IAC 198 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 198 which was held on 10/26/11:

1) Norwegian dossier from August 2008 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months

2) Italian dossier from February 2010 referred two female children, twins, aged 6 years and 5 months

3) Italian dossier from April 2010 referred a male child aged 7 years 6 months

4) Italian dossier from June 2010 referred a male child aged 8 years and 5 months

5) Luxembourg dossier from March 2011 referred a female child aged 2 years 11 month with peculiarities in health status

6) U.S. dossier from April 2011 referred a male child, aged 9 years

7) Italian dossier from May 2011 referred a male child aged 9 years 6 months, failed because of a requested change in characteristics of the child

8) Italian dossier from July 2011 referred a waiting child (#1362) with a profile on the MOJ site

9) French dossier from October 2011 referred a waiting child (#1360) with a profile on the MOJ site

10) U.S. dossier from October 2011 referred a waiting child (#1444) with a profile on the MOJ site

11) U.S. dossier from October 2011 referred two waiting children (#775 & #776) with profiles on the MOJ site

Too Much Feasting?

I know I am posting this a little late, but here's Rex on Thanksgiving Day after the big meal. Do you think he might have had a little too much of all the delectable delights?

Emilia - One Week Home

Emilia has now been home with us for one week. In this very short period of time we have seen her come out of her shell in a major way. She walks all over the downstairs of the house and is beginning to find toys and experiment with what they do. She is a very open, sweet and loving child who showers us with smiles and physical contact. She is already reaching her arms toward us to be picked up and she comes over and takes our hands when she wants to be bounced or tossed into the air. Her rocking and thumb sucking have decreased noticeably already as she is finding other activities to fill her day. Unfortunately, she has been sick with some fever and a sinus infection which have been holding her back a bit, but she’s on the mend now and I just can’t wait to see what this little girl has in store for us when she’s 100 percent healthy.

The biggest challenges thus far with Emilia have been the things that have always been Rex’s strengths: sleeping and eating. As far as sleeping, I know the jetlag was/is really difficult for her along with that bad cough and high fever for a while, so Craig and I haven’t actually slept through a single night since coming home. The first few nights she also needed feedings at night (again jetlag), but that seems to be tapering off now. My much bigger concern is her eating. I was told repeatedly at the orphanage that Emilia can only eat pureed food, 300 grams at a time. I haven’t paid attention to the grams, but she definitely will only eat pureed and she is picky at that. She only weighs 17 pounds at 29 inches tall, so it worries me. She has a BM almost immediately after every meal. My guess is that she has some kind of GI issue. We will have it checked out soon. One saving grace has been that she loves chocolate Pediasure and, as we discovered on Thanksgiving, organic eggnog. I don’t care how I get the calories into her at this point, and if it’s eggnog with her daddy who also loves that yucky stuff, so be it. Once we realized that she prefers to drink thicker liquids, we tried a smoothie made with banana, pear and chocolate milk and that was a big success as well, so now we know how to get fresh fruits and veggies into her.

Of course, it goes without saying that Emilia has orphanage delays. We are still discovering what she can and cannot yet do in all the different areas. The more active she is becoming though, the more skills we see emerge. Her social-emotional development is ahead of Rex’s in many ways. She makes beautiful eye contact and seeks out adult attention or help. I guess girls are good at this stuff. In terms of attachment, Emilia’s greatest gift to us at this point is that she has made it very clear and obvious to us just how far Rex has come in this department and how far we have come as parents bonded to our son. I know we will feel the same way about her soon. Attachment really is a process which consists of work to be completed and certain experiences to be had by all parties involved.

Rex - Seventeen Weeks Home

Yesterday marked seventeen weeks home and nineteen weeks out of the orphanage for Rex. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of change for him and for all of us. Rex has really handled everything in comparative stride. He was an amazing little traveler on the way to and from Bulgaria, he held up well while we were in Eastern Europe, and he settled back into our home life with ease. We have seen a few expected regressions, including one major rage of two hours in Sofia, but it’s not been anything we can’t handle.

So, Rex is growing… I mean really, he seems bigger every day. He weighed in at the pediatrician at 30 pounds. Developmentally, Rex has finally learned how to operate ride-on toys. When he was first home, he did not want to straddle anything, but now he rides around on those toys despite being a bit too big for them at this point. I was also so very proud of Rex for another first: he sat on my lap fully awake and let me cut his fingernails without any tears or fussing. He was so cooperative that I don’t think it even took a minute to accomplish this grooming task.

Bonding seems to have made a big leap forward with increased eye contact for Craig and me as well as lots of permissible cuddles. When we first had Rex, he would not allow us to touch his face or hold his hands. Now he lets me cup his cheeks into my hands and kiss him. I can also run my finger down from his forehead across his nose and lips to his chin and he enjoys it. Lately we’ve seen a few occasions where Rex has checked back visually with Craig and me before he proceeded with an activity. Moreover, he is just barely starting to hold on to our hands while walking in certain public situations.

Of course, the biggest challenge of the last two weeks has been the arrival of Emilia in our family. Rex is still a bit tentative about her, but we are very pleased that he has shown no aggression or any other negative behaviors toward her. Both kids are still in the parallel play stage, so we don’t expect any interactive play yet. We’re happy that they have locked eyes a few times and exchanged a few brief touches. I think once Emilia gets a little more settled, her sweet spirit will eventually win over her stubborn big brother.

Our Little Pilgrims

Tired, poor, homeless and yearning to breathe free they arrived in America anno 2011 in search of a better life.

Happy first Thanksgiving, little ones! Daddy and I are so grateful you are finally here.

And Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who continue to follow our journey.

