Doctor Week

Poor L has endured several trips to the doctor over the past week for a variety of reasons:

**His first well-child visit, which we had been putting off as we were still triaging other areas, such as sinus issues and athlete's foot.  As those have mostly cleared up, we took the plunge into the vaccine-laden well-child, which pretty much sucked.  He received 6 shots and a blood draw (and flu mist up his nose), and screamed like nothing I've ever heard.  I cried, he screamed, it was messy.  And it's over.  He still needs boosters, but nothing like this first appointment.  Tylenol/Motrin staggering helped a lot, but he was running a low grade fever and was sore for a few days.

**Limb Deficiency Center:  We had a meeting at Seattle Children's with the limb deficiency team, consisting of the head of the department, a geneticist, and a dysplasia nurse. The end result--his limb deficiency is not genetic, was likely caused by a blood clot in utero, and will require zero treatment. In the future I may request an occupational therapy referral for things like buttoning shirts and opening Ziplocs, but for now we're just going to figure it out with him. We discussed a prosthetic in-depth, and there are two distinct, colliding schools of thought on this area of limb deficiencies. This particular doctor felt (strongly!) that prosthetics are necessary in certain cases (lower limb deficiencies, multiple limb deficiencies) but for L, it would do no good and would probably be quite frustrating. As he pointed out, hands are used for sensation as much as for grasping, which can be hindered with the no-sensation prosthetic.  L has tendons and nerves that run to the end of his arm, so if our decision changes in the future, he's a good candidate for one. Lots of people use prosthetics for specific activities at different times in their lives.  Again, two very divergent opinions about prosthetics exist, and I'm sure we will try one at some point. But not now.

**ENT: L came home with a sinus infection, which we treated with a kiddie Z-pac, which is pretty standard.  A few days after the antibiotics were finished, I found bloody pus leaking from his ear--yup, ear infection with a ruptured ear drum.  While he still had major antibiotics in his system.  Hmmm.  So, another round of antibiotics.  And this week, another ruptured ear drum (same ear), so yet a third round of antibiotics, and a referral to ENT.  He doesn't even let us know that there is an issue until it's ruptured, dang it.  Of course, we don't have any information on past medical issues, so who knows what's been going on?  So we will throw ourselves on the mercy of the ENT professionals, and hope we get things figured out  as soon as possible.

Other than this, things are going well in our little world.  I'm working 24 hours a week from home, and it's actually really hard, and at the same time I really can't complain as at least I'm at home at all.  I love my job, but working for a social services agency means that I would essentially be working to pay for childcare, so this solution is the only one at this point that makes any kind of sense.  And I'm grateful to have employers that get it and are willing to make it happen.

L continues to be a rambunctious little boy, who is social and funny and obstinate and very, very loud.  He loves all things construction, is very interested in fish and sealife  and seems to consider Maggie his bestest friend in the whole world.  We've done some mom-group activities and he generally does well with other kids, as much as any 3-year-old does, and enjoys having structured activities throughout the day.  And so, frankly, do I, so it works. 

Watching the garbage trucks, holding his garbage truck.  It was amazing, indeed. 
And garbage men are seriously awesome people--they never fail to acknowledge enamored little boys.

Fun at the Seattle Aquarium


 

Halloween Fun

Another surreal holiday down!  We had lots of fun on Halloween, although I wonder what L thought of the whole thing.  We did a little trick-or-treating, but the overall Halloween creepiness wasn't really appreciated by L--the pumpkins we carved last weekend freaked him out when lit.  Which, of course, we didn't know until it was bedtime, and L said his first actual sentence in English (besides "I love you"--"I lobba"), which was "Bye-bye Dada sca-wy pumpkin!".  Oops.  And then the squirrels came around and ate the faces off, so, you know. We ended up playing Halloween down a bit this year. But he loved his costume and likes some types of candy, so there ya go.

He dressed as a nice doggie (not a "sca-wy" one) and Maggie was a ferocious dinosaur. Yes, we are those people who dress up the dog.   She's a sport.

L had a routine doc appt ahead of time, hence the blown-up latex glove.  Not part of the costume. :-)

Three! (and other stuff)

Our little L turned three this past week.  I know I've said it before, but the fact that we got to celebrate his birthday with him was one of the biggest gifts we were given in the timing of the adoption.  Choosing just the right present (a Big Wheel) and finding a cake he likes (a brownie--he's not much of a sweets boy just yet) was fun and something we had dreamed about for a long, long time.  We had family over for a small party, and I teared up when we all sang the happy birthday song.  He absolutely loved the attention, and our families were generous and thoughtful, and I think were as excited as we were to be at his party.  It's been a long time coming. 




Checking out his new dump truck and school bus.

 

Getting ready to blow out the candle.

 

Post-party roughhousing with Dada and cousins.  These were some tired kids at the end of the day!

