Some Good News

I finally talked to the pediatrician last night about Abbie's blood, urine and stool test results. For some reason there was an error in communication and she never saw them. Turns out everything is "phenomenal" as the doctor put it. This is great news since I was a little worried that wouldn't be the case. The other bit of good news is that Abbie has slept with a blanket the last two naps AND the last two bedtimes. The first time she used her blanket at night I just left it on her bed and she ended up covering herself and Pooh Bear. I had told her the night before that Pooh Bear was cold. Subtle, I know!

Certificate of Citizenship

Abbie's COC arrived in the mail so I made the trek to the social security office to apply for her number. It was basically painless and I should have it in 5 - 7 days. Now I'm just waiting on the "certificate of foreign adoption" so I can get her birth certificate.

Conquering Fears

Abbie and apparently many of the children from her orphanage hate blankets. I asked about it on the yahoo group and very few even after many years will use one. For the last two weeks after outright refusing, Abbie has been sitting on the couch with one on her lap. Yesterday she asked for one at nap

time and then shook her head no when I covered her. Today she asked again and I found her asleep with it still on her. Progress! Maybe someday she won't be terrified of dolls either!!

Tests Scheduled

We will be spending two days the week between Christmas and New Years at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago. So far we have had wonderful experiences there so we have hope that it will continue. Abbie will need to be sedated for her MRI and will will take from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. She will also have an abdominal ultrasound that day. The next day we will travel to Chicago again to see the heart specialist and have an echo done so that we know her asd did actually self heal. Out of the three doctors she has seen so far none have heard a murmur but the test is necessary before she is put under general anesthesia to be scoped in early January. That should be the last test for now.

Semi - Update

According to her paperwork Abbie was born with imperforate anus and a small asd. They performed surgery on her and deemed it "a great success" and tested her heart and found that her heart healed itself. We took Abbie to see the specialist and don't really have any concrete answers at this time. Everything looks good on the outside but the inside needs some perusing. She did have an x - ray to see if her colon is empty and turns out it isn't. After two days of yucky tasting laxative we had another x - ray and she still is backed up. Time to clean her out some more. We are working on scheduling a cardiology visit and an echo, an MRI (these children sometimes have tethered cords) and an ultrasound. In early January Dr. Mak will scope her under general anesthesia so she can see better what is connected to what and know whether or not surgery will be necessary. We are also waiting to hear from an orthopedist about the fact that her pelvic bones are 6 centimeters apart instead of 3. We should hear about that later today.

As far as adjusting I feel she is doing amazingly well. Still stuck to me like velcro but she trusts us and knows that we will feed her, clothe her and not hit her. I will leave you with her smiling, happy face!

Adjusting

I have to honest here. Bringing home a five year old has not been the easiest experience. I have loved Abbie from the beginning but liking her has been more difficult. A little stranger walked down the hallway toward us that October morning. She already had her own personality and habits she learned in her five years in an orphanage. This, I believe, made it harder for me to bond with her. I am happy to say that even though it is difficult taking care of three little girls so close in age , I now not only love Abbie but also like her. I can't tell you how hard it has been and how much guilt I have felt. The biggest fear was that it would take years to get to where I already am. Abbie is really a joy filled kid except when it is time for sleep. Night time has improved so much and she is even capable of falling back to sleep if she wakes in the middle of the night. We are having trouble at nap time still. Despite the fact that she is five - she still seems to need at least a short nap on a daily basis. She is a great eater. Her orphanage does not potty train normally so she is in diapers. Last week out of the blue she decided she was going to use the potty. She stayed dry all day. Pretty amazing! We have our social worker visit on Monday and see the specialist on Tuesday. The specifics about her medical condition are pretty much unknown so we are hoping to have some answers and I hope to have time to update. Please keep her in your prayers. There may be surgery in her future.

Baptism

On this beautiful fall day we brought Abigail to our church to be baptized. Since Jordan was chosen as her godfather we let him choose the date that would work out best for him. He chose today which also happens to be designated "Orphan Sunday." How appropriate. Abbie did a great job and we did finally get a picture with the whole family. Pay no attention to Elizabeth - she was trying to "look like a cat".

