Speech and Sound

Yesterday Teagin and I both went to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.  I went to have my ear that was infected checked due to some hearing loss I’ve had.  Teagin had her tongue looked at. 

It seems my hearing in my left ear has been affected.  They gave me a hearing test and it came back normal.  In my right ear, it came back above normal.  According to the doctor, many people would love to have my ability to hear as well as I do.  So I have lost some hearing due to the infection.  I should say, due to the fluid that’s still present.  I’m hoping that will correct itself when allergy season is over.  He also felt that was the cause.  I hope I get my hearing back.  It’s really annoying to not hear as well as I used to!

As for Teagin, I had mentioned in an earlier post that we felt she had Ankyloglossia which is also known as tongue tied.  Our family doctor had examined her and confirmed that she is tongue tied.  What we didn’t agree with was how to treat it.  He felt that she could get by with it either stretching or tearing.  That was almost a month and a half ago.  I didn’t agree with this.  And lately, I’ve noticed she’s been having some issues.  For instance, she’s been choking on Gerber Puffs, are a Cheerio type product, with flavors such as banana and sweet potato, geared towards babies.  We’ve found that she doesn’t have the ability to manipulate her tongue around the food to prevent the choking.  The doctor told me that she’d most likely need to have therapy to teach her to eat solid foods if we left the tongue untreated.  She’d also need speech therapy.  So, because of the eating issue, she definitely needs to have it, the lingual frenulum clipped (for those of you who don’t want to Google the term, it’s the piece of skin attaching the underside of the tongue to the bottom of the mouth).  If done fairly early on in life (like in the first 4 months), it’s a simple office procedure.  For children older, it means surgery.  What could have been a simple office procedure is now major surgery simply because she’ll need general anesthesia.  She won’t be under long, only 10 minutes or so, but she’ll still be put under.  She’ll need a couple of stitches too. 

Who’s this going to be harder for?  Teagin or her mommy and daddy?  I’m betting on mommy and daddy.  She’ll most likely not remember this.  Which makes me happy.

I know we need to have it done.  I really don’t want to pay someone to tell us that we need to have the procedure. 

So, next Monday, before most people even go to work, Teagin will be experiencing her first surgery.  Hopefully, she won’t need another one….ever!

"Ketchup"

So I’ve been told by several people that I’m really really bad for not updating!  Life got soooo busy!

The last time I updated, we were getting ready to fly back to the US from Hong Kong.  Teagin did well for the van ride.  Our driver apparently took his training from the Indy 500.  There were a few times where I feared for our safety, thinking he was going to rear end someone.  He also was going so fast that he blew completely by customs so we had to do a loop and go back through so that we could enter Hong Kong.  We got to the hotel attached to the airport and checked in.  Unfortunately, we were one of the few families that were told they had to pay for the room…even though we had already paid!  Luckily, AWAA was open and the desk clerks were able to clear all of that up for those of us affected.  

It was quite late before we were able to find dinner.  We ended up walking to the terminal and found a Burger King.  Oh was that good!  After eating Chinese food and inferior tasting McDonalds, Burger King tasted just like HOME!  

After eating, Jason walked back to the terminal to figure out if our flight was delayed.  It was.  Teagin didn’t do so well with him being gone.  She worked herself up so much she made herself sick! 

We were concerned about how she was going to handle the 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, but surprisingly, she slept for almost the entire flight!  She woke up for about an hour or so to take a bottle, which she promptly threw back up.  I had to get up, go to the lavatory, strip and wash my shirt out.  I used about half a container of paper towels to squeeze as much water out of it as possible.  

We had about 3 hour layover in Chicago before our flight to Des Moines.  She was awake for that, but then slept as soon as she got on the plane.  She got to meet her Grandma and Papa Kraai, who were so excited to finally see her!  She got to experience her first ride in a car seat.  She wasn’t so happy with that. 

It was really neat to see her face when she saw her room for the first time.  Her eyes were just as wide as could be and her mouth was shaped in a little “o”.  So cute!!

We kept her in her pack and play in our room for the first couple of nights, then she went down in her crib.  She slept much better there.  She prefers her crib and no light to sleep.

