Jade has Giardia

Our pediatrician's office called us on Sunday afternoon to tell us that Jade's stool samples show that she has Giardia, an intestinal parasite one gets from contaminated water. It looks like I may have it, too. This is something they test babies from China for. I just didn't think she'd have it. She doesn't really show too many symptoms. She's been cutting teeth, so I thought her fussiness was just that, but her teeth are through & she's still fussy. At least now we know why and can treat it. Treatment used to last for up to 5 weeks with a nasty-tasting liquid 3 times a day, but there is a new medication out that tastes good & is taken twice a day for 3 days. Yeah! She started it last night, so hopefully it will be over soon & she will be feeling better again. Despite a parasite taking most of her nutrition, she has gained 3 lbs. since coming home and looks wonderfully healthy! She's filling out well. Take a look at these pix. Finally, I can get some to download again!
This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend, Carol, brought her granddaughter over to play. Jade is 6 months older than Ella, yet is still quite small.










These two photos are from last week.


This one makes me think of my Aunt Jean! Maybe Jade will be a preacher when she grows up!

Finally, Another Update

Well, life has just been busy. Happy, busy hands & hearts. It seems that every time I try to blog, Jade wakes up & needs to be held. And I still love holding her. Clean towels are piled up on the couch waiting to be folded & put away. Dirty dishes are waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the clean ones need to be put away first. Usually these things bug me to death. Now, well now I just don't care. I'd rather hold my baby.
Jade had her first full check up last Monday and has gained 2 lbs., 12 oz! She's grown 1/2 inch in length. She looks so much fuller and healthier. I thought the doctor said (last time we saw her) that Jade was under the 5th percentile of growth, but she said (at this visit) that she has moved from under the 3rd percentile almost up to the 5th. I wonder how she has survived except for the grace of God. And the strong will that He gave to her. She is determined and persistent, and although sometimes I wish she weren't, I'm sure it gave her the fight to live. So, I am thankful for her strong will.
We were referred to early intervention since she still can't crawl. However, I'm sure she's going to be walking on her own by the end of the month. Her back & hips have strengthened and she is far less wobbly when she walks holding our hands. She can pretty much stand by herself.
It seems that Jade has been saying "Mama" for quite a while and we didn't realize it. It has become more clear, and I love it. She is such a happy baby. When she is really happy, she flails her arms & legs and laughs and laughs. I wish I could put a video of it on here.
Well, she's awake & calling for me, so I must go.
I've had trouble getting pictures to download to blogger since August 1, but I'll keep trying.
Trisa

Yes, we are still alive and kicking!

A couple of days ago, our new friend John told me we hadn't blogged since August 1. I was so surprised! Sorry about that. Life is mega-busy right now and I guess the time has flown by. It's hard to believe that we'll have Jade for 1 month on Monday.
We are all doing well. Jade is making progress every day. She is finally holding her bottle - well, about half the time, but still. When we hold her fingers, she can walk and we can see improvement in the strength of her back and hips. She chatters all the time in her sweet little voice. And she is so much fun to play with. She thinks almost everything is funny. She says, Ba Ba, Da Da, and just 3 days ago started Bye Bye! I think she is actually speaking half Chinese, half English with bye bye because she says something like Bye Jian. She tried to repeat almost everything I said yesterday. She clearly said Lao Lao (my mother), okay, hi, and bye bye daddy. I guess that was her first sentence! She still doesn't say mommy but she gives me kisses, and that's okay with me!
She's fussing, so I must go. I'll try to attach some pictures of China before posting this.
Love, Trisa

Happy Days

I know it's been a long time since I have posted to this blog. I caught Jade's virus and have bronchitis and double ear infections, plus my right ear drum has a slight perforation from our plane ride home. And now jet lag is upon us. Poor Jade doesn't know if it's night or day, but she is still her sweet self.
More and more, as Jade's health improves, we see her personality coming out. She has a great sense of humor, loves music and has good rhythm, she has two hollow legs (eats everything we give her!), and is proving the orphanage's report that she can be stubborn & strong willed. She is so tiny that with her developmental delays, she seems like a much younger baby than she is. I know she will catch up quickly, especially once we begin early intervention, but I am enjoying her baby days. Every day we see changes in her. She can walk while holding our fingers. She gets so excited when she's approaching someone who is cheering her on, and she laughs and laughs. Her laugh brightens the room!! She is just adorable!
Jeff returned to work this morning and Jade and I went with him so we could show her off. She drew quite the crowd of admirers. It was so great, because I used to work there, so those were my former co-workers as well as Jeff's. Afterwards, I took Jade to the Kittery Town Hall where I worked until October '05. Again, the folks ooh-ed and aah-ed over her. Then we went to my mom's for a surprise visit. Two friends who live at her complex came down and we had a ball with Jade, especially with her walking back and forth between us.
Jade can now say "Daddy" in Chinese and English. I say to her, "Jade, say Mommy" and she sweetly says, "Da Da." She is just the cutest!
We were able to go to Harbinger on Friday night. I wasn't sure if Jade and I would feel up to it, but we did and it was great. We planned to go Saturday morning, but Anne's ride kind of fell through, so we took her halfway home (which was good, because Greg was able to meet Jade), and went on to Harbinger from there. We came home yesterday morning (Monday).
I am so grateful that Anne was able to spend Wednesday & Thursday nights with us. It helped us a lot to be able to sleep through most of the night.
Well, I can't spend all of Jade's naptime on the computer. The house is a wreck, so I need to go clean. I want to add pictures, but they are on Jeff's laptop and I don't know how to transfer them. I'll try to get him to do it tonight.
We'll try to post more often now that we are home and settling down.
Love,
Theresa