Brian at Home

Brian is a dream baby. The pediatrician visit last week went well - he weighed 16.2 lbs. and has a double ear infection and excema - but no more scabies. The doctor was quite surprised that he was 8 1/2 months old and not on any baby food - still all bottle. He recommended rice or oatmeal cereal and vegetables, introducing new foods every couple days (to make sure if he is allergic, that it is isolated). Cindy had already done the preparatory baby food Krogering, so we had most everything we need. He loves the biter biscuits! His gums are swollen on top and ready for some more teeth to pop through.

The doctor also gave us some Aquafor and Cetaphil - the Aquafor lotion to apply a couple of times a day for his dry excema skin (also recommended by other moms!) and the Cetaphil for bathwash to moisturize while cleaning. Between that and Beaudreaux' Butt Paste, the lil feller is one constant greasy piggy!

Bathtime!

He is 27.5 inches tall (40 percentile on American charts for height) and 16.2 lbs. (5 percentile on American charts). The doctor advised that his intake should be caloric-focused for weight gain.

He has been on the antibiotic for his ear infection and is much more comfortable now. He loves his crib and has actually slept through the night the last three nights. When he wakes up, he doesn't cry ~ he plays with a few of the soft cuddlies in his crib. His cooing is what I hear in the monitor. How sweet! (Some say that orphanage children learn not to cry, because no one readily attends to them. After a while, they don't cry out as much. They call it "silent orphanages". This is supposed to change once they have some regular attention to their sounds. We'll see.) Of course, I am still waking up multiple times a night to check on him - I am afraid that I will sleep through a need-produced crying fit or that the monitor isn't working. A mother's obligation I guess! I am hopeful this sleep-baby will continue and we'll quickly be a household that is rested again. I am not quite there yet.

When I was adopting Jordan, my friend Cheryl Hansen sold me on the necessity of a Jumperoo and Exersaucer for the baby. Being single, there are times when I am in need of a safe containment device for the baby (like when I take a shower!). We have a Jumperoo in the bathroom and have a full length mirror so Brian can now entertain himself whilest I wash up. We have another Exersaucer in the family room for when I have to take the dog outside or run to the mailbox - and need Brian to be safe for a minute or two. Both of these have significantly helped baby Brian with his leg strength in just a week. I also let him crawl around and pull himself up to standing, but I know that these devices serve both a convenience and a purpose for his safety and strength.

He went from 'barely crawling' to 'crawling with gusto' now. He can also pull himself up to standing. He loves to jumpy, jumpy in his Jumperoo, and his smile is so daggone cute it is melting.

He quickly transitioned to Similac formula, and I was glad to be done with the sugar formula from Viet Nam. He has his full adoption physical tomorrow, so it will be exciting to see how much weight he has gained this week.

I've hauled him around to Jordan's swim classes, restaurants, church, The Little Gym for Jordan's class and her party and a few other places. He is so aware an alert and loves all the sights and sounds. He absolutely loves going for our daily stroller walk. I don't think the child had ever seen trees before, or the sky. He is always looking up! Maybe he is still communing with God - being so fresh from his care.

He does have a double swirl cowlick on the crown of his head - I am told that means he will be a hellion. He's so docile and sweet now, I figure I need to love each moment because I know all will change! Jordan is really adapting well to him. She loves entertaining him with song and dance, and keeps his company everywhere. She likes to feed him, push his stroller, and participate in every aspect of his care.

Santa came again too. Jordan loved putting out more carrots for the reindeer, and baby Brian was catatonic as more toys were added to our household. Tool sets, cars and monster trucks now occupy spaces here. Ha! We love it.

I am having so much Mama-fun~