The first night we were back, she slept the night through and has been ever since!  Our biggest issue, we thought, would be flipping her sleep schedule.  That became a non-issue.  

We did find out all of the issues with her throwing up her bottle was due to our choice of formula.  We were using Enfamil, but that seemed to not agree with her.  In China, we were using Nestle brand, so I Googled it and it pulled up the Gerber Good Start website!  That was serendipitous to find!  My “sis-in-law”, Jen, recommended it as she uses it for her Layla.  So we switched to that and we haven’t had any issues since!

We’ve had to switch detergents due to her eczema.  That’s been OK since mine has started to clear up too.  

She’s also growing like a weed!  When Teagin joined our family, she was just wearing 3-6 month sized clothing.  Just recently, we’re dressing her in 12 month sizes!

Accroding to the doctor, she’s very healthy.  She gets her next round of shots at the end of this month.  We’re also going to see a specialist for her tongue.  Hopefully, he’ll clip it.  I do NOT want to pay for speech therapy only to have the therapist tell us we have to have her tongue clipped and have more therapy!

I’m going to the ENT with her.  Shortly after we got back, I came down with a severe ear infection.  It was bad enough that they almost admitted me for pain control.  One and a half months later and it’s STILL plugged!  

I’ve been back to work for two weeks now.  Teagin has adjusted quite well to that change.  It helps that she goes to her Grandma Kraai’s house for day care.  She spends all day with Papa and she LOVES her Papa!

We’ve also experienced her first separation from me.  I had a business trip to Minneapolis and was away for two nights.  She “punished” me by ignoring me the next time I took her to Grandma’s. 

She also has met all of her cousins!  She loves them all!!

She’s been to her first wedding.

So many firsts!  

We had our first home study and the social worker was impressed with how well she’s adjusted.

It has been such a blessing for us to have her in our family.  She filled a hole that was gaping for so long….it was Teagin shaped.  She’s a happy, smiley, active little girl who brings so much joy to our lives.

 OK, so not happy all the time....like when she wants a nap!

Sunday Ramblings

Teagin threw up 3 times in 10 minutes yesterday.  So we asked the other parents what they were giving and they were told 6 ounces.  The orphanage gave us an information sheet telling us Teagin was taking 9 ounces in her bottle!  I feel horrible now!  I’ve been gorging my child on formula and rice!  We’re cutting back on the amount.  We were supposed to go out with the travel group to a Japanese restaurant tonight, but decided to stay in, considering Teagin’s tummy was erupting in the lobby.  Probably a wise idea.  I know I don’t like going anywhere on an upset tummy so I’m assuming she doesn’t either.  It seems to have worked because she’s a happier baby this morning.  I’ve also noticed that she’s throwing up her formula when she’s working on her number twos.

Traveling to Guangzhou was a traumatic experience for her.  She screamed for almost the entire flight.  I got a dirty look from the guy in front of me, but what do you do?  The plane was packed and cramped quarters which didn’t make any of us happy.  I’m very glad that we’ve upgraded to Economy Plus for the ride back.  Hopefully the seat next to us is still open.  Then we’ll have the whole row to ourselves again.

Yesterday was the doctors’ appointments that are required for us to get her US Visa.  She weighed 7.6 kilograms which translates to 16 pounds and 12.8 ounces.  For those of you wondering, that’s a size 3-6 months but she’ll probably not be in them much longer.  All of her weight is in her thighs!  She also checked out OK with the ENT and surgical checks.  I’m still wondering how she got past the ENT doctor with flying colors.  I’ve noticed that she has this heart shaped tip to her tongue and that she can’t stick her tongue out of her mouth.  I think she’s a bit tongue tied so I’m making an appointment to have my doctor look at it.  I hate to say it, but she’s not going to be a very happy baby in the near future if I’m right.  She’ll have to have a minor surgery to correct.  I sure hope I’m wrong….

Today we did a bit of sightseeing.  We went to the Chen Clan Academy.  The architecture was simply amazing.  I thought the Forbidden City was awesome; it has NOTHING on this place.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get half the pictures I wanted…my camera died.  

Jason didn’t come along with the sightseeing.  He’s still not feeling well.  He started running a fever and is now coughing.  Poor Teagin doesn’t quite know what to think when he coughs.   It’s like a gunshot or cannon going off…so loud!  She just sits and stares at him.

