We have been waking up every ounce of our Summer. Swimming. Boating. Camps. Play dates. Late nights. Summer truly is my favorite season.
We have enjoyed lots of out of town friends and family and spent as much time as we can in the H2O! The Boys wake up and are ready to head down to the dock. No need to worry about sedentary kids..they are getting plenty of exercise...and water intake.
Mia got to experience her first 4th of July and fireworks on the Lake! To our surprise, she made it up and got to watch the show!! She loved the fireworks..even trying to reach out and grab them. When they were younger, neither one of the other Boys ever made it up that late. They both fell asleep on the boat while we waited for the fireworks to start. This girl held on...must be because she is such a night-owl....;-)))
Mia does not care for the lake or pool (heck..we are still getting her used to the bathtub. Of which she STILL refuses to sit in..she stands while I bathe..quickly!!!). She does, however, love her boat rides..and most often falls asleep sometime during the ride.
Mia had another check up this month, where we learned that she has gained a whopping 6 POUNDS since leaving China, and catching up drastically, developmentally. She is doing better with her walking, although still a little wobbly, and will usually fall after trying to chase her Brothers through the house. Our Pediatrician noticed some concerns with how narrow her throat opening is, now that she has a palate. At times,it seems like the back of her tongue and back of palate actually meet..with very little opening ?She seems to gag and choke a little, along with snore, and so he suggested discussing adenoid or tonsil removal with our ENT. I have been warned by many parents if cleft kiddos that our Cleft Surgeon must also be in full agreement with this before anything is done. We meet with the ENT next month to discuss, and then will move onto the Cleft Team. She is doing amazing with her ability to eat...So thankful for that! You don't realize what a blessing it is to have a child that can actually eat foods...until you have one that can't...major blessing.
She is starting to cut lots of teeth, which makes for a cranky little girl. As with most children with clefts, once the teeth start to erupt, you just hold your breath, and hope that they come in ok. Well, you can imagine our shock when we noticed them coming in through the top of her palate!! Yep..that's right..she has teeth in the roof of her mouth. I can't even fathom HOW this happens (considering she didn't even HAVE a roof of mouth a few months ago!). Sadly, we are also noticing that many of her teeth that are coming in are not in the best shape. Some are not even completely formed. Sorry..is that TMI? What it IS is Sad. As a Mother who was fortunate enough to have very good pre natal care during my Pregnancies, it is sad to see the results of these children born to Mothers who were not awarded the same luxuries.Poor diet, lack of vitamins, pollution..all lead to the malformation of bones, digits and teeth.Not really sure when we will address these latest issues, but obviously, we have a long road of Oral Surgery ahead of us. For now, we are just taking each week at a time, and enjoying the "down" time in between procedures.
She will meet with an Early Intervention Specialist later this month to be evaluated and see what services she qualifies for (OT, PT, Speech). She is not really making any words as of yet,but is starting to experiment with her tongue to make sounds. Waiting on pins and needles for a legitamit..."Momma" to come out...haha..
Finally getting treated for the Impetigo that has been causing the nasty blisters to come and go on her face. She just started an oral antibiotic, and we hoping it will squash it. Lots of children came home from the Orphanage with it (its caused from unsanitary cleaning conditions/poor hygiene), so it seems to be pretty common.
This sweet girl really is content doing just about ANYTHING. Even a cardboard box can keep her occupied for a looong time.
Nick has another loose tooth, which we are on watch for to come out at any time..he's trying REALLY hard to wiggle it out!!!
Later this month we are getting a visit from a dear friend I met through the adoption process. She traveled to China to bring her Daughter home a month before we did. We have remained in close contact and so her and her sweet family will pay us a visit for the weekend. Can't wait to see that sweet girl of hers!!
Well....that's been our month, so far.....
Next month, Birthdays, Beach trip and Back to school.....................
