Apr 29, 2010

Samara is 18 months TODAY!
















It's amazing how quickly time flies, yesterday was one month to the day that we picked up Samara from the orphanage. Today she is 18 months old. I cannot believe it. She is a beautiful little girl.
In one month here is a list of her progress:
1.) Walking on her own
2.) Takes a bath
3.) Sleeps well at night (still need to work on naps during the day, she is quite the cat napper)
4.) Babbles Somewhat
5.) Let's us rock her to sleep, (this was great at the beginning and then went through a period where she wouldn't let us)
6.) Gives open mouth Wet kisses - Big improvement from the beginning when she would look at us like we were crazy when we would kiss her. :)

I was hoping that Growth (weight, height and head circumference) would have been one of the above and also her sickness gone. It's hard to grow when you are sick, still on Med's and I still don't think it's going away. :(
Also I was hoping that she would respond to our smile, this seems so simple and I know that this happens at such a young age but when no one has smiled at you, you don't know how to interact . It's not that she doesn't smile or laugh but she will not smile at you if you are smiling at her. You have to tickle her or make her smile.

The really great thing is we had her MRI on Tuesday down at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and everything came back Normal. Thank God!!!!
She has an Occupational Therapy appointment on the 12th along with her shots etc... She also has a Neurology appointment at the end of May, It's takes forever to get in and see the neurologist. Even though her MRI came back normal our Dr still wants her to see a neurologist.

I am going to take some more pic's of her today and hopefully post later on tonight.....

Apr 25, 2010

Samara has been home now for over 3 weeks....

and we are so very happy. That's not to say that we don't still have so far to go with her but we can see everyday how much more comfortable she is becoming.
She loves to play chase around the house with her brother. It's so neat to watch them play as Ethan will run up and down the hallway and she tries to keep up (she is walking well but still wobbly) she laughs at him running. SO cute, and he thinks it's great that she is interacting with him. They do have some sibling rivalry but that is to be expected. She is so determined. Just like our Ethan.
On the health side of things we are still struggling a bit there, she had her eye appointment on the 16Th and the Dr said she may be a little near sighted. Other than that she did well and he had great things to say. We go back in 6 months to check them again to see if they are getting any worse.
Her hearing appointment was this past Tuesday and she did well, she had some slight low tone hearing loss, due to fluid on the ears. Which meant her ear infection that she was on Antibiotics for, for 10 days didn't take care of it. We went back to the Dr on Wednesday for her ear infection and cold that didn't clear up and she is now on a stronger antibiotic. Ethan is also on an antibiotic for a sinus infection. It's been a rough week of sickness. Poor kids.
When we went to the Dr on Wednesday we went to my regular pediatrician which this was the first time she had met Samara.
I have to be honest I was a little depressed after this Dr's appointment because I was hoping for some weight gain or some sort of growth for our little girl, and nothing!!!! Not even an ounce, in fact she had lost a few ounces. I cried because I felt defeated, I had worked so hard to try and get her to eat good and get her to eat this high fat diet, but shes still sick and we are not sure her parasite is gone either. We have to take her fecal again to make sure. Have to wait 10 days from when she got off her med's for it. We can start this Tuesday.
Our Pediatrician was concerned about her lack of eating, her small size, her very small head size, and it's preemie shape. Also she checked her hips and heard clicking, so we were given orders to go down the hall and get x-rays on her head and hips. Results came back and everything was normal except she has low one in her hips, all that means is that she is very limber and can spread her legs like frog. This will change as she gets older, or maybe not...maybe we will have a little Russian Gymnast on our hands. :)
Our pediatrician is still concerned about her head, so this Tuesday she ordered an MRI for her brain to be done to rule out any damage or lack of growth due to being premature etc.....She will be sedated. YUCK! Poor little baby, at least I feel like they're checking everything now and making sure there are no underlying issues that would might be missed. I would rather catch it sooner than later and get her help, if this is the case. We are hoping and praying that everything comes out fine and proves their instincts wrong.
Either way she is our little girl no matter what. We love her. If you think about it please say a prayer for her. We also made an appointment with neurology for her because it takes a month to get in. If the MRI comes back good I'm not sure we will keep this, depends on what the Dr says.
We also have to take her back to see the pediatrician on May 5Th to check her ear infection has cleared up and she wants to check her weight. On May 12Th she has her one month follow up with Cincinnati Children's to check her progress and to get lots and lots of shots. I am really hoping to get her better soon, I only have 8 weeks off with her and it's already half over and no progress on weight or getting her sickness cleared up. It's hard to work on so many things at once. Bonding, attachment, her health, development, Dr's appointments/testing, a schedule...etc... If we can pull it off I'm going to try and take off some more time if possible. It's hard when you are going unpaid but it's so critical for her right now. A few pics!
Daddy and Me!

