Hi everyone..............we got home last Sunday and things have been a blur since then.
In Russia Isabelle showed me what she learned from the orphanage.........they have them sit on the potty after changing them, so each time I changed her diaper, she would go pee again right afterward.................one day she peed 4 times on me........that's right, on me..........and all her clothes. Boy I must LOVE this child............lol
She stayed in a playpen while we had her in Russia and she was fine with it. The moment we got back, she refused to use a playpen. Gary was up most of the 1st night with her (she'd slept a COUPLE hours on the plane AND had a 10 hour time change). He finally got her to sleep (after waking me up 2-3 times when he tried to put her in the playpen and she'd wake up) about 5 a.m......................
Going from no children to 1 that's on a major time change AND a toddler is hard...........she doesn't sleep as much as the orphanage noted and DEFINITELY less than a newborn.............and needs EVERYTHING!!!!!
Tuesday I took her for her 1st well baby check. After getting 3 shots and having to get blood drawn twice, as well as give a potty sample............she's got to do it all again in another month..............they have to update her shots, do another potty sample (she's got a bug right now), and give some blood again.........I'm not looking forward to the fussiness again.
Monday (yesterday) we went to our 1st cleft dr. appointment. He said that she immediately needs to get off of the bottle (she'll only eat by bottle) and the pacifier before she can have her surgery..............the bottle and pacifier are her only Russian comforts left. I wanted to get her on solid foods, but then I thought about how she's going to have to be on liquids for 3 weeks after surgery............SO, we have to change her diet only to change it back!!!! Add stress so that later we can change that back.........and then back again!!!!!! YUCK!
The cleft dr. said that we should be able to have her surgery in Dec. or Jan.......he also said that we shouldn't do ANY daycare in the meantime..............we need to have it in Decemeber (not just because it's earlier and better for her, but because I have to go back to work soon, esp. if I can't stick her in daycare before surgery).............
Well, his scheduler called today and told me all the details of the surgery........then asked me if I wanted surgery in Dec. or Jan. when I told her Dec., she promptly told me that she didn't have any 3 hour surgeries in December...........she told me to call back later though.
I just called back and got a surgery scheduled for December 4th.........at noon............so we'll have to keep her up on the 3rd til midnight or so.........so that when she wakes up (hopefully around 10 am) she won't be up as long without eating...............but usually she's STARVING when she wakes up.
So, let me recap prayer requests:
1. Transitioning her off the bottle and pacifier
2. Her food eating sensory issues (appointment on this Thurs. afternoon)
3. Ear dr. appointment not scheduled yet(most cleft babies need tubes put in and we
need to see if Isabelle needs this)
4. Surgery on the 4th of December!!!!! and the recovery time (3 weeks, yes, that's
Christmas day!!!)
Thanks for following on our journey with Isabelle.................
Terri for the Casebier's
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Russia Update
Hi everyone!!!
Isabelle greeted Stacey (my cousin) and I warmly on Sunday afternoon. Our flights (except a couple hiccups) and our road trip to the orphanage went well. Everything (at that point) that I warned Stacey about went just the opposite of my warning (like the Moscow customs line that's usually VERY hard to get through and long, had no line at all basically, though they were still slow and I was the 2nd to last to get through...........:):):) ).
The road trip back from the orphanage was a bear though. It took us at least an extra hour to get back to the city and hotel. That night we tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat. We couldn't figure out the formula/baby food combinations, but tried. I figured she was just tired and put her to bed. A few hours later she was up again and still wouldn't eat. I got concerned and tried to call our translator, but her phone number wasn't available. The next morning she still would not eat, though she was VERY hungry and fussy by then. So, I tried to use a a spoon with the baby food (like we do in the States) and she was so hungry that she let me do that for a little bit. We finally figured out that it was possibly the nipple on the bottles that was bothering her. She wouldn't even let me put the bottle in her mouth, though she would look at it longingly.
We headed to the store and got some more bottles and a couple other small items and went back to try it out. She was still apprehensive, but "aunt" Stacey held her arms and made her try it. She wasn't fussy very long at that point. I think she'd just got to the point where she didn't trust the nipples and that's why she wouldn't try out the new ones. The American bottles are not what she's used to, and the Russian ones don't touch her cleft palate the same way. Up to this point we hadn't seen any bm, but thanks to Whitney (Stacey's sister in Colorado) we knew we were ok with just the formula for now (she won't eat the babyfood unless we mix it somehow with the formula).
Last night she woke up again late (but I was up anyway) and she went back to sleep laying on top of me, then beside me..........................from which point I eventually was able to move her into the playpen. She seems to be bonding very well to me AND to Stacey. I think the real test will be when we see her around others (esp. women) and if she'll cling to me rather than just going off with anyone.
