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Let's talk a little more about Dumplin's health.

I previously stated that he was in good condition.  By that, I meant that he had not been abused.  He had no evidence of trauma.  He had been in a foster home, therefore, there was no real concern about how he had been treated recently.

How is he really?

-  At nearly five months old, he was wearing a 0-3 outfit when we picked him up.
-  He sounded very congested all the time.
-  He spit up a LOT after every feeding.  Like, forget the burp cloth and just use a blanket kind of spit up.  Or prepare to change your clothes, his clothes and clean whatever chair you're sitting in.
-  He was a face-down sleeper....literally, he smashed his nose into the bed.
-  He could not hold his head up.  He was chin-to-chest.
-  He could not hold his upper body up....so sitting him up on your lap wasn't happening. 
   (These two things are what the first foster parent meant when she described him as 'limp baby'
-  He has a 'birthmark'
-  He doesn't focus on or track anything with his eyes.  Blind??

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I got concerned about all the congestion/spit up so I told his caseworker that I wanted to take him to the doctor.  She sent me a picture of his insurance card and told me what doctor he has been seeing.  Turns out, this doctor has seen him since his birth in the hospital.  I felt that it would probably be beneficial to stick with this doctor since he knew Dumplin's history.  If I liked the dr, we'd keep him.

I got Dumplin to the doctor.  He weighed 13.8lbs and was 23 3/4" long.  We discussed his congestion and spitting up.  The doctor said he has reflux and that, as a reflux baby, he naturally produces more mucus...so that's why he sounds congested all the time.  He said he didn't want to treat Dumplin for the reflux; he doesn't like to 'turn stomach acid off' unless the child appears to have painful reflux.  "Acids are there for a reason, we're gonna let them do their job." 

The 'birthmark' isn't really a birth mark.  It's a Strawberry hemangioma and apparently it wasn't there at birth.  The doctor said it typically develops soon after birth and grows for the first year of life.  It could shrink and fade with age.  Either way, we'll watch it.

The dr also checked Dumplin's eyes.  Sadly, the baby didn't fix and follow on anything.  It's as if he didn't see anything, although at home, we're convinced that he turns towards and stares at light, the tv and the geometric curtains in his room.  The doctor told me that Dumplin had already been taken to an ophthalmologist and that an MRI was scheduled for later this month.  The MRI would let us know if there was an obvious reason for the lack of vision, ie, trauma to the brain, perhaps from seizures or physical abuse.

Doctor:  He's a healthy little guy, but he just can't see a darn thing.

Me:  (nervously, with a look of pity) Ok then.

The doctor gave me several cans of formula, for which I was SUPER grateful.  (I nursed both of my bio kiddos, so I was blown away when I learned how much formula cost and how much I'd be buying.)

In about three weeks, I'll be bringing Dumplin back for his six month check up and shots, yippie.

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After the doctor visit:  I cried.  And worried.  And cried.

Would this sweet baby really be blind for life?  Would we have him long enough to see what happens?  How would WE raise a blind baby?  Would his parents keep trying to get him back if he's blind?  Would they just sign off and let him go? And then what??!!

Worry and fear are not from the Lord...my wise husband said, "One day at a time.  We just need to love him one day at a time."