TP in Tbilisi

TP in Tbilisi...

Today was a fun day. Cousin Anna came over for lunch. When she first arrived Tamara started to cry.. I mean really cry. Then it occurred to me that other then my parents no one has been here. Tamara has met a lot of friends and family but never in our home.

Hum.. we'll have to change that. It also occurred to me that although she is very good about sharing other children's toys at their house we have no idea if she'll willingly share hers when the time comes. Hum...

Anyway it took about 20 minutes for Tamara to warm up to Anna. And then they were best Buds. Of course the tower of gifts didn't hurt. lol.

Thanks Anna.. you have excellent taste and now I know who to call for baby sitting...lol.

You game?

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After dinner we went for ice cream. I've mentioned several times how much Tamara loves to watch people. Well the ice cream shop was packed as was the outdoor sitting area. You can see by her expressions that she was just amazed by the people around her.

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TP in Tbilisi...

This is a video clip I thought you'd enjoy. It was taken in Tbilisi. Unfortunately we couldn't get it (videos) to work in Tbilisi and then misplaced the video program disc we needed until today. Now that we have it once again and are on a high speed connection things should get more exciting / interesting.

Put your sound on and enjoy. She is a piece of work... no doubt about it. ;o)

One of the interesting things about Tbilisi that we never did figure out is why 95% of the toilets we visited in country lacked TP ? Seriously how / what do they do?

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Finally heard from the Dr's office today. Most of her tests came back.. still waiting for a few more. Hopefully tomorrow.

Our agency told us to have her checked for parasites as the last 4 families children and or family members had an issue. Happy to report we're clean!!!

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Blood work .. the Titers

Antibody titer Definition:
A test that measure the presence and amount of antibodies in blood. These antibodies may be against a particular type of tissue, cell,bacteria, virus, or other external substance.

Why the test is performed:
The antibody level in the blood is a reflection of the body's past exposure to an antigen, or to something that the body does not recognize as belonging to itself. The body uses antibodies to attack and eliminate the foreign matter.
Every living cell has different protein markers on its surface. The body's immune system identifies those cells that are not part of itself by these surface proteins.
Occasionally, the body makes an error and begins to recognize its own tissue as being non-self, or foreign. This leads to an immune response against that tissue type, cell, or substance that is part of the body. This is known as autoimmunity.
Levels of antibodies in the blood (also known as the antibody titer) are measured to determine:
the strength of an immune response to the body's own tissue in diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune disorders.
the need for a booster immunization
whether a recent vaccine administration caused a strong enough response from the immune system, bringing your antibody titer against a particular disease up to a preventive level.
In some situations your health care provider may check your antibody titer to see if you had a natural infection in the past (e.g., chickenpox) or to decide which immunizations you need.

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Happy to report the Titers came back showing she's up to speed on all her shots accept Smallpox which we will address shortly. So glad she doesn't need all those shots again. Especially being that they are so controversial these days. Hopefully we can get her all ready for the Fall. We would like to have her attend pre-school for a few hours here and there this Fall. Needed proof of the shots for school enrollment.

*** I would highly recommend that other adoptive parents order this series of tests. So much easier and safer for the child.

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