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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Ear Update

After a visit to the Doctor's office yesterday afternoon, Ms. Jodi (the nurse practitioner) confirmed that Ian has another ear infection in his left ear. That was the one that had the worst infection the last time. He started on a different antibiotic yesterday for 10 days. We have a follow up appointment on June 23rd (which is a re-check of the ears and his 15 month appointment). He acted like he felt great this morning and evening. I only saw him touching his little ear once or twice this evening.

He's moving around even more than this weekend. He's crawling and pulling up to stand a lot now. He was even cruising the hearth this morning. I giggle at him sometimes because he is so vocal. Today on our way home from daycare, I think he was telling me about his day. He talked all the way home.

He has a few new words - "this", "that", "ite (light)" and something that sounds like cup or cat occasionally. When our cats walk by he still calls them "dog".

Please say a little prayer that his little ears will heal and that he'll stop having these silly infections.

More updates as things occur....

Love to all of you who follow our blog. :)

Monday, May 29, 2006

Fish Are Friends






Surprisingly, Ian loved the Oklahoma Aquarium. He was fascinated by all of the fish. Especially the brightly colored and big ones. He was very content during our entire time there and loved getting close to the glass to see the stingrays and the jellyfish. The pictures are just a few from today. Can you tell that he LOVES his Daddy? Daddy's pretty fond of him too. Mommy...well that's a different story. He still calls me Ga Ga part of the time and "mom,mom,mom" the other part. The Ga Ga seems so appropriate since I'm so GA GA over him. He has me so totally wrapped around his little finger. But that's OK. All of us waited a long time to be a family and all 3 of us are enjoying it.

After the Aquarium, we went to Las Cabos to eat. Yummy Mexican food (Mommy's favorite). As always, Ian ate well. They also had live music today and our table was close to where they were playing. Ian watched them pretty intently and bobbed his head from time to time. He seems to really like music. Which is not a surprise in the Conner household. He took a brief nap on the way home, which ruined his regular nap. He was so tired but he just wouldn't go back to sleep once we got home. Finally we decided to take a drive hoping that he'd sleep just a little more in the car seat while we were gone. He did, but it's not like taking a nap at home or at school. He was a little cranky this evening, but not as bad as I expected.

If there were such a thing a run crawling, I think Ian does it. Whenever we open the back door, no matter what he's doing instantly starts crawling fast toward the door to go outside on the deck. This evening, Brad came over to visit. Charlie opened the back door to let Molly go outside to potty and Ian made a mad dash for the door. It's really cute to watch him.

It's been a long weekend but such a great time to be home with Ian. I'm pretty sure his little ears are infected again. I'm going to call Dr. Sood tomorrow morning and see if he wants to see him.

I love updating our blog to capture some of the special moments with Ian. He's now doing so many things that it's hard to remember all of them. I probably need to either update more or start journaling. I just don't want to forget any of this. He's already growing up so fast.

More as I get a chance...

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Count Milk-u-lah


Count Milkulah (a.k.a. Ian) not only has a milk moustache...he has a milk beard.

Ian Gets Mad







Mommy's perfect little angel does get mad from time to time. He doesn't through these little fits often, but when he does...they're winners.

Random Photos & Thoughts





















These are several photos taken over the past few days. He loves being outside. He's actually crawling like a big boy now. He still does his "combat crawl"...but more and more he's really crawling. He's pulling up like crazy and wants to stand almost all the time. He has discovered that cabinet doors open and it's lots of fun to open and close them...LOTS OF TIMES.

He prefers drinking from a cup. Not a sippy cup...a cup with no lid. He does pretty well actually. He leaks some, but not as much as I would have thought. His appetite is still great.

I think his ear infection has returned. He has tugged at his little ears the past couple of days and cries a bit more than usual. I have some antibiotic left over from the last one (because we changed antibiotics mid-stream). I gave him two doses today and I'll give him some tomorrow and then I'll check with Dr. Sood on Tuesday to see what we need to do after that. If it's infected again, it will only be his second ear infection. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the "gunk" in the air in Oklahoma. He's just not used to all of this. It's rough right now on everyone, but especially little guys.

