Update #7

Last night Emmy slept much better...though we didn't get in until 11:00 so we went to bed late.  Her cough has still been pretty nasty, especially when she gets excited or is really active (and being three that is pretty much all of the time). Today we had Emmy's medical appointment for the consulate. Our guide was Cordelia who was very good -- kind but no-nonsense and professional -- perfect for her job. (An aside, I've been thinking about how tricky Anna and Cordelia's jobs are and how well suited they are for them. The in province guide has to be a counselor/translator/tour guide for both parents and child without creating an attachment with the child that will be confusing.  She has to encourage and guide parents who are equal parts thrilled and terrified. And she has to know and understand the Chinese aspect of the adoption. The Guangzhou guide has a similar role but also must understand the US aspect of adoption.  Today Lu Xin told Cordelia that Cordelia was "Mama." Before her, Anna was "Mama" and "Jie Jie."  And a lot of the time, I am "Jie Jie."  It's nice to be on the side of having adopted before and knowing that Lu Xin will be fine...great even...and that we will all be fine. But if Anna and Cordelia weren't so great at their jobs, it would be more confusing and painful for the children and the families. But Anna and Cordelia just reminded her who the mama and baba are and moved on. Because the reality is that Emmy will not understand what it means to be in a family for a while.)

So...medical appointment...Cordelia took us to the appointment.  She explained to Emmy what would happen at the appointment and Emmy was fine until the baby before her cried through her ear and eye check. But once the doctor did my ears and eyes, she was okay with hers. The next part was a body check and then the dreaded TB blood test.  They will not allow parents in for that one. Apparently, it was difficult to find Emmy's veins so it took awhile and was scary for her.  But she was brave (as she is) and earned two lollipops. The doctor there prescribed some antibiotics for her cold.  Hopefully she will feel better tomorrow. After lunch, she took a two hour nap and then we mostly stayed in the room. During that time I had the brilliant idea of blowing up a balloon to play with.  Um...yeah.  Emmy?  Terrified of balloons. The offending balloon is hidden safely in the closet now so Emmy can once again wander freely around the room without fear of it jumping out at her.  We also drew with crayons (Steve and I) and a pen (Emmy) and made necklaces out of beads (Steve and I) and took them apart (Emmy again).  We are working toward bonding with Baba so he did bath time tonight with me safely in sight. He's way more fun than I am. I would totally bond with him!  Then we went adventuring in the hotel and found a playground on the 4th floor. Emmy did the slide a couple of times but her cough came back with a vengeance so we came back to the room for dinner. Maybe more slide tomorrow if she's doing better.
I remember last time we came to China we were ready to be home and do life together in a more...regular (non-hotel, kitchen-to-cook-in, whole family together) way by the second day in Guangzhou. We are definitely in that space. Many of you have mentioned experiencing something similar. We are trying hard to live in this moment and in each as they come...even while we are on hour two of waiting for a darling little voice to stop taking and go to sleep!