Thirty Days in Review

I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted! Time certainly flies when your days are filled with the pitter-patter of little feet (and hands) and the sweet babble of a darling baby boy! Here's a quick review of the last month.

Daycare
Brady is adapting very well to daycare. He's been going for a month now and absolutely loves it. He is still in the infant room (until he can walk, eat their lunches, and take only one nap a day) and pretty much owns the place. He already has his picture on the wall of honor in the front office! We are struggling with the afternoon nap lately though. He is too excited to sleep and is doing his best to keep the other babies (all a little younger than he is) awake as well. His teacher seems to think he is moving to one nap a day, but I beg to differ. He is asleep in his carseat before we leave the parking lot, then uber cranky for the rest of the evening.

An Apple A Day Isn't Working
A month in daycare and we're both on bug number two. Of course, Brady recovers in a few days, but I get fevers of 102 and am sick for 2 weeks! One of his IA doctors told me last week to expect to be sick for at least a year. Said that is how long it will take for both of us to build up any immunity. Oh yay. They don't tell you how to survive this part in any of the parenting books!

Ahead of Schedule
We had our cross-disciplinary evaluation at the International Adoption Clinic at Children's Hospital in Denver on the 18th. They were quite impressed with how well he is doing and did not see the need to recommend any therapies at this point. It was rather funny actually, because our appointment was at 9am and Brady is so not a morning child, bless his little heart! He was really quiet and subdued and just leaned into me as I held him on my lap. When the physical and occupational therapists, along with the doctor, wanted to see his motor skills, he did nothing. In fact, they laid him on his back on the floor and he didn't move. Not a muscle. They suddenly got very serious and concerned and asked me if he could roll over by himself. I burst out laughing. Um, yeah. Right then, he rolled over, got on all fours and stood up, right in the middle of the hallway. Look people, no hands!! They laughed. Based on the 1.5 hour eval, they determined he was about a month ahead of schedule for his age. I think if our appointment would have been later in the day, he would have been considered even a tad more advanced. Mama's proud! :)

12 Months or 1 year?
Brady celebrated his first birthday earlier this month. We had a few friends over, blew out a candle, opened wonderful presents, and giggled our way through the evening.

The Birthday Prince, who hates hats!

A beautiful Kazakh Princess and her mom helped us celebrate.


I am really struggling with my baby boy being, well, barely a baby any more. Every day he looks and acts more like a toddler. He's growing like crazy too. He's outgrown all his 9-month clothes which fit perfectly when I brought him home 2 months ago. I even had to buy him an 18-month size coat! I laugh at his antics one minute and shed a tear the next. There are times when I truly have a hard time connecting that little baby with a different name that spit up all over me in Kaz, with the little boy that is trashing my house and warming my heart here. Different worlds, different child, or so it seems at times. I think the multiple trips I made make everything seem even more disconnected. I am savoring the baby behaviors (like the way he crosses his feet and kicks his legs when he's excited or mad) because I know before long he will be all little boy.

The best toys ever!

I've been on one of these before!

Brady the Red-Nosed Baby
Being sick for two weeks wreaked havoc on my Christmas preparations. Everything was delayed until last weekend, including our visit to Santa. We have an outlet mall in town and Santa kept regular hours every day. Thought it would be quick and easy. Unfortunately, Brady missed his nap, fell asleep on the way there (all of 10 minutes), then became zombie-like while we waited in line for 25 minutes for the jolly old elf himself. Waited outside that is, in 20 degree weather. Poor baby. I had him bundled up in the stroller, with only his eyes showing, but the little nose was still pretty red. He was half asleep and just leaned into Santa and refused to smile. I debated a second try for better pictures another day (they will only take 3 at a time), but ran out of time.


Christmas Fun
Santa (or any of his elves) doesn't usually have a blue knob sticking out of his mouth!

It was a toss-up who had more fun on Christmas morning, Brady or Callie. He spied his new fire truck and was enthralled for at least an hour. Callie helped with the wrapping. I've noticed more than once how the two of them seem to like all the same things! Paper, string, and lately (ahem) even kitty kibble.






We spent the afternoon with our good friends and had a wonderful first Christmas together.

Have to read the card first, sitting down.

Then standing up.


Day to Day
We're making progress on the lumpier foods. He LOVES the food I make him now, even green beans and peas. ;) Spaghetti or anything with beef seems to be a favorite. But, occasionally, if he comes across a chunk (like a kernel of corn) he starts coughing and spits it out. Slow progress, I guess. He is starting to feed himself though. He gets all excited over puffs, and will eat avocado and banana chunks with no problem. The switch from bottle to sippy cup has not yet happened either. Despite these pictures of his first sippy cup experience, we're not even close yet. That's okay. I love holding him with his bottle.