Today (Tuesday) she is an absolute pistol. I was concerned yesterday because she was being so quiet in her crib. I was concerned that she'd learned not to cry because it did her no good. Well, she's quite over that!!!! She's not only crying, but babbling up a storm. It's hard to get her to nap on the orphanages schedule.................but she's finally down for a little right now.
We head back to Moscow in a couple hours. All of our paperwork here is done (as of today). Tomorrow I get to hear her full lung capacity at the dr. office..........yuck! Then Thursday we are at the US Consulate and Friday at the Russian Embassy..............wow, I sure am going to be well versed at these government things now. We're in Moscow til Sunday morning and will be back home in the evening Sunday.
I miss everyone and hope to hear things are going well.
Terri for the Casebier's
Forever Family Day 10/09/2007
Isabelle greeted Stacey (my cousin) and I warmly on Sunday afternoon. Our flights (except a couple hiccups) and our road trip to the orphanage went well. Everything (at that point) that I warned Stacey about went just the opposite of my warning (like the Moscow customs line that's usually VERY hard to get through and long, had no line at all basically, though they were still slow and I was the 2nd to last to get through...........:):):) ).
The road trip back from the orphanage was a bear though. It took us at least an extra hour to get back to the city and hotel. That night we tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat. We couldn't figure out the formula/baby food combinations, but tried. I figured she was just tired and put her to bed. A few hours later she was up again and still wouldn't eat. I got concerned and tried to call our translator, but her phone number wasn't available. The next morning she still would not eat, though she was VERY hungry and fussy by then. So, I tried to use a a spoon with the baby food (like we do in the States) and she was so hungry that she let me do that for a little bit. We finally figured out that it was possibly the nipple on the bottles that was bothering her. She wouldn't even let me put the bottle in her mouth, though she would look at it longingly.
We headed to the store and got some more bottles and a couple other small items and went back to try it out. She was still apprehensive, but "aunt" Stacey held her arms and made her try it. She wasn't fussy very long at that point. I think she'd just got to the point where she didn't trust the nipples and that's why she wouldn't try out the new ones. The American bottles are not what she's used to, and the Russian ones don't touch her cleft palate the same way. Up to this point we hadn't seen any bm, but thanks to Whitney (Stacey's sister in Colorado) we knew we were ok with just the formula for now (she won't eat the babyfood unless we mix it somehow with the formula).
Last night she woke up again late (but I was up anyway) and she went back to sleep laying on top of me, then beside me..........................from which point I eventually was able to move her into the playpen. She seems to be bonding very well to me AND to Stacey. I think the real test will be when we see her around others (esp. women) and if she'll cling to me rather than just going off with anyone.
Today (Tuesday) she is an absolute pistol. I was concerned yesterday because she was being so quiet in her crib. I was concerned that she'd learned not to cry because it did her no good. Well, she's quite over that!!!! She's not only crying, but babbling up a storm. It's hard to get her to nap on the orphanages schedule.................but she's finally down for a little right now.
We head back to Moscow in a couple hours. All of our paperwork here is done (as of today). Tomorrow I get to hear her full lung capacity at the dr. office..........yuck! Then Thursday we are at the US Consulate and Friday at the Russian Embassy..............wow, I sure am going to be well versed at these government things now. We're in Moscow til Sunday morning and will be back home in the evening Sunday.
I miss everyone and hope to hear things are going well.
Terri for the Casebier's
Forever Family Day 10/09/2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Traveling TODAY!!!!
I am so excited about traveling with Stacey today..........I can't wait to meet up with her in Chicago.
I fly to Chicago alone..........then meet up with Stacey (traveling from Denver). We then head to Paris, then Moscow, and finally travel to Samara on Sunday.
Sunday afternoon I get to keep Isabelle forever!!! I will finally start to feel like a mom and be just as overwhelmed with all the responsibility as I can possibly be.........I can't hand her back to someone else a few hours later like I could with daycare............she's actually going to be MY responsibility FOREVER!!!! (or at least until she's an adult........lol).
Tuesday we'll head back to the courthouse (or maybe just our translator will) to finalize the 10 day wait thing and then fly out in the evening for Moscow again...........
On Wednesday we'll head to the dr. office to update her shots and get all of her medicals................Thursday we're off to the US Embassy to work on passports and immigration things.............Friday we're off to the Russian consulate to register our little one before traveling back home on Sunday........
Yes, I said Sunday, not Saturday. I thought we'd have to stay overnight Saturday when I 1st made plane tickets............so Stacey & I will have more sightseeing to do in the mean time. I know I want to see some of their famous churches............and possibly do a Kremlin tour...............plus there are other famous things there that I may not even think about that Stacey knows of.
