Christmas Eve & I Can Stand All By Myself

Monday, December 24, 2007

Visiting our friends Scott & Shirley

Grandpa cooking our Christmas dinner

Mommy and Tessa

Tessa and grandma

Tessa's great grandmother

It's been a long night and Tessa's ready for bed

This evening we were all at Tessa’s great grandmother’s house celebrating Christmas eve. All of a sudden Tessa stood up all by herself in the middle of grandma’s living room. I almost missed it if it wasn’t for Aunt Maryann telling me to look. Tessa was so proud of herself.

Tessa Sends Me Off With A Wave

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

This morning as I was leaving Tessa at Kiddie Academy she waved goodbye to me. It was so sweet and just melted my heart.

Mommy Goes Back to Work

Monday, December 17, 2007

Today was my first day returning to work and Tessa’s first full day at day care. On the way into Kiddie Academy I promptly slipped on ice outside the main gate and fell on my side. Tessa was fine. I think she was more stunned seeing me fall. As I went to hand Tessa to her teacher, Miss Rose she began to cry. Thankfully by the time I walked back from putting her coat in her classroom and I peered over the wall she was fine. At the end of the day when I picked Tessa up she seemed happy and Miss Rose said Tessa had a good day.

Tessa Is 15 Months Old

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Wow, it really is going so fast. I can not believe that Tessa is 15 months old. In the past month Tessa has learned to wave goodbye, is imitating my movements, can stand independently for a few seconds, can use a spoon when she wants, is off the bottle except for when she wakes and goes to bed, and is screwing the tops off and on bottles and jars. The only area we have not seen improvement is in her expressive speech. The speech therapist is still not concerned though.

Tessa’s Follow Up Neurological

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

This morning I took Tessa for her follow up appointment. The neurologist seemed pleased with Tessa’s overall progress since her last visit in September. He was however concerned that she is not gaining enough weight and wants all this blood work done. He said he fully expects all the results to be normal but wants to be safe. He also mentioned giving Tessa Pediasure to gain weight. I’m so confused each doctor I go to says something different. I think I’m going to wait before I do anything until the end of the month at her next pediatrician appt and get his opinion. Tessa’s next follow up appointment with the neurologist is in March.

Tessa Saw Santa

Thursday, December 6, 2007

This evening Michael and I took Tessa to have her picture taken with Santa. Initially she sat with Santa but would not look at the camera. By the 4th test shot she had it and started to cry. Michael tried holding her but that didn’t work. Finally I held her while sitting on the arm of Santa’s chair as Santa leaned in towards us. Looking at the above picture as you can see there is part of my body that they were unable to crop.

Afterwards we took Tessa to Johnny Rockets for dinner. This was the first time we have eaten dinner out as a family. For most of the meal Tessa was fine. Towards the end she boredom set and Tessa began making that screaming sound she does when she wants attention. I was embarrassed and kept trying to quit her so not to disturb the other customers. Michael had more of a nonchalant attitude.

Trial Run at Daycare

Monday, December 3, 2007

Today I took Tessa for the first time to daycare. She only stayed for an hour. Tessa started to cry when I left which was heartbreaking for me. I sat outside in the parking lot just in case. When I came back Tessa was sitting on the floor with another little girl. The teacher’s assistant, Doreen said she did just fine.

Another Visit to Eye Specialist

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Today was Tessa’s follow up appointment with the eye doctor. Again the doctor had a difficult time trying to obtain a measurement of Tessa’s eyes. After speaking with Michael the doctor decided to take several photographs of Tessa’s eyes and use them as a measurement tool. He then said we need to see Tessa one more time but that we could schedule her surgery. Tessa’s surgery is now scheduled for February 6th.

First Thanksgiving As A Family

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Tessa with her grandparents

All of us

Donna, Christine and Tessa

The Ludwig/Traut Family

Today we had Thanksgiving dinner at Christine and Bill’s house. My parents came as well. This was the first time they had seen Tessa since the day after we came home from China. They were surprised by how much Tessa had grown. Again because we were around strange faces Tessa tended to cling to Michael and me. Both my mom and Christine were reluctant to hold Tessa because she cried in their arms. We did though have a really nice day.

Someone Has A Temper

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

This morning Tessa became quite angry while being fed her yogurt. As I pulled the spoon out of Tessa’s mouth she banged her fist on the highchair table while giving me the meanest look. It caught me completely off guard. I decided to make a joke out of it and we both wound up laughing.

