Finally, an update on Karis!
We have been with Karis for almost 2 months now! She has changed so much over these 2 months and we are enjoying the journey!
When we first met Karis we wondered if she would ever smile or laugh. She seemed so sad in all the pictures we got from her in China. I remember the first time I heard her giggle as our guide, John, was playing with her and I asked Todd, "Did she just laugh?" Now, she will laugh all day long at our silly antics or to being tickeled or whatever else she thinks is funny! She still hasn't mastered the "smile for the camera" smile, but she readily smiles for us in daily interactions. Karis's middle name is Joy because we want her to find true joy in life (which only comes because of God's grace which is why her fist name is the Greek word for Grace). I think she if finding joy with her new family, and we are praying that someday she will find true joy in Christ!
Karis has had so many appointments for us to get a good picture of what's going on with her physically. She has been to the dentist, and we found out she has no cavities! They'll do x-rays next time, but it was great to get a good report. She went to the pediatrician and got checked out. The Dr. noticed some issues with her spine, so she is scheduled for an MRI on June 18th. Since Karis will need to be put to sleep for that, we will wait and do blood work while she is asleep. They will check her blood for lots of different things inclucing which immunizations she has. After we get that report, we'll have to catch her up on shots (that will not be fun!). The Dr. also heard a mild heart murmur, so we'll see a cardiologist at some point for that. The Dr. said Karis has excema so we've been using some cream on her body and a dandruff shampoo. That helps a lot but she still scratches! The Dr. referred her for speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. We've begun going to physical and occupational therapy once a week, but she is on a waiting list for speech therapy. We're hoping to get that started soon also. The Dr. sent her to an audiologist for a hearing evaluation and when we went to that appointment they said she had so much ear wax that they could not do the test. So, now Karis has an appointment with an ENT to have her ear wax removed, and then we'll take her back for her hearing test. We'd like to know if there are hearing issues that might be causing some of her speech delays. We also took Karis to see a pediatric opthamologist. The Dr. doesn't think she has a lazy eye, she just thinks her eye has been pulling in to try to see better. So, now Karis is sporting some new glasses that will hopefully solve that problem without surgery. Karis has had so many appointments in the 6 weeks that we have been home! Yesterday was Brandon's quarterly endocrinologist appointment and I think Karis was surprised she wasn't the patient for once!
I think the bonding process has gone quite well for us. Karis is definitely attached to her family and will freely give us hugs and kisses. She can be so sweet, and she just melts our hearts! A few times we have called Karis by her Chinese name and she says "no" and then we call her Karis and she says "yes!" I think she is loving being a part of a family. I look forward to the day that she can communicate verbally with us and can tell us about her thoughts and feelings!
As far as communication goes, she is actually doing very well. She understands a lot of English that we speak to her. She is saying some words and is using sign language as well. She is very creative and will make up her own signs to communicate to us. When we first met Karis, she would just cry and get upset when she wanted something, but now that she can communicate better with us, the crying is getting much better. It still happens sometimes, but we are teaching her to tell us what she wants and not to cry. She is working on her numbers and letters and is picking up very quickly. Sometimes she even likes to be ornery, and when I ask her what sound a letter makes she will say the wrong sound with a smirk on her face. There is a definite difference between when she doesn't know the answer and when she is just not wanting to cooperate!
Our biggest hurdle right now is teaching her to obey. She really does a good job most of the time, but sometimes she refuses to do what we ask. So, we are definitely working on teaching her obedience!
Adoption is hard work, but we are thankful that God called us to this task! We are learning more about his grace and mercy towards us, his adopted children, as we work to show grace and mercy to Karis, our adopted daughter!
When we first met Karis we wondered if she would ever smile or laugh. She seemed so sad in all the pictures we got from her in China. I remember the first time I heard her giggle as our guide, John, was playing with her and I asked Todd, "Did she just laugh?" Now, she will laugh all day long at our silly antics or to being tickeled or whatever else she thinks is funny! She still hasn't mastered the "smile for the camera" smile, but she readily smiles for us in daily interactions. Karis's middle name is Joy because we want her to find true joy in life (which only comes because of God's grace which is why her fist name is the Greek word for Grace). I think she if finding joy with her new family, and we are praying that someday she will find true joy in Christ!
Karis has had so many appointments for us to get a good picture of what's going on with her physically. She has been to the dentist, and we found out she has no cavities! They'll do x-rays next time, but it was great to get a good report. She went to the pediatrician and got checked out. The Dr. noticed some issues with her spine, so she is scheduled for an MRI on June 18th. Since Karis will need to be put to sleep for that, we will wait and do blood work while she is asleep. They will check her blood for lots of different things inclucing which immunizations she has. After we get that report, we'll have to catch her up on shots (that will not be fun!). The Dr. also heard a mild heart murmur, so we'll see a cardiologist at some point for that. The Dr. said Karis has excema so we've been using some cream on her body and a dandruff shampoo. That helps a lot but she still scratches! The Dr. referred her for speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. We've begun going to physical and occupational therapy once a week, but she is on a waiting list for speech therapy. We're hoping to get that started soon also. The Dr. sent her to an audiologist for a hearing evaluation and when we went to that appointment they said she had so much ear wax that they could not do the test. So, now Karis has an appointment with an ENT to have her ear wax removed, and then we'll take her back for her hearing test. We'd like to know if there are hearing issues that might be causing some of her speech delays. We also took Karis to see a pediatric opthamologist. The Dr. doesn't think she has a lazy eye, she just thinks her eye has been pulling in to try to see better. So, now Karis is sporting some new glasses that will hopefully solve that problem without surgery. Karis has had so many appointments in the 6 weeks that we have been home! Yesterday was Brandon's quarterly endocrinologist appointment and I think Karis was surprised she wasn't the patient for once!
I think the bonding process has gone quite well for us. Karis is definitely attached to her family and will freely give us hugs and kisses. She can be so sweet, and she just melts our hearts! A few times we have called Karis by her Chinese name and she says "no" and then we call her Karis and she says "yes!" I think she is loving being a part of a family. I look forward to the day that she can communicate verbally with us and can tell us about her thoughts and feelings!
As far as communication goes, she is actually doing very well. She understands a lot of English that we speak to her. She is saying some words and is using sign language as well. She is very creative and will make up her own signs to communicate to us. When we first met Karis, she would just cry and get upset when she wanted something, but now that she can communicate better with us, the crying is getting much better. It still happens sometimes, but we are teaching her to tell us what she wants and not to cry. She is working on her numbers and letters and is picking up very quickly. Sometimes she even likes to be ornery, and when I ask her what sound a letter makes she will say the wrong sound with a smirk on her face. There is a definite difference between when she doesn't know the answer and when she is just not wanting to cooperate!
Our biggest hurdle right now is teaching her to obey. She really does a good job most of the time, but sometimes she refuses to do what we ask. So, we are definitely working on teaching her obedience!
Adoption is hard work, but we are thankful that God called us to this task! We are learning more about his grace and mercy towards us, his adopted children, as we work to show grace and mercy to Karis, our adopted daughter!
posted by Heather @ 8:22 AM
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