I'm going to post a few more pictures. The next set with be of the "absolute angel" throwing a little "fit". I know...It's hard to imagine, but he really does have moments when he's not the perfect child. Not many moments, but there are occasions.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. We're going to go to the Oklahoma Aquarium tomorrow. We may change our plans and go to the Zoo if it's not too hot in the morning. If it's too hot, then we'll go to the Aquarium in the afternoon (after nap time).

We had our second post placement visit last Wednesday. One more and then we can finalize our adoption. It's hard to believe that we've only had him a little over 3 months. It seems like he's been part of us forever. He has adjusted beautifully and does not seem to have any attachment issues at all. We are so truly blessed.

More updates as we can.....

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Mia's Home!!!








Last night we traveled to OKC to welcome home Ian's little friend, Mia Supritha. This was our first real road trip since we came home from India. Ian did great in the car. He slept most of the way to OKC yesterday evening and then back home again today. What a trooper.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites in OKC last night. We were only a few miles away from the airport. Since we don't know much about OKC, it was a perfect location for us. We ordered room service last night and had dinner in our room. Then we put Ian down so he could get some sleep. We woke him up about 10:15pm to get ready to leave for the airport.

When we arrived at the airport, there were a few people gathering to welcome Angie, Dustin & Mia home. As it got closer to their arrival time, the crowd grew and grew. We felt so fortunate to be included in this homecoming celebration. We really enjoyed meeting their family and friends. It was a special time for us.

When they arrived it brought back such memories to me. I was kind of surprised actually. I just kept remembering how tired we were but just how excited it was to finally be home with our precious little guy that we and all of our friends had prayed for for such a long time.

Mia did great with the big crowd that was there. She looked around but held onto Angie pretty tight. She's just beautiful....beautiful.

When Ian and Mia finally saw each other, I really think they remembered each other. Maybe not a lot, but they both looked at one another with that "I know you" look on their faces. Ian kept trying to poke her nose and eyes (he's into the pointing and poking stage now).

Just after midnight, we all sang happy birthday to Mia. She turned one today. So, so glad that she was home by her birthday.

We finally made it back to the hotel around 12:45am. After winding down a little and drinking a little more milk, we went to bed. Ian was a little fussy, but settled right down. He slept until about 7:30am this morning.

Our friend, Peggy, from Yukon, came over this morning. This was the first time she's been able to see Ian. We went downstairs for breakfast and of course Ian ate very well. He warmed up to Peggy pretty quickly.

On the way home, Ian slept almost the entire way. He was a little cranky this evening, but settled down and hopefully with sleep through the night. Tomorrow will be our first Sunday in church for a two weeks. Ian was sick the first Sunday we missed and then last week we were all sick.

I'm posting just a few pictures from Mia's homecoming.


Thursday, May 18, 2006

Brave Little Boy

Today Ian has his "shunt series" (basically x-rays and CT scans). We had to get him up at 5:00am this morning. We arrived at St. Francis Hospital at 7:15am for a 7:30 x-ray appointment followed by 9:00am CT Scans. Because he's so young they were going to sedate him for the CT Scan.

Long story short....they decided to try the CT Scan first without the sedation. I was sure this wouldn't work because he doesn't even like to be still when I'm changing his diaper. But, surprise, surprise...he did GREAT. They wrapped him up in a sheet and then taped his little head down. He cried some, but not too much. It was pretty quick. No sedation....that is awesome.

X-rays were next and he did fine there too. He cried, but not as much as I had expected. Charlie stayed with him during the x-rays.

He's our brave little boy!!!

We should have results of the tests in the next few days. I'm not anticipating anything out of the ordinary...these were just routine tests that he'll have to have done periodically.

Monday, May 15, 2006

A Doctor Perhaps?



Here are a couple of cute pictures taken last week of Ian and our friend Debbie M. He's concentrating hard on the stethoscope....then I'm thinking he's ready to check Deb out. He's such fun and he truly does love a stethoscope. I think he looks like a natural. :)

Ga Ga and her sweet boy


Mother's Day 2006

Today was our first Mother's Day together. Ian woke up around 6:30am this morning. I went in to get him and then we were going to surprise Daddy. Ian's not very good at the surprise thing right now. He gets so excited and starts laughing. It's kinda cute.

