Lots of Dr.'s Appointments!

It has been almost two weeks since I have blogged, and all I can say is WOW our we busy! Andrew has been doing very well. He has gotten in two teeth in the last two weeks, and he hasn't been to miserable about that! Andrew has had quite a few Dr. appointments this week. First we went to the psychologist with the whole family on Wednesday night. She specializes in adoptions so she knew exactly what things to cover in our one hour appointment. It sounds like Andrew is adjusting better then the parents!!!! Anyways, that will all just take a little time. Then on Thursday we had an appointment with a lady who specializes in development. She said that Andrew seems to be right on target with all his little skills and development. She actually seemed quite surprised of all the things Andrew could do for his size. She had no concerns at all! Then after that appointment, we met with the pediatrician who also specializes in adoptions. She is also quite amazed of how well Andrew is doing. Andrew is up to 16.9 lbs. and he is growing evenly on the charts with all his measurements and weight. She said he is little for his age, but he is growing like he should. We do have an echo for his heart scheduled for Monday, because he was diagnosed with a VSD in Kyrgyzstan. We also have another specialist checking out Andrew's pallet in April. There is something that doesn't look right to the pediatrician, so she wants that checked out. We also had a hearing test performed after the other Dr.'s appointments but by then Andrew was ready to sleep and he simply decided to start ignoring the lady in the middle of the test and he put his fingers in his mouth and wanted his nap. They are going to have to redo that test, but up to that point he was doing very well responding for the hearing test. We also have to get Andrew's vision checked soon. They say that children coming from an orphanage have a much higher chance of having issues with hearing and their vision. Every day God reminds me in some kind of way of how lucky we are to have Andrew in our life. He is such a blessing and to just see him smile and thrive so much makes me so happy!

Sometimes this is the only way we can get Andrew's diaper changed. He likes to be on the move!

Andrew got to go to sissy's valentine's party at school. I think he won over a few hearts that day!!!

Andrew loves when Alisha sings to him, which is quite often!

Andrew loved going to all of Megan's basketball games that she cheered for. He would watch the boys run up and down the court, and sometimes he would watch all the pretty girls cheer!

Sick Is No Fun!

It has been a very tough week here at the Stahnke's household. It started off with Alisha being sick on Tuesday, and I took her to the Dr. and they said she had an upper respiratory infection. Then by Tuesday night I started feeling sick and unfortunately, no matter what I get it turns into bronchitis. So of course that is what happened. Then I took Andrew for his immunizations on Wednesday and they said he would be a little miserable for awhile. That was the understatement of the week. He was miserable for 3 days. Alisha is finally feeling better, and I'm at the tail end of this bronchitis, and Andrew is himself now, but today I stayed home with Megan from church because she isn't feeling to good. I hope this all ends soon!

On a good note, Andrew is getting stronger everyday. He has been pulling himself up when he can reach something. He has also been keeping his balance standing for a few seconds. It's crazy to think that when we got him he could barely hold his legs up, and he couldn't even sit up on his own. He is going to have to get taller before he starts walking or that is going to look very unusual. Andrew has still been sleeping good since we started playing music for him all night. I think he would scare himself awake from the quiet. I'm sure it was very noisy in the orphanage at night, so he is use to some kind of noise while sleeping.

Last Sunday we finally celebrated Cain's birthday (which was December 30th) and his brothers and his parents came over. Here is a picture of Tyson, Ryan and Ryan's girlfriend Sarah visiting with Andrew.

We had our friend's Kim and Tim and their son Matthew over for a visit. We met Kim and Tim through our adoption agency and they also adopted Matthew from Kyrgyzstan. It is of God that we met Kim and Tim when we did because I responded to a message of Kim's on a web board from our agency. She mentioned she lived in north east Ohio, which was interesting since our agency is out of North Carolina. We got to know each other through emails and shortly after that first message on the web board that I saw of Kim's, our agency shut down the web board. Tim and Kim only live 40 minutes away and we visit one another often. We have been waiting exactly a year to let our boys play together, and here is of their first moments together.

Kim and Tim came over on an eventful night. Alisha's boyfriend was having his homecoming and Kim and I both worked on Alisha's hair. Here is the end results.

Andrew with his beautiful sister!!!

Andrew, what a big boy you are!!!!

Andrew standing on his own. Just press on the arrow to see!

Getting Bigger By The Day!

