Medical and more

It was so nice to wake up here in Guangzhou. Blue skies, big breakfast buffet, beautiful hotel and best of all a smiling little boy.  (Here are a few pictures of our hotel lobby)

Our guide met us after breakfast to take us to Luke's medical check and get a photo for his Visa application.  All of our appointments this week are at the same time as another family so we get to travel around together. 

First stop, photo. No issues this time. Luke slept well last night (sideways between us) which makes all the difference. 

Next up, medical check up. There are three stations. 1) Height, weight, head circumference. 2) ENT - quick look at ears, nose, throat. 3) physical exam - very brief exam with a few questions. Station 1 was a piece of cake. At station 2, Luke did NOT want to open his mouth for the doctor. The doctor did get Luke to open for a second and that is all that was needed. Station 3 - very strange to me. The doctor checked him out, asked a couple questions. I wasn't sure if I answered right or wrong because he paused as if thinking. Then he wrote only a couple notes and we were done. 

There was one more step. Because Luke is over 2 years old, they have to do a TB test. The nurses wisk the kids into a room, shut the door, (no parents allowed), draw the blood , and then hand your child back to you. I don't think any of the children like being taken from these new parents that they are just learning to trust, and then have blood taken by strangers. I don't know many people who would find that enjoyable, especially toddlers. Lots of hugs and a sucker afterward helped Luke get back to his smiley self today. 

That was all that was scheduled for today. The clinic was less crowded than our guide anticipated, so we were done early. When we got back to our hotel, the guide helped us fill out Luke's Visa application.  

Then Tim, Luke, and I headed out to eat and get some supplies. Our guide had given us a simple map of the area. There are lots of American places here - 7-11, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, etc. We went to KFC just because it was next door to a store called Trust Mart. This store looked very small, but we just needed a few things. Turns out it was really a Walmart. Almost like our Super Walmart, but not a big, wide-open store. This one was like a maze. Not that you would get lost, but it kept winding around and around. It was much larger than we originally thought. We got to the end and hadn't seen any snacks or food, but then realized we had to go downstairs for the rest of the store. Here is a picture of some things You definitely don't see at our walmart. 

On the way back, Luke fell asleep and we manged to get him to take a much needed, long nap. Then dinner, more play time, and hopefully an easy bedtime tonight. (I think I am dreaming!)

Tomorrow we are going to Shamian Island and the pearl market for some shopping.