After Charlie visited with Ian for a few minutes he said "go look on the dresser". But, Ian was busy crawling all over me so Charlie came back with a card. It was addressed to "Ga Ga"....that's me. It was a beautiful Mother's Day card from Daddy & Ian. Inside the card was this little jewelry pouch. After I read the card, I opened the pouch. Inside was a beautiful necklace with 3 diamonds. It is absolutely beautiful. Ian and Daddy did a good job picking this out for mommy.

Since no one in the Conner household is feeling well, we couldn't go to church this morning. Ian had a pretty good day. He played A LOT this morning and afternoon. We went out to eat later this afternoon and he started getting cranky. I think his little ears must be bothering him. He was tugging at the left one quite a bit.

Brad and Tim came over for a visit this evening. Ian wasn't in the best of moods. He smiled and played, but still a little cranky. After they left, we gave him a breathing treatment and his night time bottle. After that he was ready to go...ready to play some more. We let him play in the floor for a little while, then finally Charlie put him to bed. He fussed a little bit, but not too much.

Charlie and I were talking about how truly blessed we are. So far, we have been very lucky with Ian. He seems to be adjusting well, he's happy and healthy (except for the cold, croup, ear thing). He's very laid back.

Today was my first Mother's Day as a Mom. It was filled with lots of emotions. I miss my Mom and so wish I could have shared the moments of the day with her. She would have loved Ian and he would already have her wrapped around his little finger. I know she and Charlie's mom are watching us from above and probably laughing at us from time to time.

I remember when we were in the process of this adoption thinking about Mother's Day. Last year was rough because we were close, but yet so far from bringing our child home. Little did I know that he was only a few weeks old. Each day with Ian and Charlie is special and today they made it just a little more special for Ga Ga!!

Happy Mother's Day everyone.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Forever Families

Angie, Dustin & Mia Supritha became a forever family today. Angie posted pictures to their blog this morning. They look so very happy. We are thrilled for them and can't wait to see them when they return next week.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Shots, Paper Flowers & Cards

Ian is doing better today. He had a great night's sleep last night and got up in a really good mood. I received a call from his daycare about 10:00am this morning. He had just thrown up. Not like him at all. I said to the director that I wondered if it could be his antibiotic and he said that was probably it so I didn't have to come and get him. I called the doctor since it's Friday and I don't really want to spend the weekend in the after hours clinic. She said to bring him in and we'd give him another shot of Rocephin. So, that's what we did. When she looked at his ears she said that they look better, but not a lot. We do have to take him again tomorrow for his third shot (at the after hours clinic). But, he doesn't have to take the Augmentin anymore (which I'm sure he'll be happy about...it's nasty, thick stuff and he makes a terrible face when he takes it).

Charlie & I are still puny, but we'll make it.

Today when I picked little Ian up from daycare, they had made mother's day presents for the moms. It's the sweetest little plant holder with cut out flowers and grass and Ian's picture on the flower. Then the cutest little card with his hand prints on it. I cried and cried. How sweet was this? I'm tearing up now just writing about it.

It's about 9:00am in Kolkata on Saturday right now. Angie and Dustin go to the orphanage to meet Mia for the first time at 11:00am. I bet their stomachs are in knots right now. Soon, they will be a family of 3. As Angie says, their "2 1/2 year labor" is coming to an end. I just can't wait to hear from them and see how they're doing. Next Friday night they come home. We're still hoping to make it to OKC for that homecoming. We'll have to see how we're feeling by next weekend.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Better Today

Ian is doing much, much better today. He's not coughing as much, he's more active, he's eating more and he's smiling a lot more. Not quite back to normal, but getting better. He played well at daycare this afternoon and has played quite a bit at home this evening. Talking and laughing much more than the previous 4 or 5 days.

