December 26th, 2009

Today is the day we go for our medical check. First, we had breakfast at the buffet downstairs--anything you could eat was there. Our girl has a great appetite at breakfast. I don't know what she'll do at our house when she'll have to settle for cereal and milk! She does love watermelon, but we insist that she eat her protein first. Afterwards, we met two other Holt families in the White Swan lobby at 10:30 in the morning, and followed our guide to the medical building. First, it was time to get weighed and measured--she weighed in at 27 pounds and measured 37 inches tall. Her 3T clothes are a bit long and baggy, but they'll have to do. Her hearing was checked (great!) and she enjoyed playing the little piano that was there. The doctor checked her all over and didn't even pause when looking at the Mongolian spots on her back. Then it was time to line up with all of the other families to get the TB test. Xiao Chun will come back on Monday to have it read. Since we are an I600 family, she was not obligated to get the required shots that the Hague families were having to get--that was a relief!

We went to a nearby park afterwards where she cautiously played on some of the equipment. She really wanted to play on the slide, but a lot of boys were running around and she was too scared. We stopped at a Starbucks on the way back to the hotel for coffee and a snack--again, eating like there is no tomorrow!

About 3:00 we met with Holt officials and filled out visa paperwork. We cannot say enough kind words about the Holt staff--they really take the time to walk you through the process every step of the way!

Before dinner we went back to Susan's Place. We found some pretty red silk material with dragonflies, which will be made into a dress she'll wear for her "red couch" photo. Dong, the owner of the store, was very helpful. We spent over an hour in his store, and shared some delicious tea with him before we left. Gary had been looking for a Sumi-e calligraphy set and found just the right one at his shop.

We capped off the night with a trip to Lucy's restaurant, not far from the White Swan. They have quite a variety of things and again, our girl ate well--milk, juice, scrambled eggs, fried rice, and pizza.

Sunday will be a free day, with an optional trip to the pearl and jade market.