IAC 197 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 197 which was held on 10/14/11:

1) Italian dossier from July 2008 referred a female child aged 2 years and 8 months

2) French dossier from September 2008 referred a female child aged 4 years and 8 months

3) Spanish dossier from October 2008 referred a male child aged 3 years 10 months

4) German dossier from November 2008 referred a female child aged 2 years and 8 months

5) Spanish dossier from December 2008 referred a male child aged 3 years 1 month

6) French dossier from November 2009 referred a waiting child (#1013) with a profile on the MOJ site

7) Italian dossier from December 2009 referred a male child aged 7 years and 1 month

8) Italian dossier from April 2010 referred a male child, aged 6 years and 11 months
to overcome health problems.

9) German dossier from September 2010 referred a male child, aged 2 years and 6 months
with treatable health problems

10) Italian dossier from October 2010 referred a male child, aged 8 years and 6 months
with treatable health problems

11) Italian dossier from July 2011 referred a male child, aged 9 years and 9 months
lags behind the NDP and specificity in health status

12) U.S. dossier from October 2011 referred a waiting child (#1287) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) U.S. dossier from October 2011 referred a waiting child (#1348) with a profile on the MOJ site

14) U.S. dossier from October 2011 referred a waiting child (#578) with a profile on the MOJ site

Bulgaria Recap

As promised, I will give a recap here about our week in Bulgaria. It will likely be too much detail for most, but I am trying to preserve it for Emilia.

11/11 Rex, Craig and I boarded a plane to start our journey to Bulgaria. We were a bit apprehensive about how Rex would handle the travel, especially the transatlantic flight, but he was a super trooper. I remember waking up at one point on the plane from Dulles to Vienna and looking over: Craig was asleep and Rex was sitting in his seat between us and quietly and happily playing with his toys. I couldn’t be more proud of this child and how far he has come.

11/12 We arrived in Sofia in the early afternoon and were taken to a hotel for one night. It was the Art'Otel on Uliza Gladstone and I can highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to stay at a hotel. They have modern rooms, a great breakfast buffet and the staff is very helpful. We tried to take a nap, but Rex had other ideas, so basically none of us got any sleep. We called the Boyds and went over to their apartment to meet them for the first time. Picked up some dinner at a little grocery store on the way back to the hotel, ate, and then basically passed out.

11/13 All three of us woke up at a normal morning hour, got ready and headed for breakfast. After that we went for a walk with the Boyds and saw Alexander Nevski Cathedral and some other sights. Lunch at Subway because it was there. Then we had to hurry back to the hotel to be taken to our apartment which was literally a minute walk from the hotel. We loved the apartment, very nice location, very clean and just about any amenity you could want. Headed to the supermarket with Stephanie Boyd in the afternoon to stock up on supplies and then had dinner with the Boyds and the Mussers who were also in Bulgaria to pick up their daughter.

11/14 Four months to the day from when we took Rex out of his orphanage, I left Sofia at 6:00 am to be taken to Dobrich by car to pick up Emilia. I was ride-sharing with a very nice Italian couple on their way to meet their 10 yo son. We got to Dobrich about 1:00, I met with the social worker and doctor, offered my donations and gifts, and finally Emilia was woken up and dressed and brought out to me. She was so precious in her too big clothes, smiling at me and stretching up her arms to be held. Just before 3:00 pm, Stefan (our driver), Emilia and I headed back to Sofia. It could have been a terrible six hour drive with a screaming or scared toddler, but it wasn’t. Emilia played with me, then slept. When she woke up, it had gotten dark and she spent the rest of the ride looking out of the window at the lights. She never shed a single tear. We arrived in Sofia around 9:00 pm to a very excited Craig and a sick Rex who was running a high fever. I gave me little guy some loving and then we all headed to bed.

11/15 After burning up all night, Rex’s fever finally broke in the morning. It didn’t take long for him to perk up again and start taking food. Emilia was incredibly scared when she woke up in a strange environment to strange people, but she came around quickly. She and I were picked up at 10:00 to go to the police station to apply for her passport and then to the clinic for the embassy medical exam. I met another family, the Wasingers, there with their new little 4 yo girl. Emilia and I got back home just after 1:00 pm. We had some lunch and a family nap and then met the Boyds for an evening walk.

11/16 We had the day off and took a walk to an underground “mall” with the Boyds in the morning. Got some nice souvenirs there and saw a few more sights… only from the outside, of course. The kids were holding up okay though we were starting to be ready to get home and into a more normal routine again, especially for Rex who needed it, we could tell. We took it easy in the afternoon and stayed put.

11/17 We had the US Embassy interview at 3:00 pm. It was a very easy process and didn’t take long at all. We enjoyed one last pizza dinner with the Boyds at our apartment before their departure the next day. We were so thankful that they were there when we were, just a block or two away, to spend the idle hours together and provide support to each other.

11/18 I started to pack our suitcases and we headed for a walk on Vitosha Boulevard in the afternoon. We wanted to spend our last Lev, so we bought some souvenirs and gifts for Emilia. Emilia's passport with her visa and her USCIS immigration package were delivered to us in the evening. We put the kids down very early which, surprisingly, worked. They slept all night until it was time to wake up and they did so in a happy mood.

11/19 We were picked up for the airport at 5:45 am. We were ready to go. The first flight went fine, Emilia slept and Rex just sat in his seat. We met up with my mom at the Vienna airport for the remainder of the trip. Rex was rather restless on the transatlantic flight. He wanted to be moving about, so we walked the aisles, we played, we sang, we had snacks… and managed to keep the tears contained to just a few incidences. Emilia was quiet the whole way and slept a lot or played with her toys. We were thankful for a very smooth immigration and customs and re-check process at Dulles. The last leg of the trip to Cincinnati, both of the kids just slept from sheer exhaustion. We got home around 8:00 pm.

Next I am going to post some photos from our trip which should be more exciting than this entry.