Happy 2 weeks!

Happy two weeks home Lauren!

It has been another full week of learning and experiencing new things for Lauren.  We are amazed at the progress she is making.  Everyday we see that she is learning new things and picking up new skills.  Although still a bit wobbly, her walk is getting more steady and she is getting stronger.  She is very comfortable around the house and will walk from one room to another by herself.

This week it seems that Lauren figured out what toys are.  She can now amuse herself and keep herself occupied with the toys that we have for her.  Her favorite are musical toys where she pushes the button and music plays.  She also loves to play with the little kitchen in her room or sit playing her musical toys on her chair/table set. 

Sitting at her table playing her piano

I love balloons!  Thank you Oma Mary!

Discovering what books are all about

Learning to comb my hair

Loving her baby Einstein piano

Besides her toys, she is becoming quite comfortable with Bali.  She is quite amused by Bali's actions.  She is constantly following Bali and teasing her with the food she has in her hand.  Bali thinks that Lauren has a treat for her, when in fact Lauren just wants Bali to lick her hands.  If Bali is laying down, then Lauren feels the need to kiss her!  Bali is very sweet with Lauren, but she is a big dog, and right now we are supervising them very closely because Lauren thinks Bali's tail is something to play with! 

Looking back at how Lauren ate in China, we think that she was literally starving as she ate so much.  She has definitely slowed down in her eating and now eats more of a toddler size meal.  She is also becoming more picky on her food choices.  Although she is not speaking, she will certainly make loud squealing noises when she wants to eat.  And when she starts making that noise, food better come fast, or the squealing will just get louder!  She is also starting to push our food that she does not want away and will sometimes shake her head "no" if she does not want something.  A new accomplishment this week is her drinking whole milk with her meal.  Per doctor's orders we are trying to get Lauren to drink more whole milk to get nutrients and her weight up.  We discovered that giving her milk and a straw does the trick.  For whatever reasons, she only will drink water from her sippy cup and will throw the cup down on the floor if it is filled with milk.  But if it has water in it, she has no problem drinking the water from the sippy cup. For now we still have her on formula and we are mixing it with whole milk.  The goal is 16-24 oz a day, and currently we are about 12 ounces of whole milk. 

My milk mustache!

 

Transitioning her out of her Chinese formula

Lauren is learning to wave "bye-bye".  She is also getting much more comfortable in her carseat.  She no longer fuses when we put her in the car seat.  She knows that when she gets in she needs to be buckled, so she tries to put the safety belt on herself.  

 

Lauren also had another doctor's appointment this week.  Poor baby needed three shots and blood drawn.  They took 7 vials of blood from her!  Unfortunately, this is not the end of it.  She will go next week to get the rest of the blood work. (another 5 vials)  They could not do all the vials today because her weight is too low to draw that much blood out.  All this is needed for the screenings and tests the doctor needs to conduct.  Lauren's paperwork shows that she was vaccinated with some vaccine in China.  As to not repeat vaccination, we are testing her blood to see what she has immunity against already.  We will only vaccinate her if it does not show up in her system. Poor baby was so upset at the doctor's office and then again at the lab.  She was so mad at me, that in the car on the way home, refused to let me touch her.  But after some cuddling time at home, all is forgiven.  (At least until next week)  Good news is that she has gained .8 lbs.  So almost a full pound since being home.  She now weighs 23.2 lbs.

Our one month post placement social work visit happened this week.  This is a requirement from China.  We will actually have the social worker visit us up until Lauren's fifth birthday so that updated reports can be sent to China.  The social worker was very pleased with Lauren's progress and how her attachment to us is developing.  She cautions that we are still needing to work on attachment and trust with Lauren.  So we are taking her advice and going very slow in introducing her to others.  So please be patient with us.  We promise to update the blog so you can at least see her pictures.