We are still having to go to doctor appointment for Calvin's heart. His cardiologist is in Ann Arbor, which is a drive for us. He has been on heart medications for a month and they did another echo to see if there was any improvement on his heart function. The good news is yes the medications are helping, they did increase the dose of one of the meds so it would do more. The bad news is that at the last echo they saw a dark spot in his left ventricle (not sure what it was, tissue from the surgeries he has had in the past or a blood clot). This second echo showed another dark spot so they believe they are blood clots, meaning he is now on blood thinner medication. To say I am sad, is an understatement. I am so nervous about him falling now because he could bleed longer and it is more dangerous. And yes he does still fall because of his low muscle tone! Hubby says we need to buy him a helmet!
He has had 2 nose bleeds the last month (think it is because of the dryness in our house) so we have a humidifier in his room. Trusting God will get us through this too. I just don't understand why they didn't have him on medication when we picked him up, other than aspirin. We are being told if they had to do another surgery on him now he could die in surgery, this scares me to death.
Another appointment this week is the dentist. Calvin has many cavities on his teeth, and a missing front tooth from falling at the orphanage. He has to take some antibiotics tomorrow before his appointment. Supposedly they will just be doing x rays.
Attachment: still working on this. Calvin doesn't mold to us when we carry him, yet. If you are an adoptive parent you know what this means. It is like carrying a sack of potatoes. He knows the difference between family and strangers now. We haven't left him with anyone yet, probably will wait until he is home a year. It has almost been 6 months but I can tell if we were to leave him in a nursery he would be fine, not care if we leave. So this is a concern for me. We will have an appointment with an attachment therapist in February. Today he asked a friend of mine for a kiss. He still doesn't know what family is. If you are an adoptive family, others will not understand what you are talking about. Most of the time I feel like they think I am off my rocker, or over protective. But I keep reminding myself, it is for a short time and it will be worth it, less complications down the road if we just do it now.
OT: We have had to discontinue, because our insurance won't cover his therapy. He is able to ride a tricycle now by himself but still needs to work on his stomach muscles.We are still brushing him and doing joint compressions. I feel like I have some good ideas on what to do with him at home. I am also signing him up for swimming classes with daddy and tumbling/gymnastics classes in January.
Food: Calvin still isn't too fond of certain foods and has favorites. He isn't crying now though, he just says no crying and eats it. He is too cute. He loves soup, bread and butter, mac and cheese, green beans, apple sauce, cheezits, bananas and apples. He loves ice-cream but not a big fan of candy. Calvin doesn't regurgitate anymore either. I believe this was because he was nervous when we first picked him up.
Tantrums: I have noticed Calvin only has tantrums when he is tired or overstimulated. He is very compliant (obedient) and knows when he does something wrong, when he does he starts crying as he doesn't want a consequence.
Play: Calvin still loves Elmo and watches 15 min a day of Elmo. He is now also a fan of Mickey Mouse (we have a puzzle and stuffed animal). He recently received a Thomas Train which he loves too. He enjoys listening to music and singing along in the car. Favorites are Wheels on the Bus, Baa Baa Baa. We dance together, tickle and he likes to play with the kitchen toy we have in the playroom. He still isn't big on playing with cars. He also has his favorite books to read before bed time and rocking with me.
Sleep: Calvin still takes a 2 hr nap each day from 12:30-2:30pm. He goes to bed between 7:30/8pm and wakes up at 7:30. He never fights going down and he never makes a peep in the morning. We have a monitor otherwise we would never know when he wakes up. We have been very blessed, he hasn't had nightmares and sleeps through the night.
Language: Calvin still isn't speaking in sentences. He says 2-3 words together at the most. He talks in 3rd person...Calvin music Baa Baa (asking for Baa Baa music). He is learning new words every day. He knows his colors and can count to 10. He sings the ABC song and some other songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus loves Me. When we picked him up in Bulgaria he wasn't speaking sentences either, only a few words. I am curious where he is in development, other than going through a school system does anyone know where I can take him to find this out? Our adoption clinic never did this for us.
Overall: Calvin is adjusting well, eats well, is gaining weight 37 pds, plays well and is very happy and compliant. We are so blessed and thankful for him. We still need to work on his muscle tone, attachment and language. Can't believe he has only been with us 5 months, feels like he has always been with us. Looking forward to the day he has been with us longer than he was in the orphanage (that will make him 6 years old). Thanks for following our journey, hope this helps other adoptive families in the process and is an encouragement to you. Stay the course!
6 comments:
So unbelievable that he's only been with you all for five months. Our God has given you all an amazing gift and continues to supply you with amazing insight into this little person. You've come so far in so little time; may God continue to give you strength and wisdom as you walk this journey.
Your pediatrician can probably refer you to a speech therapist..but at this point, you probably just need to wait it out. Ava did the same thing, and you basically just have to teach them to ask for/say things correctly...ex. teach him to say "I" instead of "Calvin" when he wants something..you'll have to just interrupt him as he's saying it, but it works:)...after MANY trys of course;)
I totally know what you mean by other people not getting it at all. We had Liam at a cousin's birthday party after he had been home about three months and my sister-in-law's husbands parents were commenting on how confident he was that he was going to everyone in the room, etc. That must mean he is so well adjusted! I was like "um, that's not exactly a good sign".
It sounds like you guys are doing well though and he's learning so fast! We'll continue to think about you and pray for you guys!
Sounds like he is doing pretty good Celeste! Much progress made and much to go :) That is what I tell people when they ask about Faith. I think I see the 'much to go' more than the progress made! Have you done any oral therapy with him for his eatting? Faith had a ton of issues with that when she came home. She wouldn't let us touch her mouth or face and wouldn't eat anything but applesauce and oatmeal. She is eating much better now, can chew and doesn't mind if I touch her face or wash it. Though we haven't managed to get a tooth brush in there yet. I bought a bumpy spoon to feed her apple sauce with and it gives some extra stimulation. There are lots of toys to blow on and suck ect. to get more strength built up in their mouth so they are not so sensitive.
The nose bleeds could be from the blood thinner? My grandfather was on that a lot and every time he got a little bump he would bleed. It's not good stuff, you might look for an alternative. Homeopathy can probably take care of blood clots and maybe diet? I don't know much about the diet aspect but you might check out www.drmcdougall.com and email him and ask what he thinks. He is really good about getting back to people. Thank you for sharing... it sure helps me feel more normal to know I'm not the only one 'off my rocker' ;) Hugs!
What a journey. Such an outpouring of love. And what an incredible parallel to how our Heavenly Father loves us. Praying for you and your family as you all continue to adjust and ask for wisdom how to best love Calvin. We've had several scary medical incidences with our eldest, so I can relate to those feelings of fear, Celeste, and what a challenge it can be to put all your trust in the Lord during those times. The verse that often gets me through is Psalm 4:8, "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
I know it is so frustrating to get those looks from others when you have to stop the random affection. We have noticed that as soon as Selah gets a little overstimulated, the first thing she does is start wanting to kiss everyone over and over! No one seems to notice that it is a bit unusual...instead they think she is so endearing and she is so loving. We look like crazy parents A LOT!
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