It's almost August

My 3 cuties in Utah. Yes, I was standing on the right of them. And yes, this is the best shot we got.

This is Tia with her cousin Elisabeth getting ready for "camping". They slept in the tent in the backyard and Tia was SOOOO excited!!! Daddy will have to take her camping now. (Notice I didn't say mommy. =-))

You have to click on the picture to blow it up and see the true love of ice cream this boy possesses. And how cute is he sitting in the wagon?

Fish face? Kisses? I don't know but super cute!!!

We are back from a long vacation to Utah and Idaho. I think it will be a while before Max wants to sit in his car seat for any length of time. It was a long drive. We had such a fun time at my brother Dave's house as you can see. Getting out of the AZ heat was wonderful!!! We did all get the stomach flu (except Kevin and my brother, go figure) but what could be more bonding than throwing up together?! Ha ha. No, only a few got it while we were actually there. The rest saved it for this week.

School starts here on Monday. Tia will be in first grade and it will be the first time she is going to school ALL day. I am a ball of nerves. I got sick to my stomach as I shopped for lunch box foods yesterday. I really have NO idea if she will eat anything. She is a super picky eater and only eats warmed up foods like raviolis, mac and cheese, etc. So, what to pack in a lunch box??? I don't know! She won't eat bread or meat or cheese or pretty much anything packable. I am just planning on heating stuff before she goes to school and hope she eats it 4 hours later. She is in a regular ed. classroom but will have an aide with her so she won't be able to just eat the cookies and go play. But, I am sad. I will really miss her. She will have therapy 4 days a week right after school, then do homework, eat dinner and go to bed. She is losing her playtime and that makes me sad. It also makes me worry about her behavior getting crazy. I hope it all goes well and I have worried all summer for no reason. =-)

Ty goes to preschool and has a new teacher this year. He is pretty easy going and I think he will be fine. Max may be confused to have such a quiet house for a few hours a day. I'm SURE he will enjoy his one-on-one time with mommy. He is a mama's boy. Poor guy got the stomach flu on vacation and now has a cold. He has been really cranky and I think he is teething as well. It makes the days really long this week. But, I still have to say whenever anyone asks about him I have to just say he is wonderful. Because he really is such a joy!

July fun

Our little Serbian-American celebrating the 4th of July! How cute is that?! We didn't get to see any fireworks but we went to a parade and had tons of fun in Flagstaff at my sister's house. We went to Mormon Lake and saw team roping, buffalo, goats, chickens, cows, etc. The kids were all excited to see "real cowboys."


Now that Max weighs 21 lbs., 9 oz (9780 grams) he gets a forward facing car seat!!! Yes, that is over 4 lbs of weight gain in 6 weeks! We are officially off Pediasure and onto whole milk. Well, as soon as we can wean him off the flavorful Pediasure. We are at about a 30/70 mix right now in favor of milk.


This is Tia and Tyler playing hide-and-seek. Can you find them??? Too funny!!! If I say, "Where are Tia and Tyler, I can't find them. Tia will stay hidden but yell out, "Over here. Look over here." Kids are awesome!

Max has his first word!! He is clapping his hands now and with it says, "EEEAA" otherwise known as, "YEAH." He is such a joy. He loves balls and is really starting to love playing with Tia and Tyler. Tia is not fond of sharing her tea parties with the party wrecker but she loves him. I can't believe we have had him for almost 2 months now. In some ways it feels like he has been here forever and in other ways it feels like he just got here. He is changing everyday and picking up new skills left and right. It is so much fun to be part of showing him new things and watching him succeed and learn. He is funny and silly and fits right in. He is such a blessing to our home!

Look at Max now!!!

He pulled himself up!!!! I walked into the room and there he was standing. Awesome, huh?!
Is this my child??? He wouldn't even take a bath a month ago and now he LOVES the pool! Click on the picture to see it bigger. His face is so cute!!


This is what Tyler did one morning before waking us up. He lined up all the matching containers on the counter and stacked up the soup. He could be VERY instrumental later in helping mommy organize my life. He loves to count and line stuff up. Too cute!

Life is good. Max is probably 20 lbs by now. We are on a waiting list for a feeding therapist (there are 20 people on the list!!!) so we'll see how long it takes. In the meantime, he is eating very thick foods and doing well. He has a fever today thanks to his vaccinations but it will pass. He is only taking one bottle a day now. Everything else is spoon fed. Way to go Max!!! I keep him on the bottle on purpose and will probably do that for a while. It is a good bonding activity and comforts him at bedtime. Being laid down for bed is not his favorite thing. He would much rather be held but rarely falls asleep in my arms. He will fight sleep forever and just get more and more cranky if I hold him. I don't let him cry to sleep though. So, if he cries for more than 10 seconds, I pick him up, rock him longer and try again. I wouldn't suggest this technique unless your child is adopted. :-) It makes for a long evening sometimes. But, he is getting more trust that I will be here tomorrow and he can go to sleep.

We put our papers in yesterday to change Max's name and re-adopt him in the US. This just helps build a paper trail here and give him a US birth certificate, SS # etc. I can't wait for his name to be Max officially, so doctor's offices quit calling to confirm appts for my daughter!! The attorney said it could be a few weeks until court, or several months. Strange, huh? We get the attorney FREE through my husband's work which is very nice. So, hopefully it won't take too long to get the court date. I'll keep you posted.

