So Blessed

We are so blessed to have Samuel in our lives. He is such a good baby and our love for him is overwhelming. Davis is a wonderful big brother and is always kissing on Samuel. We are also blessed to have such good friends and a wonderful church family. We have had meals provided for the last two weeks and this past Saturday our mini-church hosted a baby shower for us. We got a lot of diapers and formula and some other goodies. They sang happy birthday to Samuel and we had a great time of fellowship.

Here are a few recent pictures:

Samuel and Daddy getting a quick nap:


Samuel enjoying his activity mat:


Tummy time:

One Month Well Check

I thought I would include all of Samuel's stats on this blog so I can find them easily when I need them.

At his one month appointment today he was:

11 lbs 2 oz (75%)
23 inches (80 -85%)
14.75 (head circum.) (25 - 30%)

Overall, he is doing very well. He had to get one shot today (Hep B) and he screamed for a bit. He'll get a lot more shots at his two month appointment. I am not looking forward to that.

Based on the symptoms I described crying and arching his back during feedings), the doctor thinks he might be developing a little bit of reflux. It is making feedings pretty difficult and he'll only eat a little bit at a time. We are going to keep an eye on it over the next week or so and if he does not do better, we'll call the doctor for a suggestion.

Checking in (with pictures and a video)

Samuel is now 3 1/2 weeks old and growing like a weed. When he went to the doctor earlier this week, he was up to 10 lbs, 5 oz. (up 2 lbs from his birth weight). He goes for his one month check up (and his first round of shots) next week. I am hoping he does ok with his shots. We have our first post-placement visit scheduled for Oct. 25. We have to do two of them before the adoption can be finalized. Texas requires a six month wait for finalization so we are looking at the end of February, early March for finalization. I hope that the termination of paternal rights happens in the next month or two so that will not slow up the finalization.

Davis is adjusting really well. He loves being a big brother. He is so helpful and whenever Samuel cries he tells us and tries to figure out what he may need. It is so cute.

Attached are a few pictures of my boys and a video taken today of Samuel in his crib for the first time.

Davis acting like a goof ball at a birthday party:



Samuel in his swing (which he loves):



Samuel in his crib for the first time today checking out his mobile:



And now for the video:

Test drive from Chris Turner on Vimeo.

Well Check

We took Samuel to our pediatrician for a well check last Thursday (Sept. 4, 12 days old). I don't think it was necessary since he saw a pediatrician in Georgia before we left but I wanted our doctor to check him out just to be sure things were going ok. He is doing great. His weight was up to 9 lb 3 oz (50-75%), his length was 22 inches (90-95%), and his head circumference was 14 inches (25%). They were impressed with his weight gain. At this rate, he'll be out of his 0 - 3 month clothes really soon. He wore one of Davis' outfits yesterday and it fit him perfectly. The outfit was worn by Davis in his 3 mo pictures.

We are starting to get into a routine. I am still really tired but functioning pretty well. Things are great. Davis is adjusting really well to being a big brother. Now, just to organize the house!

We're Home

Samuel and I are finally home. I got a call from our social worker on Tuesday night that Texas ICPC was missing a few things (our finger print and child abuse clearances) that were attached to our home study. We don't know who took the home study apart but somehow those items got left out of the package to Texas. Our social worker faxed them in early Wednesday morning and I received a call around noon from our agency that everything had been cleared. I was booked on a flight home yesterday evening within 15 minutes of getting the word. Of course, my plane had mechanical troubles and I didn't get home until after 9:00, but we made it and Samuel did great on the flight.

Davis was so excited to see us that he talked the entire drive home. It was really cute although I imagine that he is going to be bad at school today since he got so little sleep. Now, I just need to organize our house. It is a disaster!

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures: