It's So Good To Be Home

It's been a little over a week since we've been home and we are just loving our little boy. He is so happy all the time and loves to smile and laugh and play. It's great. The picture above is from our last day in Almaty, but his demeanor is still the same. We are very lucky.

Monday was his appointment with the local international adoption doc, who will now be his primary care pediatrician. We were surprised to learn that he has grown 2 inches since his last appointment, but has not yet gained any weight. We are feeding him like crazy, but the doctor recommended giving him as much formula as he will take. He was only getting about 8 oz. per day at the orphanage (if that) and he has some catch-up to play weight wise, so we have accepted her advice and been giving him bottles in between meals.

The doctor said that JJ has a really bad ear infection in his right ear, which we were given a script for (just as the doc at the SOS clinic had told us). We really couldn't believe that it is such a bad infection because the kid never cries or pulls at his ear, and he hasn't had any kind of fever since we've had him. Before we left the office the nurse came in and said she needed to do a PPD test. Jerret held JJ while the nurse inserted the needle and JJ never made a sound.

The doctor also ordered all kinds of tests that will need run in order to make sure JJ doesn't have any hidden conditions we may not be aware of. We took him to the hospital lab yesterday and had to hold him down while they drew blood. It was very difficult to watch. He cried while we were holding him down, and the nurse needed to poke him 3 times before finding a good vein. The poor baby cried and cried, but he stopped as soon as the nurse was finished and I was able to pick him up.

Other than the appointments, we are just busy getting used to our new roles as parents. Jerret is very hands-on and will do anything I ask - even change diapers.