Doctor's visit

We have been home with Henry for THREE months!! I cannot believe it! We are so grateful he is part of our family!

This morning Henry, my friend Riana and I went to the pediatrician's office for Henry's blood to be taken. They are doing an allergy panel, CBC and a few other tests to help determine why Henry's pigmentation continues to change and why his tummy still has troubles. It's so sad to watch your child cry and cry while they are trying to find a vein! While they were drawing the blood Riana had the privilege of holding Henry's legs down while I held down his arms. ugh... The good news is they were able to get the blood samples they needed so we did not have to go to the hospital! AND Riana brought a cookie with her so after the nurses were done Henry enjoyed a treat!

The bad news- I came home with these...



Yes, the specimen kits are back in our home! Nine of them need to be filled this time! ugh.... Some of the samples must be delivered to the hospital within 2 hours of being "filled". The lab is open 24 hours so we, I mean Rob, can deliver them night or day.
UPDATE- Rob took the first sample to the hospital this afternoon. They said they will be able to run all but two of the tests with the one sample. WOOO-HOOO! I only have two more vials to fill.

Here is Henry wearing his new helmet!

Another tooth lost, Henry's hair cut and doctor visit

It's been a busy week. We had our 3 month post placement visit with out social worker! I started our re-adoption paperwork for Henry. Igor lost his 5th tooth on Tuesday at school! Henry had his hair cut on Wednesday. This time he only cried the first half of the hair cut. I think Henry will be more comfortable and I will have barber shop protocol down by the next visit. Henry's hair is sooo straight. Someone asked if Henry was from Iraq!

We have great news- Henry has moved from the 33rd percentile in weight to the 42nd percentile in weight! The doctors are very pleased with his weight gain. This is amazing since Henry still has major tummy issues. He has been treated for worms and giardia multiple times. We did three giardia tests this month and they all came back negative. We are going to start probiotics again. The doctor wants Henry to take them for 30 days straight to see if it will help. We've had Henry on and off probiotics since January.

Henry will have allergy testing completed next week to determine if he has any food allergies. His tummy troubles and his skin pigmentation issues could be food related. The doctor will call the infectious disease specialist at the hospital to see what he recommends. She wants next steps in case Henry doesn't have food allergies.

I need to post Igor's recent drawings from art school. He has been drawing houses with colored pencils.

This and That

In my last post I used the phrase "orphanage dust". I didn't make the phrase up, I wish I was that creative but I'm not... I am pretty sure I read it on Apryl's blog last year.
The orphanage dust bunny is still here but it's no longer the size of Kansas. thank goodness.

I went to the doctor- great news, I do not have a hernia!! I have torn a muscle in my stomach. The doctor said it will heal on it's own.

Henry is still having tummy troubles which is now causing him to scream in pain. This happens during the day and in the middle of the night. We are all very tired. I think the medicine Henry took made the parasite angry but it didn't kill it. Rob took him to the doctor yesterday. Henry will do another round of medicine for giardia. In the mean time, my mother-in-law bought us medical gloves for bathing and changing Henry. I wasn't sure if we'd like them but I LOVE them. They keep our hands clean (although we still wash our hands) but there is much less chance of us contracting giardia with the gloves on.

My friend and blogger pal Susan has started making body butter for her son. She inspired me to make butter for Henry since his skin is so dry. I didn't have Aquaphor but I did have Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream so I decided to modify Susan's recipe.

I mixed 6 oz of raw Shea Butter and 3 oz of Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream in my KitchenAide and wallah, the mixture is like body butter and it keeps Henry's skin from getting ashy. I love it. Thanks Susan for the recipe!

While I'm on the subject of things I love, I thought I'd share two products I really enjoy. Other moms might like them too?? I LOVE the Kiddopotamus Place mat check it out if you have a toddler! We received this at Igor's toddler shower and it's an item I have treasured (it's the simple things!). Henry uses it daily. It's portable so you can take it with you to a restaurant but we use ours at home. Why do I love this product?

1. It sticks to the table so Henry cannot slide the place mat with his food on it.
2. The surface of the place mat is not slick so the plates/bowls do not slide
3. It has a scoop to catch spills
4. It's durable
5. It's easy to clean

My other meal time favorite are Munchkin bowls. They are dishwasher and microwave safe they come in cool colors AND they are BPA free. They have a tall angled side to help Henry keep the food in the bowl while he is scooping out his food.

Igor keeps reminding me that Henry's birthday is this week! We will celebrate this weekend. Pictures to follow.