Saturday July 16 - Big day for daddy and new concerns for mommy

We are having a hard time remembering what day and date it is now. In case I do not have a chance to log on tomorrow I want to wish Noah a Very Happy first Birthday! Happy Birthday to you Noah! We love you and can’t wait to see you in a few weeks.

Last night our wonderful guide had a tailor come to our hotel to show us real silk material and measure us (the mommies) with a Chinese dress of our choice. I thought that was wonderful because I had not thought to ask for this before because we have been in survival mode only. A good friend and adopted mom gave us a gift to get Lacie a first birthday dress specially made for her while here. So of course we took the tailor up on this. Lacie and I will have matching dresses made (matching material) and John is getting a tie made so we can all get our pics done once home. They measured us and we picked the beautiful red silk material with gold phoenix bird (John said it looks like a peacock) throughout. She will get all the dresses made and back to us within three days. My dress, Lacie’s dress and John’s tie all cost under $80.00. That is a deal!

Today was a big day for Daddy! We have both ended up with a little bit of a bug and have begun our antibiotics just in case. There was an outing today to a local book store and WalMart for cd’s, DVD’s, books and supplies. Since John had a nap and Lacie had her basic needs met: clean diaper, fed, etc. he stayed back with her while I went shopping. Yes, I was a little nervous – but there were other experienced dads staying back with their babies too so they all hung out together.

When we got back – only after about two and half hours I was told by one of the other dads that John had his first poopy – without me! Go ahead and laugh cause we all have had belly laughs at the story and I do believe that John is kind of proud of himself. I do not want to gross anyone out but I have to share some details so that John’s family especially and his friends who know him very well can appreciate how he was totally baptized into daddy-hood today. This is the kind of poopy that mommy has not even experienced – and would have not been something she would want to. Apparently the story goes like this. John noticed that she was stinky. He was in one of the other dad’s rooms and had her all laid out on the pad when the other dad heard, “HELP!” It apparently was a “two daddy diaper.” John got the diaper off her, socks first as I taught him and was wiping her when he said it continued to come out – more poopy. His description: like pressing hard on a full tube of toothpaste. It was all over the changing pad, etc. He had to clean it all up and no mommy to help. Poor daddy – on a very queasy tummy too.

Lacie is getting a cough today. Mommy has panicked a little and has emailed the pediatrician half the night as well as called her this a.m. She is wonderful. She is a China mom too and lives in our state. She is available for phone calls and generally answers my emails within hours. Lacie is still rather itchy but I do not want to keep medicating her with benadryl so I was trying to see how she would do. But after being wired for sound and scratching her healing heat rash till 10:00 last night I gave her benadryl. She began to cry and then when she took a breath she began to cough and sputter. I thought maybe she aspirated (docs term. Mine: sucked it into her lungs.) Anyway, she went to sleep within minutes but around 3:00 a.m. she began to cough a lot till about 5:00 a.m. Mommy obsessions began. What if she sucked it in her lungs? What will happen? How bad can it be? So, knowing it was business hours back home I got up at 3:00 to email the doc to ask about that. She responded with reassurance that most likely she did not aspirate but if I really thought she had to begin her antibiotics. What? More medicine that she can aspirate? You have got to be kidding. So, at 10:00 a.m. I called her at home (10:00 pm EST.) She was wonderful. She told me if I did not want to begin the antibiotics to watch for her temp to be at 100.4 (or 99.4 under the arm.) Otherwise, not to worry because babies lungs take care of themselves. I about cried cause at home I would not worry as much. We have our resources and doctors and hospitals and friends who have gone before us to call. And yes, dear nurse sister Robin – you were next on the list to call. And thanks to you I knew the word the fine doctor used when she said to take it under the arm – axillary or something like that. Don’t laugh if it is wrong but it sounded like that anyway. Anyway – her cough comes and goes. It does not seem to be so consistent to panic and her temp is still normal. We have done under the arm and also ear. I guess we will continue to medicate as needed even though mommy really does not want to keep her doped up the first week she meets her new parents.

Oh – about food – Lacie LOVES to eat. She can’t get enough and that is the only time she has a temper tantrum – when I am not shoveling it in fast enough. I can barely get the spoon back into the bowl for more cereal and she begins to arch her back and fuss cause I have not moved any faster to meet her needs.

We wish we had more pictures to share but today has been survival only. Hopefully tomorrow we will do better.

Take care and lots of love and hugs to our family and friends at home and everywhere! We miss you.

Vonda and John and Lacie