Solveig's concert and art show

Solveig's spring concert and art show were last night.  Great job, Solveig!

(I'm too tired after driving 5 hours and spending 6 hours in a hospital today to blog about Anju's MRI experience, but I'll get to it tomorrow---hopefully.)

The Pacific Princess sets sail

For those of you brought up in the 80's like I was, you may remember Julie the cruise director from "Love Boat", who was always running around with her clip board arranging activities for the passengers.  Well, this May you can just call me Julie (but I'd prefer you didn't).  

Between Anju's appointments, Jonah and Solveig's field trips, Solveig's piano recital and school music concert, Jonah's Kindergarten graduation, VBS planning (first week of June), church meetings, community events, trips, confirmation and graduation open houses, city clerk responsibilities, and Memorial Day plans, I barely have time to sleep, do laundry, cook, clean and all those other fun things---emphasis on the sleep.  

Yesterday Shawn attended a study club with a couple other pastors in Bemidji while Anju and I got her orthotics fitted.  Then we ran around Bemidji looking for shoes that they would fit in that woudn't make her look like a clown.  Just when I was about to ask where the foam red nose and squirting flower section was, we found a pair that are suitable.  She's not crazy about them, especially wearing them in the house since we are a barefooot kind of family, but I'm sure with time she'll grow used to them.  I bought her all kinds of new socks to wear with her new shoes and she is very excited about the socks.  The girl loves socks for some reason (obviously not my genetic child-ha!).  

Today she went to her doctor for her pre-anesthesia exam.  Her doctor (also from India) says she can tell she is growing healthier and filling out and is developing emotionally in an appropriate fashion.  She has no developmental concerns.  Anju was even able to blow bubbles at the doctor's office which they found impressive for her age.  We also had her dr. fill out the medical form that we need to send to LSS to finalize the adoption.  At least this one time we could kill two birds with one stone!

Tomorrow Anju and I leave about 6 a.m. for Fargo where she needs to check-in on the pediatric floor of the hospital at 8:30 for her 10:30 MRI/CT etc. appointment.  Please pray that she does fine under the general anesthesia and that the results of the scans are positive.  Anju and I will be missing Ladies' Aid and the VBS meeting tomorrow night after our long day.  We just can't hit them all.

Anju has developed an attachment to her fuzzy Tweety bird blanket (one of Jonah's baby gifts) and stuffed monkey she got for her birthday the past week or so.  She needs to drag the blanket and sometimes monkey around with her during the day.  She also is sucking her thumb more now.  I am reading a book about raising int'l adopted kids, and it said that having a comfort item or "lovey" like an animal or blanket and dragging it around is a sign of attachment to the mother, since these items come to symbolize their mom to them.  Many adopted kids from other cultures don't have a special toy or blanket because they are indiscriminate about what/who comforts them.  So, I'm taking this as a good sign.  She also likes me to wrap her up in the blanket and play "baby".  I rock her and kiss her when she is all bundled up in the blanket and she says and signs "baby" while I say "Anju is my sweet baby"...etc.  She smiles and laughs and sometimes says "mama" and kisses me too.

I'm off to address a mailing to my city's residents about this Saturday's clean-up day---if Elmo can be entertaining enough to buy me a half hour.  Hoping all is "exciting and new" with you all!

Festival and Final Post-placement Visit

Anju was still a reluctant long-distance traveler, and she did not appreciate my brother's cat living indoors, but otherwise she enjoyed her trip to the cities to see her grandparents and uncle and to attend the Festival of Nations.  She really enjoyed watching the performances of kids representing different cultures dancing in their beautiful costumes.  She especially liked the ones that made noise--like the Dakota kids with their loud costumes, or Japanese ones with their loud drums.  The most enchanting part of the festival is the international café section with booths from about 30 countries.  She and I enjoyed a plate of chicken and potato curries, mango chutney and rice from Nepal and of course she washed this down with a dill pickle and a piece of lefse!  

