We met our social worker outside of our apartment at 9am sharp. Gramm, Grandad, Ana & Jack went to grab breakfast at a local cafe while Ry, Niko & I went to the Vita Hospital.
First was blood work to test for TB.
Horrible. Scarring. Traumatic.
Because of his size and undernourishment, his veins were very difficult to get blood from. They inserted the needle, then had to physically pump his little arm to get drops of blood to come out. He screamed a scream that will probably haunt me forever. I had to hold him tight so he wouldn't kick the nurse or pull the needle out. I also tried to block his eyes from seeing a needle sticking out of his arm with red stuff pouring out, but he kept pushing his head back to see. But, it ended and I held him while I held myself together pretty well.
That's when the Bulgarian dialogue started.
The nurses kept talking to each other rather quickly. Now, as an ASL interpreter, I'm used to an interpreting situation where everything is interpreted for the client and the client then has the right and responsibility to react how they deem fit. That is not how this happened. We were on a "need to know" basis, and got the synopsis of the conversation as the nurses were telling me to sit back down. The pediatrician said that we had enough - 2ml was fine to do the test. But, because he is 3, not matter how small, the nurses were claiming they need 4ml. So, the needle went in the other arm and he fought even harder and screamed even louder. I cried as I forced him not to look this time. Talk about traumatic.
The only time this sweet boy has been in the hospital (or really out of the orphanage for the most part) was to get surgeries done at a hospital. So this was even scarier for him than we could imagine.
Then, up we went to the pediatrician's office to do an exam. He whimpered and fussed during most of it, but it wasn't too bad. I felt like she had zero compassion or patience for him, but I'm going to chalk her behavior up to a cultural difference - no way someone would act like that to a child, much less a former orphan.
Then came the tongue depressor.
Nikolay was born with a cleft lip and palate, and has had 2 corrective surgeries. Because of that, and his institutional neglect, he is very sensitive to what goes in or near his mouth. He gritted his teeth shut when she tried to put the depressor in to look down his throat, and instead of taking things slow and working with him, she shoved that piece of wood through his teeth and down his throat. Granted, she was quick about it, but I wanted to go and smack her with her stick she was traumatizing my child with.
Finally, it was over. Into the ergo he went, and we headed out the door. We went on a hunt for Pediasure, but we had no luck. So, we just headed back to the apartment to regroup. Dad went out for pizza slices, and the kids sat down to eat and play. Niko seemed to recover quickly, which I was so thankful for. He still ate and drank for us, despite his scary morning.
Oh! And he pooped! Not necessarily what you wanted to hear, but that's a big deal on pick-up trips - many kids have trouble eating and drinking, and often hold in their bowel movements. He obviously felt comfortable enough. Poop = trust!
Ana napped, Jack did some version of sleeping-ish, and Niko played in his crib for a little while. Once everyone was up and we did our diaper line, Ry fed Niko (most likely his first!) afternoon snack. He ate quite a bit! Then we got a special birthday skype date with our sweet niece, Liliana (who is SIX!!). Ana LOVED seeing her cousins, and Niko was somewhat fascinated by the screen that was talking. We absolutely loved getting to catch up with some of our family back at home - those girls bring such a smile to our faces! Especially Magnolia and her outfit ;)
The kids played some more and then we headed off to the mall to grab some dinner and let Ana burn off some energy. We ate at Happy's and Jack had the BEST time gnawing on Ana's cucumber sticks. He LOVED them. Gagged and threw up a bit when he got a piece, but still loved them nonetheless. It was fun to watch him be so excited.
We walked, Ana ran, and we hitched a cab back to the apartment. The kiddos went to sleep (well, Jack is currently up crying, but they all went to sleep in theory) and I am sitting here typing this and eating cookies while Ry's computer "dings" with work emails.
We don't have any appointments until Tuesday (if his TB test comes back okay), so we are entering the weekend with nothing to do but grocery shop and buy souvenirs!
(don't judge my filthy screen. blame the toddler)
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