Yesterday we had our first post placement visit with our social worker. It doesn't seem possible that it is time for this already. We have to have these visits at 3, 6, and 12 months home. The reports are due to our agency at 2 months home b/c the reports need to get to Ethiopia by 3 months home. So, we have been home almost 7 weeks and are doing our 3 month visit. Another interesting governmental thing. These first 3 visits are done by our social worker from Aberdeen. Then our family has to do yearly post-placement reports until he is 18 years old. I understand them wanting to know that he is doing well, etc.., but honestly I'd like to know who sees these reports for all of these kids until they are 18 years old. So thankful God blessed us with Catholic Family Services in Aberdeen that is willing to work with AGCI and our family. Our social worker is great. It is nice to be able to feel so comfortable with a social worker as I know some people get so stressed when they come.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Gotcha Day Frame
For a long, long time I have waited for the day that I would order a Gotcha Day frame. I was searching and searching for that perfect frame. I somehow stumbled upon the blog of a mom that made frames to help fund their own adoption. Honestly, I don't think I could "stumble" across this again. Seriously. (Apparently meant to be, huh?) Well after the long wait, we have a PERFECT frame to celebrate our "Gotcha" moment. I'm even happier to know that this purchase helped another family bring their child home as opposed to just paying a company. I had to share.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Not feeling well
Yesterday, Kobe was a bit out of sorts. He didn't eat or sleep like usual. It is so hard to know if he is just reacting to changes again or if something is wrong. He does have the big adjustment of having everyone home all day now instead of just his mom. He was also rubbing his ear. One would think "ear infection" with him doing that. However, he rubs his ears when he is tired. Once again...we didn't have a clue. I finally gave him some Tylenol. 30 minutes later, he was back to himself. Hmm...must be something going on. We decided to take him to the clinic today. After all of our medical bills, I thought paying the office co-pay for peace of mind would be worth it. Of course the one ear he has been rubbing was filled with wax so she couldn't see in it. Go figure. She did put him on an anti-biotic. It is pretty obvious something is up b/c he is not his happy self. Crazy thing though. When we came home, he was in the 5th percentile for his weight. 6 weeks later he is in the 25th percentile for his weight. Amazing what the love of a family can do.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
As crazy as it may be...
If you notice since we have been home the posts are becoming further and further in between. Apparently I'm busier now than I used to be. ;) There are so many new things that I don't even know where to start. Of course Kobe continues to bring us such joy. His smile and laugh is just priceless. He loves his sisters!!! He has a favorite song. Okay now don't think I'm totally crazy. There is one song that comes on and his arms flail and legs go crazy. The girls sing it to him. I thought maybe it was because they were singing to him. They have sung other songs to him and doesn't get the same reaction. He will react the same way to the song even if the girls aren't singing to him. It may sound crazy, but we have all witnessed it.
Another "crazy" thing is that this kid, who has only been here for 5 weeks, knows what a "kitty" is. It doesn't matter what we are doing, but if we say, "Kobe, where is the kitty?" He seriously searches the floor until he finds one of them. He might not look for Mom or Dad, but will look for the kitty. :)
The other day I was rocking him in the chair. He looked up at the wall behind the chair and smiled. Ummm...what would have prompted this? He did this more than once. After much pondering, I realized the girls' pictures were up there. Call me crazy, but seriously what else would have prompted the smiling? This kid takes EVERYTHING in and missing nothing.
It has been 2 weeks since our doctor's appointment in Sioux Falls. She wanted to recheck his labs. His liver numbers were still a tad bit high, but nothing like they were. Thank goodness. Maybe getting the salmonelle out of his system helps to get the blood work until control. He had 2 people holding him down during the lab work. When we were done, I picked him up and he instantly stopped crying. Yes! He must know his mommy!!! :) He looked at one of the people that had held him down. His lip came out and he cried. This kid is no dummy! He knew they were part of the pain.
4 days after we came home, a doctor recommended him for Birth to Three. (A program to help with delayed children) We knew he would be developmentally delayed with being in instutional care. (even as amazing as Hannah's Hope is) We had our meeting 5 weeks after being home and he is average or above in every area. That is how much ground this kid has made since we have been home. Unreal!
Kobe's new game is rolling, rolling, rolling. He was doing this a bit ago, but nothing like he does now. I realized my floor is not near clean enough after he rolled all the way across it. His shirt picked up plenty of fuzzies.
