just a little update....

We've been home five days now.  It seems much longer!

Asa is adjusting.  We are mostly calling him Asa now and he responds every time. 

He and Ezra are finally starting to play together.  He enjoys playing with Judah who is a year older than him, but he and Ezra have finally started really playing and laughing together.  I know I will have to keep an eye on the two of them, they are already teaming up on me and getting into things that it requires the both of them to accomplish!

We had his pediatrician appointment on Monday.  He is seriously behind on vaccinations.  I lost count, but he needs probably 18-20 vaccinations to be caught up.  We decided not to do any vaccinations at that visit but we did do a TB test.  Mike is a nurse, and he is concerned that the nurse stuck the needle in too far and the test won't be accurate.  We'll see.  So far there is no mark on his arm to indicate a positive test result.  Overall the pediatrician was pleased.  She is working on a referral to Scottish Rite for his hip and we are on the list for an orthopedic clinic here next month.  We would like as many opinions as possible before deciding on a course of treatment.

We submitted a stool sample today to test for parasites. One of our travel mate's little boy has already tested positive for giardia and based on our experience with Ezra, I am sure Asa has it also.  The stool sample was an adventure.

We now have five children at our house.  And Mike went back to work today.  Our pedi told us that once we collect the sample, it needs to be at the lab within an hour.  We live 30 minutes from the lab. The lab that accepts our insurance is the lab inside of the local hospital. To use the lab, you must register as an outpatient.  Registering at this hospital takes about 30 minutes, if you have the right person registering you.  Otherwise, I have been there much longer on other visits.  30 minute commute plus 30 minutes to register would mean we would make it to the lab in just an hour.  IF everything went smoothly with the poop collection, the loading of five kids into my van, the drive to the hospital, the unloading of same five kids, the walking with five kids into the hospital and the registration process going smoothly. Which it most likely would not go smoothly since Asa's name is not on our insurance card yet, the registration people do not know how to read lab orders (btdt), and there is usually a line of people at the registration desk.  I was getting stressed just thinking about doing all of this. 

All day we waited for poop.  Asa normally goes after every meal.  Every meal.  Not yesterday and certainly not today.  I skipped naps because I knew that as soon as Ezra was asleep, Asa would poop and, well, you know.  All day, no naps and no poop.

Mike got home from work and I had to go to the school to register Ezra, Judah and Bethany.  While I am gone I get a text: we have poop!  Great!  And now Mike is home alone with all of the kids.  Thankfully I was finished registering the kids and I started home.  The lab closes at 6 and it was 5:15.  Mike went ahead and loaded up Ezra and Asa with the poop and off to the lab they raced.  He had to take Asa so that they could do the blood draws to test for lead levels, CBC, liver function, HIV, Hep B and whatever else the pedi wanted to know.  The other three kids were home alone for four minutes!  Don't call CPS please!

Mike said Asa did okay for the blood draws.  He cried but as soon as stickers appeared, he was better.  He was fussy tonight.  No nap and traumatic events surely played a part in that.

We had several temper tantrums while in Kyrgyzstan.  I am happy to report that we have only had three since we got home.  We have chosen our battles carefully, but overall he is a happy compliant little boy. 

Sleeping is going well.  We had him in our bed while in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and started out that way when we got home.  We tried his bed the first night and he flipped out.  But Mike was not sleeping well with him in the bed with us, he is a big boy and has perfected the helicopter while sleeping.  You know, the spinning so that his head is in Mom's back and his feet kicking Dad, and then he spins and kicks Mom while headbutting Dad.  Mike decided that he needed to be in his toddler bed.  His bed is in our room.  Mike put him in his bed, he rolled over and went right to sleep.  Nice.  He has been there the last two nights and he has slept very well.  I think we were waking him up also when he was in our bed as he seemed to whimper a lot some nights.

One thing we have to figure out, his bed is on my side of our bed.  I cannot turn my lamp on to read at night now.  That will not work.  I told Mike that he and I might have to switch sides of the bed.  I have to be able to read at night!

I am tired.  Today was my first day with all five by myself.  I finally took a shower at 6 pm, after Mike left with the two little ones.  I just cannot leave Asa unattended right now. He pushed Ezra down pretty hard last night, and Ezra has been known to throw a few punches.  I think they both need constant supervision right now.  We did manage to go to the park and play for a while, we came home and I actually cooked lunch: sloppy joes made out of left over roast beef, and they all stayed alive until Daddy got home.  I call that a successful day!