Sibling bonding II

Rachael and Robby are getting along a lot better now... in fact Robby has been bitten just once in the last week! They have reached the point where they will play together without fighting for several minutes. They love to play outside with their tri-cycle, bike and scooter. Sometimes Rachael tries to mother Robby which he does not like....
Well I started that post several days ago and had to stop because the two of them got into a major argument...just as I was writing about them getting along better. :) They are continuing to learn to adjust to each other. Some of the issues we have between them are just sibling issues and have nothing to do with adoption etc. The jealousy on Rachael's part is decreasing as is the aggressive behavior. Robby is starting to assert himself a little bit and has even pushed Rachael a couple of times. Funny how I think it is good that my son is pushing my daughter...usually parents want the kids to play nice, I want my son to fight back. ( at least to a point... it is a fine line we are walking).

More good news (and a "duh")

The "duh" has to do with Robby's hearing evaluation last week. The Mandarin translator did not show up, therefore we couldn't easily communicate the instructions to Robby. He was supposed to drop a block into a pail every time he heard a sound, plus a couple of other things. Anyway the results of the test showed that Robby had a profound hearing loss 0f 80-90 decibels. We know this is not right. The doctor even said it was a bad result because if that was his actual level of loss, he wouldn't be able to speak with the skill he does. So we came away form the audiologist knowing that Robby has an 'undetermined hearing loss'...Duh.

The good news: We got the results of Robby's blood and lab work back. Everything looks great! No abnormal levels, no disease, we don't even have to repeat most of his vaccinations!

We have a CT Scan scheduled for Sept 7th. The results will be sent to Dr. Roberson in California to see if Robby is a candidate to have his ear canals opened. This would increase his ability to hear.

Good News!

We saw more doctors today. Because the kidneys form at the same time as the ears, whenever there is a problem with ear structure the doctors check the kidneys to make sure they are developed properly. Robby had an ultrasound today and then we saw the urologist. Everything is fine with his kidneys. The ultrasound showed no malformations. This is a relief. Our visit with the ENT and audiologist was rescheduled until Tuesday.

All the testing and doctors we have seen so far agree on one thing: we have an adorable healthy little boy.

Dr. visit

Robby had his first appointment with the International Adoption Clinic today. We met with a dietitian, a physical therapist and a pediatrician. The dietitian was pleased with his eating. (He eats a lot of meat and fruit and drinks a ton of milk or yogurt smoothies. He is not very fond of vegies.)

The physical therapist said he was right on target for his age. There were some things she couldn't tell because of his unwillingness. We had a mandarin translator with us, but Robby wouldn't really respond to her, possibly due to shyness around new people.

The pediatrician said he looked like he was in excellent health, although a little skinny. She saw no major health issues.

Then we went downstairs for blood work. They took a ton of blood and will check for a variety of things including whether he needs to repeat any vaccinations. Dan and the translator were also able to get Robby to take a urine test. He must have thought they were nuts getting him to pee in a cup. This weekend we have the unenviable job of collecting two sets of stool samples. I told Dan that was his responsibility. :)

Monday we go back to see a developmental psychologist. Thursday we see the Ear. Nose and Throat Doctor who will do, among other things, a hearing test. Then we see a renal specialist for an ultrasound of his kidneys. Because the ears and the kidneys form at the same time in-utero, when a child has ear problems they always check the kidneys. Robby shows no visible signs of kidney problems, but we need to check to make sure. Later in the month we will have a CT scan of his inner ears and a visit to the eye doctor.

Found our Urumqi hotel on Google Earth

On a whim, I went to maps.google.com tonight, and pulled up Urumqi, to see if I could spot our hotel from the satellite photo. Funny enough, I found it almost instantly. Click here to see where we stayed. To the left is the park we visited a few times (where Rachael and Robby ate dripping ice cream surrounded by locals). Our hotel is the shape of an upside-down Y, with a circle on top, on the bottom left, across the highway from the park.

Small world 2

Two and a half years ago when we had just finished the paperwork for Rachael, I joined a yahoo group for families whose paperwork went to China at about the same time. Having similar log in dates in China would mean we would get our referral at the same time. Through this group we met a family that lives in the Columbus area. We are still in touch with them. Darla has a friend who she knows through another yahoo group. She sent me a message with her friends website. It turns out it is 'Alaska' , the folks we met several times in China! (see the previous post for a further explanation). I now can learn their names and read more about their time in Fuzhou. Is that cool or what?

Party time

Bedtime has been going really smooth the past few nights, no more crying and sleeping through the night. That is, until last night. About 15 minutes after I put the kids to bed, I heard noises and giggles coming from their room (Robby and Rachael have bunk beds and share a room). When I checked on them, they were both up on Robby's bed. I put Rae in her bed and told them to go to sleep. A few minutes later I heard more giggles and the unmistakable sound of children jumping on the bed. Again, back in their own bed with a strict talk. Then a third time. I then went downstairs and was talking to my brother when I heard Rachael going into the kitchen. When I got off the phone, I went up to check on them. They were sitting on Robby's bed licking the icing off of cupcakes! This was an hour and a half after they first went to bed. I guess they were trying to celebrate being home for two weeks. I can see many more late night parties in their future :) They are going to be quite a pair when they can really communicate... there is much orneriness and many adventures looming in the future of the Houser household.