Holy cow! I find it quite funny that there is a sign posted in the Medical Exam area that says to “be quiet”. Apparently they don’t realize that these precious children do NOT like people in white coats taking away their new things. One doctor not only took Amy’s shoes and socks off (something we don’t do until she is sleeping) but then he proceeded to take her links (the plastic toy links she hasn’t let go of since we got her) out of her hand. She was NOT going to be quiet! It is very safe to say that she doesn’t have a problem with her lungs!
Amy still weighs 22 pounds and is about 32 inches tall. With the way this kid is eating I am guessing that her 22 pound days are numbered. (She has been 22 pounds since her referral was written in July)
We finished all of our consulate paperwork today and tomorrow is our appointment. It is actually funny, really; Vivian – our BLAS guide – is the person who will go to represent us at the consulate.
We had a… well… interesting afternoon. The plan was to take three taxis to a Pizza Hut for lunch. Two of the three made it there in ten minutes. One did not. That was us. Our first driver took us many, many, many miles away to a place we will never know. After realizing that we were not anywhere NEAR a Pizza Hut, we got another cab, who took us back towards Shamian Island and we met back with the other families about an hour later.
It was one of those moments that I will probably never forget. I assume that it is to serve as a lesson to us for years to come. There will be days in the near future that Amy may feel very much the way I did. Nothing looks familiar. The language is unfamiliar. The smells are overwhelming. The air feels heavy and I can’t breathe.
I know I keep forgetting the info about our homecoming – and although it doesn’t fit real well in the middle of my journal – I am going to post it now. We are departing Guangzhou for Hong Kong at 8:25 a.m. on Friday (China time) – 7:25 p.m. in the States. Amy will officially be an American citizen on Friday afternoon at 2:22 when we land in Chicago. Our flight – United 6831 – is set to arrive at 9:45 p.m. at Mid Continent Airport. We welcome you to come and greet us! I am not promising bright eyes and bushy tails, but I am promising you can meet Amy-Hui.
Another thing I keep forgetting is to correct the pronunciation of Amy’s name for all of you. In some dialects, the “Hui” in Amy’s name is pronnced “hwee” as we told many of you. HOWEVER – in Yangjiang at Amy’s orphanage, the nanny’s pronounce is “hway”, and so that is how we are going to say it. It took us a few days to start saying it correctly, so we won’t be too upset if you say it wrong for awhile.
I am pretty sure that tomorrow is going to be mostly about souvenir shopping and red couch pictures (for those who don’t know what that is – stay tuned…). We have bought some stuff – lots of bigger things, but not a lot of smaller things. I think we will go visit two of our favorite stores tomorrow and see what else we can pick up.
Another day of breakthroughs for Amy.
She was SO happy to sit and play today; both by herself and with Daddy! She still isn’t sure she wants him to hold her, but it will come. She thinks he is just hilarious and he enjoys keeping her giggling!
Enjoy the pictures from today; we will be home soon!
For Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Hall’s classes – Here are a few words we know in Chinese: Ni Hao (pronounced knee how) is hello, mama is mother, baba is father and no is no :) Ashleigh and Austin miss you all and can’t wait to see you again!