Andrew is still growing every day. I went and got his pictures taken last week because I told Cain if his cheeks get any bigger we wont be able to recognize him, and he already doesn't look like the baby we picked up at the orphanage. I think Andrew is around 16 lbs now, which means he has gained 4 lbs in 4 weeks. I think he needs to stop growing outward and start growing upward. He's got quite the belly on him now. We are all getting more use to having a baby in our house every day. I am personally enjoying being a new mother again. Andrew brings so much joy to my life, and I can't imagine life without him. Andrew is still trying to overcome his old orphanage life. The Dr. did find that he had a parasite which we treated him for immediately, but this is very common for international adopted children to have. This could of been part of Andrew's problem for being so underweight. Andrew is still having a tough time taking his bottle. He never stops eating, but drinking formula is a totally different story. Andrew is also having a very difficult time with sleeping. He wakes up some nights every hour. He cries and usually within a minute he stops. He always seems scared when he wakes up, so we are not sure if he is having nightmares, night terrors, or if he is just scared, or just teething. We are trying to find out what is making him uncomfortable. We have tried making his room, warmer and then colder. We have tried a night light, ocean sounds, a fan in his room, and then we tried covering him with blankets, and then no blankets. We have tried rocking him until he is sound a sleep at night, and then we tried just letting him fall sleep on his own. We have tried feeding him right before bed and then tried not feeding him his last meal so late. Recently we have tried letting music play all night, and then I also have tried tying a blanket around his waist and tying a knot in it. They used long pieces of material at the orphanage for their diapers and then they would tie it in the front. Some friends of ours gave us the idea to try that. Last night Andrew had the most peaceful nights sleep since we have been home, but who knows what made the difference and if it will last. He has been sleeping in until 7am still, so that is better then the 5am thing, he was doing in Kyrgyzstan. I just get frustrated when I don't know how to make things better for him. It's hard to help a child, when you don't know much about their life before you. On a good note, Andrew is getting more use to his car seat everyday. I get around 15 minutes before he starts screaming, which is a huge turn around from him crying at the sight of his seat. Andrew is also having little moments here and there where he will actually play for a few minutes on his own without worrying where I am. The other day he actually crawled away from me to get to his toys to play. Overall, Andrew has come a long way since a month ago, and he is very happy and alert when we are around him. We thank God for our Andrew everyday, and we continue to pray for God's grace upon him.

I love my baths now, and my mom can even get a whole load of laundry folded in the bathroom while I play!

I love helping my sister with her homework!

Aunt Cathy came to visit me!

And Uncle Tyson To!

I also enjoyed my visit from my cousin Kylee!

My mom and dad are finding new ways to get things done everyday!

Things Are Getting Better Every Day!

Andrew has been doing so well, but he still has a few more things to adjust too. He finally likes to take a bath now just as long as we don't wet his hair. He also, at least for now, is sleeping in, until 7am. He also has been sleeping through most of the night without waking up. If he wakes up he usually just looks scared and needs reassurance that we are there. Sometimes, all we have to do is pat his little back and he goes right back to sleep. He is going down easier for nap time now also. I'm hoping to have him on some kind of due able schedule soon, and for everyone who knows me, knows that is how I function best. Our biggest draw back recently has been he doesn't want his bottle anymore or any kind of formula or milk. We have been trying everything. At one point he went 2 days with just a few ounces each day in him. Yesterday I gave him the sippy cup, and he seems to like that but it takes a lot to get him to drink some. I hope we find a solution for that soon. He is still eating a ton though. He eats as often as Cain, which means he is eating all the time!! Another thing Andrew is having difficult with is the car seat. He screams at just the sight of it now. We get to hear screaming from the minute we put him in there till the minute we he get him out. It doesn't make for peaceful driving, that is for sure. I'll continue to let everyone know how he is adjusting as time goes on, but all in all I couldn't expect more from him!

Look at me, I'm a big boy sitting in a big chair!

I like the jumpster that my mom put up! It gives her another 5 minutes to get something done!

My sister dressed me to look like her!

I love my cat Mocha!

I loved my visit with Grandma and Grandpa Stahnke!

I can't wait to play with my new ball set from my Grandma and Grandpa Stahnke!

My dad forced me to look like we were still in Kyrgyzstan!

I had a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson!

It was also great to visit my Great Grandma Cozzens!

I think my cousins are a ton a fun!

My cousin Kylee was a little scared of me at first because I was being rough, but then we started having fun!

Visit to the Doctors!

We took Andrew to the Dr. today. He was putting on quite the show for the Dr. and her nurse. They seemed very surprised on how well he has adjusted to his new environment. He of course cried when they took his blood and when they were digging the ear wax from his ear, but he stopped crying the instant I picked him up. Andrew weighed 12.33 pounds a week and a half ago when we had him at the SOS clinic in Kazakhstan. Today he weighs 13.67 lbs. I told Cain yesterday that I was pretty sure he gained some weight because I think his stomach is more rounder then before. The Dr. did a full examination on him and a few of the things we were concerned about don't seem to be much of a problem. We were told that he has a hernia but yet she couldn't find any sign of one. We also were told that he had a VSD but she could only hear a slight murmur in his heart. We will have another echo done on him in the future, but she felt that there was nothing much their to worry about. We are having him tested for other things so we should know more in the future. All in all Andrew is much more healthier then we ever thought he would be. Andrew seems to be adjusting more and more everyday. There are a few things we need to work on however, like letting me put him down to play by himself for more then a few minutes. He also struggles going to sleep, but once he is asleep he does pretty good. We are still working on adjusting his night and days. By 6:00 in the evening he is ready for bed so we have to work real hard to keep him up. He also doesn't like the car seat much. He has never been in a car seat until we got home, so I'm sure it is a shock to him that he has to stay strapped in there. He also still hates to take a bath so hopefully soon he will learn that the water is fun. Andrew does seem very happy when we interact with him, and his sisters still fight over him. God has really been with us through this time, and we thank God for our sweet little Andrew every day. Thank you for all the prayers through out this process!!!!!!

My train set is my favorite toy!