Gary & I went to a famous art museum when we were there last time, and I like art.......so I hoped I'd like this one with 62 rooms.............it was ok, but most of it was portraits................I liked the tile mosaics and some armour in the last few rooms................we walked so much this last time, that when I saw the chiropractor last night (started seeing him after being in such pain from the 1st trip) he was in awe at how much more loose my leg joints were this time................I wonder how it'll be after this trip and carrying Isabelle while walking..........:):):) (Pray for my back though)
So much to do and so little time to do it in. Packing went well into the night.......and yet I'm at my weight limits pretty much..............so I don't know how that will work out in the end................
Gotta run..........too excited to stay on the computer...............but I'm gonna post some pics from the last trip 1st..........this trip was a lot cooler than the last, but it was still really warm............some pictures show me REALLY sweaty, but I don't remember sweating nearly like that. Also, as soon as we stepped off the plane in Samara, they took us to the orphanage to see her............so this is also travel sweat I guess...........:):):) Please understand and don't be disgusted.........
Terri for the Casebier's
I fly to Chicago alone..........then meet up with Stacey (traveling from Denver). We then head to Paris, then Moscow, and finally travel to Samara on Sunday.
Sunday afternoon I get to keep Isabelle forever!!! I will finally start to feel like a mom and be just as overwhelmed with all the responsibility as I can possibly be.........I can't hand her back to someone else a few hours later like I could with daycare............she's actually going to be MY responsibility FOREVER!!!! (or at least until she's an adult........lol).
Tuesday we'll head back to the courthouse (or maybe just our translator will) to finalize the 10 day wait thing and then fly out in the evening for Moscow again...........
On Wednesday we'll head to the dr. office to update her shots and get all of her medicals................Thursday we're off to the US Embassy to work on passports and immigration things.............Friday we're off to the Russian consulate to register our little one before traveling back home on Sunday........
Yes, I said Sunday, not Saturday. I thought we'd have to stay overnight Saturday when I 1st made plane tickets............so Stacey & I will have more sightseeing to do in the mean time. I know I want to see some of their famous churches............and possibly do a Kremlin tour...............plus there are other famous things there that I may not even think about that Stacey knows of.
Gary & I went to a famous art museum when we were there last time, and I like art.......so I hoped I'd like this one with 62 rooms.............it was ok, but most of it was portraits................I liked the tile mosaics and some armour in the last few rooms................we walked so much this last time, that when I saw the chiropractor last night (started seeing him after being in such pain from the 1st trip) he was in awe at how much more loose my leg joints were this time................I wonder how it'll be after this trip and carrying Isabelle while walking..........:):):) (Pray for my back though)
So much to do and so little time to do it in. Packing went well into the night.......and yet I'm at my weight limits pretty much..............so I don't know how that will work out in the end................
Gotta run..........too excited to stay on the computer...............but I'm gonna post some pics from the last trip 1st..........this trip was a lot cooler than the last, but it was still really warm............some pictures show me REALLY sweaty, but I don't remember sweating nearly like that. Also, as soon as we stepped off the plane in Samara, they took us to the orphanage to see her............so this is also travel sweat I guess...........:):):) Please understand and don't be disgusted.........
Terri for the Casebier's
Joy and Sorrow
Hi everyone..........this has been a truly crazy week for me after returning from Moscow at about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday and then to leave again for Russia today.
Soon after I arrived home, I got news that a co-worker (teacher & friend) died on Sunday from Breast cancer. Monday was my first trauma response team intervention. I think that staff probably took it harder than most of the children. Many of them weren't too upset, but would ask questions about it throughout the week to try and deal with what was going on.
Tuesday evening I came home to a prayer chain email that let me know our music minister lost his wife suddenly. They still don't know why, but that she's definitely in a better place. She left behind a 12-13 yr old son, a 24-26 yr old daughter/son-in-law, a 1 yr old grandson, and a very sad (yet hopeful) husband.
Grief is heavy for all around here.........funerals are today.
However, I won't be able to attend because I am leaving today to pick up Isabelle on Sunday. My heart is torn between grief and excitement...........I must press on and bring our little one to her new families here...........she can help overcome some of the sadness I hope for these other families..........
Terri
Soon after I arrived home, I got news that a co-worker (teacher & friend) died on Sunday from Breast cancer. Monday was my first trauma response team intervention. I think that staff probably took it harder than most of the children. Many of them weren't too upset, but would ask questions about it throughout the week to try and deal with what was going on.
Tuesday evening I came home to a prayer chain email that let me know our music minister lost his wife suddenly. They still don't know why, but that she's definitely in a better place. She left behind a 12-13 yr old son, a 24-26 yr old daughter/son-in-law, a 1 yr old grandson, and a very sad (yet hopeful) husband.
Grief is heavy for all around here.........funerals are today.
However, I won't be able to attend because I am leaving today to pick up Isabelle on Sunday. My heart is torn between grief and excitement...........I must press on and bring our little one to her new families here...........she can help overcome some of the sadness I hope for these other families..........
Terri
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