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A few days after we picked up
Emily we began to see changes in her behavior. Our theory is that
while at the orphanage, it did her little good to be fussy because it seldom
gained her the attention she was looking for. This is a risk with
kids who have spent extended periods of time in orphanages - the more they
do not get the response they are looking for, the less they look for it
and farther away from bonding they will be. She is figuring out that
we *will* respond to her when she wants something.
-
We also think that she feels
better with a full tummy. She never really liked the rice cereal
we were giving her (on the advice of the orphanage). Mary added carrot
and pear baby food to her cereal and she seemed to like it much better.
Full tummy = happy baby.
-
Sometimes Emily seems to just
want some space - she gets really fussy but calms down when we place her
in her crib and wind up the mobile/misc box. In the orphanage, she
spent lots of time in her crib so it may be a "comfort place" for her.
-
On the whole, she is happy and
is beginning to smile much more. Even though Emily has some medical
problems just now:
-
Scabies - a common ailment in
orphanages. It looks like small red bumps and rash on her skin.
We initially treated her with some medication we brought from the US, and
she was showing some improvement. Lately it seems that she is not
doing as well, the rash is more exaggerated. She has been rubbing
her face on her bedding, probably because it itches. The rubbing
makes her cheeks, nose and forehead red and irritated. We have appointments
with both an ophthalmologist and dermatologist at French Hanoi Hospital
- hopefully, they will be able to prescribe effective medications for her.
-
Nasal Congestion - Emily has
a runny, stuffy nose. We are treating her with medications prescribed
by Dr. Tu here in Hanoi. She is slowly getting better.
-
Conjunctivitis - in her left
eye. This causes an accumulation of "stuff" in her eye. We
are treating her with saline eye drops and medication. She is not
recovering, the "stuff" seems more pronounced and there is a fairly large
infected spot just to the left of her left eye. This could be a by-product
of the eye infection, or part of the skin ailment.
-
She is strong, with a good,
firm grip. Emily likes to hang on to my fingers as I pull her up
to a sitting position. She is holding her head up most of the time
now. She is also very interested in her toys, she sometimes just
holds one as if she is studying it. Turning it slowly and looking
at it from all angles. She also studies her hands - sometimes one,
sometimes both of them. It is almost like she has never seen them
before. It is very enjoyable to watch her discoveries.
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