Dr.'s Appointments

Jiliang was being silly while watching and dancing to Ni Hao Kai Lan cartoon


Jiliang and T.J. playing with the cat the day after she got home

Our Cardiology appointment was pushed up from St. Patrick's Day to tomorrow, which is Thursday the 11th. When we went to the Pediatrician yesterday, she was doing well, but had a little hypoxia (92%), which means she was a little blue in the lips, fingertips and toes. Her nail beds also show a little bit of clubbing, which looks like rounded nail beds with almost ingrown nails. That is all from the heart condition. It is minor, but our pediatrician and I thought the appointment should be sooner, just to be safe. The coughing that she had may have been from the heart condition as well; although she may have originally had croup while in China.
On Monday evening, she laughed so hard while I horseplayed with her, that she gasped and gagged. It was a little scary, but it was nothing major. She was fine. Scott explained the whole thing to me. Her body was getting too much Carbon Dioxide, and needed to stop and get more Oxygen. Tomorrow, Thursday the 11th, I will feel more comfortable, because she will have a full cardiology work-up. The paperwork stated that it may take more than a few hours, but when we walk out of the office, we will have an action plan for her care and intervention.
The doctor's visit also brought on many tears. She had three shots to catch up on her immunizations (she never had any immunizations in China, because of her heart condition). She also had bloodwork done in the office for her overall health.
Luckily, she got an antibiotic, for her cold. It is more like a sinus infection now. It is minor, but we don't want it to become something worse. I am sure that the change in weather attributed to that somewhat. It was 80 degrees in Guangzhou, 50 degrees in Shanghai, 30 degrees in Michigan, and back up to 50 degrees in Michigan. Talk about weather fluctuations.
The pediatricians told us that she was in good hands with the U of M surgeons. Dr. Kileny wasted no time in scheduling an appointment for her head. She will be seeing a surgeon in April to consult us about her unclosed fontanelle (if that is what is going on). She may need a bone graph or plate transplanted in her skull. We will know more about that course of action in April. Her heart repair is our main priority at this point. Of course, we hope to do a hair replacement in the future, and that is a question that we have on our list, but it remains low on the priority list of things for her at this point. I am so thankful that I am getting some answers about her health and that we have a pediatrician that is so proactive and supportive about her overall health status. I feel very confident about her health with the U of M doctors and with Mott's Children's Hospital.
Most of the time, we don't see her bald spot on her head. We love her unconditionally and think she is so beautiful just the way she is; but if there is a safe, non-invasive option in her future, we will do it for her sake.
We are so glad that we chose her, despite any unexpected or unforeseeable medical issues. We could be upset that her orphanage had not been more forthcoming about her medical issues, but we believe that they only saw the heart as a real issue. Most likely, they saw her burn as a cosmetic issue that could be fixed in America, and saw the fontanelle being open as a non-issue. I also believe that they truly loved her and wanted the best for her. It is so apparent when you see how attached and loving she is with our family. I wish that I could thank her caretaker at the orphanage for loving her so well.
With that said, Scott and I both believe that Jiliang is the daughter that is meant to be in our home. We could not have asked for a more perfect child for our household. She is so much like each one us in different ways; yet so unique and special in her own ways. Jiliang is an amazing, sweet, mischievious, happy little girl. She is full of smiles. I love her contagious smile.
I wish my son understood that she adores him. She laughs and smiles at everything he says and does. He has a hard time understanding that he is her little hero and Big Bro, and she is crazy about him. She is always looking to see if he is watching when she succeeds at the smallest accomplishments. They are sort of like Garfield and Odie. She annoys him, but I think it's because he knows how lovable, sweet and cute she is, and fears that admitting it or voicing it aloud might knock him out of the pecking order. If he only knew that he wasn't going to be replaced, he'd fall head over heels for her too. In time, I am sure that they will be great buddies, playmates and partners in crime.
Jill :)

In this picture, T.J. missed her terribly after being in school all day. They had so much fun together.

Jiliang is tasting her first ice-cream. T.J. took these pictures in the car while we waited for our ice-cream order at the drive-thru Family Frosty in Tecumseh. He is a great little photographer, isn't he?



We found that she is actually not very fond of ice cream, but she does enjoy Schwann's Push-Ups :)