** Adoption countdown: 5 days until Pam, Terry and Matthew return home **
GUANGZHOU, China (Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008, 3:45 p.m.) – When the Chinese doctor stripped him almost naked this afternoon, Matthew let it out: A piercingly loud, blood curdling, ticked-at-the-world scream strong enough to make a point.
He felt violated. He felt upset. He felt … well, he just didn’t like it. But it was a necessary step before we take Matthew home; he needed a physical exam in order to get his U.S. entry visa.
The day began with breakfast at the White Swan Hotel restaurant, where Matthew dined on oatmeal and crackers. I ate French toast and a slice of bacon, while Pam ate French toast and soda crackers.
Then, at about 10:30 a.m., I placed Matthew in a stroller we borrowed from the Holt International Children’s Services Guangzhou office and joined another adopting family for the walk to a nearby medical clinic.
Pam stayed behind in the room.
Matthew and I walked about five minutes to the clinic. There, doctors weighed him, checked his throat and ears, checked his heart and checked his feet, including his clubbed right foot.
Then they asked him to walk.
Once we received a good bill of health, we headed back toward the hotel with one side trip for me: A stop at the Starbucks so I could get a grande coffee frappucino, double-blended, of course.
The Starbucks is a new location in Guangzhou; the last time we were here in April 2006, folks told us the city have several hundred Starbucks locations. This is, after all, a city of 7.6 million people.
Matthew and I also stopped briefly to admire the several couples staging their professional wedding pictures. I’ve never so many beautiful brides in my life.
On the way back, Matthew fell fast asleep in the stroller.
Copyright 2008 by Terry R. Cassreino. All rights reserved.
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