We also had our first post-adoption home visit, which must happen in the first month of custody per China.  The visit went really well, and I was far less stressed than homestudy visits of the past.  Of course, I still cleaned like a maniac, but some things will never change. 

We took L to the pumpkin patch as well, and I think he enjoyed it although sometimes I think he must think we're a bit nuts.  He loves pumpkins, though, and insisted that we not only purchase one for each of us but that we pick out one for Maggie (our dog) as well. 




Fun at the pumpkin patch!

 

Happy Mama

Happy Dada 

Things here continue to go pretty well, actually.  Over the past week or so, L has started to show some real interest in learning English.  He's now repeating most of what we say, and is holding things up so we can tell him the English word for it.  In the past, he usually corrected us when we would tell him an English word --he'd look at us like we were just a bit slow, and repeat the word in Mandarin.  It's complicated, this whole international adoption thing (understatement, yes).  We are dying to communicate with him, and since he talks constantly, we would really love to know what in the heck he's saying.  But losing his native language is sad--it's a big, big loss.  There are certain little catchphrases he says that have now entered our vocabulary that we don't want him to lose, such as "Baloo!" which means stinky and is accompanied by a funny face.  We have lots of video of him speaking Mandarin.  And we need him to have some vocabulary to communicate with those around him, and our Mandarin is pretty limited.  So we're working on it. 






10 Days Home

These first ten days have been a pretty amazing learning experience for all three of us.  L is adjusting rapidly to the new home, toys, smells, foods, and schedule.  This is probably a really boring post, but I want to get these thoughts down so I  don't forget them :-) 

Pets: We have three cats and a dog, the youngest being 12, so essentially we own the Home for Elderly Pets. While sometimes one of them gets a wild hair and is playful, generally they lounge, eat, and sleep. L was literally screaming with terror when he first met them--trying to tell us that there is a cat in the house!  Cat in the hooouuuse!! Get it out!! and we were thinking oh, kid, you haven't yet met the dog.  So the first few days were hard for all four of them as they figured out how to live together in the same (small) space.  Now, however, L is wildly interested in them, wants to touch their eyes and teeth specifically, and is learning to pet gently.  He has gone into a modified time-out for kicking Maggie-dog and being too rough with Dee-cat, although these are actually the only two times he's needed to take a break so far.  He's learned to surreptitiously feed Maggie his food and blames his gas on her, and the cats just stay up high when they are not in the mood, which is most of the time.

Schedule:  We are feeling more and more over the jetlag thing every day.  Consistency is key, so he is going down at the same time each evening, and takes one mid-day nap.  He's sleeping between 11 and 12 hours per night, getting up at least once to go to the bathroom.  I think we may bag the nighttime pull-ups as he's had only one accident since being home, the first night.  We'll see.  He currently sleeps in his crib in our room, and seems to take comfort from having us so near. 

Health:  L came home with a sinus infection, a general body rash, and a raging case of athlete's foot all over both feet.  We met with his pediatrician, who prescribed antibiotics for the sinus infection, which is now gone, Cort-Aid for the rash, which is also gone, and prescription cream for his feet. My feeling is that his shoes were rarely, if ever, off in China, and that the athlete's foot is going to take a long time to resolve completely.  But the itchy-burning feeling seems like it has decreased, which also makes for a more peaceful nighttime.  It was driving him crazy, poor little guy.

Limb Deficiency:  L was born without a right hand.  He has a little wrist bone, so can manipulate the end of his forearm just a tad, which helps a surprising amount.  He is extremely adept to figuring out how to make things work, although he seems to be naturally right-handed as he always tries with that arm first.  His brain has created some amazing work-arounds, however, and he can do almost anything with his left.  We've been doing small activities to work on fine-motor skills with the left, such as putting pennies into a piggy bank, and he does just fine.  We have a meeting with limb deficiency doctors in November and are curious to see what their take is.  Some children wear prosthetics, some don't, and some do for certain activities (such as playing guitar) which require two hands.  The first prosthetic most children use, per our pediatrician, is kind of like a scooper, called a "hook".  Thus, we will be able to tell people:

Mah boy's got a good right hook!

(ha ha!  get it?)

Anyway, we'll see what the doctors say and use their guidance to see what next steps, if any, we will take. 

Language: L talks constantly, and is now showing interest in learning English words.  He has his old standbys of "Helllooooo" and "Bye-bye", and has added a few more, including hammer (hammah), kitty (kitt-AY), Maggie (Magg-AY), please (wuh-LAY), thank you (daydoo) and how are you? (hello loooo).  He has a handful more, and is adding to his list daily.  If he has a question, he still adds "ma" on the end of the sentence, which is a question word in Mandarin--if you add "ma", it makes the sentence a question--"Behfast Mama ma" means "Breakfast, Mama?".  It's been such an interesting process.

