As part of the visa process, the kids needed to have medical appointments. We met at 10:00 a.m. and rode a mini coach bus with the two other families from our agency over to the medical center, which is located across the street from the U.S. consulate. Our guide collected our paperwork, fees and passports and shepherded us families through each station. The whole exam was rather cursory and I’m not really sure what they were looking for, but it took awhile to get through because of how crowded it was.
The kids had their pictures taken first, which some were not too happy about, but our guide gave a very good effort in trying to distract the kids so the photographer could maybe snap a shot between wails. I know the United States has very specific requirements for visa and passport photos and I’m not sure your mouth wide open in a wail and eyes scrunched shut with tears streaming down your face passes muster.
The best part of the morning was meeting other adoptive families, all of whom were super nice and interesting to talk to. One family flew in last night from Hefei, Anhui where they adopted a girl from Fuyang. Their daughter was raised in a foster family in the same neighborhood that Matteo grew up in. In the other family, the mom is from China and by coincidence, is adopting a girl from her home city. It’s been awhile since she’s lived in China and she laughs that her daughter speaks with the accent from that region, an accent she’s since lost.
The worst part of the morning for the kids was having their blood drawn for the tuberculosis test and for us parents, not being allowed in the room. I have no idea why being present is prohibited, which would not happen in the United States, but when Matteo finally emerged from the room (he was in there longer than any of the other kids) he was wailing and looked like he had put up a good fight. We noticed his blood had been drawn from his hand instead of his arm like all the other kids. Although the second time we’ve ever seen Kiera cry came when the doctor wanted to look in her ears, she emerged from the blood draw room as calm as a cucumber.
The last steps were much less dramatic. I was most excited to find out our kids’ measurements, especially because we were surprised to learn that Kiera is taller than we were told. She measures in at 12.5 kilograms (about 27.5 pounds) and 89 centimeters (35 inches). Matteo weighs 13.5 kilograms (about 30 pounds) and is 88 centimeters tall (34.5 inches).
It was pushing naptime when we got back to the hotel, so Chris fed the kids a quick lunch and got them ready for their nap, while I ran across the street to get us pizza. While the kids napped, Chris took a walk to the supermarket, and that’s about as exciting as the rest of our day was. We debated what to do once the kids woke up and talked about taking a taxi to get out of the neighborhood and see something new. The kids don’t wake up until later (around 4:00 p.m.) though, so the rest of the afternoon is pretty much shot. Plus sightseeing with two little kids is challenging. We have to pack their stuff and push strollers along streets not built for them. So low on energy and motivation, we played in our room and then moved down the hall to the hotel’s playroom. I was definitely having cabin fever at that point. I’ll be sad when this trip is over, because it really is the trip of a lifetime, but the downtime can often be really dull.
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