Settling in....

Sorry it's taken so long for me to post any news or pictures. As you can imagine adjusting to our new life has taken priority! Michael is doing wonderful! Granted he has his moments - we all have!! He is into everything! He's played with a variety of toys and so far we've determined that his favorites are those things which he cannot have! Matt pulled out our old digital camera and an old cell phone for him to play with. He loves the phone! Not sure who he thinks he's talking to, but he gives them an ear full!!

Since our last post he's been to the pediatrician who was very pleased with how well he was doing. And we finally got an accurate weight for him - 23 pounds and 6 ounces!! He ate well in China and so far is doing great here. He loves his veggies!! In China he wouldn't drink any milk or formula. We discussed this with the pediatrician and followed her instructions on adding a little bit of his favorite yogurt to some milk and voila!! he loves his "smoothie"!

His sleep schedule is getting better with every day that goes by. No morning nap for this little guy - he takes one long afternoon nap. Bedtime could still use a little work. He's had a hard time the last three nights - we rocked, we read books... he can fight the sleep-bug with the best of 'em! I finally had to put him in his crib, rub his back, tell him we love him and walk out. It killed me to do that. Of course the crying would start as soon as I closed the door. It only took about 30 seconds though and he was out! It was hard to do, but he's safe in his crib and he has his little lovies with him to provide that extra security. He also has a cd player in there that plays instrumental music all night. Last night he [finally]went to sleep at 10:00 and we didn't hear a peep out of him until almost 8:30 this morning! This was the first night he's slept through the night since we've had him. Yep, we're gettin' there!

We've also started the treatment for his club feet. We had our first appointment with the pediatric orthopedic this past Thursday. We were surprised, but very excited, when the doctor said he wanted to go ahead and start the casting right then. We are very hopeful that the casts will do their "job" and surgery won't be necessary. Poor little guy though, his little legs are in casts from the tips of his toes to just below his groin. his knees are bent so he can crawl, but it's taking him a little longer to get around now. And he's still adjusting to them. We are building up our biceps from picking him up and carrying him. He has to be almost 10lbs heavier with these things! He did great while the doctor was casting him. And we rewarded him with a happy meal afterwards!

As I've said before, the Lord has truly blessed us with the most precious child. Michael just fits right in! He is so bright, he makes us laugh and our lives are so much richer with him. Everyday brings new discoveries for us all.

Not much else to share now. I'll eave you with a few pictures. Some are from China and some are from here at home. Wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!



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