Medical Appointment

It was a short night's sleep for sure! We got to bed after 4am then had to be in our facilitator's hotel room by 9am for Mariah's visa picture. We went down and had one of the most delicious breakfasts ever!!!! 


Then we met with our Lifeline family and took a private bus to the appointment. Poor Mariah was so tired from the trip but she did great. So far (notice I said so far) Mariah is a laid back little girl. She is such a sweetheart. The grieving is still pretty hard. We have seen a few moments of smiles from her. It is impossible to get those on camera though. Can you tell how tired she is?

We are amazed at her determination. She absolutely refuses the bottle that the orphanage told us was her primary source of nutrition. That is another way she shows her grieving to us. So, she has tried all new things to her palate. She seems to enjoy table food. I would like for her to take a bottle for a little while for bonding purposes.


So, for today we went to the medical appointment. It is a general appointment to make sure your child is well enough to enter the US. She was fine except for a terrible rash that developed a few days back. The doctor there agreed with us that it was heat rash. She is covered with it! 

Here we are waiting our turn!

This picture shows how she reacted to the nurse checking her ears. She was not all impressed! She was equally impressed with the weight check as well. 

And of course her temperature!

We have noticed some of her coping behaviors now as well. Mariah came to us on Monday with a rattle in her chest and I also noticed scratches on her legs. It looked like fingernail scratches. Well, we have learned that when she is stressed or bored she scratches herself. This is likely a self-soothing technique that she began in the orphanage. She also rocks while standing.  At first we thought she was dancing, but have since realized that it also is done as a way of coping. 


These behaviors will likely diminish on their own as she begins to trust us and understand things better. Until then, we stop her from scratching and distract her. 


I am amazed at how much English this child is picking up on. She understands things like, "Let's put your shoes on (or away)", "sit down"(in the bathtub), "do you want some?" and several other phrases. 


She is an observer! Her eyes tell a story. Mariah is going to fit into our family as if she was always there. Her disposition is perfect for us.


She took a nap yesterday in my parent's hotel room. I was there as well as Jeremy was napping in our room. Well, I dozed off on the chair and Mariah was on the bed. Then I heard, "Mama...........Mama!" Can I tell you that those two words were music to my hears. Of course, Jeremy was not there to hear it! But, she has learned that it is safe to call for me. Most importantly, I will come.


Still missing Kyle, Micah, Rebecca, and Benjamin. We Skype them every day. When we spoke with them yesterday and to my surprise my sister Tina was  also there with her three boys. So, at Tammy's house were 10 kids! What a busy place!


Sunday's itinerary with Lifeline allows for us to go shopping. This should be interesting!