Andrew's first pediatrician's visit, first ride in a car seat and first trip out

Paul met me at our pediatrician's office for Andrew's check up today since Andrew has so many things we wanted to go over.... I had spoken with our neurologist's office and we have coordinated with our doctor to communicate with him to decide about the seizure medicine... I believe that our doctor thinks like we do that he was given that medicine to calm him and not for seizures... he said it is often given in the US for anxiety ...even given for stage fright for actors... and not used to often for seizures here... this was was very interesting since we were also given medicine to "calm" him... needless to say we have not given him that second medicine because he has not needed it. I have given him the "seizure" medicine because I was told I had to wean him off of it ... this is true and next week we should know how we are going to do that...

Andrew has a strange way that he eats.. besides getting all of his food from a bottle that I have put our regular food into a small food grinder ( electric) and he drinks it from the bottle with the nipple cut bigger. He takes 2 bottles at each feeding and is done with them in 2 to 3 minutes. He will supp on it and then throw the bottle away ( we hold onto it and give it back and he takes it after he swings his head back) . It is very odd and of course he now sits in the high chair. We shared this with the doctor and after seeing the inside of his mouth we will be seeing our cleft doctor at Hopkins as well. I have thought something was different and so we will see. He has a very high palate.. so we will be doing that soon as I call our cleft doctor. We are also going to see about speech therapy and a feeding school. I will let you know exactly what the feeding school is . We already have his opthamologist appt. in Jan. and because Gracie has exotropia, she is going with me that day as well. She has her check up next week...

Our doctor was encouraging and said we were doing everything that he would suggest for Andrew... I will be taking him tomorrow for lab work . So we have a plan and follow up.. I am excited to see what this month will have for our sweetie. He did great even getting his ppd and 3 shots. He is also do for 2 other shots but that will be later. When he came home he was tired and spent some time on the floor with the kids... we put a pillow down for him and today he crawled all the way into the pillow case... we had some friends over to meet the kids... and I pulled him out and he found it again and went in. He loves to be under things... sometimes we will find him crawled under the carpet . He is very silly sometimes.. he loves to laugh and will mimick our laughs. He also loves his bath... lots of giggles and splashing ... it is a sweet sound to hear and to know he is ours forever... to see him loving things and expressing himself is so good to be a part of.

Gracie is very affectionate with us now. She was not in July when we visited her... she will come up to us and ask for us to pick her up, she gives and receives kisses. She went up to our other blind son yesterday and raised her hands for him to pick her up... she did not realize he was blind... it was a cute moment and then she was picked up when Abraham understood what she wanted.... at times it is like she lets her guard down and just relishes the attention. So much positive change in such a short time for both our kiddos makes it all worth it. Tonite one of the kids asked me if I thought Andrew would have lived much longer... to be honest no. He was being starved slowly and the other things done to him have me really boiling inside... actually I am sure I have adoptive post partum depression sort of... I have anger that is deep inside me and I think it starts with what I see my little one had to endure and then I think of all of them and what was done to them... it makes me deeply sad...not really depressed just sad that people can treat a child this way or the ways I have heard my children express or share about. Then it makes it very difficult for me to be around even other christians because to be honest lots of times I just hear church people lament about things that to me are not that important... ( like what to do on New Years Eve or petty family issues) especially when I have seen how most orphans live. I will be forever grateful to the Lord for opening my eyes to the plight of the orphan and giving me an overabundance of love for them... it is like I can see and feel how much the Lord loves them and how much we can do with His help and provision to change the life for a child.....

Andrew is our most delayed and neglected child we have adopted... and it will be hard to help him overcome but please check back with us because I know he will.....I have seen it many times before... tonite my friend reminded me of when she first met Mya... and how pathetic and sickly she was... and in a short time how quickly she changed to a spitfire of health and energy. Andrew is at about a 6 to 8 month level developementally... just remember this and pray for him and us to know and be able to give him the optimum chance to do all that the Lord wants for him. If you have not figured out I love a challenge... and these precious ones have come many times with many challenges.. we even have been told by a doctor you do not want that one... and I said right back you just made me want him more... and she was wrong and our son, Luke was right...and Luke has had to overcome open heart surgery and will need more to replace his damaged aortic valve, he had no palate and a major cleft lip, his leg was attached to his back like an accordian and his other leg was webbed and he had a severe clubfoot... all of these except the second heart surgery have been done... he now walks on his own ( actually runs), talks well and is an extremly brite boy... and do you know what he wants to be when he grows up? A doctor and he could do that.. he is very smart in school. The rest of his body was not "normal" but the parts that really count have made up in compassion, love and his ability to use his brain.... I am excited to see what Andrew will accomplish....Gracie too.