Morgan Lela Qian: July 2005

Saturday, July 30, 2005

LARGE

This image is the outside of the orphanage on the day we went to 'visit' (the outside of the orphanage).

OK, a few of those could stand to be larger...

Let's try 'medium' instead of 'small' and see what that does?

Uploading directly from the computer (yippee!)

Some here, some there...

Testing new blogger feature.

We like this new feature. :)

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Pediatric visit; part two.

Today was Morgan's second visit to follow up after her bloodwork and stool samples had been processed - everything came back 'unresponsive' (negative) which translated means she did not show antibodies or the active diseases tested for...so the vaccines she supposedly received in China were either diluted/ineffective or not given.
She shows a propensity for anemia - not that she has it now but that she may be susceptible to the strain Asians are prone to; Thalassemia (think as a comparison, African Americans and Sickle Cell). As the Doctor explained it, her red blood cells are "small".
All her other levels looked good - right where we wanted them to be.
Also, she is now over 18 pounds with nothing but her dry diaper, and just a couple of days away from her 18th month. :) Still small, but she looks good!

She got 7 injections today. Yeah - think how much YOU would enjoy that and then transfer that energy to an alarmed toddler.
It did go better today (not so much screaming as crying) and she has learned that all nurses are to be treated as equally suspicious.

I drove her in my truck, which is the first time I've done so since we three returned to the States...Chaz has been driving both his car with me in back next to her or just the two of them in my truck, the seat all the way back. I quickly discovered that I can't pull my seat forward AT ALL because of the carseat installation requirements...so I ran back in and grabbed a pillow to prop myself somewhat closer...I'll need a better pillow and much luck that I'll never get hit. One good smack and my neck'll snap back, having no backrest to stop the motion. Yea.

She's been a little warm today and tired after all that, so we'll see tonight if she sleeps thru or wakes with a fright.
Interesting that I've been reading in the periodicals and had the Pediatrician comment today that she at her age is too young to experience night terrors, yet I know for a fact that she IS. When I described exactly what Morgan goes through, the doctor agreed. These are in fact 'night terrors'.
'Makes you wonder what criteria the experts base their opinion on, or what study groups they scrutinize? Is it not widely reported? I'm not the only parent with a young toddler having this experience.

http://www.attach-china.org/index.html

On the upside, her nightly fits (fighting sleep) have not been as aggressive - I haven't been bitten or scratched in a few weeks and she seems to prefer some whining/crying and a kick here and there - a more 'normal' cranky behavior for a kid who doesn't want the day to end than the devil I previously held in my arms.
There are nights where she'll go down in a reasonable amount of time (half an hour) but still the hour(s) long ritual will surface every few nights.
She has a bedtime between 8:30 and 9 pm...sleeps soundly. Wakes again between 11-12 midnight...I get her back to bed, sometimes quickly, sometimes not...and then she starts tossing...up again between 3-4 am (UGH) and that's the one that hurts...sometimes VERY hard to get her back to bed...and then she rises again between 6-7 am to rest again shortly before our new day begins.

Her naps are strange - some times she only takes a half and hour in the morning...sometimes she'll sleep for an hour...sometimes she doesn't want a nap even though she's visibly tired...the afternoon is usually good for 45 minutes if not an hour...I have tried eliminating one nap to see if that solution addresses both her other naptime and nighttime fussiness, but her behavior still displays the need for both naps (she's a basket case without two naps).

I'm tired, plain and simple.

I'm sleeping some but spending a greater deal of time watching her, either because she seems disturbed, is crying for me or because I just can't take my eyes off of this beautiful little girl ;)

Time to wake the husband - he put her down for me tonight and fell asleep in there again. :)

Update 07/27/05

Although the day of was unpleasant, Morgan had a rougher day following the vaccinations...today (now yesterday) she ran a fever of 102 and was crying or whimpering most of the time. She barely touched breakfast, vomited the small amount of lunch she ingested and was not at all interested in my attempts to promote liquid intake. Fortunately, she will take a drink even when she doesn't want to - just not as much as I would like.
I gave her two baths at room temperature, and the second did the trick; she both enjoyed it immensely (playing in the tub for a good 15 minutes) and after was running a lower but still spiking temperature.
It wasn't until tonight when she woke at 11:30 pm that she was clammy - the fever had finally broken. She was still uncomfortable and not ready to rest.
I just got her back to bed at 2:30 am...and now I'm awake.

I'm doomed if my old insomnia returns. :I