Tomorrow is the appointment at the US Consulate.  We’ll get Teagin’s visa to come to the US and then we can’t leave China for 48 hours.  After the appointment, we’re heading to Shamian Island to do some shopping!  On Tuesday afternoon, we travel to Hong Kong in preparation for our trip back to the US.  So our time here in China is nearly over.  It’s going to feel so good to get home and get settled back into some semblance of normalcy. 

It's Friday

We’re spending a quiet day in the room.  Jason’s not feeling so hot and we have to pack to fly to Guangzhou.  I can’t believe that we have less than a week left here.  On one hand, I’d love to stay and see more of the country.  On the other hand, I’m so ready to go home.  I’m tired of having to remember to not rinse my toothbrush in the sink, the cigarette smoke, inferior cheeseburgers, the stinky tofu….  

Stinky tofu…smells like a hog confinement in the summer on steroids.  I’m not quite sure HOW people can find that tasty.  The smell alone makes me want to vomit.  I was gagging every time we passed the vendor.  Hopefully, we aren’t exposed to that “delicacy” when we’re in Guangzhou.  

Tomorrow we have the required doctor’s appointment and then on Monday is the meeting at the consulate where we take the last steps required to make Teagin a US citizen.  As soon as we touch down in Chicago, she’ll be official!  

I’m posting a video for Grandma and Papa Kraai, since they can’t get their video chat to work. 

I can’t wait to go home and eat normal food…a few places I’m going to hit are Famous Dave’s for the Cajun Chicken sandwich, Red Robin for any burger, and Chicago Speakeasy for prime rib.  I like to recognize my food before I eat it and some of the dishes I’ve seen here are, well, disturbing to look at.  

I am simply amazed at how much Teagin has developed since she was placed with us.  She can now sit up for about 3 minutes before toppling over and she scoots herself all over the bed, going after the things she wants.  I don't think it will be much longer and she'll be crawling!  I also don't think we're going to have too much of an issue flipping the sleep schedule.  Our little girl never wants to go to sleep so we'll just let her stay up as long as she wants!

I need to get going.  A little girl has just woken from her nap and is demanding attention.

Blueberry Lays

It’s Thursday in China.  We spent the morning walking around one of the parks here in Nanchang and then went to a porcelain store.  We bought a beautiful porcelain tea set to give to Teagin when she’s older.  This province is famous for its porcelain.  

 Sleepy baby!

Yesterday, we went to the Pavilion of Prince Tang.  Unfortunately, we left the memory card and video camera at the room, so we got no pictures.  It was so hot there!  Tons and tons of people and no air-conditioning!  We were the celebrities there.  People were following us around wanting to look at the babies, fawning all over them.  It was a bit unsettling for the adults, but the babies didn’t seem to mind.  We went to a really good restaurant after we were through and it was, so far, the best meal of the trip.  I loved the eggplant!  

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get Teagin to relax and take a nap.  She does NOT want to sleep…ever.  She cried for about 4 hours and I was finally able to get her to fall asleep.  Daddy took a nap with Teagin, while I watched the last half of Toy Story 3.  Why did no one tell me that movie was a tear jerker?!?  Teagin seemed to be going through her grieving process.  She would not look at Jason at all, wouldn’t even respond to him, but, if he left her line of sight, she would scream.  It was the same with me, but she made the eye contact with me.  And during the night, she would not go in her crib, so she was in bed with us.  If one of us kept a hand on her, then she’d sleep.  She still woke up quite often, but it could have been worse…she could have made one of us walk her instead…

Right now, we’re having a quiet afternoon in our room.  Teagin’s hanging out with Daddy and she finally let him feed her a bottle.   She looks like she’s about ready to pass out.  She’s all smiles today…after having quite a long nap.  

Tomorrow evening, we fly to Guangzhou for the last part of our trip.  That leg will have the citizenship paperwork for the US.  We have one week left here in China.  It will be so good to get home and get settled.  I know we’re in for a few rough nights…OK, more than a few…

My new addiction is Blueberry flavored potato chips.  You can’t get them in the US.  That’s very very unfortunate.