Trent pictures

We flew from XiAn to Guangzhou on Sunday afternoon. Every American adopting from China has to go through Guangzhou because this is where the American consulate is that issues visas for the adopted children. There is not a lot to see in here and by this time most people are tired of sightseeing or just plain tired. We are no exception. We will be here three full days to finish the American side of the paperwork, mostly for the immigration visa.

On Monday we took Trent to a clinic for a quick checkup as required for his visa. It is also good to double check his medical report from the orphanage. It is a fairly quick process as they have a lot of children to process. There are three 'stations' to check his various medical conditions such as weight, height, hearing, sight, etc. There were no surprises. Obviously his club feet checked out. They also indicated he was somewhat developmentally delayed as was stated in the orphanage medical. The doctor told us that it is related to his club feet. He is not able to walk so that part of his brain is not yet developed. Also, it has delayed some of the motor skills with his hands and arms as the area of the brain that controls these is interconnected with the area that controls the feet and legs. It took a little less than an hour, including the short walk from our hotel. We were a little surprised at how quick it was. With Nora we waited for quite a while at the clinic and there were a lot more children. Since Nora's adoption there have been fewer American adoptions from China and we figure adoptive couples did not want to travel during the Olympics.

That same day, Linda and Connie went shopping for a new outfit for Trent. The little guy certainly looks sharp. Linda also got a new outfit for herself, a matching dress for Nora, and a matching tie for Kyle.

On a less pleasant note, Grandma was not feeling well on Monday. We were somewhat worried about dehydration so Grandpa and our guide took her to an American clinic in the city. The doctor thought it was a virus and gave some medicine to help with the symptoms, not much else they could do except wait it out in bed. Today on Tuesday she is feeling much better but is still resting up. We hope she is well enough to attend the swearing in ceremony at the American consulate on Wednesday afternoon.