Tessa's Second Pediataric Appointment

Tuesday, November 20,2007

Today Tessa had a follow up appt with her pediatrician. Tessa needed to get some shots for daycare. The doctor said since her last visit 5 weeks ago Tessa had grown a half inch and had gained almost a pound. Her weight wasn't that accurate though because she kept moving. Overall he felt good about the progress she has been making.

I’m Starting To Learn How To Eat From A Spoon

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Today for the first time Tessa put the spoon in the bowl correctly and into her mouth. Of course she only did it a couple of times before turning the spoon every which way and pudding was everywhere.

I'm 14 Months Old

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Wow, the months are just whizzing by. Before we know it our little girl will be a year and a half old.

Visit to Eye Specialist

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Today was Tessa’s follow up appointment with the eye doctor. He was impressed with Tessa’s eye. He felt that without the patch she was now probably alternating between both eyes when seeing, using each eye separately for different things. The eye doctor decreased the patching to one hour a day. Unfortunately again he was unable to get a good measurement of Tessa’s eyes. He will try again next month. Without a good measurement he is unable to schedule surgery. The eye doctor is now thinking that her surgery may not be for a few months. When we tried to push for a month the doctor was evasive.

Magnets

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Today for the first time Tessa was able during her physical therapy session to put her letter magnets back on the blackboard. Up until now Tessa would pull the magnets off and usually throw them on the floor. Michael saw her do it first and then called me over to watch.

Clapping & Stacking

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Today for the first time Tessa clapped hands correctly while listening to her piano/sing-along toy. Tessa would watch me first and then copy my movements. Tessa also correctly stacked blocks. She needed help keeping the blocks lined up but she definitely understood the concept.

Halloween

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Today was our first Halloween together. Unfortunately both Tessa and her mommy are sick with colds. We were unable to go trick-or-treating and both of us spent most of the day sleeping.

Tessa Shows Interest In Her Hands

Monday, October 29, 2007

Today when Tessa played with her piano/sing-along toy I snapped my fingers to the beat. Tessa was very intrigued by this and put her hands out staring at them trying to figure out it was done. I also saw her making some attempts to clap.

Tessa Looking At Her Book

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Today Tessa showed interest for the first time in her books. On her own she picked up her peek-a-boo book and started turning the pages. She went through most of the pages and then closed the book. I sat with her then and went thru all the peek-a-boo-pages. Tessa for the first time attended throughout the whole book.

Tessa’s First Halloween Party

Friday, October 26, 2007

Today Tessa had her Halloween party at the gym. I know I will sound prejudiced being her mom and all but I swear Tessa had the nicest costume. Unfortunately Tessa started to feel sick so we had to leave early. I think she may be catching the bug Michael has.

Tessa Is Crawling

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

This morning Tessa crawled across the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. I was so surprised she just all of a sudden started to crawl. Now she is crawling all over the house following me around. Before we know it she will be walking. Watch out!

Tessa’s First Visit to the Pediatrician

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

This morning I called the pediatrician as I was concerned about Tessa’s cold. For the past few days Tessa has been making this strange noise. We thought it was some new sound effect she was making. Yesterday when I asked the speech therapist about the noise she had no idea what it was. After researching on the Internet I became concerned that this noise might be wheezing.

The pediatrician’s office was so nice giving me an immediate appointment. The doctor told me that Tessa had a low grade fever and a routine cold. Her chest and ears were normal. He recommenced giving Tessa Motrin just to make her feel more comfortable.

Tessa’s First Friend

Sunday, October 14, 2007





Today I went to the park at the boardwalk and met my friend, Michelle. This was the first time Tessa had met her daughter, Olivia. Olivia is 2½ months older than Tessa. The girls seemed to really enjoy themselves, well until this last picture when I think they both had enough of us taking their pictures.

I’m 13 Months Old

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Wow, we can’t believe that our little Tessa is already 13 months. When we look at her we see how different she is compared to the little girl that was handed to us in Changsha two and a half months ago. We are so happy and feel lucky to have Tessa in our lives.

Pediatric Neurological

Friday, October 12, 2007

Today I took Tessa for an examination with a pediatric neurologist to look over the MRI that was done in China. The neurologist was not concerned about the extra 2mm space between Tessa’s brain and forehead. He felt this was probably a result of her being a “failure to thrive” baby and that it would correct itself as she grew. The neurologist saw no evidence of brain injury and felt that Tessa had typical developmental delays found in an internationally adopted child. He asked to see Tessa again in December to assess how she was progressing.

Apple & Pumpkin Picking

Monday, October 8, 2007




Today we brought Tessa apple and pumpkin picking in New Jersey. Tessa seemed to enjoy herself especially when I brought her inside some of the larger trees in order to pick apples. At the place they had horse drawn wagon rides. This was the first time Tessa ever saw horses. At first she looked surprised by I think their size but she quickly lost interest in them. By the time we started looking at pumpkins Tessa had become bored and was doing her best to get out of her carrier.