Doctor's Visit

Took Abbie in to see our pediatrician today. Oddly enough she didn't freak out too much about her size and gave her a clean bill of health. Abbie has already grown an inch since our last update so that's a start. I have a feeling that she will be shocked next year when we return for her six year check up! It is already amazing how much language she has picked up and how comfortable she seems with us. There are periods of grieving and of clinging to either Chris or I but that just means she is attaching. Sleep also could be better and yet I also know in time it will improve.

Happy Halloween!

We all had a very nice Halloween. Chris was off work so the day was pretty relaxed and Abbie was ready for trick - or - treat as soon as she saw her sisters put on their costumes. It doesn't hurt that she loves candy!

La Carreta

We were craving Mexican food so off we went to our local spot. Abbie eats almost anything so she enjoyed her chips and some beans and rice and lettuce and chicken tenders and french fries. This girl can eat! Here are pictures of five of our six children enjoying dinner.

Flying Home

The morning began at Burger King in the airport. This is where we ate breakfast last year before our flight home so we figured what the heck! The flight was long but we both watched some movies and slept a tiny bit. Abbie is so stubborn when she wants to stay awake. She did finally drift off for a brief nap and didn't sleep again for hours. She only woke up when the flight was over. Immigration was quite easy. They processed us immediately and let us go right through customs with our bags. When we got to the hotel and the truck we expected a freak out in the car seat but alas she was fine with it. Hooray!

Train to Hong Kong

Spent today packing and in the afternoon we met in the lobby to pick up the children's visas and packets for immigration. The train ride was uneventful but the bus ride to the hotel ended with vomiting.

Oath Day

We made the usual trip to the U.S. Consulate for the rather boring ceremony. The process has changed a little since last June but all that was different was instead of our guide handing over the paperwork the families did it. The officer quickly checks everything over and has you sign the form your agency sent in months earlier and then you're good to go. There was another nap this afternoon and we decided to head back to the restaurant where our group dinner took place. The bbq pork is awesome and so are the green beans. This will most likely be my last post before arriving home. Tomorrow afternoon we pick up the visas and go directly to the train station for our train to Hong Kong. The next day we catch our early afternoon flight for Chicago and McDonald's sweet tea! Oh, and I'm also excited about seeing my other girls and giving them big hugs and kisses!!!

Monday in Guangzhou

We started our day at the medical clinic having the tb test read. Everyone was negative - yay! Next we ventured out to the Jade and Pearl Markets where we purchased a couple of bracelets and a pearl necklace for Abbie's wedding day. Lunch was at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. Thankfully there was even a nap today. After waking we decided to try out the outside play area but our girl was obviously very sheltered and was a bit scared. Abbie continues to do well with occasional bouts of grief. Nothing too bad so far and all necessary for her adjustment. We are really floored by not only how well she speaks, but by her crazy sense of humor. She likes to say things like baba, you're obnoxious or she'll be really silly and then say "just kidding". Our favorite is the fact that she tells Chinese people "say ni hao". Most of the time they actually do it and it just cracks us up. The best though was tonight when she told the bellboy and his response was "say ni hao".

Shamian Island evening

Had a very nice evening on the island. We were joined by a nice young lady traveling with one of the other families who is fluent in Chinese. It was cool having her converse with Abbie and really getting an insight into what's going through her head.

Of course we had to go to Lucy's for the Americana.

We went ahead and took our own "red couch photo" even if we're not staying at the White Swan.

Safari Park

Whatsup?

Panda smoking a peace pipe. ;)

Attitude.

The requisite squatty-potty photo.

Rhino, anyone?

The China Hotel

Apparently, we're #1.

Just outside our room.

Overhead in the lobby.

Very unusual flowers in the lobby.

Guangzhou & Medical Exam

We arrived fairy late last night and didn't get onto the internet right away so just pictures from yesterday. Today after breakfast we met with the other families and took a bus to Shamian Island for the visa picture and medical exam. The change has made Abbie a bit out of sorts, but then it is just another adjustment so it is understandable. She did pretty well at the exam and didn't really cry too much until the tb test. It has been so good to see Joyce, Phoebe and Catherine! Tonight we will have a group dinner and we are looking forward to it!

Travel Day