Ah, the joys of parenting, right? All of us parents, whether adoptive parent or biological parents have been dealt with our fair share of poop…some more than others. Some of us have had all the poop we ever, ever want.
Many children from Eastern European orphanages have issues with constipation, encopresis, and holding their bowels. In fact, our son has problems with all three because of medical reasons, learned behaviors, and a drastic change in diet.

Ah yes, poop again. But, it has to be talked about.
Encopresis is actually a long standing problem developed from constipation. A child who has chronic constipation will often not completely empty themselves and the large intestine will start to stretch, allowing stool to “leak” around the hard, formed, stool in the colon. The first sign of encopresis is usually stained underwear but most parents assume the child is not wiping well.

I love days like this (Thursday, April 10, 2008); when you’re not thinking about getting an update because it’s not expected and then you get home from a hectic day, check your email, and there it is…an email from your social worker with pictures of the little guy.
The Bebe is three months old now and 12 pounds and 60 cm so it seems that he is just about 50% across the board according to US standards. Interestingly, this makes him a rather large Guatemalan baby.