In China
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Saturday, March 2, 2013 Today was nice because we finally got to meet all the other families in our agency group. There are 7 of us total (one of the families is Journey to Bryn on this website). They are all very nice and the children are beautiful. It was nice to compare their experiences to ours. We realized we are lucky in a lot of ways. Lillian is bonding so well with us. She doesn't prefer one parent over the other and is so calm and gentle. She loves to be held by us. We are just waiting to see even a glimpse of her personality since we still don't have a smile. She didn't play at all today but didn't seem quite as sad. She still cries if you give her too much eye contact, or get in the van, or elevator, or the room but otherwise she is very content. She is still having a lot of belly issues so we think that may be contributing to her sadness. We had our medical exam this morning. I'm not sure when it moved to this building but it was much nicer than I have seen in other photos. It was very clean and new. This medical exam is required by the U.S. before entry. Your home study must match their findings at this exam...mainly looking at any new infectious diseases the child may have. Any child over 2 years of age must have blood drawn for a TB test. Thankfully she didn't need that! The exam consisted of 3 exam rooms. The first was the nurses station where they weighed and measured her. She is barely 15 lbs and we think she has actually gained a little weight since we've gotten her. The next was the general exam where they checked her hearing (by squeaking a toy), her body, and watched her walk. The doctor confirmed that those were mongolian spots on her back. Next stop was ENT. Ears looked good but her throat was really red. They advised her to drink more water. We think it's because she is now swallowing real food (and has choked many times even with small pieces). Afterwards we went back to the Carrefour (Wal-Mart) to let the other families buy some items. We bought some more snacks, baby food, and tried other diapers. They seem a little thicker. The ones she is wearing now swell up like you threw them in a pool after one wetting! And they are Pampers! While we were waiting on the bus we saw 2 kids using the bathroom in the grassy area in front of the store...one girl and one boy. So strange. Went back to the hotel to take a nap. Today was the first day she really laid in her playpen for her nap. She's been taking just 20 minute catnaps in her carrier because she won't lay down. We have a new guide now. Her name is Shiyan (She-yawn) and is an actual employee of our agency. The others that we have had are contracted out. She is very informative and so helpful! She brought us Lillian's Chinese passport, her abandonment certificate, and her birth certificate last night. Really neat paperwork to see. We had a paperwork meeting to prepare all our U.S. Consulate paperwork. The paperwork for adoptions is just crazy. I'll never get used to it. Our appointment is on Monday where we will apply for a visa into the United States for her Chinese Passport. Shiyan will pick it up on Wednesday at 3:30pm and then we go straight to Hong Kong via car. Yay!! Not too much longer and we'll be home!! Tonight she took us to a "western" restaurant. We were all thinking very American food but this was just not the case. Thankfully Tim and I really like Chinese food so it wasn't an issue for us. By the way, if anyone wants a great diet plan...ADOPT!! Between the stress, environment change, lack of sleep, different/healthier food, and increased walking we both have lost some weight. We both agreed that we would miss the walking for sure. Declan: We can't believe you lost your front tooth!! And that you finally got a tooth necklace from school! We are so excited for you. After skyping this morning we learned how that you got $2.00...Wow!!! You look adorable! Grady: Sorry about your bloody lip :( Hope it gets to feeling better soon. Looked like you were very comfortable in Uncle Jason's chair! Hayden: Love the snake! And boy are you strong holding that weight...getting so big! Enjoy your last day at Aunt Vicki's!

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