Birthday Cake Belly

On Friday we celebrated James' 47th birthday. It was a quiet affair... just the four of us, a pizza and red velvet cupcakes. Every year I try to make James a red velvet cake, and every year I mess it up. This year, I decided to play it safe. I ordered half a dozen cupcakes from our favorite cake shoppe. Everyone was happy, but Josie was thrilled. Cupcakes are her favorite thing in the world! (at least this week they are...) Here, she shows off her "Cupcake Belly":



We have all been incredibly sick for the majority of this month. It started with Maddie, she let herself get run down by not getting enough sleep, and the rest of us followed in short order. I thought I had dodged the 'crud' but this was not the case. Even James, who normally stays healthy, was down for a few days. It's been just terrible.

Worse of all is watching Josie suffer with a horrible stuffy nose and wicked cough. Her sleeping pattern has been disrupted- so I'm up most nights around 2:30 AM comforting her. When I get up, the dogs get up. So, in the middle of the night our house is lit up like a Christmas tree, the dogs are running around in the yard and I'm stumbling around, looking for the most promising option for temporary relief of coughing spells.

During this time, we also had painters in the house. We decided to lighten up the kitchen and family room areas - as I've stated many times, these areas are in the rear of the house. The yard is heavily forested so the house gets only filtered light for most of the year. Now that all the leaves are gone, we get a bit more natural light, but it's still not enough to brighten my rooms or my mood.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving at my brother's home in the Richmond area. It's not a long drive from here and it's the first time in while that I don't have to worry about cooking. Josie had her Thanksgiving celebration at school last Thursday and the kids were just adorable. All dressed like pilgrims.

Thats about all from here right now. I would like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that you all take the time to visit us here.

Melamine

Melamine is a chemical with a number of industrial uses, and an already scandalous history as one of the major contaminants in the 2007 Chinese pet food debacle. It is suspected that it was added to milk at milk collecting stations in China to disguise the fact that milk was being watered down, since melamine artificially increases the testable protein content. We don't yet know how long this has been a problem. According to Sanlu, a popular budget formula manufacturer implicated in this event, contaminated milk was used in the manufacture of infant formula processed before 8/6/08, as well as in other dairy products like liquid milk, frozen yogurt, and coffee creamer.

Turns out that children who were adopted from China as far back as 2005 were exposed to the melamine tainted powdered milk. Given that Josie was born in 05 and lived in China until March of 2006, we are having her tested.

We are unable to learn what brand of formula she was given by the orphanage or her foster family. Also, news reports state that 22 different brands were found to be tainted but not one report lists all those brands. I have spent endless hours on line trying to find pictures... turns out we have some photos in which our bags of formula are in the background. I was hoping to match the photo to find out if the brand we were given in China was included in the recall. I also brought back one package of the formula from China because we were transitioning Josie from the Chinese formula to American formula.

Josie is an exceptionally healthy child, so we're not in panic mode. We're working with our pediatrician and following the advice and treatment plans offered by the American Pediatric Association for Adoptive Families.

Josie will have a urinalysis, a blood draw and a renal/urinary tract ultrasound to be sure all areas of concern are addressed. We are on the same tract as our pediatrician who believes "better safe than sorry".

We'll let you know how our little one makes out.

30 Pounds of Fury

So, here she is - in all her glory! Josie had her 3 year old Check-up today. I am thrilled to report that she is doing fantastic! In the past year she has grown 2.5 inches, gained 3 pounds and a few ounces and increased head circumference by 2 cm. Yeah Josie, Way to Grow!!

Her actual stats are: 36 inches tall, 30 pounds and 48 cm head circumference. Doctor says she is very advanced in her speech and her knowledge of basic preschool stuff - colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc. She was able to perform (with some prodding) the basic functions the Doctor asked of her... Can you jump? Can you tell me what colors are on this sheet? Can you name one of your friends? What is your first name? What is your last name? How old are you?

Funny thing was, when asked "How old are you?" Josie answered "Eight" , which of course, is her favorite number. And there I was telling the doctor what a smart kid I thought she was... Oh well.

I asked all the questions I had been saving up... mostly about how much/how long she might need to be in preschool. I have Josie registered for preschool starting in the Fall. I haven't found out yet if she was put into the Tuesday/Thursday or the M/W/F class. The doctor felt that the most important thing about preschool is learning how to socialize and to work in a group. So she said either class should work fine for Josie.





The ONE THING the doctor couldn't tell me was HOW to make Josie keep her pants on!!! This child is driving me crazy with her unwillingness to stay clothed !!! Yesterday, I put her pants on 5 times... 5 Times!!! Any suggestions on this issue would be greatly appreciated! Until next time....

Josie's 2 Year Checkup

We're starting the countdown to Josie's birthday, which is on Sunday. For all you Josie fans - you'll pleased to learn that she is in excellent health. Also, she is current with all her shots so we didn't need to get any today!

Here are the stats:
Height: 33.5 inches (45th percentile)
Weight: 26lbs. 4oz. (50th percentile)
Head: 46 cm (20th percentile - but on the curve)
20+ Teeth




Josie is adored by her nurse practitioner, Laura. Laura is very well versed on international adoption so she is always quick to remind me that the American height and weight charts are much different than the ones for Chinese kids. Either way, she is thrilled, just as we are, that Josie has been so healthy. No ear infections, no doctors visits in 6 months! Our little Spice girl is just growing and thriving and for that we are just so thankful!

In other new, this weekend is a busy one. Tomorrow, Maddie has a performance with her Youth Symphony. It's called "Symphony & Tea". I'm hoping to get better photos than I did last time, maybe even some video. We are so proud of Maddie - she's first chair, Cello. Sometimes, she really hates the cello. But, we all get a lot of joy from hearing that beautiful music in the house - and on the stage!

On Sunday, we are attending an Open House for the new Catholic High School that opened last year. (GULP!) Maddie will have to select and apply to high schools in the fall, so this is a big step for all of us! And, in closing, here's some food for thought... The year that we send Maddie off to college is the year that Josie will be entering 1st. Grade. Sobering thought, I know.