I love you through "Thick or Thin"

We had Max's Upper GI swallow test yesterday. He was not thrilled drinking barium but he drank enough to get results (and to poop white!) Basically, he aspirates anything thinner than pudding consistency! Not great news, but... the great news is that it is NOT structural. Meaning, it is just because of his lack oral motor control. So, the therapist recommended 2-3 months of feeding therapy and then come back to check it again. I was relieved to hear that! We are not supposed to give him any liquids. I don't know how that is possible. I meet with the pediatrician tomorrow to figure it all out. We are also upping his Prevacid for reflux.

Oh, I talked to an elderly lady while waiting in the hospital for the test. She asked me what Max's "condition" was called. I told her Down syndrome. She said, "Some of the people with Down syndrome are really pretty advanced." I agreed, of course. She told me she had seen "So You Think You Can Dance" when the young man with DS was on there. She said, "He was a bright boy. He spoke well and seemed to have a good life." I was SO thrilled that the boy on that show had been given air time. He truly did what he set out to do...change people's opinions. Way to go!!

Weight check today

We had a weight check today. I am SOOO excited to announce that Max is now 19 lbs, 10 oz! He has gained 36 oz in 21 days!!!!!! How amazing! He came to us at 17-6 and we were hoping for a one-ounce-a-day weight gain which we have happily exceeded! Maybe we won't have to be on Pediasure as long as we thought.

Tomorrow is the big upper GI test so, we'll see how it goes. NO surgery is the ultimate goal in my mind! I know I can't control it but I have done the g-button life and I don't want to go there again. Plus, I hate putting my kids under anesthesia. So, hopefully we can use medication for reflux without needing the fundoplication. The doctor said today that most likely if he is aspirating when he swallows, it can be fixed with a feeding specialist since he is already 17 months old and is dealing OK with it. We will see what tomorrow morning brings.

My hubby is home! No more single mom. Don't you just think it's cruel to leave me with 3 kids right off the bat! Just kidding. I mean, really, golf is important too. HA HA. Just teasing! I love you honey. But I am VERY glad you are home! Now, can you change that dirty diaper?

The many steps of bathtime

Step 1: Fully dressed with NO water . Play for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Clothes off but diaper on, still NO water. Continue playtime.




Step 3: Diaper off, play a while. Then start the water. He usually freaks out as soon at it touches him, but today he did great!


Step 4: Wash body and hair while playing and singing. He whined but was still happy for the camera.

Step 5: Love on my little Max burrito!! He did amazing!!!!
WE DID IT!!!! I am SO happy he is trusting me now! I really just think he had no idea it was supposed to be fun. Now he is relaxing a little. We will continue the 5 step process for a while to help him feel more at ease. He is just so dang fun! Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. I'm so happy to have others to ask!!!

Also, Max ate 2 meals by spoon yesterday!!! He is up to eating 8-10 oz of baby food at a time. It is awesome! Next battle will be texture. I plan to wait a few weeks for that. We have an upper GI study next Tuesday to see about his aspiration and reflux. I am so curious to see what is going on. He is still really raspy after every feeding and has a nasty cough even with the meds he is on now. My hope is that it is just reflux and not a structural issue when he swallows. Reflux can be fixed with medication. I'm not sure what they will do if it is structural.

Tia and Tyler are adjusting really well. Tia still needs her space now and then but there has been a lot of change for her to deal with. She has a new respite provider, we've had lots of company, Max's crying scares her, and daddy went out of town for a few days. She is still processing everything. Tyler is very easy going and change is not as difficult for him. So, he helps Tia by being a friend to play with. They are great kids!! Right now they are pretending to be in school. Tyler is writing his abc's and Tia is giving a lecture on manners! "You have to share Tyler, OK?" "OK" Pretty funny. I am almost surprised things are going so well. I am just trying not to feel spread too thin but give everyone some one on one time. It takes a lot of energy but it is worth it!

2 weeks later

We have been home for 2 weeks now. It feels so great! Max is doing really well. He is paying more attention to Tia and Tyler and seems to be settling in. He has explored about every inch of the playroom and front room. It is so fun to see him enjoying life in our family! My sister came for a little bit today and hasn't seem him in 2 weeks. She said he looks stronger and healthier already. That was nice to hear.

He has actually done 2 amazing things since he's been here. He is putting weight through his feet now and pulling up on my hands. He wouldn't put any weight on his feet before and he thinks it is the funnest game ever! AND as you can see, today he ate from a spoon!!!! He hasn't been liking the baby food in a bottle much the last few days so I decided to try it on a spoon. I started with sweet potatoes (because no baby can refuse those) and it worked. He was messy but he opened his mouth every time for the spoon. He did bite the spoon A LOT and wouldn't give it back which was funny but he did it!! So, for 2 meals today he ate some baby food. I tried stage 3 but he wasn't ready for the texture so I blended it up and he liked that better. Little by little he is getting it. He definitely still likes the bottle for his milk.

He still HATES the bath and we are trying things with no success but we will get there. He doesn't mind playing in a pan of water, or putting his feet in water but hates to be sitting in it. I even tried to get in with him in just two inches of water but he freaked out. So, next I will put him in the tub with NO water and some toys and see how he does. I am only trying something every few days so it doesn't become too stressful for him. I sure wish I knew how he handled baths in Serbia. I just feel so bad for him. Overall, he is doing great and is an absolute sweetheart!