Yearly Check Ups

Today the boys had their yearly well child check up with the doctor.  It went really well until they were informed that they would be getting a flu shot.  Michael did really well waiting but David had a major crying fit!  He was mostly cried out by the time he got the shot, but refused to cooperate with the nurse an tensed up his arm.  That only makes it hurt but he wouldn't listen.  We have a very stubborn boy when he wants to be that way!

Anyway, the boys are really healthy and growing right on schedule.

David (age 7, will be 8 on Saturday): 4' 5" tall and 64 pounds

Michael (age 6): 3' 9.88" tall and 48 pounds

Overall, the doctor was very happy with their growth and progress.  They both laughed when tickled and he said that was a good sign!  Of what, I am not sure.

Yearly Check-Up

The boys had their yearly Well-Check on August 7 this year and got great news!  They are both extremely healthy and free of ear wax build-up.  Yes, that last part is a huge answer to prayer since last year was bad with the Great Wall of Ear Wax for both boys (especially Michael). 

David's Stats:  Age: 6 11/12
                      Height: 50" (75-90%)
                      Weight: 53.5 pounds (50-75%)
                      BP: 102/60
                      Vision screen wasn't done since he had his eyes checked by an eye doctor back in June and is now wearing glasses for reading purposes (even though we make him wear them most of the time). 


Michael's Stats:  Age: 5
                        Height: 43.25" (50-75%)
                        Weight: 42.5 pounds (50-75%)
                        BP: 92/56
                        Vision Screen: 20/30 for both eyes

Doc said to keep on doing what we are doing (allergy meds, vitamins, fiber chews, etc) and that they are extremely healthy.  No concerns at this time.

Yeah!!!

We've been Uber Busy!!!

I know that it has been a looooong time since our last post, but we have been very busy!

Here are some quick updates:

David started school on August 23 (same day Rachael went back to teaching at BDJH) and is doing pretty good (at least in our opinion!).  He can count to 20, knows his alphabet and can write them all, can write his first & last name correctly (first letter capitalized and the rest lower case), can identify shapes & colors and is starting to recognize some of the basic 'sight words' he is learning in school.  He is becoming more verbal (at least with us) and has gained weight and is getting tall! 

Michael stays home with Chris during the day and likes watching TV with Daddy (Sid the Science Kid, Word World & Dinosaur Train are some of his favs).  He gets to go with Daddy while taking David to school and picking him up in the afternoon, as well as any errands Daddy does during the day.  He is also more verbal and has gained weight (but hasn't gotten much taller).

They both like playing with their cars, blocks and 'reading' books, as well as tormenting Sheba.  They are very typical boys! 

We are still having some adjustments with following directions & answering/responding to questions, but even that is getting better.

We had our 6 month social worker visit and it went really well!  She was really impressed with how well the boys are doing (and how well we are doing as parents!).  The boys were able to answer her questions (what they weren't able to verbalize, they acted out or got the items: favorite toy, what did you have for breakfast, etc) since she had to have personal interviews with all four of us!  Our next visit will be in February, 2012 (the one year visit) then one a year for the next 2-3 years. 

Michael had his first ever dentist appointment in September and it went well.  David had one, but it didn't go as well.  He has another one scheduled for tomorrow with a different office.  Hopefully this one will go well and we can get his teeth checked. (He fought them when trying to get x-rays, and when they suggested that we take him someplace that can 'work with him', otherwise known as sedating him, to get the x-rays and bring him back to that office for any work needed, we said :No.  We will not be back with the boys!)

Their 6 month Adoption Check-Up is scheduled for later this month.  They will have more blood work done (to check and see if everything is still normal) as well as a standard visit with the doctor at Texas Children's.  If all goes well (good test results), they will be 'released' to a regular pediatrician.  We haven't found one yet, but thankfully they haven't been sick!  Praise God that they are healthy!



Another Update

We have been really busy and it has been hard to find time to sit down and update our blog lately. 

Here are some highlights since the last post:

Rachael's last day at school was Friday, June 3 and she started summer school with David on Tuesday, June 7.  He is progressing slowly, but doesn't usually fight it.  We sit at the table after Michael goes down for his rest time/nap and work on worksheets, activities, games, coloring, cutting/pasting, etc.  We have several different bridge type workbooks (thanks Dad for them!) that we are working through.  We have now 'decorated' our dining room to look like a school room.  David has a pencil box with school supplies that he knows to get when it is time for school.  He still needs lots of work, but we think he will be ready by the time school starts.  Now that we have some cool pencil grips (he got to pick them out), he is getting better at controlling the pencil.  He can identify most of the basic shapes and colors (we are working from a list that the school gave us on what they expect incoming kindergartners to know), can count to ten (sometimes forgets the number 8) and can recognize some of the letters of the alphabet.  We are also working on his freehand stuff and coloring (doesn't seem to get the concept of staying in the lines; usually scribbles when he is supposed to color).