Visit to Eye Specialist

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Today was Tessa’s second appointment with the eye doctor. The doctor said he was happy to see that Tessa is now using her right eye more and reduced the patching to 3-4 hours/day. On the other hand he was disappointed that her eyes were still crossing. The doctor explained this means that there is a 40%-50% chance that she may need future surgeries or eye treatment. The doctor plans on performing the surgery in December or January. Once Tessa’s eyes are realigned we will have to wait to see how her brain is able to coordinate the movement of her eyes. Our next appointment is on 11/8.

Tessa’s First Day at Gym Class

Friday, September 28, 2007

Today I took Tessa for her first gym class. There were five other infants in the class ranging from 9-12 months. Tessa’s petiteness was very obvious. She was smaller in both size and weight when I compared her to the 9 month old. Overall Tessa did well. She seemed to enjoy being on the swing the most. For the last 10 minutes of class the parents have to leave the children with the staff. Tessa would not have it. She immediately crawled across the room to me. When the staff blocked the path she would every few seconds turn around to make sure I was still there. Finally they had to hide me from her view. As long as Tessa couldn’t see me she was able to be distracted and did fine.

More Appointments & Tessa’s First Subway Ride

Thursday, September 27, 2007

This morning was the meeting with early intervention services to go over all of Tessa’s evaluations. Tessa qualifies for services in every area. Hopefully tomorrow someone will contact me from the provider agency.

After leaving the meeting we had to go to Manhattan for Tessa’s appointment with an ENT specialist for Tessa’s ears to be checked. When we got off the ferry this time we took the subway. Tessa was so surprised by all the noises she heard. When the subway came in the other direction her face was priceless. When we were on our train Tessa was fine and seemed to enjoy the ride. Actually on the way home she slept for most of the trip.

The ENT specialist was so nice. He had such a calming way about him. He was able to remove the remaining wax in her right ear and she had another hearing test. Tessa’s hearing is fine now in both ears. The ENT specialist wants to see her though again in 4 months to reassess her. He wants to make sure that she doesn’t have new wax buildup.

Our Visit to the Gym

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Today I took Tessa to this gym that’s geared for children from 6 weeks to 13 years in age. The class that I was interested in is for babies 6-14 months in age. Unfortunately we were the only ones to show up for the class. The manager spent the class time talking to me and showing Tessa all the different activities. After the class time was over it was a free play session. There some children arrived. Tessa was still nervous being in such a large environment and was hesitant to try any of the gym equipment. I did though meet another mom of twins who the daughter also has estropia though it’s much milder than Tessa’s. This little girl is 3 years old. We were able to share information which was really nice.

Tessa’s Checkup

Monday, September 24, 2007

Today I brought Tessa to the adoption specialist for Tessa’s follow up appointment. She was very happy to see that Tessa had grown 1 inch and gained 2 pounds. She said that Tessa was showing good overall improvement. She then gave Tessa some shots and proceeded to clean the wax out of her ears. Poor Tessa screamed and thrashed around as the doctor worked on her. Before we left I was given a referral for an ENT specialist for Tessa. The adoption specialist just wants to make sure Tessa’s ears are okay.

Tessa’s Birthday Party

Sunday, September 23, 2007






Today was Tessa’s first birthday party. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Tessa enjoyed herself and seemed comfortable allowing other people to hold her. She only slept for about a half hour during the party. We learned that Tessa enjoys barchetta bread with tomatoes. When we came home we were overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. Tessa received such lovely gifts.

Happy Birthday Tessa

Thursday, September 13, 2007






Today is Tessa’s birthday. Michael and I celebrated by ourselves with her. Next week is Tessa’s birthday party. Tonight had a cupcake for her and opened presents. When we put the cupcake in front of Tessa and started to sing happy birthday she immediately tried to stick her fingers in the flame from the candle. Although she enjoyed eating the cupcake she was frustrated by the mess the icing had caused. Tessa kept looking at her fingers that were covered with gobs of cake and frosting and didn’t know what to make of it.

Our friend Mia also saw Tessa briefly today. Michael ran into Mia and she drove him home. Unfortunately Tessa slept through out her visit.

Early Intervention Services & First Day With Patch

Wednesday, September 12, 2007



This morning I had to put Tesa’s eye patch on for the first time. Tessa was so upset and cried for several minutes once the patch was on. Throughout the day she tried to pull it off. At one point she was successful and I had to put a new one on. Putting the new patch on was even worse the second time because now Tessa knew what to expect. She was so happy when we took it off after 7 hours.

