Medical Appointments

We had a busy week this past week with medical appointments.  We went in on Tuesday for Kora's 4th try at her hearing screening.  The state of Minnesota requires children to have a hearing screening within three months of being home.  We've tried 3 times before to have this done without success, and there's a possibility Kora would have to be sedated if we couldn't get it any other way.  The screening requires Kora to have a little earplug in her ear for about a minute while she is fairly quiet so the machine can read the echo in her ear to determine if her hearing is okay.  We got the right ear completed on try number two, but we haven't been able to get her to cooperate for the left ear.  So this time, we got a prescription for a medicine that helps kids sleep, which is what they give for dentist appointments, etc.  I gave it to Kora 45 minutes before her appointment like they recommended, and then brought her into the clinic in her car seat.  Well, she woke up immediately, was alert, and there was no chance of her going back to sleep at the clinic.  But she did go back to sleep after riding around in the vehicle again and was out cold after about 2 hours after receiving the medication.  So we were able to get the screening done on the left ear, which she passed. 

On Thursday, Kora had her appointment with the ophthalmologist.  This went about the same as any other appointment.  She's okay until the strange people start touching her and trying to do stuff with her.  Then she starts crying and she's done cooperating.  The doctor only got a partial exam completed, but he felt most likely she would need surgery to correct her vision.  He recommended we go to the U of Minn to see a pediatric ophthalmologist because they would be the best to get a thorough exam and the best to perform the surgery.

Other than that, everything has been going well.  Kora is pulling to stand by herself and walking when you hold both her hands.  She waves and claps, and now has 5 teeth.  We're looking forward to celebrating our first Christmas as a family of five.  We hope you all have a Merry Christmas.