Max Medcentre, Food Food Food, and First Swim

When we went to breakfast this morning, we were so excited to see a CHRISTMAS TREE in the lobby!    Ajay has been talking about Santa Claus a lot since Day 1 and has even said Merry Christmas a few times.  This is very interesting to me because the children are coming from a very devout Hindu environment.  In fact, Ajay excitedly points out every idol that we pass on the street.  One morning, as we were walking through the hotel lobby, he stopped in front of a statue which is apparently a Hindu idol, because he started doing some hand movements in front of it, then reached for the red powder that the greeter uses when they place the leis around necks and do the red dot.  I knew he wanted to give himself a dot, so i snatched him away and we got out of there fast.  Worst case, I could totally see him spilling that container of red powder all over the floor. Ha! Then when we were at the shop keeper's workshop and store on our Taj Mahal trip, there were some stone idols that the artisans had made.  A and S both dropped to the ground to do some ritual before the statue.  I pulled them back up calmly and we moved on.  Anyway, I think they are coming home at the perfect time... Just in time for Christmas to learn about the one true God who very clearly led us to them.  I can't wait to see what God eventually does in their lives.  They have been taught about Christmas at some point in time and are VERY excited about it.

Breakfast was an unbelievable experience.  The kids drank two cups of warm sweetened milk, ate a HUGE dosa each, several muffins, nuts, fruit, cereal, soup, etc.  They probably ate for an hour straight and consumed three times the amount that I did.  As the kitchen was closing, Smita asked for another dosa.  We could not believe it!  It was too late to order at that point, so we moved on with our day.  

Our Max Medcentre appointment was at noon.  They read the TB tests which were clear...absolutely no sign of a reaction.  We met with the doctor who examined the kids.  Ajay was prescribed antibiotics and cough meds for his cough.  Around 2:30, we had the medical reports in hand in a sealed envelope.  

In the waiting room, an Indian woman asked Jeff, "Is that your son?"  Jeff said, "Yes."  She said, "But he is Indian!  And you are a foreigner!  How is this so?"  Then she started talking to the children in Hindi.  She must have asked who is your mommy because both kids pointed to me and said, "Mommy!"  She looked completely bewildered and I knew she was thinking that somehow two white people made two Indian children!  I explained that we had adopted the children and were undergoing the immigration process to get them into the United States.  She asked several more questions then expressed her approval in the end.  Too funny!

At Max Med, an hour after eating breakfast, the kids were asking for more food.  They drank from their first juice boxes.  They had no clue how to insert the straws into the boxes!  The motto during snack time was, "Don't squeeze the box!"

When we returned to the hotel, they started asking for lunch.  They wanted more dosas and a few other things that we couldn't understand.  A Hindi speaking server came upstairs to take the kids' order in person.  They were saying something that in hindsight sounded similar to gelato...basically they wanted ice cream.  Their specific requests were more dosa with the soup that comes with it, chocolate cake, ice cream, and mango juice.  Yum yum!!  They cleaned their plates again!

Ajay being a comedian when I wanted to take a photo...

Feeding frenzy...  After we ordered the food, they gave us both hugs and said thank you, all without prompting.  

So that I could catch up on blogging, Jeff and the kids explored the hotel together to get out of my hair.  I found these photos on the camera...so adorable!

And what is this???  Told you he likes to pose!!!   

Sunset over New Delhi...

The kids were so hyper this evening that we decided to take them to the pool to burn off some energy.  Ajay's swimsuit was too big so he swam in adjustable shorts and a t-shirt.  I forgot to pack Smita's swimsuit, so she swam in regular clothing, too.  The kids said that they knew how to swim, but we don't think they've ever been in a pool.  They were not afraid though.  Ajay got right in and went under.  He came up with huge eyes and choking on water, but laughing.  Smita was more nervous at first, but had a blast in my arms.  The water was super warm, but the air was chilly.  Jeff and I swam around with the kids on our backs for about 20 minutes, then we headed back to the room.

The kids were freezing, so Jeff wrapped them up like mummies with the pool towels.  So adorable!

However, walking like a mummy was challenging!  Jeff was already around the corner when Ajay bit it and did a face plant!  Jeff heard the thump!  He came back to get us and we all died laughing over Ajay on the ground.  (And yes, he is wearing Ansley's colorful Tom's again.)  Another great quality in these children that we have seen repeatedly is that they can laugh at themselves and not get angry that the joke is at their expense.  I thought we might get reprimanded by the hotel staff because we were laughing so loud!  Once Jeff stood Ajay back up again, we were on our way...