Tooth #1 and tooth #2 broke through this week. :)
The last day of school was yesterday. It was a very bittersweet day. It will be nice to be home more often as a family of 5, but I am sad that Kobe/Mommy days are over. Let me tell you...some days were very long and hard with just the two of us. Now we have settled into a new routine. I will miss our days together. I really sometimes have a hard time sharing my baby. #1--I'm used to having from midnight until 7pm with him just in my care. #2--We have waited so long for this little blessing, I don't want to let him go. #3--He is changing so fast, I'm afraid I'll miss something. I was gone for a few hours yesterday to help a friend. Kobe was hanging with Dad. He was starting to get fussy. As soon as I got home, all was well. He was the longest that I had been away from him. We need to slowly ease him into life outside our house. We need to slowly ease him into being away from Mom. It is a great comfort that he was fussy after I had been away for awhile. That proves to me that he knows his Mom. That is what makes the first weeks/months at home such a challenge...to get him to understand Mom is Mom and Dad is Dad. We will be here always! We will meet his needs! We will not leave him! Kobe may be a baby, but he has been through so much in his short life. We need to prove to him that we are here for him. We are seeing some great signs of attachment. Yeah, God! Since he seems to pick up on things so quickly, I think we are on the right track for attachment.
Thanks to all of you for being understanding during this time of yet another transition for this little man. After the stories I have read about others that have brought their children home, we feel even more thankful that Kobe is such a laid back, relaxed, and easily adjusted baby. We haven't had too much "grieving" to deal with and believe me...this little man has gone through plenty. His behavior could be so much worse. So many have bouts of inconsolable crying. After all, they have been yanked from every thing they have ever known. As I look back, I see God's hand more and more in this whole adoption story. Kobe is a PERFECT fit for our family and God's timing was PERFECT!! I am so blessed to have had 5 weeks a home with my little angel before the chaos of summer hit. Yes the wait was hard. We knew it would be worth the wait. We knew God's timing would be perfect. The wait was still extremely long and painful. Wow! It is amazing! God was working every single detail out in this adoption. It is true that God's plan for us will not be late by one single day.
Another "crazy" thing is that this kid, who has only been here for 5 weeks, knows what a "kitty" is. It doesn't matter what we are doing, but if we say, "Kobe, where is the kitty?" He seriously searches the floor until he finds one of them. He might not look for Mom or Dad, but will look for the kitty. :)
The other day I was rocking him in the chair. He looked up at the wall behind the chair and smiled. Ummm...what would have prompted this? He did this more than once. After much pondering, I realized the girls' pictures were up there. Call me crazy, but seriously what else would have prompted the smiling? This kid takes EVERYTHING in and missing nothing.
It has been 2 weeks since our doctor's appointment in Sioux Falls. She wanted to recheck his labs. His liver numbers were still a tad bit high, but nothing like they were. Thank goodness. Maybe getting the salmonelle out of his system helps to get the blood work until control. He had 2 people holding him down during the lab work. When we were done, I picked him up and he instantly stopped crying. Yes! He must know his mommy!!! :) He looked at one of the people that had held him down. His lip came out and he cried. This kid is no dummy! He knew they were part of the pain.
4 days after we came home, a doctor recommended him for Birth to Three. (A program to help with delayed children) We knew he would be developmentally delayed with being in instutional care. (even as amazing as Hannah's Hope is) We had our meeting 5 weeks after being home and he is average or above in every area. That is how much ground this kid has made since we have been home. Unreal!
Kobe's new game is rolling, rolling, rolling. He was doing this a bit ago, but nothing like he does now. I realized my floor is not near clean enough after he rolled all the way across it. His shirt picked up plenty of fuzzies.
Tooth #1 and tooth #2 broke through this week. :)
The last day of school was yesterday. It was a very bittersweet day. It will be nice to be home more often as a family of 5, but I am sad that Kobe/Mommy days are over. Let me tell you...some days were very long and hard with just the two of us. Now we have settled into a new routine. I will miss our days together. I really sometimes have a hard time sharing my baby. #1--I'm used to having from midnight until 7pm with him just in my care. #2--We have waited so long for this little blessing, I don't want to let him go. #3--He is changing so fast, I'm afraid I'll miss something. I was gone for a few hours yesterday to help a friend. Kobe was hanging with Dad. He was starting to get fussy. As soon as I got home, all was well. He was the longest that I had been away from him. We need to slowly ease him into life outside our house. We need to slowly ease him into being away from Mom. It is a great comfort that he was fussy after I had been away for awhile. That proves to me that he knows his Mom. That is what makes the first weeks/months at home such a challenge...to get him to understand Mom is Mom and Dad is Dad. We will be here always! We will meet his needs! We will not leave him! Kobe may be a baby, but he has been through so much in his short life. We need to prove to him that we are here for him. We are seeing some great signs of attachment. Yeah, God! Since he seems to pick up on things so quickly, I think we are on the right track for attachment.