Yesterday the social worker from LSS came for the last post-placement visit.  They don't have experience placing from India, so weren't sure how to do the IR-4 adoption, or an adoption from guardianship.  (Most int'l adoptions have you adopt the child abroad, get an IR-3 visa, and then just finalize here, but we need to do the full adoption here.)  We will need to go to court when all our paperwork is done to adopt Anju.  The documents the IR-4 process demands are a birth certificate from her home country and an adoption decree, neither of which we have.

She said that many families have complained about therapists/schools/medical professionals pushing various therapies for "delayed development" because the tests they use compare adopted kids to Caucasian, Western, normally parented children.   Our adopted kids should be analyzed by looking at how far they come in development in comparison to their time with their family.  When you consider how far Anju has come with gross motor skills and language in the 5 1/2 months she has been home, and how much she has grown physically, it is unrealistic to expect her to have accomplished much more.  She said if our primary care doctor isn't concerned, to just blow it off.  This has been my gut thought, and I've gotten several other opinions from experts- mothers- in the past few days and it's good to hear a consensus.  Thanks, Jackie!

Camera's back from the shop!

Ever since Anju arrived, she has been saying "na, na, na" and doing a finger wiggle.  I finally got it on video.  When someone (or something--like her uncle's speaking medication dispenser) is misbehaving in Anju's book--cat is in the house, brother is goofing off during prayer time, daddy is sitting at the "wrong" spot at the table----we are treated to the "bossy Anju" routine.  Enjoy!

A Win-Win-Win Situation

(Shawn) Ever since we got back from India, I haven't known how to fit exercise into my schedule. Having a toddler around has meant our morning routine has changed.  We own an elliptical, but it's in the garage.  Also, this was one snowy, cold winter, sub-zero for weeks on end.  I was very prone to hibernation.  But this past week, we have had very spring-like pleasant weather most days.  So last Monday, I decided to put Anju in the stroller and push her as I went for a 2 mile walk.   She was excited to go outside, and fell asleep on the walk.  So this is what we've been doing that last week and half, except for rainy days when I use the elliptical for about 50 minutes.  This has been a win-win-win situation, allowing me to exercise, Anju to go outside and get a nap, and Amy to have an hour or so by herself in the morning.

April pics

Solveig at the tea party in Thief River Falls- (she's wearing a Johnny Cash shirt)

Anju with her Grandpa Dave, Great-Grandma Sammy and Grandma Darlene

(Shawn's parents and grandma) at Edna's party

Anju with her puppy from the medical supply man

3 kids in a pool

Grandma and Grandpa Stafford and Auntie Sara's friend Sathish

with Solveig and Jonah at Grandma Edna's party

Clinic Report

We got the full medical report back yesterday on Anju's myelodysplasia clinic visit.  Her renal ultrasound was normal.  That's good news--no reflux or anything unusual.  It was interesting to read all the doctors'/specialists' reports on her history--and how they describe her birth/abandonment/orphanage life/placement and adoption.  Also funny was the category on abuse suspected--they put "don't know" because parents never left the room so they could ask her.  Ha!!  

More specifics: speech therapy recommended twice a week, gross motor skills and cognitive development are at a minor delay, and fine motor skills are normal, she is at the less than 0% for height and weight, but proportion height for weight she is at the 27%, no reflex action noted in lower leg (hitting the knee), lower leg weakness, stance/gait problem previously discussed with recommendation for foot bracing, and recommendations for MRI, CT scan and urodynamic testing to be done later this month to see how her syrinx etc. are doing in comparison to her MRI done as an infant.

They say basically her deficits are gross motor skills (jumping, walking up/down stairs, standing on tiptoes, catching a ball etc.) and we are supposed to work on those---while at the same time reporting problems with her feet/walking and lower leg weakness---which to me would impede development of those skills.  Right?  But we're going to work on them and see what happens.

I take her outside with her ball to play, but she gets mad if I take her ball away.  She just wants to stand and hold it and look at it.  I'm not sure if she loves it so much she's afraid I'm going to steal it, or is just so giddy to have something she owns, or if she really doesn't "get" playing ball at all.  

Please keep me in your prayers as I embark on another trip to the cities for the weekend with my 3 traveling companions in the back seat.  For serenity and never-ending caffeine for me, and fatigue for them????