Nicholas, the Pin Cushion

For being home only a week and a half, we feel that Nicholas is doing really well. He is handling some pretty unfamiliar and scary areas better than we expected. Today’s doctor’s appointment was no exception. We had him examined by a pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic who deals with many children adopted internationally. We found out that Nicholas is 85% in weight. We think he may have gained another pound or two since Moscow. I guess our American food isn’t half bad. We’re not sure about Evan’s dream for a 6’ tall son though. Little Nicholas is only at the 10th percentile in height. The doctor said he may grow some or he may be short. Either way, he’ll fit fine in our family.

The doctor also thought he was doing well developmentally. He only needs to build up a little more muscle tone in his legs and stomach, which will come as he continues to run and climb. She also said we will just keep an eye on his speech development. But, the doctor was impressed with how compliant he was during the exam. He did whatever she asked him to do. He was such a good boy!

Next, came the hard part of the exam. Nicholas needed a couple of shots! He screamed through the whole thing and the nurse commented on how strong he was. We noticed that he does develop super-human strength when he puts his mind to it. But, in the end, he was rewarded with a stuffed teddy bear, a sticker, and a cookie. Then, he was all ready to go home. Unfortunately, it was downstairs to the outpatient lab to get some blood drawn. Only one parent was allowed to go in with him, so we chose the one that was least likely to faint – Evan. As I sat in the waiting room, I cringed every time I heard my son scream. It broke my heart. But, minutes later, he was out with another sticker. He didn’t want the lollipop, so Daddy got it instead.

We have another visit in about 6 weeks, so it will be interesting to see how much growth Nicholas has between now and then. We will be visiting downtown Cleveland for that visit as well, but will be asking for a referral to a local branch for future visits. It is just too far from our house for this doctor to be our regular pediatrician.

I will leave you with a couple of pictures from a happier day at the park. Or, you can go to my friend, Kristy’s blog to read about Nicholas and his new best friend, Anthony!










Kristin