Well, I had my ultrasound this morning. IT'S A GIRL! I'm thrilled beyond belief! I was hoping for a little girl. So now Eli will have a baby sister. Before this pregnancy, we had talked about a 2nd adoption and about going back to Russia. If things had worked out that way, it would have been difficult to have adopted a little girl. God's plan is perfect. Now we have a wonderful, amazing son and a daughter on the way, and our famiy is complete. We are happy and totally blessed.
After I got home from the doctor, my mom and I took Eli to the health department, and he received his 1st dose of TB medication. He was a little tired this afternoon, but otherwise, he didn't seem to have any side effects. We're hoping it stays that way. He has his next dose on Thursday.
Now we have to start thinking of names!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
vacation
We had a great time on our vacation. Eli wasn't crazy about the ocean, but he did enjoy playing in the sand. He loved playing in the pool. He splashed and splashed, and was so adorable! There were 14 people in the house, and he did so well. He loved the attention. We were worried about him being overstimulated, but he didn't have any meltdowns or difficulty. So much has changed in 2 months.
One of the highlights of the week was a visit from Ryan and Stephanie. We had a Kolomna baby reunion! Ryan and Eli were in the same orphanage at the same time. It was wonderful to finally meet them in person, and be able to spend some time with them. We had a great afternoon!
One of the highlights of the week was a visit from Ryan and Stephanie. We had a Kolomna baby reunion! Ryan and Eli were in the same orphanage at the same time. It was wonderful to finally meet them in person, and be able to spend some time with them. We had a great afternoon!
Friday, June 20, 2008
1st family vacation
We leave tomorrow morning for our 1st vacation as a family! We're going to the beach for a whole glorious, sunny, relaxing week. Taking a trip together as a family is a dream come true, and we feel God has truly blessed us.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
good news
The health department called this afternoon, and Eli's chest x-rays were clear. No sign of active TB disease, and we thank the Lord for that. He'll start taking his medication on June 30, after we return from our family beach vacation. He has to take 300mg of liquid INH, 78 doses, 1 every Monday and Thursday.
He had a really good day today. We dropped his morning nap. He played until 11:00am, and then I knew he was really sleepy. He lay on the floor with his thumb in his mouth. Too adorable! I picked him up, and for the 1st time since our visits in the orphanage, he fell asleep in my arms! I was so thrilled. He slept in my arms for 30 minutes. Another step forward in our attachment.
He had a really good day today. We dropped his morning nap. He played until 11:00am, and then I knew he was really sleepy. He lay on the floor with his thumb in his mouth. Too adorable! I picked him up, and for the 1st time since our visits in the orphanage, he fell asleep in my arms! I was so thrilled. He slept in my arms for 30 minutes. Another step forward in our attachment.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
happy father's day
Today was R's 1st father's day! He is a wonderful father. Before Eli, he hadn't spent much time at all around babies and didn't know anything about them. He had never changed a diaper. Now, he takes such great care of Eli. He is very loving and gentle and patient, and I am so proud of him.
Another first. We took Eli to church for the 1st time. It felt so good to be back. I had really missed going. His Aunt Gracie stayed in the nursery with him. I was glad she could sit in there with him. He did so well, even when another toddler hit him over a toy. I felt so very protective when I found that out. Don't hit my sweet baby! He's been through enough already!
Tomorrow we should find out the results of his chest x-ray and when he's supposed to start his TB medication. We'll spend the rest of the week getting ready for our first family vacation! We're going to the beach next week with my family, including my aunt, uncle, cousins, mom, sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew. I'm very excited!
Another first. We took Eli to church for the 1st time. It felt so good to be back. I had really missed going. His Aunt Gracie stayed in the nursery with him. I was glad she could sit in there with him. He did so well, even when another toddler hit him over a toy. I felt so very protective when I found that out. Don't hit my sweet baby! He's been through enough already!
Tomorrow we should find out the results of his chest x-ray and when he's supposed to start his TB medication. We'll spend the rest of the week getting ready for our first family vacation! We're going to the beach next week with my family, including my aunt, uncle, cousins, mom, sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew. I'm very excited!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
1st visit to the doctor, part 2
Yesterday, we took Eli back to the doctor to have his PPD test (for TB) read. His test was positive. He will have a chest x-ray on Wed. We're expecting the chest x-ray to be clear, because he has no signs of active TB disease. He has latent TB infection, which means he was exposed in Russia to someone who had active TB, and now he carries the germ in his body. He is not contagious or sick right now, but there is a risk that he could develop active TB at any point in the future.
We had to go straight from our doctor to the health department. The nurse we will be working with is so great. I like her a lot. She was very friendly, and did a great job of explaining everything. She measured his induration (skin bump) and it was 15mm. A positive test is 10mm. Soon, they will put him on medication (isoniazid or INH), which he will take 2x/week for 9 months. That's a long time. Someone from the health department will come to the house and give the medication to him. It is helpful that they will come to us and that I don't have to worry about taking him to the health dept. 2x/week, especially later this year when the new baby comes. We definitely want him to have the treatment, because we don't want him to ever have full-blown TB, but we hate that he has to take it, because the side effects could make him feel bad, and he's been so happy lately.
If he had stayed in Russia, he would not have received treatment, and he would have been very sick at some point in his life. I am so thankful to God that he is with us, where he can receive treatment and have a healthy life.
We had to go straight from our doctor to the health department. The nurse we will be working with is so great. I like her a lot. She was very friendly, and did a great job of explaining everything. She measured his induration (skin bump) and it was 15mm. A positive test is 10mm. Soon, they will put him on medication (isoniazid or INH), which he will take 2x/week for 9 months. That's a long time. Someone from the health department will come to the house and give the medication to him. It is helpful that they will come to us and that I don't have to worry about taking him to the health dept. 2x/week, especially later this year when the new baby comes. We definitely want him to have the treatment, because we don't want him to ever have full-blown TB, but we hate that he has to take it, because the side effects could make him feel bad, and he's been so happy lately.
If he had stayed in Russia, he would not have received treatment, and he would have been very sick at some point in his life. I am so thankful to God that he is with us, where he can receive treatment and have a healthy life.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
1st visit to the doctor
Eli had his first visit to the doctor this morning, and he received a good report! He is 22 lbs 9 ozs, and he has gained 2.5 lbs in the 6 weeks we have been home! He is 30" long. On the growth chart, he's around the 50th percentile. The doctor felt everything looked good, and I'm so relieved! He had a TB test today, and we'll know the results on Friday, but his arm looks fine so far.
He also had 4 shots today - Hib, PPV, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and Chickenpox. It was so hard to watch. When he started crying, I almost started crying! He did very well though, and recovered quickly. Then we had to go to the hospital to have blood drawn. He didn't cry until they stuck his finger, and then again, I wanted to cry too, but again, he recovered quickly. I was so glad my mom was there with me!
After we got home, he had lunch and I put him down for a nap. After he woke up, he felt a little feverish and was very fussy. I gave him some infant motrin, and he perked up pretty quickly. He played for the rest of the afternoon and was completely adorable!
He also had 4 shots today - Hib, PPV, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and Chickenpox. It was so hard to watch. When he started crying, I almost started crying! He did very well though, and recovered quickly. Then we had to go to the hospital to have blood drawn. He didn't cry until they stuck his finger, and then again, I wanted to cry too, but again, he recovered quickly. I was so glad my mom was there with me!
After we got home, he had lunch and I put him down for a nap. After he woke up, he felt a little feverish and was very fussy. I gave him some infant motrin, and he perked up pretty quickly. He played for the rest of the afternoon and was completely adorable!
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