A Day of Thanks

In previous years, I have been thankful for turkey and pumpkin pie on this holiday and not so thankful for the five pounds I would gain in 4 days! This year, Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning for me. My heart is full and my spirit joyful. There are few words to express my gratitude to the many people that made the miracle of my son possible and to those that provided support along the way.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving full of love, happiness, and lots of turkey and pumpkin pie!

Love,
Alysa

P.S. This slideshow might take awhile to load.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Latest in Bradyville

Medical Update
Brady's EEG came back normal! We spent 3 hours Monday at Children's Hospital going through the cleft palate clinic to confirm that he does have a submucous cleft palate, but it is not severe. The doctor said he should not have issues feeding and it shouldn't be the cause of his head congestion (which has been chronic since I met him in July) and his hearing is perfect. The one thing that could be a problem is speech. If it is affected, then surgery will be necessary, but not before he is about 4 years old. I'm hoping that with all the sounds he is already making, that speech won't be a problem.

Daycare
I'm going to back to work on Monday. I can't believe a month has passed by already! We went to daycare yesterday and today for a few hours each day and will go tomorrow for a half day before we start full time next week. He was so enthralled with the new toys that he didn't even notice I was leaving or had left. He did crawl up to me when I came back though yesterday. Today he was asleep and was very disoriented when I woke him up. Poor baby. Because he is still taking two naps a day (he needs it!) and cannot self feed (not even a sippy cup yet), has to have his own mushy food, and is not comfortable going outside in the play area, he is in the infant room rather than the toddler room. He is by far the oldest and most active child in there and keeps the teacher running. He will transition to the toddler room eventually, but he has to be able to feed himself and eat chunky stuff, go outside, and function on one nap a day. It could be awhile. Unfortunately, the toy selection in the infant room isn't going to cut it for much longer. I may ask to bring a couple things in that would still be appropriate for the tinier ones.

Eating. Or Not.
The nannies at the babyhouse told me they always had to feed Brady first, because as soon as he saw the food he became incredibly impatient. I was thrilled that Brady was such a good eater. He has eaten everything I have ever given him and with enthusiasm, until the last few days. Very same food he's been eating for weeks, but has decided he doesn't like it. It is pretty funny to watch, but also very frustrating. He not only makes faces, but starts crying if I dare to try another spoonful. Pureed peas were yesterday's insult. Tonight the eyes welled up, then he started gagging and actually vomited a little from pureed green beans that never made it past the tip of his tongue. Sheesh! What a performance that was!

No Peas Video
(Apologies in advance for the baby talk -- not my usual voice with Brady!)


I'm on a mission to start making his food, rather than using the jarred baby foods. The Occupational Therapist at the clinic told me that the Gerber (or any) level 3 foods are hard transition foods, because they are gloppy with chunks in it. The texture is inconsistent in the kids' mouths and they don't know how to handle that sudden piece of whatever. Makes sense. He comes across a very soft chunk of carrot, pea, or pasta, and he starts coughing and spewing food. So, I just made up a batch of turkey, mixed veggies, and rice. He cried before the spoon ever got to his mouth when I tried a taste test, but wolfed a good 1/2 cup down at lunch. Woo-hoo!

The Out of Doors
Brady had his first experience with snow and grass in the past couple of weeks. He wasn't too fond of either! Unfortunately, the grass is starting to die now and is kind of prickly.

The snow was cold and scary. Mom wasn't fast enough or far enough away with the camera.


Cat Relations

Callie is tolerating Brady as just another nuisance now.

Damn! There he is!

Guess I'll just have to wait.

That toy is looking pretty fun, though.
He's not looking -- go!
Uh-oh! Tuck the tail and run!

A Doctor a Day...

Brady had his first appointment with his pediatrician last Thursday. I had a couple of things I was concerned about, but instead I was thrown for a loop after she examined him. Seems he very likely has a cleft palate! It is officially called a "submucous cleft palate" because the roof of his mouth does have a lining. His uvula (the thing that hangs in the back of your throat) is in two pieces, which is an indication that the palate did not fully come together. She took one look and made this announcement. I'm baffled at how it is possible that not one of the doctors in Kaz recognized it.

This diagnosis causes several other things to make sense now: his chronic head congestion, irritated throat, and his discomfort when eating lumpier foods. We have an appointment with the cleft palate team at Children's Hospital in Denver next Monday. We'll confirm the diagnosis, then over a period of 1.5 hours, we will meet with a social worker, have a hearing test performed, then run the gamut with the specialists: pediatrician, ear-nose-throat specialist, plastic surgeon, dentist, genetic counselor, occupational therapist, and speech therapist. By the time we leave, we will have a verbal recommendation on treatment, which generally means surgery. Needless to say, my head is still spinning!