Work:
Cory went back to work the Monday after we returned, although he worked short days the first three days back---thank goodness.  He's now full-time so we call several times a day and check in.  L loves his daddy, and wonders often where he is, saying "Dada wo-looo" ("Dada's at work").  I go back part-time from home next week, so am trying to enjoy my last maternity leave week.  Sigh. 

And now, pictures!!  For some reason, I can only attach one at a time--so here ya go. 

Brushing teeth is so much fun!

Home

We are home safe and sound.  After a lovely meeting of family at the airport, we went home to our clean home (thanks, Mom and Dad!) with dinner waiting (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and attempted to get some sleep.  The flight...well, it's over.  Wasn't horrible, wasn't fun...and it's over.  We got through it, and the best feeling ever was passing through customs.  L continues to do well, although sleep is confusing and difficult right now, and will continue to be for a while, I'm sure. 

There's no place like home, and we are so happy to be back as a family of three.

Ok, another attempt at pictures!

Final Day--Packed and Ready

Today was mostly preparations for tomorrow--the Big Flight Home.  We leave our hotel at o-dark-thirty to head to the airport in Guangzhou.  We fly to Beijing, then have a 5-hour layover, then straight to Seattle.  Total travel time from takeoff in Guangzhou to landing in Seattle is around 20 hours, but after we land we get to go home to our own house, with our own rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, and animals that we miss tremendously.  The second flight begins at 5PM China time, so we are hoping that after takeoff, a busy day, and some dinner L just may fall asleep.  That's a lot to ask, but here's hoping!

So we are pretty well-packed, other than nightclothes and toiletries, and our suitcases are weighed and zipped up.  We went back the store today to purchase extra toys and snacks so L just maybe can handle such a long flight.  He's also gotten sort of interested in some of the apps we have on our Kindle, so maybe that will help for a minute at a time or so.

We also have his Chinese passport in hand, US visa inside, and a packet of information that we cannot open, but will hand customs in the US as we enter the country.  This will make L a US citizen. 

So this is it!  Come on, USofA!!!

Day 6 - Consulate Appt

Today was the Consulate appointment, which is the last official step before we are allowed to return to the US with L in tow.  We were ushered into the US Consulate, which is in a tall office building surrounded by coffee shops and travel agencies, with the main locators being several small signs and a metal detector.  We joined about 30 other families in a large conference room, where we sat for about an hour waiting for the group oath to be taken.  L ate a snack and practiced his new English words ("Hulooooow" and "Bye-bye bus!") while we waited, and then began to play in the small plastic house at the back of the room.

The adoption officer came into the room--or actually, spoke to us over a microphone from behind bulletproof glass--and explained the paperwork we need to enter the US, what the oath means, and next steps.  We all stood up, raised our right hands, and essentially promised that the masses of paperwork we submitted is accurate and honest.  Then each family was asked to come to a window--sort of like at a bank--and go over paperwork and discuss final details.  This was the point where L completely lost it.  I would guess that most families of toddlers avoid places like the DMV for hours on end, and we've been pretty much spending long periods of time in such places for the past 10 days, and he is just done-done-done.  So in the process, he hit Cory and bit him on the shoulder, which are two behaviors we hadn't seen yet (he later checked Cory's shoulder, and kissed it).  So Cory took him to the back of the room, and gave him some crackers, and he quieted down and fell asleep.  The adoption officer helping me asked, "Can your husband handle this situation?" and I said, well, yeah.  He said, in all earnestness, "I would NEVER be able to handle it.  I would just leave it to my wife."  I thought that was pretty funny and surprisingly honest. 

But in the end we got through it fine, and I think this is the last of the big government buildings we will need to hang around at while we are here.  Thank goodness for that.

Tomorrow we pick up L's visa, and other than that, we will just hang out, pack, go to the pool, and enjoy one more day here in Guangzhou. 

One day and a wakeup, and we are on our way home.

:-)

Guangzhou Day 5

Another somewhat tiring but mellow day down.  We spent the morning at a local-ish garden/playground/museum on the outskirts of Guangzhou.  This was supposed to be a quiet, touristy excursion, except that, by my estimate, at least half of China's schoolchildren were also in attendance.  They were adorable in their matching uniforms, and very, very interested in us.  I had the following conversation one or two hundred times this morning:

Child: Hello.  Nice to meet you.
Me: Nice to meet you, too.
Child: What is your name?
Me: Molly.  What is your name?
Child: (insert name)
Child: Have a great day!

Next Child: Hello. Nice to meet you.

And on, and on, and on.  I taught English in China a while back, and remember how important it was to practice skills on actual English-speakers, so it was fine and funny.  L, of course, had to get in on the action by calling "Hulooooooooow!!" to everyone, and the schoolkids responded appropriately  and kindly to him.  So that was especially nice.

