Just Russ, Kai, and I went to the medical exam. I had heard that the exam location was crowded and stuffy, so we decided to leave the other kids at the hotel at the urging of our guide. It was true that the exam area was crowded and a little chaotic, but we moved through the 4 stations quickly and smoothly. One of the examiners was very concerned about Kai's balance. I tried to explain using the interpreter that we expected his balance to potentially be unstable since this is common with people who are deaf. It's hard to know, because of the language barrier, but the examiner seemed surprised about the unsteadiness, like she had discovered a new problem that hadn't been diagnosed. I reassured her that we realized this and it would not affect our adoption. He has some trouble going down flights of stairs, but he is amazingly fast and agile when running.
We left the exam area and headed to the lobby to wait for the rest of the group. Russ and I were so encouraged and challenged by the call that people had responded to concerning the medical and physical issues of children they had adopted. I was in awe of the hope, faith, vision God gives.
After our appointment, our guide took us to a local grocery store to do some shopping. Some families adopted babies, so they might have needed diapers, formula, or snacks. I liked touring the store to see what different kinds of food were being sold. Here you can see some of the different things.
There have been challenges to communicating our love to Kai. We have had to be firm with him for his safety when when walking along busy streets and through crowds. He hasn't liked this. Setting boundaries IS loving a child, but of course children don't understand this. Buying some foods that Kai especially liked was a significant step in letting him know that we care for him. Like the saying goes, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."