Our appointment with Dr. Benner went very well today. He said that Ian's shunt appears to be working well. He measured his head and said that he is normal. We need to have some tests done (called a shunt series), just to check things out and get a baseline exam. He's scheduled to have those done next Thursday, May 18th. The shunt series consists of several x-rays and CT scans. Ian will be slightly sedated during the CT's. Not all the way under, just asleep so he won't move around. Dr. Benner said that Ian looks like he's doing well and not far behind developmentally. We were very relieved when we left his office. We knew he was doing great but we just need a specialist to tell us that.

Gaga (a.k.a. mommy) is still sick. Not as achy today, but still pretty icky. Dada now has it. He started feeling bad last night. Hopefully by this weekend we'll all be on the mend.

We'll soon have word that Angie and Dustin have Mia. As soon as I hear from them, I'll post to Ian's blog. We're hoping to go to Oklahoma City next Friday night to meet them at the airport. We'll stay overnight in OKC and then try to go to the zoo on Saturday. That same weekend, another family from Kansas City is coming to Tulsa. They picked up their little girl exactly one week before we got Ian. Their little angel, Chandrima, is about 4 months older than Ian. I'm looking forward to visiting with them and having our kids play together.

I'm off to bed...Ian's already asleep and I think I'll take this opportunity to get in bed early tonight.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

A Little Better...maybe

Ian seems to be a little better today. Charlie stayed home with him. We did take him to see Dr. Jones (Dr. Sood's new partner). She checked him out pretty thoroughly. His lungs are clear but his little ears still look pretty bad. She gave him a shot of Rocephin (an antibiotic) to try to get him over this little hump. He will start back on the Augmentin tomorrow. She doesn't think he needs breathing treatments (thank goodness). So..we'll hold on to the nebulizer and the medication for a while just in case this pops up again. She said that if he's still about the same on Friday to bring him back and they give him another shot of Rocephin.

He was more playful today, plus he actually ate a little today. He's eaten more today than he has in the last three days combined. Still not back to his normal appetite, but it's improving. He's drinking a little more too, which makes me feel better.

I've picked up some kind of bug myself. Sore throat, aching, etc. Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow.

Ian has his appointment with Dr. Benner tomorrow morning. Dr. Benner is the neuro-surgeon that we will see to monitor his hydrocephalus and his shunt. I've heard wonderful things about Dr. Benner so we're hoping that tomorrow's visit goes well.

Our friends Angie & Dustin left for India this evening to pick up little Mia Supritha. It's 2 1/2 years for them that they have been in this process. They have a beautiful little girl waiting for the half way around the world. Like us, they have never flown internationally so they were a bit anxious about that part. But...all of the anxiousness, frustration and pain ended today when they got on the airplane. Over 2 years of waiting is almost over. By the time we go to bed on Friday night, they will probably have Mia. I'm so excited. I just remember the feelings we had when we were leaving and then when we finally got Ian. God is so, so good!!!! We're praying for safe travel and a smooth transition for them.

I'll try to post tomorrow about our visit with Dr. Benner. Please pray that all goes well tomorrow. I'm just a little anxious about it. :)

Another Trip To The After Hours Clinic

We haven't been home long. Ian is now sleeping and I'm getting ready to hop in bed. He had a really bad day today. Slept most of it. Pretty lethargic when he came home. Didn't each much at all today and drinking only a little. I called Dr. Sood's on-call nurse again. She suggested that we take him in again. One to check for dehydration.

He's not dehydrated, yet. His ears are worse. Doesn't even look like he's been on antibiotic at all. So, the doctor changed the antibiotic and gave him a breathing treatment. That was miserable. She also did a chest x-ray. No pneumonia. That's a positive thing.

We need to see whoever is filling in for Dr. Sood this week (they are both out of the country). The doctor this evening wants us to give him breathing treatments 4 times a day until we see the doctor. I'm hopeful that we can get in on Thursday. Since he has an appointment with Dr. Benner that morning...let's just try to get it all done in one day. Who knows.

So, please pray for our sick little guy. He's just so miserable right now.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Sick Little Guy :(

Ian has croup and an ear infection. He started coughing on Friday night. I called Dr. Sood's answering service and talked with his on call nurse. She gave me some tips and said if he wasn't doing better by Saturday for us to go to the after hours clinic at St. Francis, or if he started wheezing to go to the ER.

