Our Journey For Cole: December 2007

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Monday, December 24, 2007

We had a photo shoot yesterday at the mall, and I quickly realized that Cole's modeling career would have to wait, because he really doesn't like strangers taking his picture. Point in case, the photo to the left was taken by mom....note the happy face! Oh well, at least we got a partial grin out of him.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Dinner With Grammalin

Marc's mom (Linda) is here to close on her new construction home, which she purchased while visiting here during Mother's Day, and of course she was also here to visit her newest grandson. If Cole doesn't look like his normal smiley self, it's because the photo was taken before dinner & he's just not truly happy until he eats!! Well that, and the fact that he had 4 vaccinations today...poor little guy. He is enjoying his time with his grandma, who of course has been spoiling him rotten:)

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Medical Review

We took Cole to an endocrinologist on Friday, to check into the rickets he was diagnosed with in Uzbekistan. I'm happy to report that the Dr felt very confident that the rickets are no longer an issue, and that Cole is at all the right levels. We did decide to do one additional blood test just in case, but we're pretty sure it will confirm the Dr's opinion.

I also received a phone call from his primary care Dr yesterday who told me that all of his previous testing showed a healthy little boy! The anemia he once suffered in Uz is also gone. But his testing did reveal that he was not immune to Hep, so he will definitely continue his series of vaccinations for Hep. Overall, the Dr was very impressed by the test results, considering he was adopted internationally.

We are still working on getting Cole an apt to have all of his developmental stages evaluated, but there seems to be a long wait to get him in....we may just have to wait until 2008. All good news in the meantime, and he's catching up quickly in the height & weight department:)

Adoptive Mothers Poem

Being an adoptive mother is not for every woman. She must possess not only the natural mother instinct but an understanding and appreciation of the situation that brought a child into her arms making her a mother.

The adoptive family comes to be by choices made, choices made by the first parents and by the adoptive parents. This bond the adoptive mother has with her child grows over time, like the child did within his first mother's womb. Day by day, touch by touch, with each tear, kiss, and memory made they became a family. Adoptive mothers have that special knack to let love grow.

The adoptive mother knows that she is a mender of wounds, not just of the physical skinned knees with a band-aid and a kiss, but of the heart. She gives love, acceptance, and permission to ask and talk about the day he was born and of his first parents. Adoptive mothers are embracers, not only of the child with many hugs and kisses, but of the child's heritage and history.

She embraces the facts of her child's past with strength for herself and the child. She's not only a memory maker planning family vacations, activities, and birthday parties, but also a memorykeeper. She's a tier of shoelaces and of hearts. She weaves lives together into a tapestry of a new family, with many different brightly, colored threads showcasing their individualities and family origins. Together they create one unit attached to each other.

Adoptive mothers are experts at finding lost objects, but understand and validate the profound, deep loss left by adoption. She allows the tears to fall and grief to be felt, allowing the mourning of the mom not there. She is secure in knowing that she's not a replacement, but a finisher of a race for someone who, for whatever reason, could not run any longer.

This role is not for the weak of spirit, or the easily wounded. Loving a child not born to her but calling him her own, but this is what she does, it is her calling. She is a mother.

Quick Facts

Uzbekistan, in the ancient cradle between the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya rivers, is the most historically fascinating of the Central Asian republics. Within it are some of the oldest towns in the world, some of the Silk Road's main centres and most of the region's architectural splendours. When To Go The best time to visit is in spring from May until the end of June, and in autumn from September until November. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. In autumn it's harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit. If you're interested in trekking the mountains, summer (July and August) is a better time to visit; at all other times the weather is unpredictable and there can be snow in the passes from Christmas to February. You may wish to remain in the mountains to stay cool, as the rest of the country will be sizzling at this time. But remember, whilst the mountains are pleasantly cool in summer, they are freezing in winter.