Since last Thursday, Brady has also had 7 vials (yes SEVEN) of blood drawn for labwork (all at once -- 20 minutes of screaming while I held him in a vice-grip), first round of vaccines (including flu shots for both of us) Monday, a ninety-minute EEG appointment yesterday (after what might have been a mild seizure last week), and back to the doctor today for more bloodwork and to check the TB test. All these doctor visits are exhausting for both of us! Overall though, he is gaining weight and doing well.

Trying the mesh feeder so he'll learn how to feed himself and to chew. Yum! I have to admit to loving watching that little mouth at work when he eats at this age. I know it won't be so cute for much longer once he learns how to chew.



Other than all this fun, things are going well. In the last couple of days he has decided that screaming like someone is trying to kill him is a ton of fun. He's not in pain, he's just fine, but apparently likes the sound of his own very loud screeching voice! I keep waiting for the police to knock at my door. Anyone have any suggestions how to tone him down? My ears are ringing!

First time in the oh-so-fun playpen.


Every time since in the not-so-fun playpen.



Callie is also tolerating him a bit more. He wouldn't leave her alone while she was eating last night though and she hissed at him then bopped him on the head. I've been trying to keep a close eye on them so no swatting, scratching, or other damage would occur to either of them. Apparently she gets that he is just a baby. She just bopped him on top of the head (no claws out), exactly like she used to do to Merlin when she would get annoyed. It was really rather funny and he was startled, but still very delighted with the whole thing. He giggled and started crawling right after her. Sigh. Poor Callie.

He is destined to be a contortionist, I think. He squeezed under the rung on this chair...


Planned his next move...

Over he goes...

Almost there...

All in an attempt to reach the one that is ignoring him in true cat fashion.

Rooaarrr!

Halloween was a bit lost on Brady. He was sick (so was Mommy) with our colds, but our good friend "Aunt" Deb came over and turned it into a fine celebration. I hadn't bought a costume prior to leaving for Kaz and since Halloween is HUGE here nearly everything was sold out when I finally did go looking on Thursday. We did find one, although it was a little small, but did the trick for a short amount of time.



Deb loved greeting the trick-or-treaters (went through 2 big bags of candy) and by the end of the evening, Brady would crawl giggling to the front door as well to see what ghouls and goblins were out there.

Deb also brought us a carload of goodies! Brady got a ton of new toys, a big bag of clothes, a new dish set and sippy cup, many other fun things, and a GIANT "Welcome Home Brady" cookie! THANK YOU, DEB! You made our first Halloween very memorable.

Our First Outing

We left the house for the first time yesterday. His cold is coming back, or more likely, I reinfected him, so he was a little out of sorts. We had a 3-hour adventure at Babies R Us and Target. He was pretty good, but wanted to turn around in the cart and play with whatever was in it. I have a cart play thingamajig, but hadn't brought it, since I thought figuring out the carseat, the carts, and our first time out was enough. I'll try it next time and see if it helps.

I also expected squalling in the carseat (the first time coming home from the airport was brutal for about the last 15 minutes, but he was exhausted and scared), but he did fine! He was having fun looking out the windows. I can't wait until he can be forward-facing though. He kept trying to turn around and look at me, even though I have a mirror on the headrest in front of him.

It was nice to get out. Felt like we really are starting to settle in. I knew it, but it really became apparent that even with 2 years to get ready, I wasn't ready. Still trying to get organized, finding out some of the things I still need to buy (like 2 dozen pacifiers, instead of the 2 I had!), and where things should go in the house.

Learnings.

Brady:
-- how to climb the stairs (oy!) -- blocked, but gate being installed very soon!
-- how to wave "Hi" (thank you, Elaine!)
-- what "no" means and it is working! He's staying out of the cat food and the away from the electronics
-- that he still can't quite chew chunkier food. We're having to stick with pretty mushy wet stuff for now
-- that despite having toys scattered everywhere, the best toys are magazines, telephone books, remote controls, kleenex boxes, and anything Mom forgets and puts on the coffee or end tables.


Mommy:
-- how to take soggy paper out of a baby's mouth (see above)
-- how to do almost everything one handed and with an aching back
-- where the nearest massage place is for when I can find someone to babysit for an hour or two
-- how to play peekaboo while I pee
-- just how much an 11-month-old can get into in 5 seconds or less
-- that the La-Z-Boy rocker/recliner that I bought for his room was worth every penny
-- washing dishes, washing clothes, washing my hands happens ALL DAY LONG
-- what the best hand lotion is for dry, cracked hands
-- never buy 6 of anything until you test it on the kid (stocked up on pacifiers with ribbed nipples on them yesterday thinking they'd be good for teething,washed and sterilized them, and he spits them right back out)
-- that you need 2 of everything when you have a two-story house (thought I learned this one when I moved in and had 3 bathrooms, which is 2 more than I've ever had)


Questions for the experience Moms out there:
-- because of the extra dry climate here (not to mention his cold) he needs lots of fluids. Other than juices (diluted) and formula, any other ideas? I'm working on water, but he isn't crazy about it. I'm diluting the juices more and more hoping he'll drink it eventually, but he also seems to want everything warmer than room temp. He hasn't mastered the art of eating soup yet either. Runs right out of his mouth.

