Happy Birthday!

Pop and Noah

Birthday love

Swinging

The whole gang

Opening presents

Today is my birthday. (I won't say how old!) We had a very nice celebration last night with my parents in their home. Noah completed the finishing touches on his decorator's job by tossing shredded Hawaiian pork and a mashed-up roll with butter. I think Mom and Dad were pleased with the results!

I started off my day with a wake-up call from Noah's gastroenterologist. Noah had some trouble yesterday keeping food down. This could be a complication of the repair done on his intestine. The doctor said we will wait and see. The procedure done to repair the malrotation can sometimes involve nerve damage. This in turn affects the ability of the intestinal muscles to push food through the rest of the digestive tract. I have a call in to the adoption agency to contact the orphanage to see if Noah has had problems in the past with keeping food down. I suspect that it will all turn out okay. He has had no problems in the four weeks he has been with us and he seems fine today.

Later in the morning I spoke with the hematologist regarding Noah's final test results. He has alpha thalassemia minor. This is simply a genetic trait where two of the four alpha globin genes are missing. He has small red blood cells and a mild anemia but will not experience any symptoms. This condition can sometimes be mistaken for iron deficiency anemia but it is not and iron supplements will not help. He inherited this genetic trait from one of his birth parents.

Okay, enough of the medical jargon! On to some fun things! Noah has learned to sign "hat" and "book" and he is very excited about his increasing ability to communicate with us. Not only is he signing but he is saying the first part of each word. We will continue to teach him new signs as he is ready. Another positive, Noah actively sought me out this morning when was experiencing some discomfort. He came to me desiring to be held and comforted. It may sound small but it is a big step in the continuing process of adjustment and attachment. These things have brightened my day!

Just two nights ago we had a terrible time with Noah crying, screaming, and pinching me before bed. He had been exposed to lots of new faces and, I think, was very anxious by bedtime. I was so frustrated and upset by the whole incident that I seriously thought about staying in bed the next day (like that would have helped!) But with some quiet time at home we reset the stage and helped Noah find security and contentedness with us.

The adjustment phase continues to be full of ups and downs, questions and heartache, and laughter and hope. Again, I had no idea how hard this would be. But through every trial of every day God continues to prove himself faithful despite my lack of faith.