I have spirit hands when I walk, keeps my balance. So precious!

I hate that this pic came out blurrry, but I love it still. She LOVES her sit and spin. She doesn't sit and spin, but it lights up and plays music and she thinks its great. Look at that grin on her face!

Apr 19, 2010

Two steps back........enjoying some sights.

So, we kind of missed the post of our baby shortened trip to Red Square and the Kremlin, so here is a few of the better shots we got:

Leah And Samara at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Entrance to Red Square


A church by Red Square


One of my favorites..Militia training on Red Square in front of St. Basil's Cathedral


Russia's President's Home at the Kremlin


Guards around the Kremlin

At this point Samara wasn't really keen on being put down and wanted absolutely nothing to do with a stroller, which of course we dragged all the way to Russia, so we had no other choice but to carry her. About half way through our walk she decided that she would take a nap, so needless to say our walk was cut short, but I think that we got to see some really cool sights.


We made it to Red Square and the Kremlin, but Red Square was blocked off for the training that is pictured above. We walked through a really cool shopping mall to get to the other side of the square where we were able to get to St. Basil's Cathedral, which was absolutely beautiful, and from there we walked around the Kremliin wall and back to where we started.


We could have done so much more as you could pay to take tours inside the Cathedral and the Kremlin, but with a sleeping child who wanted nothing to do with a stroller we had no choice but to call it a day. Even though we couldn't do more we're extremely happy to have had the chance to see what we did.

St. Basil's Cathedral





Apr 18, 2010

Getting more used to my Bath!

Still a little unsure of my bath but I didn't cry this time!!!
HUGE MILESTONE!!
Washing My hair.....
I love Lotion time!
I'm too sexy for this Robe!! LOL
Look at me Pose! This pic cracks me up!!

So I went against the doctors and decided to just make Samara plunge right into a bath. I know some of you might think this is cruel but it only took one bath of crying and now she doesn't cry. We were doing what they said and just letting her watch Ethan take a bath and put her tub in living room for her to play in and get used to etc....but she wasn't any less afraid of water.
So I just thought she needs to know that bath time can be fun and not scary and I figured she needed to realize that after an actual bath and she has.
Although the first time she cried and shook the entire time. I just spoke very gentle and sweet to her letting her know everything was OK. The second time she barely whimpered when I put her in the water and then was fine (see pic's above for yourself).
She didn't even cry the third time. So now she has had three baths and even though she is not completely comfortable with them as evident by how she holds her arms up high as to not touch the water, her third one was last night and she actually splashed the water with her hands a couple of times. She will be a fish before you know it. :)
That's all for now, It's nap time and I need to get her down.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. We can feel them.







Going to church


So, we are getting ready to go to church and I thought I'd post real quick while Leah is in the shower. I just wanted to say that I am very lucky and blessed to have added this wonderful little girl to my family, we love her so much!

Although right now we have a couple little health issues to deal with I can tell you already how smart this little girl is......since we've gotten her home she has now started walking all by herself and motors all over the house constantly. She already knows her name and already knows how to shake her head no when she doesn't want something.

