Journey to Gia: Day 7--Medical, TB, and Smiles

First morning in Guangzhou at The Garden hotel. It is so nice. There is a beautiful garden (hence the name) in the back of the hotel. In this garden, there are at least 2 ponds FULL of huge koi fish. Well, feeding these koi is a tradition for the Miller clan. So, after breakfast, we gathered several loaves pieces of bread and ventured out to the garden. Let's just say that Gia was enraptured.

Then it was on to Gia Chunyu's medical appointment. The US requires this of every adopted child. The bus ride there was in HEAVY stop and go traffic. Ugghh! But Gia took it in stride. Maybe holding Baba's hand helped her. :)

It consists of 3 parts: ENT, TB test, and general check-up. It was kind of a long wait, but Gia Chunyu handled it like a champ. Until the TB test. This required a blood draw, and they did NOT allow the parents to accompany the children. Poor Gia Chunyu! She came out of the room in tears. :(

We've know since day 1 that Gia Chunyu was born with Spina Bifida. We've also known that she had surgery at age 4 months to correct it. We've also known that she had hydroecphalus after the surgery. What we did not know until fairly recently was whether or not Gia Chunyu had a shunt in place. The answer is no. Even the Chinese doctor who checked her out today seemed somewhat surprised that she did not have a shunt. So, it would not surprise us if her American doctors, once we get home and have all the necessary tests run, recommend that she have a shunt inserted. We will have to wait and see.

I think these decorations are supposed to cheer the kids up.

Two kids after the TB blood draw. The sucker kind of helped ease the pain.

There was a little more bonding among the sisters today. It is so sweet to see. Melts our hearts.

Then, it was time for the pool. We haven't seen the sun here in Guangzhou yet, but it is HOT and STICKY. Simon took the Gs swimming in the outdoor pool at about 5:15 today. Guess who LOVED it!!

We ended up the day at our favorite restaurant on GZ: Tekila's Mexican. YUM!

We will find out the results of the TB test tomorrow. If it comes back POSITIVE, that could be very bad for us. It would require more medical tests, and if she does indeed have TB, we would have to stay here for weeks until it was cleared up. Please pray for NEGATIVE TB test results. THANK YOU!!