Saturday he was not a lot better. By noonish he was coughing a lot more and seemed to be a little more congested. We decided to take him in the the after hours clinic. We saw a very nice doctor there who told us that it was definitely croup. His lungs were clear. But.....when he checked his ears, his left one is infected. So, he put him on an antibiotic and sent us on our way.

Today, he still has a horrible cough and he just isn't himself. He'll play for a little bit and then he starts crying. He sleeps in 30-45 minute increments. His fever is down, which is good. He tugs at his little ear occasionally.

I'm probably not going to go to work tomorrow. If he's still coughing like his is now, I'm calling Dr. Sood. I know that there's not a lot to do for croup, I just don't want to miss anything.

For those of you who are experienced mom's this probably isn't a big deal, but it's the first time I've ever dealt with anything like this so I'm kinda winging it. Say a little prayer for us...especially our sick little Ian.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

A New Name for Mama

Ian is jabbering up a storm. Last night he was much more vocal than ever. He's says dog, dada, dadi, and hey very well. He started saying "gaga" last night. More jabbering I suppose. He just kept repeating it.

This morning when I picked him up from his crib he was saying "gaga" again. He just continued to say it. When I'd leave the room he'd say "gaga" and when I returned he'd say "gaga" again. Charlie said "Nad, I think you're "gaga"." Whatever.

This evening when I picked him up at daycare he said "gaga" again. We met Charlie for dinner and he would say "gaga" and kick his little legs. He said dada a few times and then Charlie said "where's gaga?" He looked directly at me and said "gaga".

So....we think mama is "gaga". We asked him several times this evening and every time we'd ask him "where's gaga" he'd look at me and smile. Today, I'm gaga....who knows what I'll be tomorrow.

I'm kinda liking "gaga"....who am I kidding....no matter what Ian called me I'd love it. :)

Gaga has laundry to do....nite, nite.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Mia's Coming Home

Good news....

Our friends Angie and Dustin have been cleared to travel. They leave next Wednesday, May 10th for India to pick up their darling little Mia Supritha. I'm so excited for them. They've been in this process for 2 1/2 years. They are scheduled to arrive back in Oklahoma on Friday, May 19th at 11:45pm.....just 15 minutes before Mia's first birthday.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. We need to continue to pray for them during their travel and the transition time when they get Mia.

Thank you God for answering our prayers!!!!

Precious

Have I mentioned just how cute this little guy is?

He continues to blossom and grow into such a sweet little boy. I'm hopeful that he carries at least some of that with him later on.

He had a great day today. He has talked and played and smiled all evening. He's more mobile and getting into lots of stuff. Not sure exactly what he's saying most of the time, but he loves to talk (Charlie says he's just like me). He has now discovered that he can raise his voice. Not always the best thing to do in all situations, but we still think it's cute.

He is not the most patient child I've ever seen. When he's eating, if we're not feeding him fast enough, he certainly lets us know.

We had our Parents As Teachers evaluation today. That went very well. I loved our case manager. She was wonderful with Ian and gave us lots of good materials to read and use. He seemed to really enjoy her. She's coming back on May 25th for another visit and then again in June. They are off July and August, then we'll start up again in September.

Several Dillon families are getting ready to travel to India to pick up their children. Two families are leaving tomorrow and another one is leaving next week. We're still waiting on the final travel plans for our friends Angie and Dustin. They're just waiting for confirmation that the US Consulate office in Kolkata has received their approval. Hopefully that confirmation will come tomorrow. If so, then I think they're planning to leave next week and will probably get Mia Supritha on or around Mother's Day. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift. It doesn't really matter....it's a wonderful gift from God no matter what day it is. Please continue to pray for Angie & Dustin. I know this time is frustrating for them. I remember when all of the other families were getting their passports and making their travel arrangements and we were still waiting. While we were happy for those other folks, it was extremely hard for us. I know that this is difficult for them as well.

More updates on the Incredible Ian soon.