While playing with her and watching her study what your doing it's amazing to tell that she is constantly analyzing and processing everything trying to figure out how to do it herself. Even while she plays on the floor and discovers things you can see her thinking and learning.

I know in my heart that she will continue to grow and thrive and be everything we hoped she would be when we began this journey.......and if she keeps progressing like this she may even be potty trained before Ethan! LOL Keep your fingers crossed that isn't the case. :)

I'll let Leah tell everyone about bath time (pics included), stay tuned.....

Apr 14, 2010

Apr 13, 2010

Because It's Tuesday and I need to update....

Well things have been hectic around the Megerle household, Justin has Bronchitus, Ethan has had a fever on off, and Samara isn't eating well and has been very whiney.
She is on Meds for all her sickness so hopefully she we get better soon. Justin is also on meds and well Ethan hasn't had a fever long enough or high enough to see the Dr yet, I haven't gotten sick yet so I I thank God for that, because one of us has to stay healthy to keep it together around here. :)
Samara has an eye appointment this Friday to see if there are any issues with her sight (routine) and more bloodwork.
So let me focus on the good, Samara sleeps so well at night. She goes down around 8:30-9:30 and sleeps until 7:00. Can't ask for more than that. Naps are not as good during the day but we will get there.
Ethan is acting out alot and being defiant. It's been really hard lately but this too shall pass. Hopefully. :)
We have a hearing test scheduled next week for Samara(routine as well) but I need to make sure her ear infection is cleared up first.
We are ALL still trying to adjust. Still only been a week and half since Samara has come home. We are so Thankful for her and Ethan. We love our family and know that even though these are hard times we ARE FAMILY and nothing will change that. Nothing!!

Apr 10, 2010

Hello....a little update..

It's Saturday morning and Samara is napping in her swing while Ethan is playing with his new Thomas the Tank Trains (motorized) that some of Justin's Co-workers got him and trying to wake up Samara....He has started to act out because of the new dynamic.
He still loves his sister but not being as loving as he was a few days ago. LOL....that didn't last too long. All in all things are going pretty well.

On Wednesday I took Samara back to Children's to have her TB test read, She did have a reactive result, which means she has the TB virus, either a result from being vaccuinated or being exposed to it. Anyway the good news is she is not contagious so no one can catch TB from her. She had chest x-rays which came out rather cloudy, but since she has a cold we will repeat them in a few weeks. We also found out that she has Giardia (parasite) this is a big reason why she is so small and is not growing like she should. So the good thing is we are treating this and hopefully she will get rid of this soon and be able to start eating better and keep the nutrients that those parasites are taking away. Our poor little girl has been through so much and God only knows how long she has had all of this. So it's no wonder she was labeled with "Failure to thrive".

We are praying daily that she will get better soon, we are already seeing a difference in her and we have only been home a week. Her hair is growing and I think she may have gained a little weight. Please when you pray say a prayer for her. Especially that we find all of the issues she may have so that we can get her better.

She is on Meds that are for 10 days so we do not go back to the Dr's for a little while.
I still have to take her for hearing and vision appointments but I cannot make the hearing appointment until her ear infection is gone.

Ok gotta go she just woke up and is starting to fuss....I'll update in a couple days

Apr 6, 2010

Home...Busy...and Loving Life as a family of 4

We landed in New York on Friday April 2nd at about 1:40pm and went through customs where our little Samara became an American citizen, she actually has dual citizenship until she is 18 and if she wants to continue to have citizenship in Russia she will just need to keep up with it. We will leave that up to her. I have neglected the blog so bad and I am sorry for that. These last 4 days home have been nothing but busy!


In New York I got Samara cleaned up from our 10 hour flight and into her "coming home outfit", See pic...At least she looked good. Justin and I needed sleep and showers. LOL


She slept 6 out of the 10 hours on the flight. What a trooper. She did so good.


We met a couple while waiting at the airport to leave Moscow who were bringing their beautiful forever son home and on our flight. They took this pic for us. They were the nicest couple. We wish them all the best with their little Elijah!


