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Weeks 2 & 3

This is getting harder than I thought! So much has been going on and I haven’t been finding time to write. But there’s no excuse.

So let’s see…Isabella’s second dentist appointment led to a third because nitrous oxide just didn’t cut it. She laughed a bit and fought hard. After the numbing shot in the gums, she just kicked and pushed every gadget they put in her mouth to keep it open. So the dentist gave up and decided to sedate her. We went back Monday and he managed to get the cavity cleaned up and filled. However she didn’t let him put the crown on, meaning we might have a 4th appointment, this time with IV anesthesia! There’s no way he’s going to attempt anything otherwise. His words: “She’s very strong-willed” (yep, stubborn…we knew it!). She’s still complaining of some pain and we think he’s going to have to put that crown on eventually. Here are some cell-photos of the first and second appointments.

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Do you see that blurb up high? That’s Isabella on the bungee-trampoline combo at Katy Mills mall. She absolutely loved it. Clearly, not afraid of much.

 

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Thanks to some of our fabulous friends who gave us some tickets to the ballpark, the kids got to experience their first baseball game. They were amused at all the noise and Isabella was having a fit seeing all that trash on the ground (she’s a tiny bit obsessive about that lol!). They clapped as people yelled, but had no clue whatsoever what was going on. They had a blast anyway and were very much interested in all the food that everyone around them was consuming.

 

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Thanks to Lisa’s comment on my previous post, we took the kids to Texas Children’s Health Center for International Adoption. I HIGHLY recommend them if you’re in Texas (or see what’s available in your area). They have been very thorough and have ordered a ton of blood tests to verify immunizations etc. Isaac is too light and we have to take him to draw more blood tomorrow as they couldn’t draw enough for all required tests. They’re giving us a lot of other referrals within the same hospital for various other specialists and depending on the diagnoses, they’ll help us get into the right programs and therapy. In fact we’re going to keep using them as our pediatricians for the time being.

IMG_3085The pool continues to be a major hit. It’s also become a good source of “if you don’t do this, no swimming!” kind of discipline. Gotta love being a new parent! The kids jump and dive like they’ve been doing it for years and are not at all afraid of some water in their eyes or a few gulps down their throat. Can’t wait to test them in ocean water!

Their adjustment to family life has been progressing very well. They show signs of being sorry when scolded now, like burying their faces when you correct them about something and in some cases even crying a bit. Sleep has been going well, although Isabella never sleeps past 7am. She’s got an internal clock. She’s had bad dreams a couple of times. In fact last night she kept Lori up as she cried and yelled for her. But overall, they both sleep solidly and usually take afternoon naps. We let them stay up on weekends especially when we go out or have some other activity, unless behavior shows that a nap is required!

Today we had some friends over (O and her parents, hubby Gary and little A). They got lots of nice gifts from them. My absolute favorite is Isaac’s shirt.

IMG_3108 The twins got new haircuts yesterday. There wasn’t much the hairdresser could do as their hair was shaped so badly! Isabella’s has to be grown longer to remedy areas that should not be so short. Isaac’s front fringes are now gone. It suits him very well and funnily enough, it makes him look more blonde-ish!

Tomorrow we start making appointments with specialists and I’ll get back to work. I took Thursday and Friday off as I wasn’t feeling good at all and my appetite still hasn’t made a full recovery (great way to lose some weight quickly!). In the coming weeks we’ll meet some other friends and continue the bonding process.

2 clicked here to comment!:

Katie C. said...

Hi! I found your blog through the Ukrainian angels website. I am half Ukrainian myself, and have often thought of adopting from Ukraine. I also live in Katy and work in Houston, so I would be interested to know what avenues you had to take in order to start the adoption process.

Thanks for putting your story out there!!!

Katie C.
katiecortes@comcast.net

Hertha Gearin said...

Great motivation right there, huh. It's okay if she feels some pain sometimes. Just as long as she's still willing to visit her dentist regularly, then it's a go go go! And by the way, they are excellent swimmers! I wish I could also teach my kids how to swim!