I’m 20 Months Old

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Our little girl continues to grow. Tessa is now able to upon request take her shoes and socks off. Tessa can also point to her hair/head, ears, and feet/shoe. She is also becoming more independent. Tessa is able to eat with both a spoon and fork. At times she insists on feeding herself using utensils. Tessa is also able to help putting on her jacket and can take it off with ease.

Tessa’s Third Post Op Eye Appt

Monday, May 12, 2008

Today was Tessa’s appt with the eye specialist to see if she needed to continue with eye patching. The eye doctor felt that Tessa’s eyes are still aligned and she will no longer need to wear eye patches. He will see her again near her 2nd birthday. We discussed when Tessa is excited running her left eye sometimes will turn for a second. The eye doctor feels this is still part of the adjustment process. As for her eyes at times sometimes appearing crossed the eye doctor feel this is okay and because of Tessa’s flat nose you get the illusion of her eyes seeming more crossed.

Tessa's Fourth Pediatric Appointment

Monday, April 28, 2008

Today was another routine check up. Tessa has gained another pound and grew one inch. She now weighs close to 21 pounds and is 30” tall. Her head circumference is 47 cm. Overall the pediatrician is pleased with Tessa’s development. He commented on what a change there is in her from when he first met Tessa last September.

Visiting Mommy’s Job

Saturday, April 19, 2008

This morning Michael and I brought Tessa with us while we dropped off a refrigerator and microwave for my office. While we were there we took some pictures.

Employee evaluations

Oh no, this doesn’t look good

Next.......please

Friday, April 18, 2008

This afternoon was the first time we had some really nice warm weather. We decided to let Tessa play in the yard and explore. Although Tessa enjoyed herself she seemed somewhat overwhelmed trying to take everything in.

I’m 19 Months Old

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Where is the time going? Tessa has had to have grown in size. Most of her 12 month old pants that were dragging on the floor now fit her nicely. I can’t wait to see her new measurements when we go to the pediatrician the end of the month. Tessa is now able to point to her head when asked. Michael also taught her when asked “Where is the sky?” to point up. Tessa is also growing more hair and is allowing me to brush her teeth using a toddler toothbrush.

Our Six Month Post Placement Homestudy Update

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

This evening Bridgette, a social worker from Gladney came to do the 6 month post adoption check. Bridgette interviewed us and we had to supply her with one picture of Tessa and another of us as a family. All in all the interview went pretty well. She told us that we will need to have another homestudy update at two year mark.

Tessa’s Second Post Op Eye Appt

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Today was Tessa’s appt with the eye specialist to see if the patching had helped with her alignment. Overall the doctor was pleased with Tessa’s progress. He wants Tessa’s eye to be patched daily now for only one hour. In 6-8 weeks we will return and depending on her progress Tessa may no longer need to have her eye patched. The doctor said that Tessa was using both of her eyes together and that her alignment had improved since her last appt.

During the visit Tessa cried almost the entire time. Both the doctor and his staff commented that at Tessa’s last appt when Michael was there she didn’t cry at all. I told them that I will do my best to have Michael come to the next appt in May.

Tessa’s Follow Up Ear Evaluation

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Today was Tessa’s 6 month appt with the ear specialist to see if she had accumulated wax buildup since her last exam in January. Unfortunately Tessa had a lot of wax in both ears. Tessa cried so hard and was struggling to the point where the doctor had to put her in a baby papoose (a nice name for a baby straight jacket). The doctor insisted on not making the papoose tight. I warned him that Tessa was very strong but he did not listen. So just as I expected Tessa was able to wiggle her arms and body which made it hard for him to remove the wax. I felt so bad for her screaming. It must have been so uncomfortable having someone poke and then put an instrument down her ear canal. Then to top it off the doctor said until Tessa’s ear canals grow which might not be until she is 3 or 4 years old she will have to go through this procedure every six months.

Oh before I forget during the exam at one point while the nurse was holding Tessa’s head straight her left eye disappeared and all you could see was the white part and the remainder of her stitches. I nearly passed out and immediately thought that Tessa’s screaming had triggered some sort or eye spasm. The nurse asked the doctor to stop for a second so she could show me that the way she had been holding Tessa had caused her iris to stick to her eyelid.