-- cold with sore throat. I can't believe how much snot a little guy can create. Using the snot sucker (pure torture, since I have to get him in a headlock and hold both arms, and not very effective), saline drops in the nose, humidifier in the room, baby tylenol, trying to get lots of fluids in him, but he still seems pretty miserable. I'm also using some Boudreaux's Baby Kisses lip balm (again the super dry climate here) and putting some under his nose, which is no doubt tender from all the wiping. Any other suggestions?

Life is Good, Take 2

Today is the first day Brady and I have been on our own. This is what I found when I went into his room this morning. Life is certainly good today!


Brady is adapting amazing well. Better than I am I think! His sleep schedule is pretty close to normal, we just need to keep the routine. He has been a little over-tired the last two days (me too!), but is going to bed between 8:30 and 9 and taking both a morning and afternoon nap. The afternoon nap seems to be a tough one, but we're working on it. He has been waking up early (between 5 and 6) thinking it's time to play, but still kind of cranky and rubbing his eyes. Today, I managed to get him to go back to sleep until nearly 8. He fusses and cries a bit, but then settles down and sleeps. I kept him in my room in the pack n'play for the first 2 nights, but started him napping and then sleeping in his room yesterday. NO problem at all with the transition! Woo-hoo! He is majorly addicted to the pacifier, but it falls out of the crib, which causes squalling at various times during the night. Short of putting the bumper in (which I don't want to do), I guess I'll just "stock" the crib with 2-3 each night and hope one stays with him til morning.

My house is pretty quiet and all the bedrooms open onto a balcony above the family room, thus any noise downstairs can be heard upstairs. I need some white noise (heard "pink" noise is now better) to help mask the startling sounds, like phones (3 calls during yesterday afternoon's non-nap alone -- can't wait til the election is over!) and just my moving around or Callie's meowing. Anyone have any suggestions? There is rather noisy ceiling fan in his room, so I may try to reverse the direction and leave it on for the time being.

He discovered the baskets first thing this morning and toppled them over to see what good stuff he could find.


Our biggest problem seems to be my other baby, Callie. She is kind of a mess. She's upset, anxious, and wanders around crying. Loudly. She has now taken up sitting outside his door crying, which invariably wakes him up. She even hissed at me yesterday when I picked her up. I have no doubt the combination of my travel (which always weirds her out a little), then Merlin disappearing, followed 2 days later by my leaving for 3 weeks again, then coming home with a little alien that chases her all over the house is why she is like she is. Ever since our move to Colorado a couple of years ago, she has become a bit more skitzy. This is not a shy cat either. Several months ago the vet recommended putting her on an anti-depressant (for real!) because of her twitching and running around the house like something was under her skin (this is actually a diagnosed condition now), but we stopped because I wasn't being consistent on giving her the pills and she became too weird and wouldn't come out of my room much. I still had some pills left, so am trying again. I think we will all benefit from her being a little calmer right now.

The Brady-Callie chase is kinda cute, even if Callie doesn't think so. He grins at her and off he goes. She doesn't run and hide, she just walks away, a little bit faster than he can crawl (so far) staying just out of his reach. Reminds me of the infamous OJ freeway chase!

He follows Callie all over, even in tight spots, but manages to wiggle through on his own!

I'm slowly catching up on my sleep, but finding I can't go back to sleep after Brady's 5am wake-up call. Too much going through my head. I don't think either of us really have jet lag, which no doubt is because neither of us slept more than a few hours on the trip home! I'm still very tired, but seem to be over the worst of my cold, so feeling better.

I want to say another HUGE THANK YOU to Lyle and Elaine, my good friends from Colorado Springs. Elaine stayed with us until yesterday evening. She cooked, cleaned, took care of Brady, and did anything else that needed doing, so I could get some sleep and actually run to the store for a few things yesterday. That was the first time in 3 weeks I've had a "break" so to speak. I love my son, but you do need a respite once in a while! Anyway, we could not have survived our first days at home without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

He loves this musical toy, probably because of the mirror. Only thing is, I caught him with one leg on the "keyboard" trying to climb it this morning! Oy! I was hoping for a couple of weeks at least before the climbing started!