24 Pounds

Today was the physical exam for the U.S. consulate, contracted out to a local Chinese clinic. Phoebe weighed in at an official 24 pounds! That is one pound shy of her big sister Miranda's weight. While I'm pretty darn efficient at buzzing around the house with Miranda on one hip while I do random tasks with my free hand, I am not nearly so effective with Phoebe. She doesn't help at all with her legs. I'm not sure why that is-- was she always in a sling? Rarely carried? I don't know, but she doesn't hold on with her thighs at all, which leaves my arms absolutely aching. I hope she learns to walk quickly, because without the Ergo I can't make it more than two minutes with Phoebe in my arms.

I spent two hours doing paperwork for the U.S. government today, trying carefully to following instructions like "first name last" and "Last name first," and "Chinese name here" verses "American name here." My mother had a question last week that I didn't know the answer to: When does Phoebe become a U.S. citizen? I have the answer today: When she touches down on U.S. soil, in Chicago, on our lay-over home. For now, she has a Chinese passport and we are waiting for her visa to enter the U.S. In fact, we were told to stay in our rooms and by the phones tomorrow from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., just in case there are questions from the U.S. consultate.

Mark went to the playroom today while I did the paperwork. There were two Chinese mothers there who were fussing affectionately over Phoebe. When they tried to reach out and hold her, Phoebe was quite deliberate in her refusal, turning and clinging to Mark. We like that a lot!