Settling In
January 13, 2008
Hello everyone! I'm sorry it has been so long since I updated. We have been so busy and the time has just flown by.
Nathan is doing great so far, he is adjusting really well. Christmas was fun, though he much preferred the tissue paper over the million gifts he received. We had Robert's mom here with us for about a week and we were so thankful. It was so nice to have someone here while we unpacked, recovered and tried to settle into a routine.
We had our big post adoption appointment at the Vandy clinic and he was such a trooper. It's a really long day that involves lots of doctors, exams, shots, etc. Nathan really handled it well. He has also seen his pediatrician a few times, we have already dealt with an ear infection, upper respiratory infection and now he is getting over pneumonia. Poor little guy, all this change is a lot for one little immune system to handle.
The summary from the first round of doctor appointments is this... he does seem to have a displaced hip, this could be from spending so much time in a walker. We have our first visit with the pediatric orthopedic tomorrow morning so we should know soon if we will have to do surgery or if therapy will take care of it. We have an appointment with the eye doctor on 2/1 for the crossed eyes. I am anxious to get this taken care of because I think it really affects his hand-eye coordination. That may also require surgery, we will have to wait and see. In March he visits the neurologist. Our pediatrician wanted us to visit a neurologist for a few reasons. First, to make sure the eyes is not due to anything neurological and second, to have a full brain scan to make sure that the hydrocephelus diagnosis that Nathan's had at birth is not an issue that needs to be dealt with. Also, the pediatrician thinks he may have some form of cerebral palsy, though minor. He was telling us that CP is really a very broad term that means at some point in utero or during birth there was some sort of brain trauma that can result in everything from severe mental retardation to a slight limp in one leg. Nathan's arms and legs are very tight, especially his legs, and that may be the reason. He does feel that with physical therapy he will be just fine.
So we have some work ahead of us and, much to Nathan's dismay, more doctor visits. But our pediatrician feels that it is best to be as aggressive as we can in order to give Nathan the best opportunities possible to catch up to his peers, and we agree. We have seen him make such amazing progress in the three weeks we have been home so we have no doubts that he will be just fine. He really is a blessing, such a smart child. It's been so fun to watch him discover new things and figure out how they work.
Overall he is a very happy boy. We still have some tantrums to deal with, but they are getting shorter and less angry. He seems to be getting much more comfortable with us and looks to us now when he is upset or hurt for comfort. He may not get what it is he wants, but he will be held and comforted and that usually does the trick.
We had a party for his 2nd birthday last week and he made out like a bandit. My mom came to town for the party as well as Robert's mom, nephew JC and his girlfriend Jessica... and about 25 of our friends. It was the first time we had seen a lot of them since we got back home and it was great! Nathan was overwhelmed a couple of times so we would sneak into the other room and hang out for a bit then he would be fine. He loved flirting with all the girls and making everyone laugh. One thing I know, this child wants for nothing! He has more clothes and toys than 10 kids his age should have.
Overall things are going great. It seems like he has always been a part of our family, he just fits in so well. He and I are going to Dallas in a couple of weeks so he can meet the rest of my family and I am so excited. I am really looking forward to introducing him to everyone.
I know i have said this before, but it's worth repeating... thank you. Your support and prayers brought this little boy into our world. God has blessed us beyond belief, not only with Nathan, but with each of you as well. We know that that whatever he gives us as far as Nathan's development and progress we will be able to handle because of the amazing people we have around us.
