Just first wanted to let everyone know that Cainan had a fantastic night last night. Thank goodness! The middle of the night was not the start of something! Yeah!
Well, today was Cainan's first doctor's appointment. We went to the pediatrican. We were there for 2 hours! I am glad Cainan is a good boy - he behaved the whole time. But it was good that we got a nice long appointment in, so that we could get him all settled.
Cainan is really tiny. He is 17 pounds, 4 ounces. He is average height, though, at 31 inches. His weight is well below the percentiles, but that is too be expected. After I feed him enough McDonalds, he will get bigger! (ha) The doctor recommended him to be on pediasure to help him catch up in calories and vitamins. So we are going to start that. Right now he has been drinking a mix of Chinese formula and American formula, and we have been weaning him off that. So I am sure our super good eater will take to the pediasure just fine! His head circumference was also small, but we think that may be due to the fact that his head is flat in the back. The doctor wasn't concerned with that either. Mat thought he had a big head - he was wrong!
We also found out that Cainan has a slight heart murmur. The doctor wasn't that concerned, but wants us to take him to a pediatric cardiologist just to check him out. Since we don't have any history on Cainan, they will probably do an echocardiogram (won't hurt) to see what is going on in there. It is probably benign, but now we know about it.
Cainan also has a double ear infection. Not that we knew it, but with his cleft lip and palate, itis to be expected. So he is on antibiotics for that.
It sounds like he is a mess, but he is a typical orphanage kid. He has already made great strides in his physical development, and we see improvements every day. He will probably get some physical and occupational therapy to help him catch up, and he will definitely get speech therapy after he has his surgery. By this time next year, Cainan will be a very different boy!
So that is the update!
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Quotes
- "There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
- When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
- You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
- Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~
Helen Keller - Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
- Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."-
Dr. Seuss - "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
- "God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
- I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
- Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
- There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
- The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
- Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
- Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
- The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
- Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
- There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
- Be the change you want to see in the world
- Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
- Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
- Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
- Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
- Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
- "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -
Confucius
We are a family of 5 living in Massachusetts. Mat and I have been married for 16 years, and we have three children. Arlington is 11 years old, and Finley and Cainan are 8 years old. We adopted Cainan from China when he was 14 months old. He was born with cleft lip and palate level three. This blog started out as our journey to bring him into our family and has turned into our family blog. He and Finley are only 30 days apart!! We love being a blended family, and enjoy sharing about our trials and tribulations through becoming one! Also, our daughter Finley was diagnosed in 2009 with Lebers Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) a rare genetic eye condition that has made her legally blind. Come and read about our proud family!
If you want to read Cainan's story, click here:
The Pletcher Five Journey Blessings Times Three: Cainan's Story
If you want to read more about Finley - go here: Finley's Story
If you want to read Cainan's story, click here:
The Pletcher Five Journey Blessings Times Three: Cainan's Story
If you want to read more about Finley - go here: Finley's Story
Children's Rare Disease Network
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- Comment that made me laugh
- ENT visit today
- ENT - Grrrrrrrrrr.....
- Visit to Surgeon today
- First day alone with both babies
- Update
- More pictures
- Home and settling in
- Leaving on a jet plane
- One More Day
- Cainan Short Stories
- More Pictures, Less Words
- White Swan Hotel
- Closing Days of Changsha
- Explanation of pictures
- Changsha Days
- Gotcha
- New Part of China
- Sightseeing in Beijing
- Clarification
- Settling in - Beijing
- Up, up and away!
- Starting Out
- Our itinerary
- Cainan's 14 months old today
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4 comments:
So good to know he's adjusting well! Please keep the updates and photos coming!
Dianne (from the JuneDossierDance group)
He makes Shane sound like a Giant! Well, Everything will catch up when he starts eating good American fat... sounds like you guys are all adjusting well! Hope to hear from you again soon -- and we'll let you know when Sylas arrives, could be any day now....
How awesome that Cainan's journey to join the Pletcher clan has been so smooth. It is amazing that he has bonded so well with you all so quickly and that he has adjusted incredibly well to so many life changes. I teared up and got the chills when I saw how happy he looked in the picture of him laying on the floor, smiling from ear to ear.
You are all in my prayers.
Love, Cammie
I'm sorry to hear about his ear infections. My first daughter had that when we first got home from China and the antibiotics cleared it right up (the antibiotics gave her thrush though).
My Sophie is from the same orphanage and she too is very tiny. 18 pounds at 16 months. I too give her Pediasure and the occasional McD's to fatten her up. The Pediasure is expensive, but I get the Walmart brand and it tastes just like the regular Pediasure but it costs less.
Good luck! I've enjoyed reading your blog.
Erica
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