The slight lull in posting about our adventures is the result of having family visit this past weekend and starting to begin the Long String of Medical Appointments for our little man.  Alexander has now met his grandparents on both sides, and everyone appears to be charmed by his huge smile and laugh.

Friday, we had our first appointment at the Adoption Clinic at Comer Children’s Hospital– a great team of medical professionals that are very experienced in dealing with patients such as our son. They are incredibly sensitive to his developmental and nutritional needs in the context of being an internationally adopted child.  We’re really happy so far, and we look forward to working with the team.

We had our second visit to Comer just this morning, where our guy got his first blood draw.  He was as cool as a cucumber during the first visit aside from a few sad “La’s”, but today was a different story. As soon as the little koalas-in-spaceships hospital gown came out, he knew the deal. No amount of artfully blown bubbles, movies, or toys would distract him from whichever medical personnel was administering care. I think they took a total of 8 vials of blood from our little guy, who was thoroughly unhappy. The staff was incredibly gentle, and we had an advocate who helped us decide if he was too stressed to continue.  Though he was clearly terrified, we did our best to soothe him, and they were able to complete all the needed labwork. Wow, there is nothing worse that seeing your child in a hospital gown howling. I also apologize to all the families outside the lab this morning whose patients looked appropriately terrified by the racket we made.

In the end, we had a very successful visit. Things are rolling along, Alexander is gaining weight and appears to be adjusting well. I almost took a picture of him this morning after the appointment, with his angry face and little bandages on each arm. Thank goodness though– when you’re little, a warm bottle and a long afternoon nap can make any situation a little better.

This will be one of the last posts at 67sixteen at A Wide Sea. Soon, there will be a new subpage devoted to our family life adventures — clever name TBD. For now though, I’ll still regale you with photos of our adorable son. After all, that’s why you’re reading this, right?

We’ve been jumping into real life here– Alexander has already frequented his local Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Target, and various grocery stores. He even survived a trip to the outlets– though he suspiciously began to whine before his mother could do a quick spin through Ann Taylor– I think his father may have influenced that a little.

He went to his first Mass at St Joan of Arc this past weekend and was greeted with much enthusiasm– he loves music and chanting! There were “la la’s” all around! He also got to greet new friends at a picnic later that day.

Several of you have asked about how he’s handling our feline family members. The cats are fairly indifferent, though they’ll let him touch their fur IF they’re in the mood. We’re thrilled that the cats aren’t terrified of him, and that he’s not outright allergic to them. He has two tiny stuffed animal versions of Val and Benny, and I think those are keeping him happy until he can chase the real deal around the house.

Thanks for this photo Nicole! At Marianjoy rehab center visiting with SJA friends

I find my parents tolerable… for now!

I am now outnumbered. The Kelly men are debating new routers.

A photo for Victoria- he’s captivated by the bacon brownies…

First trip the zoo- El tigre stayed awake the whole morning!

Consider upgrading your washer and dryer– because I create a LOT of laundry!

Sunday morning newspaper– like father, like son.

First family dinner out with the neighbors and “the girl next door”

Don’t let a 16 month old navigate your zoo trip.

The Kellys don’t sit still. We knew our lives would inevitably change when Alexander came home. We go to bed earlier. We wake up earlier. But some things haven’t changed– we have yet to put on a kid’s CD, we’ve grilled out at home, and we’ve gone out to restaurants. We know that our extended travels might have to be put on-hold while we get our little man some much needed medical treatments, but our new family motto still stands– Have Stroller, Will Travel.

Now that we’ve been parents for officially two weeks, Brian and I can now claim complete authority and expertise over The Way to Raise Children ™. In all seriousness, it’s hard to believe we’ve only known our little guy for 14 days.  Many of you have asked us how our bonding/attachment is going– in brief, it’s going well, but we also know that building his trust will take a long time. He’s been with a lot of caring, different people in the last 15 or so months, so understanding that we’re the end of the line might take a little while to set in.

Brian posted earlier about working through Alexander’s jet lag, but I figured I’d add in a little something about all the parenting realities that are setting in for us. So in no particular order, I’ll list off a few parenting “been there, done that” experiences that have already come to pass at Casa Kelly:

• I have sniffed at my kid’s butt in public.
• I have looked down at my clothing to find stains…. and I’m not really sure what they are or where they came from.
• I have had extensive and somewhat celebratory conversations with Brian about human excrement.
• I have used the word “cleanish” and phrase “clean enough” far too often.
• I now judge stores based on how safe the shopping cart kid seat looks.
• Watch what routines you introduce to your kids. Brian started a small schtick with a squeaky toy clam, and now it’s practically a mandatory morning game. Dance, parents! Dance for me!

Thanks to me, everything you know is wrong. Welcome to parenthood!