This afternoon the occupational therapist came and evaluated Tessa. After completing her testing she told us Tessa qualified to receive occupational therapy. Today was the final evaluation so hopefully within the new week or so we will be able to have the meeting where we go over the reports and agree to services.

Visit to Eye Specialist

Tuesday, September 6, 2007

Today was Tessa’s with the eye specialist. The doctor diagnosed Tessa with strabismus. The type of strabismus she has is called congenital esotropia. It is caused by the brain's inability to coordinate the movement of the eyes, which are completely normal. Tessa tends to constantly cross the same eye. As a result in the eye that is turned she is developing a lazy eye. He said she will require eye muscle surgery but before he can do the surgery he wants us to patch the better eye to force the brain to use the eye with poorer vision. Though this will not correct her eye crossing, it will equalize the vision which improves the prognosis for a successful outcome from surgery. Tessa will have to wear a patch for 6-8 hours /day until our next appointment on 10/4.

One Month Home

Saturday, September 8, 2007




I can’t believe we have already been home for a month. It just seems amazing to witness all the progress Tessa has made. She seems like such a different child from the baby we took home from China. We couldn’t be happier.

Early Intervention Services

Thursday, September 6, 2007
This afternoon the speech therapist came and evaluated Tessa. She saw some of the oral motor concerns we had but did not feel they were serious. She felt that Tessa’s diagnosis of hypotonia could be the cause of it. She also gave us some suggestions of things we could do to encourage Tessa to speak. Unfortunately she was unable to tell us whether Tessa qualified for speech therapy. If I had to guess I think she will qualify.

Do you hear what I hear?

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Today was Tessa’s audiological evaluation. Her hearing is fine in both ears. There was some discrepancy over why she was having difficulty hearing low tones in her left ear. The audiologist looked in Tessa’s ear and saw redness and possible liquid behind the eardrum. She recommended that antibiotics or an antihistamine be prescribed by the pediatrician and once the liquid was removed Tessa should be able to hear all ranges in that ear. We then contacted the adoption specialist who asked us to bring Tessa in. She did not see any type of infection and instead saw wax build up which could be preventing the eardrum from vibrating. In any event she said she would recheck Tessa’s ear at her next appt and if necessary give us a referral for an ENT specialist.

Another Sleepless Night

Sunday, September 3, 2007

Well it seems gone for now are the sleep full nights. For the past several days Tessa has been waking up several times during the night crying. Initially we chalked it up to teething but now I wonder. Almost every time she wakes she has to be taken out of the crib otherwise she screams hysterically. The good thing is that she typically will fall asleep within several minutes in my arms.

Another Visitor For Tessa

Saturday, September 2, 2007

Today Barbara and George our old landlords came to visit Tessa. She seemed to enjoy the company. Tessa still tends to favor mommy and daddy and will cry when someone other than us tries to hold her. Unfortunately while they were over Tessa decided to take her afternoon nap so they didn't get to spend too much time with her.

That evening while I was playing with Tessa she decided that she wanted to stand up. For the past week her legs have been not as rubbery whenever we practice standing with her. Tonight though for the first time she tried herself to get into a standing position. She needed help balancing but she really enjoyed having her feet firmly planted on the floor and seeing her room from that height.

Tessa Being Tessa

Early Intervention Services

Thursday, August 30, 2007

This morning the physical therapist came and evaluated Tessa. She commented on what a happy baby Tessa is. After the evaluation I was told Tessa will qualify to receive physical therapy. Before leaving the therapist gave me several exercises we can do with Tessa to strengthen her head control and teach her falling techniques.

Early Intervention Services

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

This morning the educational evaluator came to the house and did his evaluation. He felt that cognitively Tessa is in the normal range. He was pleased to see and hear all the progress Tessa has made over the past few weeks. Because Tessa has a diagnosis of “failure to thrive” he will be recommending cognitive therapy though he feels she will be dismissed quickly.

Another Visitor & First Swing Ride

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

This morning Diane from work came to visit Tessa. Diane brought her 3 year old son Luke with her. Together we all went to the boardwalk. Tessa was very happy to have another child around. As we walked to the boardwalk Tessa sat up in her stroller staring at Luke the entire way. At Diane’s encouragement Tessa had her first ride on a kiddies swing. She was scared at first but she did manage to hold on with one hand.