Thanks to all of you for being understanding during this time of yet another transition for this little man. After the stories I have read about others that have brought their children home, we feel even more thankful that Kobe is such a laid back, relaxed, and easily adjusted baby. We haven't had too much "grieving" to deal with and believe me...this little man has gone through plenty. His behavior could be so much worse. So many have bouts of inconsolable crying. After all, they have been yanked from every thing they have ever known. As I look back, I see God's hand more and more in this whole adoption story. Kobe is a PERFECT fit for our family and God's timing was PERFECT!! I am so blessed to have had 5 weeks a home with my little angel before the chaos of summer hit. Yes the wait was hard. We knew it would be worth the wait. We knew God's timing would be perfect. The wait was still extremely long and painful. Wow! It is amazing! God was working every single detail out in this adoption. It is true that God's plan for us will not be late by one single day.
Friday, May 11, 2012
US Citizenship!
We got this piece of paper in the mail. Certificate of Citizenship!!! :) Kobe was officially a US citizen when our plane touched down on US soil. This paper just proves it. It is nice to see. We now have to work on redopting so we can change his name...legally.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Growing so fast
We all know that kids grow fast. I am in awe at how fast our little boy is growing. I am with him constantly and can't believe how much he is changing. We have been home almost a month and WOW! When we first came home, we had to hold his back to support him. (Even if he was 7 months old) We knew he would be developmentally delayed. We also knew he would catch up quickly. One thing about being delayed is that we still get to experience lots of his "firsts." Since he has been home, he has rolled both from stomach to back and back to stomach. He can sit up for the most part all by himself. I'm still nervous about sitting him and leaving him, but he is doing so well. There are so many things that you take advantage of when you have a biological child. Something as simple as playing with their hands and reaching for everything. When he first came home, he didn't care about his hands. He didn't explore things or his environment. Now nothing is safe and it is such a blessing. Simple things like pulling hair or pulling on my necklace is a welcomed thing. Monday he found his voice. It is so fun to listen to him. It is crazy b/c there are so many times that I need/want a break from being on constant baby patrol. If I do get out of the house, I miss my little man soooo much. I just don't know how much he will change while I'm gone. (even if I'm just gone for a couple of hours) Even with all of the health issues we have had since we have been home, our little guy continues to be so happy all of the time. (except for when he is hungry) What a blessing it is have such a happy baby! I can't share enough pictures! (Hey--I have 7 months worth of picture sharing to catch up on) What a joy this little man has been! What a true joy!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The verdict is in!
The day before yesterday, I got a phone call from our pediatrican. The stool sample that they took Friday night in the Aberdeen ER tested positive for SALMONELLE! What?!?! That was the craziest thing I could have heard. After talking to a few people from our agency, I found out that some other kiddos have come home with this. Wow. I can't believe we were home for 3 weeks before we showed signs and symptoms of this. We again are lucky that we have only had one bout of this and that we have a happy little man.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Keeping it real
I have always struggled with my posts. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but yet I want to keep it real. I don't want anyone to see just the sugar coated version, but that isn't the way it really is. I'm not sure if I should be sharing all of this, but I'm going to. Keeping it real! Keeping it real!
Yesterday was a super, super hard day for us....seriously the worst one since we have been home. Kobe threw up about 12 times in 2.5 hours. It was so often and so gut wrenching. It was hard to watch. I took him to the Bowdle ER. We were there for 3 hours and then were sent on to Aberdeen. By the time we got to Aberdeen, he was doing better. He wasn't throwing up and had actually kept some Pedialyte down. The pediatrician wanted us to go to the Aberdeen ER...so we went. After 5 hours in the Aberdeen ER, we have NO ANSWERS. Seriously?!?! It could be a milk allergy. It could be that he was constipated. Could be, could be. Then they said we should follow up in the office on Monday. I don't think so. If we spent all of that time in the ER and don't have answers, what good is it going to do to go to the clinic. Frustrating!!!!
He is on soy. We asked why he was on soy and nobody knew. So, yesterday I tried half milk based formula and half soy. It was 2 hours later that the throwing up started. I'm not sure if that was the cause or not. We could get him testing for milk allergies. I think we will just stick with soy for the next 4 months for sure. Then we will see. I'm tired of testing him.
