Saturday, June 30, 2012

Another Day in Kiev

I think I have a free moment.  Maybe.
It is almost 9pm and Oliver is asleep here next to me.
Today he had tummy trouble again.  Lots of gas.
Honestly I don't know what the problem is.
I haven't given him milk all day and he is eating only baby cereal and fruit from a baby food jar.  Actually I only gave him baby cereal tonight and he spit up a lot less.  Can that mean that he is sensitive to certain foods?
Thankfully he lets us know when he is not a happy camper so
we can comfort him.  

Nolan is doing great!
He is such a smart cookie!  He has a great imagination too.
I gave him an empty 5 liter water bottle and the next thing I know he is riding it like a horse across the tile floor.  I didn't tell him this.
He takes his crayons and drops them into a little water bottle and plays like this for quite a while.  He is happy to play with us, but he is able to entertain himself too.
He is interacting with Oliver more and more, and Oliver is loving it.
Until Nolan is too loud, or too rough-- then Oliver will cry.

This got me thinking about just how much of a little one Oliver actually is.
I went online to familiarize myself with milestones at different ages.
Oliver has hit a few milestones at the 4-6 month old range.
He is just beginning to bear weight on his legs.  He lifts up his chest with his arms while on his tummy but is not really making any attempt to crawl yet.  However he is a master at rolling across the bed.  We have had two close calls!
He can eat solids, but everything has to be pureed and smooth.
I would love suggestions as to how to introduce chunkier foods without him choking.  

We went on a few walks.  At the park I had Nolan walk next to me holding my hand and not holding my hand.  He struggled with wanting to do his own thing, but as we continued to practice having him stay close to us, he got better as time went on.  I am very proud of how well he is adjusting to our new family.

Since we had a pretty normal day yesterday and Nolan even took a nap, I decided to skip giving him the melatonin at night.  He listened when I said it was time to lay down and he fell asleep within 1/2 hour.  He slept till 7:30 this morning.

Today he took another nap and is now laying down in bed watching a kid's show on tv.  Earlier he enjoyed a long bath.  Rachel ended up getting soaked in her clothes, but they both had fun!

For dinner, I went to the food court underground at the mall in the center.  Rachel stayed with the boys while I got take out.  I was hoping that Puzata Hata had take out and was happy to learn that it's called s-subway.  For $6 I got a bowl of borscht, Chicken Kiev, shoestring potatoes, and cherry veriniki.  That was enough for the three of us.  The only drawback to being smack dab in the center is the lack of a supermarket or any markets for that matter.  There is a small one across the street and up a ways, but it is expensive.  Back on Friday when we were out and about doing Embassy stuff I had our driver stop at a supermarket so we would have things like juice, water, bread, and eggs.

We have our plane tickets bought for July 4th.  Only four more nights here in Ukraine.  I am counting down the days. 

12 comments:

  1. Hi Christine, for Oliver's tummy problem I would suggest to buy "ukropnaya voda". I'm sure you can find it in any pharmacy and it doesn't cost much.

    Praying for your family every night.

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  2. So glad your journey is almost done so that you can start the real journey with your family. I think that it is perfect that you are bringing the boys home to be raised in America on Independence Day! They really have gained freedom to be themselves in such a sweet and loving family! They are very lucky to be joining the rest of the Reed family!

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  3. There is light at the end of the tunnel!!!! Hang in there! Sounds like you are making the most of your days. Thinking of you!

    Love,
    Allison

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  4. I know of a supermarket right in the city center. At least it was still there last May! It's fairly large, too. It's located in the lower level/basement of a large jewelry store right on Kreshetik. It's basically kitty-corner from the Independence Square post office building. Hope you can find it!

    It's around #13 on this map:

    http://www.lemko.org/maps/cities/kyiv/Pages/Pg4.html

    If not, there was a little dairy store that sells basics almost directly across the narrow street (not the side where the marshootka picks up) from the Independence Square McDonald's.

    Good luck!

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  5. Hey Mom and Rachel,
    That is so sweet!!!
    Annalyn

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  6. So glad you're close to going home! I can't wait to see how the other kids respond to their new brothers. My son has terrible milk allergies and if he was exposed to a milk product it could take days for his tummy to recover, maybe it will just take a little time for his system to recover from his diet changes or maybe you're not using the same brands as the orphanage? When starting solids none of my kids did very well with chunky baby food, it was like the unexpected addition of chunks in their food shocked them too much. They always choked. They did much better with dry foods that dissolved easily, like graham crackers or breadsticks. Pizza crust was a big hit, I would nuke it in the microwave until it was hard and they loved it.

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  7. Christine most babies have tummy trouble from nerves when they leave the orphanage. All three of mine did. It goes away after a few days. It is just nerves from the huge change in their lives. Hopefully there is no other issue other than nerves! Even my most relaxed was constipated and didn't poop for days. Our agency always says expect tummy trouble! Congrats! Your are almost home!

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  8. So it's no more ice cream for little Oliver, right? Wishing you safe travels.
    Hugs,
    JEB

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  9. I'm so excited for you all. How fitting that the newest Reed boys will be hitting American soil for the very first time on Independence Day. I'm looking forward to hearing all about the reunion with the rest of the family.

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  10. When you get home I would definitely try to connect with some moms that have kids with DS. There is a different technique to getting them to eat due to the tongue thrust. I do hope you plan to contact early intervention immediately when you get home for an evaluation. They can send OT, PT, speech, and special instruction to the house till they reach 3. We see early intervention with the twins, but we live Alabama so the services are horrible. Hopefully you live in a state that has good services.

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  11. OH I am so glad you have it figured out! You are such a great Mom! And I am BEYOND excited about you leaving tomorrow...YAY!!!!
    : )) Gina

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Blessings!