How its going

We're still here....really, we are ;)

There's just been so much going on....lots of appointments, phone calls and emails to coordinate specialist appointments, diet issues and lots of needs to meet right now since its kind of like having two babies under 1 right now.  I'd like to blog everything...this life is just so full and there is so much to share...but just not always enough time to share about it.

Joseph had an appointment with a GI specialist and a nutritionist.  The best part about that visit was that we got a lot of bloodwork back that the children's hospital had ordered. We were so glad to learn that Joseph's blood panel came back with ok levels.  This was so good to hear, since we were really concerned about his level of malnutrition.  He is really small and underweight, but his levels were encouraging.  his weight and his head circumference are very low but his height is 50th percentile...which the GI doctor said was also a good thing. He said that in severely malnourished kids, they usually plummet first in weight, then height and then in head circumference.  So we're hopeful that when he's got proper nutrition, he will grow and do well.

The down side, is that the dietician wants us to push a lot of calories and there is nothing really being done about his diarrhea.  This has been pretty difficult.  I'm constantly nervous because we never know when the problem is going to escalate...we haven't been able to link it with anything in his diet.

All of his hip x rays and neck x rays came back good, his thyroid is good but his celiac bloodwork came back positive.  We haven't been feeding him any gluten since he's come home just incase this was an issue.  He DID have bread mashed into his soups at the orphanage, though.  Probably daily.  They want to do an upper endoscopy procedure on him to verify that he definitely has celiac disease but we're not too comfortable about it.  We're just concerned about anesthesia and other complications that he could have and not be able to tell us that something is wrong.  We're hoping to speak to them about our concerns on Monday.

There's much more to write about...we've got appointments galore right now...audiology, cardiology, an extensive eye appointment, speech therapy evaluation, a swallow study and some consultation appointments to have with potential new pediatricians.  It's crazy...but we're trying to get through it.
It's hard to balance it all...but it makes us all the more dependent on God's faithfulness.  He'll get us through it.  It's hard to remember "in the thick of it" but when the chaos settles, we always know it to be true.

I am so thankful to each and every person that has called, emailed or commented.  I hope to get back to everyone if I haven't already.  Thank you for all your kind words and advice.  We are blessed by you all.

Health concerns aside...Joseph is adjusting to being home quite well :). He's found some best buddies in his siblings and we're seeing a real difference in him...he's more asseritive and interested in his environment.  He's starting to play with toys and is getting more and more affectionate each day.  He's so happy to have you pick him up and take him with you wherever you're going and he's starting to initiate hugs and affection.  He's a daredevil....this kid loves to be thrown in the air or spun around the room.  And he sleeps in some pretty hilarious positions ;)

We've got a whole bunch of errands and things to catch up on today....so I'll leave you with a few pictures.  I plan to be back here more with updates on Joseph as well as advocating for other waiting children on Reece's Rainbow.  There are so many other beautiful kids just like our Joseph waiting for someone to put aside their "plans" and make them worth fighting for.

They are so worth it.