Checking Out Church

I am happy (and shocked) to report that all five of us attended church today and Noah went into his brother's classroom in Waumbaland and wanted to stay the whole time!  (without Mommy or Daddy)

He had a blast catching bubbles, dancing, playing with Play-Doh and learning about Jesus.  

1st Trip To The Pediatrician

Yesterday Noah finally had his big check up with a pediatrician-we've been waiting for weeks for our insurance company (BCBS) to accept him without a Social Security number and for his medical records from China to be fully translated.  So that's all behind us now and this doctor was worth the wait.  We chose Dr. Kelly Wilburn of Dunwoody Pediatrics to examine and treat Noah.  I was blown away by her knowledge, professionalism and quite honestly the fact she spent more than 2 hours with Noah and myself.  She adopted 3 children from Guatemala and has specialized training in International Adoption medicine.

The appointment went well and although Noah received (another) TB test and 2 immunizations, he tolerated it all as long as I was holding him close.  Dr. Wilburn felt confident that Noah's head size is nothing to be concerned about, that the CT scan in his file was incorrect, and that he is a healthy child.  Noah's weight at only 29 lbs puts him below the 15th% and height at 35 inches is below the 5th%.  We will continue to offer new foods to him at each meal but make sure he has plenty of comfort items, vitamins and push dairy and proteins.  In the week ahead he will have the TB test read, a stool sample run and go to Children's Hospital Of Atlanta for in-depth blood work.  We'll also be scheduling an appointment with a dermatologist at Emory and the pediatric ophthalmologist.

Thank you to everyone that brought meals this week and checked in on us.  Things are still rough in certain moments but-God is great!  And Noah likes to skateboard now.

Eyes Wide Open

I've gotten a lot of questions about Noah's eyes lately; yes, they really are blue.  He does wear his sunglasses pretty often and almost always outside to shield them.  Yesterday during "tunnel time" I caught a few shots of Mr. Blue Eyes wearing his favorite shirt (again).

Family Of Five

One of the few pictures we have as a family of five, braving Kids Night (read-eat free) at our local Moe's

One Month As A Family

It's been a whole month since we met Noah and became his parents!  He continues to amaze us with his easy-going nature, gentle spirit and intelligence.  Noah gained a pound this past month.  He's learned so many new words in English I have lost count but he retains 3-5 new ones each day.  He can say the entire alphabet and sing "Happy Birthday".  He loves drinking milk...and asks for "more milk".  He is trying new foods but does still prefer eggs and noodle-based meals.  Noah looks up to his older sister so much and gets a kick out of dancing with her.  He loves taking a bath with his brother but prefers to sleep alone in his own bed each night.

He has potty-trained his brother, Beckett!  Noah likes to watch Sesame Street (in Mandarin).  He enjoys any and all toys but doesn't sit still for too long.  He's finally learned to climb the stairs (well) inside our house.  He can ride a tricycle all by himself and although he is scared of our cat and dogs-HE PLAYED IN THE BACKYARD TODAY WITH THE BIG DOGS OUTSIDE!  That was a major accomplishment for him.

Many of you have seen us recently and commented that we have our hands full-we certainly do!  But our hearts are even more full.  You see we never knew how much we could and would love another child that was waiting for a family to call his own.  We are so thankful that God chose us to be Noah's parents.  Happy One Month Family Date, buddy!

(excuse the ombre fence-staining in process)

What Nap?!

Noah hasn't taken many naps since he joined our household but today he finally slowed down and gave in.  He fell asleep in the car after lunch and then his daddy carried him inside...he's been asleep on the couch (with the sunglasses on) for more than an hour!  Isn't he cool?

Brothers On Bikes