Tessa’s Six Month Early Intervention Evaluation

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

This afternoon Michael and I attended Tessa’s 6 month evaluation to see how much progress she has made and if therapies need to continue. The meeting was going well and we were able to have Tessa’s speech therapy increased to 3x/week when suddenly the representative from the Dept of Education stated that Mar had recommended that Tessa’s physical therapy be terminated. According to Mar’s summary Tessa’s gross motor skills were age appropriate and she no longer required services. Michael and I were very surprised by what Mar had written since last week when we saw him he made no mention of wanting to discontinue services. Faith, our case manager also was unaware of Mar’s summary. Truthfully Faith should have read it before handing it in but that’s a whole different issue. Thankfully Rose, the speech therapist agreed with us and after a whole rigmarole Tessa was able to resume receiving twice a week physical therapy.

Easter Sunday

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Well, it’s starting to become a pattern with every holiday that one of us is ill. Just as Michael, Tessa, and I were about to sit down for Easter dinner I became ill. Unfortunately I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening alternating between the bed and bathroom. Luckily Tessa is still too young to understand the holidays.

I’m Officially 1 ½ Years Old Today

Thursday March 13, 2008



Our little girl is growing up. The time is really flying. We can definitely see that Tessa is becoming a full fledged toddler. Tessa is becoming independent and wants to do certain things all by herself. She has started to develop selective hearing and will ignore my calls when preoccupied. Tessa has also become even more finicky with her eating.

Tessa has adjusted well to wearing her eye patch. She has though since wearing her patch had some problems with her equilibrium. We’ve noticed that she is clumsier and has fallen several times. The poor child keeps getting bumps on her head. On top of being clumsy Tessa has now decided that she wants to learn how to run so walking quickly is not helping.

The Dreaded Stomach Virus

Wednesday February 20th – Wednesday March 5th

Tessa had a terrible case of stomach virus for two full weeks. This was the longest Tessa has been ill. Tessa had no appetite and lost almost 2 pounds. Unfortunately the day Tessa got over it I found myself sick. Thankfully I was only ill for 5 days.

Chinese New Year’s Party

Saturday February 16, 2008



Today was the FCC’s (Families of Children from China) annual New Year party. Tessa was they youngest child there. She seemed to really enjoy herself and was very well behaved. Tessa enjoyed eating crispy noodles dunked in my chicken soup. We spoke to other parents and learned that many of the children did not start talking until around age two.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Thursday February 14, 2008

Today was Tessa’s first Valentine’s Day with us. We gave her an Elmo doll. Tessa was just as surprised as Michael and I by all the things this doll could do. At first Tessa seemed a little afraid of Elmo. Within minutes though she warmed up to him and was laughing as Elmo moved around.

Michael also enjoyed the special Hershey’s kisses Tessa gave him that said I love you.

I’m 17 Months Old Today

Wednesday February 13, 2008


The amazement never ends. In the past month Tessa has begun walking. Although her gait at times is clumsy she is definitely walking. Tessa also had her eye surgery and her eyes seem straight. Everyone comments on what a change their is in Tessa's appearance. There also has definitely been a change in her personality since the operation. Miss Rose, her teacher at day care as also noticed that Tessa has become let’s say more “assertive” in expressing her wants. Miss Rose actually spoke to me about Tessa hitting some of the other children to get their attention. Our little girl is changing.

The Day After

Thursday February 7, 2008
Today when Tessa woke up her eyes were swollen and stayed that way all day. They also were still red. The good news is Tessa's eyes stayed straight all day and her coordination was so much better both of which is a good sign that her brain is already adjusting to the alignment. I would say she was 80% back to normal on Thursday.

Tessa has a follow up appt with the dr for 2/28. It's a 3 week check up and then he sees her again after 6 weeks. I still am amazed at what a strong little girl Tessa is. She really is a fighter.

Today Was Tessa's Eye Surgery

Wednesday February 6, 2008

Tessa at the hospital in her operating gown. The X's on her forehead are to tell the doctor he has to operate on both eyes.

Back at home later in the evening

On Wednesday morning we brought Tessa to the hospital at 6:30am. We had to wait until 8:15am for her surgery. Prior to surgery Tessa was fine. She had no idea what was going on and didn't even mind being in her hospital gown which was way too big on her (one size does not fit all babies). She did cry though when they had to draw in marker the x's over each eyebrow on her forehead for surgery.

When it was time for the surgery only one of us was allowed to go into the operating room to be w/her while she was given anesthesia. I immediately told the anesthesiologist that would be me. Michael was a little upset and said "I don't get a vote." I guess I felt as Tessa's mother of course I was going to go in with her!

In the operating room they told me Tessa should go under in about 5 seconds. Of course Tessa had to be different. She really fought the mask on her face and it took a good 30 seconds with her crying before she was knocked out. I had to hold her hands/arms down to keep her from pulling the mask off. The actual procedure took 45 minutes but with recovery we didn't see Tessa again in recovery until nearly 10am.

Poor Tessa was whimpering and disorientated when we saw her. She cried for a good 30 min. The dr told us he felt her surgery was a success. After that we were told Tessa couldn't leave the hospital until she drank at least 2 oz of water or juice and only after that could she get a cracker. Tessa refused more than a sip of either. I kept asking about giving her formula which is really powdered water but the hospital said no because it was too thick. Well, after sitting there for over 2 hrs I said this is crazy we could be here all day. (Poor Tessa was so uncomfortable whimpering with the IV in her foot and they didn't want me to let her go to sleep until she drank) So Michael told the staff we were going to give her formula. They reluctantly agreed and low and behold Tessa drank 7 oz of formula right up with no problem. After which we were finally able to leave.

Tessa was pretty good when we came home all considering, and she slept thru the night. Her eyes were red which is to be expected. What was upsetting was that in the evening both eyes started turning and then would go straight. It was really noticeable now after the surgery. It was as if her eyes would turn and then were pulled back straight. The dr had told us this could happen and that it really takes 6 weeks before you know the end results. Moving around was awkward for her. When Tessa walked you could see her coordination was all off and she would fall into a sit position.

Tessa's Third Pediataric Appointment

Monday, January 28, 2007

Today Tessa had an appt today with her pediatrician. Besides having to get shots she also needed to be cleared for surgery. The pediatrician was so happy to see Tessa walk. He said that Tessa is continuing to progress at a good pace. Tessa has gained 2 pounds since her last visit and now weighs just less than 20 pounds. She also grew a half inch and is now 29” long. We also spoke about Tessa still not speaking. The pediatrician was not concerned and said it would be fine if Tessa wasn’t talking when she turned two.

I Can Walk

Friday, January 19, 2008

This afternoon when I arrived at the daycare Tessa was about to take her usual few steps toward me when her teacher told me to stop and watch. Low and behold Tessa was able to walk across the floor all by herself. I was so surprised. We couldn’t wait to arrive at home and show daddy.

I’m 16 Months Old Today

Sunday, January 13, 2008

It is just amazing how fast the time is going. Over the past month Tessa has learned to stand on her own and is taking her first steps. She is able to walk about 4 steps before falling. You can see how determined she is to walk. Tessa also loves to walk using her push toy. She does however get very frustrated if after crashing into furniture she is unable to redirect herself.

Tessa seems to have made a positive adjustment to daycare and now smiles as soon as we enter the place. Typically when I pick her up she is playing with her classmates.

Another Visit to Eye Specialist

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Today was Tessa’s follow up appointment with the eye doctor. Again the doctor had a difficult time trying to obtain a complete measurement of Tessa’s eyes. He was though able for the first time to get a partial reading of her eyes using prisms. The doctor tried to be funny stating “Well its official Tessa hates coming here.” The doctor then went over Tessa’s surgery which is still scheduled for Wednesday, Febuary 6th.

The Xmas Tree in Rockefeller Center

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Tessa in Ruth Chris restaurant

This evening we took Tessa into Manhattan for her first visit to FAO Schwartz. Tessa was so happy to be around all the different toys. We then went to see the Christmas tree. Unfortunately it started raining so in most of the pictures we look like wet rats. Afterwards we went to dinner at Ruth Chris’s. Tessa was such a good girl in a grownup restaurant. She dined on crab cakes and creamed spinach. We didn’t stay for dessert because we didn’t want to chance a change in Tessa’s behavior after being seated in a high chair for so long.

Opening Presents

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Here are some pictures from my birthday and Michael’s which was on 12/20.

Tessa’s First Artwork On The Refrigerator

Thursday, December 27, 2007


Today is my birthday and one of the best presents I received was from Tessa at day care. Miss Rose gave me a paper bell and Christmas tree that Tessa had decorated of course with their help. They are both proudly displayed on the kitchen refrigerator.

It’s Christmas Day

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Poor Tessa, both Michael and I were sick today so we did not open presents until early in the evening. Thankfully Tessa has no concept of the holiday so she was none the wiser. Tessa seemed to fixate on the Disney sippy cup that Christine and Billy gave her. We had to hide it in order for Tessa to continue opening her presents.