Since Charlotte did so well in the pool yesterday, we decided to try the bath in the bathroom sink again. Today, the water was warmer with more bubbles, which she seemed quite fascinated with. Charlotte whimpered some, but not as much as yesterday. We’ll try again tomorrow.
Charlotte revisited her reflection in the mirror and really chatted up a storm with herself. She likes to back up and then move forward, slapping her hands on the mirror.
Today we went to the International SOS Clinic for the babies’ examinations. This is mandatory if you are applying for landed immigrant status for your daughter. This examination was not mandatory for us, as we are applying for Canadian Citizenship, but we thought it prudent to see a doctor in Charlotte’s homeland to get any advice on issues particular to her culture. We were advised that she is underweight for her height and age. This is largely because the children are not encouraged to play so do not build body mass (fat is lighter than muscle) and are undernourished. Once she starts to be more active and build muscle, she will gain weight accordingly. We were also informed that her Mongolian spots on her back and leg will likely fade with time. We were also concerned about her bowed legs. The doctor assured us that this condition will likely correct itself. I’ve noticed in the short time that we’ve had Charlotte that she is walking better and doesn’t appear to be as bull-legged as the first time I saw her walk.
Once we had the reports in hand, we were off to the Canadian Embassy, which was only a few minutes away. Thomas had to come back to the bus several times as there were items filled out incorrectly by certain families. Once the preliminary check was completed, we were allowed to return to the hotel. We were instructed to stay in our rooms, or to remain very close to our rooms, just in case the embassy had further questions and Thomas needed to contact a family.
After a bite of lunch and a nap, we ventured up to the pool for another swim. Charlotte didn’t enjoy the swim as much as the previous day. She seemed quite captivated by a Chinese gentleman who was swimming lengths of the pool.
After dinner, we decided to go to Walmart to get more formula. The cab driver delivered us to the Lotto Mart. We explained that this was not where we wanted to go. He proceeded to drive around the area—I guess he thought he would eventually come to it. He passed Dave his cell phone and asked us to call for directions. How ridiculous—who did he think we were going to call. After several minutes of aimlessly driving around, I asked the cab driver to return us to the hotel. We quickly grabbed our things, told the concierge what happened, and left the concierge and the driver arguing in the driveway. Charlotte was fussing, so we returned to the room to put her to bed. Once again, with all the lights turned out, I, too, fell asleep, even though I had wanted to get caught up on my journaling. It would figure that I would just start to get my internal clock on time when we have to leave in a couple of days.
Tomorrow we have another busy tour day.
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