Medical Exam Day 8/22/09

After a horrible day and night, today ended up being our best day with Tyson yet!

We drug ourselves out of bed and headed down to breakfast. What a treat! A beautiful river view, lots of space, and a fantastic breakfast. Tyson hated the high chairs in Nanjing because he wanted to be held, and the high chairs there had no strap or place for legs, it was literally a “high” chair. He could easily arch his back and slide off. Here at the White Swan, all the tables have a standard high chair waiting at each table, with a place for legs and a strap! So we strapped him in, and he didn’t like it at all at first, but he got used to it. There are many other families here, and everyone is very nice and friendly. Tyson ate scrambled eggs! He loved them! He eats almost anything, but he does find things he dislikes from time to time. He still has his cold, but not as severe.

Then we met our guide, Cordelia (she’s wonderful!) and put Ty in the stroller and strapped him in. This time, he cried a little, but he stopped and it was OK! K loves pushing the stroller. The sidewalks are less crowded here…it’s just a nicer atmosphere overall compared to Nanjing. We went to have Ty’s visa photo taken. He screamed and cried! The picture is so pathetic, but it’s there.

Then…the dreaded medical visit. Tyson needed 4 vaccinations in order to enter the US. One little girl had 6! We also had the TB test and will get results on Monday. Dan is amazing. He took Ty in for his shots and TB test while I sat outside the room and cried. I knew it had to hurt both of them! I was pleased with his head circumference and height measurements, but his weight is so low. Everything looked good, but the doctor told Dan to make sure he gets lots of fluids today and rests. We can’t over-do it these next few days until the TB test is read on Monday morning.

So we walked back to the hotel and made a side stop…where else? STARBUCKS! AHHHHHHHHH…. Felt like home! The prices here are pretty cheap for food, but the drinks at Starbucks are about a dollar more than we’d pay at home. But I would have paid $10 for that drink!

I have to say, we are feeling much better today. It’s almost 4:30 here, and Tyson is having a fantastic day. We have learned so much about him and continue to “figure him out”. One thing is that he cannot be over-stimulated. If we put too many toys out, he starts throwing them. He especially likes this little truck, but I had to take the tailgate off because he could actually use those plastic little tools to take it apart! Oh, and he’s sooooo smart, he watched Dan open his crib, now guess who can do it too? Yes! So we have chairs against it, and it’s safe.

While Ty slept, I found a place to do laundry near the hotel, then Dan and Kacie took a swim in the beautiful pool. We snapped a few pics before being told no pictures—oops, missed that sign. I took Ty for a walk through the hotel and found the White Swan play room, but I decided not to go there today. We went out to the river, and he was very fascinated by all the boats and was pointing at them all.

Food will be an issue for a long time and this is very common in adoptive kids. He doesn’t know when to stop, and when the food is gone, he throws a fit. We had to explain to Kacie not to eat snacks in front of him and not to give him treats. She forgot once, and it proved our theory. I will do more research on this when we get home.

WARNING: Get tissues, this will bring tears to your eyes.
I introduced little goldfish crackers to him today. He was putting one at a time in his mouth. When he got to the last fish, he stopped and looked at it, then only ate half of it, then the other half. Then he ate Cheerios, and at first he was picking up 2-3 at at time. When the Cheerios were almost gone, he picked up one at a time, ate half of it. Then he ate half of the half! Three bites for ONE Cheerio. He was making his food last as long possible. I cry every time I think about it. At two years old, you shouldn’t be worrying about making your food last. Doesn’t that break your heart? He’ll learn soon…food isn’t an issue in the Powell house!

He is a happy little guy today. Thank you to all who have been praying. He still won’t walk (won’t, not can’t because we know he can!), but we have him playing on the floor, and if he throws his toys, he goes to get them. Huge improvements! Also, he played with Kacie’s hair and is letting her into his little world more and more. He understands “No”. I have to tell him no when he bites on his bottle or puts toys in his mouth. He just smiles and takes it down…what a little player. We also caught him in a tantrum…totally faking! Kacie tickled his neck and he started laughing. It was so nice to sit in the hotel and relax and not have a schedule.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, and it was good. We figured out Ty for meals now, and we gave ourselves a little credit: Most people eat out with a two year old one or two times a month, if at all. We’re doing it two to three times a day! He’s now going in his stroller with no problem.

Tonight was our best night yet! He has a little book with Elmo, and I can say “Where’s Elmo?” and he points to Elmo. He can also point to “Jie Jie” (big sister), Ba Ba (Dad) and Ma Ma. We also taught him “High Five”.

Ty is now in his crib, the room is dark, and he’s supposed to be going to sleep. Not happening, but he’s content. If I pick him up, he’ll be up til midnight. Dan just took Kacie for another swim, and I guess the pool is great at night, all lit up.

So one more tear jerker, then I’ll go. He drinks water from a sippy cup with the stopper out, and I give him formula from a cleft bottle two or three times a day. The cleft bottle is special because you can squeeze it so the fluids get into the child’s mouth easily. Today I put water in the cleft bottle to get him to drink more, and he played with the bottle more than anything, but he did hold it and I squeezed it for him. Tonight we were playing on the bed, and I had about two inches of water in my water bottle. He kept pointing to it, and I didn’t want to try having him drink from the bottle, but finally I picked up the bottle. He put it my mouth, and as I tipped it up, he squeezed it, helping me get a drink just like I help him with his bottle! Yes, I cried!

What a sweet boy. We know more rough days are ahead, but so are the good ones. He’s in his crib singing again, and I think he's actually getting louder! Lalalala, yayayaya! Praise the Lord!

A little about the pictures. Tyson is playing with his truck, bottle, and tools and just having a great time. And then, you knew it was going to happen...Kacie put Ty in her fuzzy pink socks. Actually, the air conditioning in the room is cold, so she wanted him to be warm, but they looked like bright pink Uggs on his little legs! Also, Tyson loves to have his teeth brushed! There is a picture of our hotel (we're on the 19th floor, city view) and then a picture of the river we are on, where Tyson was watching the boats.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. We were in despair last night, but once again, just when I think I can't go anymore, God shows me the way.