We got back in the afternoon, had a late nap, a quick dip in the pool, and an early Cantonese dinner (YUM!!). 

Tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for: our appointment at the Consulate.  This is where we take an oath to take care of L and finish paperwork.  His Chinese passport with a visa to enter the US should be available Thursday, and then we will wing out way back home. 

So, so close.

Guangzhou Day 4

Today was another mellow day for us.  We joined up with the other families traveling on our general schedule, and trekked to the medical clinic to have the TB tests read. Everyone passed--one little kiddo in the group was borderline, but all was fine in the end. 

After this, we traveled to Shamian Island, a European area of Guangzhou where the US Consulate used to be located (and thus, where many adopting families would stay).  Shamian Island is quiet, beautiful, and green. While it is very, very humid and hot here, we had a nice stroll along the main area called The Bund, and did a little souvenir shopping.  After lunch at the famous Lucy's, we headed back to our hotel, where L went down for a nap.  He slept badly last night, seemingly having nightmares or night terrors, so a nap was definitely in order.  We are hoping for a better night tonight.

We planned on staying in for a dinner of instant noodles and fruit, and this turned out to be an inadvertently excellent choice.  We ventured out after his nap to Trust Co, which is essentially WalMart, and it began to rain.  Now, we are used to rain--I mean, really used to rain.  This was something else entirely, sheets of downpour turning the roads into rivers.  We quickly finished up our shopping, which included some new construction-vehicle toys and a play bus for L, some new snacks, and wipes (he's potty trained, but is a pretty messy eater at times).  We were soaked by the time we got back to the hotel, which is when the craziness really began.  Lightning and thunder cracked across the sky about every 30 seconds for several hours, the lights flickered, and the rain is still coming down.  We are seeing some flashes now and again, but the fireworks have mostly passed.  This, plus L deciding to take a ginormous poop in the bathtub, made for an exciting evening.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, will be another quiet day.  The group is heading to a park with a big playground on the outskirts of town for the morning while we wait for L's US visa to be processed.

L continues to do well.  He seems interested in us, wants only us to hold him, is concerned when we are not around, and identifies us by Mama and Baba.  He is showing more control issues around food--all of the food on the table is his, right?  He does not stop eating until all of the food is gone, so we are giving him kid-sized portions of everything until he can understand when he is full.   Things to work on.  On the plus side, he's now eating all kinds of veggies and fruit, especially corn, watermelon, peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  We'll keep giving him as many veggies as we can until he realizes he can say no.  We also figured out the name situation, as he doesn't respond to anyone using his name, even native speakers.  I finally showed him a picture of himself, and asked who it was. While the name he used is correct, he pronounces it completely differently from the numerous other versions we've heard--he drops most of the consonants and has a different order of names than we'd seen in the past.  Once we got that down, we've been able to get his attention far more easily. 

So things are fine here in our weird little international adopting world.  L is a joy and we are so fortunate to have him as our son.  He gets cuter by the minute, is outgoing and friendly, and is super smart and interested in everything.  He's amazing, and we are so lucky. 

Guangzhou Day 3

Today was exactly what we were hoping for, operating entirely on our own schedule.  L slept for about an hour more than we've seen, probably because we weren't up moving around and getting ready for the day.  We took a trip outside to see more of the area, and found (cue chorus of angels) a Starbucks.  It was such a treat, and apparently if you don't specify the type of milk in your latte, it is made with whole.  Yumminess ensued.

We had some lunch in our room, then L went down for a long nap.  This afternoon, we went swimming, and he proved far more daring than yesterday, going in the big pool and leaving the steps while clinging to one of us.  We think he's never really played in water before, but is absolutely loving it.  Tonight we had some dinner, a long bath, some play time, and he's down for the night.  He's a big-time index finger sucker, with his finger sporting a huge callous--and I swear it's a lighter color, as if he's sucked the life right out of it.  But it's a good indication for when he's getting tired, so we can fend off meltdown behavior at least a little bit. 

I think L enjoyed today.  He seemed more relaxed, slept sounder, and was less concerned with us leaving him-- he's gotten upset with the game peek-a-boo in the past week, but today found it highly entertaining.  He has officially learned a new word: "Hu-loooooow!!!", accompanied by a big wave  and is very proud of himself.  He has yet to learn the word "no", but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.  He did throw a hissy fit about losing iPod priviledges after he threw it on the floor, but it was over relatively quickly and we moved on with the day. 

Tomorrow we go back to the clinic to have the TB test read.  As he has had no reaction to the shot, this should go smoothly and quickly. After the clinic, our guide is taking the families to Shamian Island, where the US Consulate used to reside, and which apparently has a European flair.  We have heard a lot about the area, and are excited to see it.