I'm beyond exhausted on so many levels. I'm physically exhausted. I'm tired from dealing with all of this medical stuff. I feel we get the run around from the doctors, but in reality it is probably b/c they don't honestly have any answers. I stay home all day and don't get anything done. I can't get the house picked up, let alone clean. That bothers me greatly. Jason is coaching so I'm the only care provider until at least 6:30 pm.
I know things could be worse. I know things will get better. By "keeping it real" I will say that this is not easy. I don't have any room to talk about things not being easy. We have been through a lot in 3 weeks, but that is NOTHING compared to what our little guy has been through. Even through all of this, he is a champ and brings such joy to us.
Yesterday was a super, super hard day for us....seriously the worst one since we have been home. Kobe threw up about 12 times in 2.5 hours. It was so often and so gut wrenching. It was hard to watch. I took him to the Bowdle ER. We were there for 3 hours and then were sent on to Aberdeen. By the time we got to Aberdeen, he was doing better. He wasn't throwing up and had actually kept some Pedialyte down. The pediatrician wanted us to go to the Aberdeen ER...so we went. After 5 hours in the Aberdeen ER, we have NO ANSWERS. Seriously?!?! It could be a milk allergy. It could be that he was constipated. Could be, could be. Then they said we should follow up in the office on Monday. I don't think so. If we spent all of that time in the ER and don't have answers, what good is it going to do to go to the clinic. Frustrating!!!!
He is on soy. We asked why he was on soy and nobody knew. So, yesterday I tried half milk based formula and half soy. It was 2 hours later that the throwing up started. I'm not sure if that was the cause or not. We could get him testing for milk allergies. I think we will just stick with soy for the next 4 months for sure. Then we will see. I'm tired of testing him.
I'm beyond exhausted on so many levels. I'm physically exhausted. I'm tired from dealing with all of this medical stuff. I feel we get the run around from the doctors, but in reality it is probably b/c they don't honestly have any answers. I stay home all day and don't get anything done. I can't get the house picked up, let alone clean. That bothers me greatly. Jason is coaching so I'm the only care provider until at least 6:30 pm.
I know things could be worse. I know things will get better. By "keeping it real" I will say that this is not easy. I don't have any room to talk about things not being easy. We have been through a lot in 3 weeks, but that is NOTHING compared to what our little guy has been through. Even through all of this, he is a champ and brings such joy to us.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
First haircut
We have been home for 3 weeks. It is amazing the things that have changed in those three weeks. I'm home all day every day with Kobe and I'm amazed at all that he is learning and doing. He has always had a few pieces of super long hair. Now his hair is really growing and those long pieces were out of control. So...he got his first haircut.
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
To God be the glory
Yesterday we took off to make the 4 hour trek to the Infectious Disease doctor. We really weren't sure what to expect, what they would do, how long we would have to stay, etc...They drew blood and then scheduled us for an ultrasound on the liver in the morning. The doctor didn't seem to be overly concerned about things. We left the doctor's office and got to spend the night with some very special friends that also have adopted from Ethiopia. Their 2 adopted children and Kobe were at Hannah's Hope together so it was fun to have them together again...this time in the US. :) We weren't sure how the night was going to go b/c Kobe had to not eat for FOUR hours before the ultrasound. Well, that sounds fun for a baby that eats every 1.5-3 hours. We woke him up at 4:30am and I gave him cereal in his bottle. I had enough cereal in there he almost had to chew it. HA! Well...I was trying to fill that big belly of his. ;) He did well until about 8am. Then he was getting fussy. Soon we put him in his favorite place...the carseat. A hungry baby and his carseat = a not happy baby. The crying didn't last long and he was sleeping. He slept until we got checked in and ready for the ultrasound. While they were doing the ultrasound, another lady was in there and holding musical toys that lite up. He was loved it. Soon it was all done. Again..what a trooper! His attitude on life always surprises me. We were told it could be 3-5 days before we hear anything. Before we finished our 4 hour trip home, we heard from the nurse. The ultrasound was normal. His labs looked good. There are still a couple numbers that are slighly elevated, but they have dropped tremendously. We need to do a recheck in 2 weeks to make sure the numbers are still going in the right direction. Thanks for all of your prayers. This has been quite the emotional roller coaster since we have been home. It has been 10 years since we have had a baby in the house. Then you add of this medical stress to it. I'm tired, but thankful! Hoping that our medical "troubles" are behind us for the most part and we can concentrate on enjoying life as a family of five. Thank you God for keeping our baby safe from major troubles.
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