
After the exam we all went out to lunch together. Frank, Selina, Jan, Jodi, Sage, Gary, Avery and myself. The food was excellent! We sat at a huge round table, that had a lazy susan in the middle almost as wide as the table, and talk about food! You just turned the lazy susan to get what you wanted. There was lamb kabobs, a sweet and sour pork, a type of caramelized sweet potato, kale, and 3 different kinds of dumplings. The dumplings were awesome, mine and Avery's favorite! I actually ate a lot of the dumplings. It was the first time I really ate something since we've been here.
It was quite a day, and an emotional one. I always re-read my stories before I post them and cry each time I read them over. Everyday when we get comments I tear up from everyone's love and support. This has been very emotional journey for us...the last 3 years and really emotional in the last 8 days.
We are doing great and figuring things out on our own, just like every new set of parents. We have to see what works for us, and what our rhythm is as a family. No one can tell us that, and we are loving every minute of this process. I think people sometimes forget what it was like to be a new parent. You forget that it was difficult and scary, it's supposed to be, you're now in charge of another new and delicate life. There have been so many happy and amazing moments in the last 8 days, they are uncountable.
Avery is the perfect little girl, she is our hearts and our soul. She is our world. This journey has brought us together, to be this family, to have these particular experiences together. How special, and how meaningful. There was a higher power at work that brought us together, to make our forever family.
Love,
Allison, Gary & Avery :)
3 comments:
Oh how nice to hear her actually calling for you! I can understand why you would break down. Hopefully when you get back to the states and she her actually pediatrician you'll get a few more answers or interactions with the doctor. The table you were talking about in the restaurant reminded me of a place in Times Square that I went to that had the same thing. (Did I actually go there with the 2 of you that time?) Looking forward to more posts!!
I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your heart with us as you blog. It really means a lot to our family to be able to follow your journey.
We would like to adopt someday, and you have made the process more real. Like I said before, we were in early stages of just that when we found out we were blessed with Elise and put that dream on hold.
Avery and Elise are the same weight almost to the ounce. She was ill with croup which meant three trips to the doctor and so she got weighed three times last week, she was 17 pounds and 5 ounces and then she was 17 pounds 3 ounces. I can't remember the third weight. I thought that was interesting, same weight as avery within one ounce.
They didn't measure her height though, that will come at her well baby 9 month check up with has been postponed until she is over croup. Don't feel bad about Avery putting up a fuss, Elise screamed when they were weighing her and when they put the thermometer in her ear. It is so hard to take them to the doctor,watch them get shots and everything, but we do it, because we love them.
It took both my sister and I to keep the mask on her for a nebulizer treatment when we went, they had to give her an adreneline neb. Luckily she is feeling much better tonight. I was so worried we might have to take her to the hospital.
She is still congested and gagging when she takes her milk, and today she vomited all over me, soaking through my shirt and pants, because she wouldn't slow down on her milk and she doesn't get she has flem. Then we changed her outfit and her diaper leaked 10 minutes later. This is motherhood, the best and the worst of times. But I love her, and was relieved she is coughing that junk up, even if it means I am covered in vomit through to my underwear.
I appreciate everything about Elise as I know you do Avery, all the moments, because I knew what it was like to walk around and wonder if it would ever happen, see people who view their kids as mistakes, it broke my heart, and I wanted it so bad, and we didn't have as near as long a journey as you all did. Sometimes I still wonder how I got so lucky. Sometimes I am afraid to feel so happy, like it doesn't even seem real somedays, how did I get here?
Anyways, longest comment ever, but I wanted to let you know, as always your in our prayers, glad to hear you have been getting some food, Can't wait til we get to fatten you up when you get back:) Not sure if I mentioned it but we are making Fajitas for you guys on our night to bring you dinner, I was glad to hear your sister in law say you liked Mexican.
I can't wait to meet your beautiful daughter and imagine someday before we know it she and Elise will be making us both cry at recital.
Luv ya,
Katherine
I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your heart with us as you blog. It really means a lot to our family to be able to follow your journey.
We would like to adopt someday, and you have made the process more real. Like I said before, we were in early stages of just that when we found out we were blessed with Elise and put that dream on hold.
Avery and Elise are the same weight almost to the ounce. She was ill with croup which meant three trips to the doctor and so she got weighed three times last week, she was 17 pounds and 5 ounces and then she was 17 pounds 3 ounces. I can't remember the third weight. I thought that was interesting, same weight as avery within one ounce.
They didn't measure her height though, that will come at her well baby 9 month check up with has been postponed until she is over croup. Don't feel bad about Avery putting up a fuss, Elise screamed when they were weighing her and when they put the thermometer in her ear. It is so hard to take them to the doctor,watch them get shots and everything, but we do it, because we love them.
It took both my sister and I to keep the mask on her for a nebulizer treatment when we went, they had to give her an adreneline neb. Luckily she is feeling much better tonight. I was so worried we might have to take her to the hospital.
She is still congested and gagging when she takes her milk, and today she vomited all over me, soaking through my shirt and pants, because she wouldn't slow down on her milk and she doesn't get she has flem. Then we changed her outfit and her diaper leaked 10 minutes later. This is motherhood, the best and the worst of times. But I love her, and was relieved she is coughing that junk up, even if it means I am covered in vomit through to my underwear.
I appreciate everything about Elise as I know you do Avery, all the moments, because I knew what it was like to walk around and wonder if it would ever happen, see people who view their kids as mistakes, it broke my heart, and I wanted it so bad, and we didn't have as near as long a journey as you all did. Sometimes I still wonder how I got so lucky. Sometimes I am afraid to feel so happy, like it doesn't even seem real somedays, how did I get here?
Anyways, longest comment ever, but I wanted to let you know, as always your in our prayers, glad to hear you have been getting some food, Can't wait til we get to fatten you up when you get back:) Not sure if I mentioned it but we are making Fajitas for you guys on our night to bring you dinner, I was glad to hear your sister in law say you liked Mexican.
I can't wait to meet your beautiful daughter and imagine someday before we know it she and Elise will be making us both cry at recital.
Luv ya,
Katherine
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