Over the last 6 months, we’ve been trying to learn as much as we can about not only Tori’s medical needs, but how we can best create a bond with her, that will help to rewire some of her learned perceptions about love, family, having her needs met, leaving and coming back, and what it means to rely on and connect to Mommy and Daddy when there’s never been anyone to fill those roles in her life. Through this process, we’re learning more and more about what she’s been/going through and she’s learning how to communicate that to us. As her parents, we’ve been forced to push through some fears and unknowns. We’re continuously reminded that we can’t do this on our own. Without our trust in God, the last 6 months would have been filled with more panic, unsettledness, and hopelessness.
Our travels over the past 6 months have made us rather
familiar with the KOP CHOP offices. We’ve visited the adoption clinic,
orthopedics, audiology, ENT, ophthalmology, hematology, her pediatrician,
prosthetist, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
We’re currently still working with her audiologist and ENT to figure out
what’s going on with her hearing. She’s had lots of issues with wax build
up, fluid, and inconsistent results with hearing tests. She’ll be
undergoing an Automated Brainstem Response test in April. We are also
working with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit to have her evaluated for
educational services to help meet the needs of the developmental delays that
she has.
Tori has truly blown us out of the water with her progress with her prosthetic foot. She received her leg in October and started Physical Therapy a few times a week shortly after that to help aid in the transition to walking with two feet for the first time. At those sessions, she worked on her gait, foot positioning and awareness, going up and down steps, obstacle courses, and uneven ground. She has since "graduated" from PT and is able to walk, run, and do the "little people" steps at day care independently.
The ABR test in April will be done under anesthesia so that they can eliminate outside stimuli and just measure the responsiveness of her hearing nerves. Testing the hearing of a 3 year old with limited English proficiency and a limited attention span has proven to be a bit difficult. Hopefully, this test will be able to shed some light on her ability to hear.
In March, the MCIU will be evaluating her in multiple areas and reviewing all of her records from CHOP. They will work with us to develop a plan then to provide services at day care (and maybe at home) in order to address some of the areas of need that she has.
She has truly made a lot of progress socially and we are thrilled with the transition she's made at day care. She is accepted by the teachers and the kids and is becoming a part of their learning community. We do still need to work with her at establishing boundaries and to learn the rules of being in a multitude of environments around many different types of people.
Tori has truly blown us out of the water with her progress with her prosthetic foot. She received her leg in October and started Physical Therapy a few times a week shortly after that to help aid in the transition to walking with two feet for the first time. At those sessions, she worked on her gait, foot positioning and awareness, going up and down steps, obstacle courses, and uneven ground. She has since "graduated" from PT and is able to walk, run, and do the "little people" steps at day care independently.
The ABR test in April will be done under anesthesia so that they can eliminate outside stimuli and just measure the responsiveness of her hearing nerves. Testing the hearing of a 3 year old with limited English proficiency and a limited attention span has proven to be a bit difficult. Hopefully, this test will be able to shed some light on her ability to hear.
In March, the MCIU will be evaluating her in multiple areas and reviewing all of her records from CHOP. They will work with us to develop a plan then to provide services at day care (and maybe at home) in order to address some of the areas of need that she has.
She has truly made a lot of progress socially and we are thrilled with the transition she's made at day care. She is accepted by the teachers and the kids and is becoming a part of their learning community. We do still need to work with her at establishing boundaries and to learn the rules of being in a multitude of environments around many different types of people.
Bonding and attachment has been a huge focus within our
family over the last 6 months (and it will continue to be). Because Tori
had lived in an orphanage since birth, her earliest memories of “family”
involve abandonment and trauma. She (and we) were blessed by the fact
that she had good care in her orphanage and was under the care of the same
Nanny for the 3 years that she lived there. However, she needs to relearn
what it means to have a family--what “Mommy” and “Daddy” mean and who we are,
what “brother” means--what it means to feel secure, calm, safe, and understood
in order to experience and optimal environment for physical, emotional, and
social development.
For some great resources on bonding and attachment and
childhood trauma, check out the following websites:
Be sure to check out our prayer requests page to
see how you can continue to pray for us!
