Thanks so much for visiting
us during our journey,
Danny, LeeAnn
and Caroli! |
It
has been four long weeks and, much to our surprise, Caroli has adjusted
to the time zone, feeding schedule and partially to a sleeping schedule
better than we have. We think that she thinks her parents are wimps
because we are always tired and she never is.
When we got home we had one weekend to get acclimated before her
first visit to the doctor. Since her weight is so low, the doctor
instructed us as to how to feed her to get some meat on her
bones. The only problem we ran into was the large amount of blood
needed to be drawn in order to run all of the tests that the doctor
ordered (a large number is run for international adoption patients).
ADVICE TO ADOPTIVE PARENTS: Be sure that the person drawing blood does so from infants on a regular basis.
The first place we went we encountered a “rookie” tech who got no blood but plenty of howls from Caroli.
Parental instinct kicked in and we left. We called a nurse at our
doctor’s office and got better results the second time. It took
three trips to get all the blood necessary.
It is amazing to watch how fast Caroli is learning and adjusting.
She is now holding herself up in a sitting position and is starting to
really babble and squeal a lot. She eats well and is gaining weight.
However, her tiny body is having problems handling the increased food
intake so we‘re dealing with that also.
She does continue to have the sleep issues that we’ve mentioned in
earlier posts. This has been the most challenging issue we’ve
had. Every night one of us sleeps in her room beside her crib so
we’re always there for her.
Since her developmental level seems to be half her age (she just
turned nine months), we bought a bunch of toys that are helping with
this. She now shows interest in toys and has no problem reaching
out and grasping objects. She also enjoys her “jumperoo”
which will hopefully help her leg strength.
She doesn’t care much for her car seat as she’s not used to being
strapped into anything - this also applies to her stroller and high
chair. She does seem to enjoy quick trips to the store and
unfortunately for Dad, she seems particularly fond of the mall.
Everyone around us has been tremendous and has welcomed Caroli into
their lives with excitement and joy. We would like to thank
everyone who have sent emails. Also those friends and co-workers who
have been so supportive through this entire process. We would
also like to thank Dr. Staat at the International Adoption Center at
the University of Cincinnati - we would highly recommend using their
services. And many thanks to Tina, the host of the “Story of You”
website - this is a wonderful tool for allowing anyone that is
interested to follow our journey. |
| I don't have to see over the top to eat |
| Meeting Grandma and Grandpa |
| Meeting Uncle Reid and Aunt Susan |
| |
