It's not all snow and shots, really.

If it wasn't bad enough to have to spend your first days in America in the bitter cold and snow, how about your new family (remember these people who you keep hearing are just so super?!) decide to take you to the doctor's office first thing Monday morning! The boy was totally jet-lagged (and as evidenced by his de-planing puke in Germany---and then Saturday and Sunday back home!--- his internal clock does not adjust quickly to time change) and his school books were in his luggage, their whereabouts unknown, so he stayed home from school on Monday. B has really clicked with H and they spend much of this weekend giggling and conversing in a combination of broken English/Amharic, then grabbing one another's hand and calling, "Come, come..." and running off to play. We decided that the doctor's visit would be, maybe, a little bit better with her there, too. So, B came along for the ride. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came and stayed with N, CB and the recuperating Boy.
After talking with the doctor, he ordered all the tests recommended by orphan doctor, Jane Aronson. He believes that H's age is accurate and that she is probably 8 1/2, turning 9 in February (6 mos. before B does---I'm just waiting for someone to see that on paper and wonder how I pulled THAT off!) Baby T, however, he thinks is around 8 months old, which is what we have been thinking, but not what the birth certificate supports. So, we will be working to remedy that as we re-adopt here in the States. This is all somewhat irrelevant, unless you are a doctor looking at a immunization schedule. The baby, with the doctor assuming the age of 8 months, was only in need of one vaccination and the TB test. Poor H, on the other hand, had FOUR shots, while her Dad hugged her tightly and I tried to not cry. (In that respect, H may have done better than me!) Then, we got the order for the bloodletting...I mean, labwork. We decided to come back later this week, when the TB tests get read and worry about that then. As it is, the tetanus shot alone is making H's arm hurt like crazy, but she hated the taste of chewable tylenol so badly that she preferred a nap with a cold compress to any more than a half of a tablet. At this point, I'm not sure she isn't thinking Ethiopia didn't look so bad after all...sigh.