The Joy of Joe: Joe's rough day (And what is all this green stuff? I don't think I like it)

This morning was Joe's first doctor's appointment with Dr. Schulte, who not only chairs the pediatric department of the Cleveland Clinic, she is also the head of their international adoption center. They provide reviews of referral paperwork as well as other documentation that we received since accepting the referral. We were looking forward to finally meeting her.

The day started off well with Joe sleeping ALMOST through the night. Wow. He slept from 8:00 pm - 11:15pm and was back asleep by 11:30 and woke up for good around 5:30am. We hung out in his room until his big sister came to check on us and we went downstairs to start our day. After having some scrambled eggs for breakfast, he was ready to play until it was time to leave. I made sure to pack some snacks and an extra bottle just in case we needed it.

Joe fell asleep in the car (no surprise there!) and woke up just as we got into the parking garage. Brian had the honor of carrying our bundle of joy through the parking garage, into the Clinic and into the right building. The pediatric section is on the 12th floor and Joe wasn't sure what to think of the female voice that kept announcing the floor we were stopping at. He kept looking around for the person who said it and was looking a little confused since he couldn't see anyone. He was being very good. It took us awhile to get checked in (there was a little mix-up and none of his info was in the system) -- but shortly after we were official, his name was called and into the examination room we go.

We found out that Joe is 24lbs, 9 oz (he has definitely lost some weight since coming home) and 30 inches long - just the right size. He wasn't a fan of having the pulse ox on his finger or his blood pressure taken, but did pretty well as we watched a helicopter land on the next building.

Dr. Schulte came in soon and then the fun started. We thanked her for the advice on helping him sleep and told her that his mood has definitely improved as his sleep has increased. We let her know of his advances during the time he has been home. She gave us some suggestions on foods to try with him and recommended we give him a multivitamin to make sure he is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs. She gave him the once over and recorded any skin discolorations (mongolian spots) as well as any concerns that she has. She wants us to have Joe seen by one of their pediatric opthamologists -- she doesn't necessarily think he has strabismus (is cross-eyed) but feels he can have alternating esotropia, where at any given time one of his eyes is drawn in to the center. She wants to make sure his vision checks out properly in both eyes and to see whether or not any corrective measures will need to be taken.

Now the not-so-fun stuff: Mr. Handsome needed to have 4 shots to get him up to date on his vaccinations and then head down to the lab so he could get blood drawn to check for any abnormalities in his blood. At this point, we were starting to feed him some snacks and the nurse suggested we keep him occupied while she administered the shots. That worked for the first two shots, but not so much when she went to the other leg. Brian was feeding him, I was holding him. Joseph Sung Min is one strong boy! I'm thinking to myself that drawing blood from him is going to be a feat...

At this point, we're done in the office and get him set for his next appointment in 6 weeks. We switch Liv's appointment for an allergy/asthma recheck for the same day so we can make one trip instead of two. Plus, she wants to go with her little brother to the doctor (as long as he isn't getting shots). We make up a quick bottle and let him have at it while we head to the lab, get signed in and wait our turn. Brian wants me to take him back and he'll watch our stuff. (I see how it is, I hold him during the shots and blood draws and Papa gets to be the hero when it is all done...)

After we're called back, they realize what a little fella he is and we have to wait for a pediatric phlebotomist. This guy was awesome. Super good with Joe, found his vein on the first try and kept looking for ways to get his blood to come out faster to get it all over with. Joe was not a happy camper during this. He was sitting still but crying his little eyes out. It seemed like forever, but he was finally done. What a relief. I took him outside, handed him off to Brian and Joe was fast asleep... and getting a lot of admiring glances from all the grandparently folks waiting for their turn. Our phlebotomist then gave us a bag filled with boxes -- we need to send them some stool samples and I wonder if there is some way I can bribe Olivia to do this for me. She likes messy things...

He falls asleep on the way home and I think he is relieved to realize we're back home. Brian picked up Liv from school while I gave Joe a little something to eat. We decided since it was a nice day outside to see what Joe thinks about the grass. He doesn't seem to be a big fan. We'll get him used to it sooner or later.