The boys had a follow-up doctor appointment on June 9.  We got the results of all the blood work that was done in April: all labs came back as NORMAL!!  No concerns (except that a thyroid test for Michael came back a bit 'off', but the doctor wasn't concerned; said that it was normal for the situation they came from) for right now.  The doctor wants to rerun some of the tests in October to double check, but expects that things will be normal then as well.  As of the day of the appointment, we didn't have the results of the poop tests, but since they haven't called to say that we need to redo the tests, I guess they got the results back.  We also found out that the immunizations that we were given the records for were valid.  The boys are current and up-to-date on all their immunizations (including the ones they got on the 9th).

Friday, June 10, the boys and I drove to San Antonio for a family birthday party.  My cousin Tara's second son's 3rd birthday party was on the 11th and we went to meet them and help them celebrate.  The boys and I had a great time (Chris stayed home because he had to work on the 11th).  They got to meet their cousins (George, Sammy and Michelle) as well as the parents (Alex & Tara).  Tara is my cousin on my dad's side and I haven't seen them in a while.  The boys got to swim for the first time in a real swimming pool (with the aide of life vests) and had a great time!  David loved the pool and swimming (once he figured out that the vest would keep him afloat) while Michael had more fun playing with his cousins and the toys.  They also got to experience their first pinata!  Once it was broken open, they were more interested in picking up the trash than picking up the candy!  I think it will take a while before they get the concept.....

Here are some pictures:

Taking a break from putting the toys away....

Everyone likes to sit with Daddy in his chair (too bad Mommy won't fit....)

David having fun in the pool

Michael had fun playing around the pool

Michael getting a 'push' from cousin Michelle

David was having too much fun in the pool, so he decided that he needed the floaty thing as well as the vest....

Michael's first swing at the Pinata

David's first swing at the Pinata

Cousins sitting still for about 10 seconds...
(starting on the left: George, Sammy, Michel, David)

First experience with Play-Dough!

First Doctor Visit

Thursday the boys had their first visit with a pediatrician here.  We are currently working with a doctor at the Texas Children's Hospital International Clinic to get the boys caught up on shots, testing, etc.  Later this year we will look for a pediatrician closer to home (although the Clinic is only about 20 minutes drive, parking is impossible and we would rather have someone closer in the future).

We had requested a Russian translator for the visit (part of the services they offer) and she was helpful in going over the papers we got from the Baby Home (shot records, etc).  We found out that they seem to be current on their immunizations, but we are waiting on the final word from the doctor about it all.

The boys are healthy (as far as we can tell without the results of the blood and stool testing) and seem to be on level for their age (maybe just a few months behind on some things, but they will catch up quickly).  We did get orders for them to see a speech therapist, physical therapist & an occupational therapist for evaluation.  They also need to have a hearing test done as there isn't a record of that being done in Russia.

The boys got some shots after the check up: David got 4 and Michael got 3.  Both boys did pretty well, unless you consider all the screaming and crying that went on (no, mom didn't cry).  I think that the most screaming was because of Chris laying across them to keep them from moving (they don't like being constrained).

We also got to go to the 3rd floor for blood draws.  We only had to wait for about 20 minutes before they were ready for the boys.  I took Michael in the hallway while Chris held David for the nurse.  Then we switched kids for round 2.  They each had 7 vials to do so they were rather woozy for the walk back to the car.  David worked himself up before the lady even got them seated.  He could be heard in the waiting room.  Yes, that was my child.  Michael on the other hand screamed for just a minute as he was being 'stuck' then watched it all quietly.  Chris did rather well himself (I couldn't have handled it at all; I don't even like it when I have to have blood tests done).

In addition to the blood tests, they have to have parasite testing done.  Unfortunately it has to be done with stool samples.  We were sent home with plastic bags for each boy as well as a plastic 'hat' to put in the toilet to catch David's samples.  This is why I never wanted to go into the medical field.  I've dealt with some icky stuff in the past, but this is definitely The Worst And Grossest Thing Ever!!!  There are 3 vials for each boy: one gets one sample, the other 2 get 3 different samples put in.  Each vial has a little scooper attached inside the lid to make it easier (but not better!) and you have to put in enough to reach the red line on the label.  Once we get the all the samples, we just have to drop it all off at a Quest Lab facility.  I think this definitely puts me in the 'Best Mom In The Whole Universe' category.  Be glad you don't have to deal with this; be very glad.

After shots, before lab work.....