When we arrived to CVG at about 7:35 we were greeted with so many wonderful family and friends. It was an emotional reunion and first time meeting of our new addition. There were banners, gifts and oh so many tears, but good ones.


Ethan just absolutely loves his new little sister. He calls her his best friend. So cute, it's only been 4 days so I know it won't last forever but right now it just melts my heart. He wants to be the big helper, he is doing so good with her.


When leaving the airport I was really worried about our drive home since this would be the first time Samara would have ever been in a car seat, wow she is such a trooper. No fussing...just rides like a champ. This is not to say that she has liked it every time since then but she does really good. The drive home was surreal, All four of us in the car, one big family. I was so happy at that moment. It was the best feeling.


At home I was hoping she would sleep through the night but her schedule was flipped upside down. I got her to sleep about 9:45 and then was ready to get up at 3:30am..So I didn't get much sleep. We were up till about 7 am and then I woke Justin up for him to take her so I could get just a couple more hours of rest. At 9:ooam Ethan came to wake me up so I would make him pancakes, so of course I did. All in all not as bad of night as it could have been.


Saturday we took Ethan to Jump Zone for Nolan's Birthday Party, even though Justin and I were too exhausted, I know it was a good thing for Ethan. With us being gone for over a week and then bringing home Samara his world has been rocked so we wanted him to get to do something all by himself. He had fun, then we had to go to the grocery store to stock the fridge. It was very empty. Made several stops to get some last minute things for Easter. Then went home to try and get some rest.....we were so exhausted. This time Samara slept through the night or until about 5:30.


Sunday we all got up and had muffins for Breakfast and went to church for the first time as a family of 4. Samara did ok for part of the service but then had about enough. We then went to my parents for Easter Lunch and spent time with my family. It was wonderful.....everybody is smitten with her. Then we left my mom's and went to Justin's Moms and spent the evening with all of his family and had Easter Dinner. It was great to spend time with everyone and they gave us so many nice gifts. We have the best families, very loving and supportive. We were gone all day, got home about 9:30pm and went straight to bed. Samara slept great, got up a little after 6 am.


Monday was Samara's Dr's Appointment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital International Adoption center. Her appointment was at 10am and lasted 4 hrs (we knew it would be this long) She was seen by a round of Dr's on psycho social, occupational therapy and infectious diseases. We also saw a social worker on attachment and bonding. It was long but very informative appointment. First most of you know from my previous posts that she has been sick. We found out she has an ear infection and a bad cold so she was put on a strong antibiotic. It seems to already be working. Our little peanut is below the 3rd percentile on all measurements, head, weight and height. In IA (international Adoption) terms that means "Failure to Thrive" Sounds horrible doesn't it? She is just malnourished and too tiny for her age. She is technically 17 months old but because she was born 2 months premature her gestational age is 15 months. So when they charted her on all of her motor skills she charted at about 12months...not bad only 3 months delayed. That is really good. On her speech she is charting at about 8-9 months. This is the big delay, but we are working with her and can already see a difference in the way she is babbling and communicating with us. So many little quirks that she does, we were unsure of what they meant and some worried us but we were told that those are normal for an institutionalized child and are all sensory things. This was such a relief to hear. To be honest we got such a good report, they are concerned about her size and want her to have a big growth spurt so she has been put on a high fat diet. The social worker was amazed at how well she was trusting us and attaching. We have been praying and God is really working here because this was something I was really concerned about. The social worker said she had NO concerns for her attachment but still wanted us to continue our "only Justin and I are the care takers ".


We were so happy with the report, we still will not know about any of the infectious disease results for awhile...They took 10 viles of blood from our little girl. I was worried this was going to hurt her and I cannot believe they can take that much from such a tiny person. It was painful for me to watch. :(


Today was the first day with No appointments but No less busy. I will try and update more frequently and definitely post more pic's..sorry for the long book...I just had alot to update on.