Look Mom I Can Sit

Monday, August 27, 2007

This afternoon as I put Tessa in her crib as usual I leaned her against the back bumper for support so she could sit up. Well much to my surprise Tessa was able to sit up all by herself. I was so excited. I stopped timing her after 5 minutes. For the rest of the evening Tessa seemed quite content sitting. The only thing is she doesn’t know how to brace herself from falling so there were several incidents tonight where she fell straight back onto the carpet.

Early Intervention Services

This morning Tessa’s service coordinator came for a visit which Tessa slept through. The service coordinator did a developmental evaluation and explained the whole early intervention process as well as the different services that could be provided.

G.I. Joe Crawler

Sunday, August 26, 2007

This afternoon for the first time Tessa was able to crawl on the carpet using both legs. I know it’s only a matter of time before she will be crawling throughout the house.

We’re Having A Party

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Today we booked Tessa’s birthday party at Bella Mama’s Restaurant. It will be in the afternoon on Sunday, September 23rd.

Spending Time With Her Godmother

After the party we came home with Christine. As you can see from the pictures Tessa was spent from the whole day’s activities.

Welcome To The Family

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Today was Tessa’s party where she got to meet Michael’s side of the family. Christine also was there. Although Tessa is used to being in a restaurant and around a lot of people she initially was nervous by everyone coming up close or wanting to hold her. Overall Tessa seemed to enjoy herself. She sat in her first highchair and shared some of our Chinese food. Tessa received beautiful presents. We were overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity.

Tessa's First Visitors

Here is Tessa eating one of the famous "Magic Cookies" and if you look closely you see the dog biscuits they brought us

Friday, August 17, 2007

Today Scott and his mom, Shirley came to see Tessa. They were both surprised at how big she is. They brought Tessa several presents and made sure not to forget Kelsey. If you look in the picture in the background is the box of dog biscuits they brought for her.

I’m 11 Months Old – What A Day

Monday, August 13, 2007

Today was Tessa’s examination with the adoption specialist. We took car service there. The ride was very bumpy and Tessa was not comfortable in the car. At one point Tessa spit up her morning bottle all over me. Tessa was perfectly clean but it was no fun for me as I was going to smell for the rest of the day.

We arrived in Manhattan an hour early so I decided to do some shopping in Duane Reed. After leaving the store we were about a block away when I noticed Tessa was waving something in her hands. I looked inside the stroller and Tessa was proudly displaying a bag of 300 cotton pads she had apparently taken off a shelf.

The adoption specialist did a complete examination. She agreed with the American Consulate’s concerns. She diagnosed Tessa with active rickets, strabismus in both eyes and based on her overall assessment as a failure to thrive baby. Tessa had to get several vials of blood drawn. This was an extremely difficult procedure. The adoption specialist said that Tessa has thin, fragile veins therefore she needed to draw blood from different locations. At one point she had to take blood from Tessa’s neck. I had a hard time pining Tessa down each time. Tessa cried throughout the procedure with screams I had never heard before. Before leaving the adoption specialist gave me several referrals for different services that Tessa needs and scheduled a follow up appointment for September 24th.

Once we left I had to find a cab that would take us home. I must have looked like quite a sight. In one arm I was holding the baby and in the other I had the stroller and was balancing the bags of stuff I had bought earlier. Unfortunately no one wanted to drive us to Staten Island. Four cabs turned us down before one cab driver took pity on us. Tessa slept for almost the entire cab ride.

Tessa's First Photos In Her New Home

Tessa's First Few Days Home

Friday, August 10th - Sunday, August 12th

Tessa seems to becoming more comfortable with her new home with each passing day. She and Kelsey are also getting along better. As for her eating I have only been able to increase her food by a small amount otherwise she will spit up. During the day Tessa takes two naps. Unfortunately she is still on China time and is nowhere near close to sleeping through the night.

Welcome Home Kelsey

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Late this afternoon my mom and Al brought Kelsey home. They had been watching her while we were in China. Kelsey seemed confused when she first saw us and then Tessa. I don't think she was happy to meet our new addition. Initially Tessa was frightened by Kelsey and she cried. This may have been the first time Tessa has ever seen a dog. After a while Tessa seemed to calm down and Kelsey tried to ignore her.My mom and Al were so happy to meet Tessa. Tessa was very shy and buried her head in my chest whenever I brought her near. Both of them were scared to attempt to hold her. They were afraid they would upset Tessa.

We're Home

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The Flight Home

Back In Beijing

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The Return To Where It All Started

The American Consulate

A Buddhist Blessing

Monday, August 6, 2007

A Free Day

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Photos and A Medical Exam

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Off To Guangzhou

Friday, August 3, 2007

Hunan Embroidery Research Institute

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Hunan Provincial Museum

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

We Are Officially A Family

Tuesday, July 31, 2007