FYI

Just want to give a heads up for those of you who are waiting to bring your daughters home from China. Make sure that you find out what types of things your pediatrician will need to look for and test for once you have her home. I did not take a list of reccommended tests to our pediatrician, and although he did decide at Gwen's first appointment to redo all of her immunizations, he did not test her for any of the common issues that are found in internationally adopted children, and at that time I didn't realize that I needed let him know what was needed. When I found out that some of the other girls from our group had been found to have giardia (an intestinal parasite that competes for nutrients), I requested that Gwen be tested. She hadn't seemed sick at all. The only sign was loose bowl movements. She tested positive for it, and is currently taking medicine to clear it up. In the mean time, I have taken the list of other tests that should be done (provided by our agency) to the doctor's office for review.

I love our pediatrician... he has a wonderful way with children and has been in practice for a long time. He has had other children from China in his practice, but it's not something he deals with every day, and because Gwen appeared to be completely healthy, he didn't order the tests that should be standard for our girls from China. I will continue to take all of my children to him, but will make it a point to be an informed parent so that I know what to ask for.