2 Weeks Post Op

It has been two weeks since Miah's surgery. She is back to her energetic self and it is getting harder to make sure she does not bump her nose. Over the past few days it has appeared to us that she has more and more scar tissue building up at the top of her incision line close to her nostril. This morning it was even more prominent and now we are leaning on the side that perhaps she has an infection in that area. I called the plastic surgeon and we will be able to see him tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully it is something that we can treat with oral antibiotics and not something that has to be opened up. She has also been saying more often that her nose hurts, so perhaps there is something going on.

6 Days Post Surgery

It will be one week tomorrow that Miah had her lip/nose revision surgery done. I can't believe how fast this week has flown by and how well she is doing. Yesterday she had the packing taken out of her left nostril. She was very happy to be able to breathe easier. She was very brave while they removed it and only jumped a bit as the surgeon pulled it out. He rewarded her by giving her a Yo-Yo. He's on her list of people she likes again :)

Today her incision line is less red than yesterday. It is amazing what even 24 hours can do to the healing process. The only struggle that we are having is that this experience seems to have brought back to the surface her obsession with food. We were finally at a point where food did not seem to be an issue anymore. She ate happily at meal time and stopped when she was full. Maybe it was the pureed food for the first few days that has set her back into this obsession to know when every meal time and snack time will be. She has been asking to eat every 1/2 hour and gets upset when I tell her it is not time. Hopefully this will pass soon enough.

She is sleeping great though! Last time after surgery she would wake up many times in the night crying and I was worried about that happening this time too. So far so good!!!

Surgery Update

This past Wednesday Miah had a nose/lip revision done. Initially they were also going to close a fistula that she has, but since then a lovely adult tooth has come down right into the fistula. Good news, is that it is blocking the hole, but bad news is that they will have to repair it at a later date (yet another surgery). The thought being that the tooth will stimulate more bone growth in that area. Kids born with clefts do not have a lot of bone in the affected area and many require bone grafting. The doctors like to encourage as much bone growth as possible in order to minimize the need for a large bone graft. This is a surgery Miah will have in a few years. They will take bone from her hip at this time to build up her gumline.

I was so happy that I was allowed to accompany Miah into the OR at 9:00 am. She was so brave, although I could tell that she was really nervous. We laid her on the table and she only whimpered a bit when they put the IV in. I was able to talk and pray with her while she went to sleep. The surgery took just over 2 1/2 hours. This was a bit longer than they anticipated so Mommy was getting a little worried around the 2 hour mark.

At noon we were able to meet Miah in her room and cuddle her. She was a trooper. She did not cry the whole time we were there, just the occasional moan. She kept pointing to her nose and asking me to "take it off." Her one reconstructed nostril has packing in it and it is sutured in place with a bolster stitch (you can see the gauze on the bridge of her nose.) It must feel like something is on her face. That has been most bothersome for her. The Doctor will remove that gauze next week. The surgeon also said he got a really good repair of her muscles in her upper lip area. Hopefully this will help her with her speech.

She was in good spirits while we were in hospital. She enjoyed been fed bits of broken Popsicles and ice cream. If we were playing she would say to me "I can't smile or laugh. If I am happy I will say Hee Hee and you will know I am happy." She is so darn cute.

I am little disappointed with how her nostril is currently looking. To me it looks like it will end up being larger than her left. When I asked the surgeon about this he said that there was not a lot of cartilage left to work with and it will require another surgery at some point to add cartilage from another area on her body. I almost cried when he pointed out yet another surgery in her future. I sure hope they can start to piggyback some of them.

Day One
Day Two

688 Days

Today we celebrated "Equal Day" Today marks the day that Miah has finally been with us for as long as she spent in China. Professionals say that this is a pivotal point as many kids finally start to settle in to their new families and lives at this point. We are blessed with the gift of this child and feel that we have established a very strong bond with Miah and that she trusts us to look after her needs. She looks for us for snuggles and comfort when distressed and has started to express her love for us without being asked how she feels. We love this girl so much and I am so blessed to be her Momma!


Tomorrow Miah goes in for her nose/lip revision surgery....so with tonight being a "celebration," we let Miah go to town eating things she won't be able to enjoy for a while....like chicken drumsticks and corn on the cob! We check into the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning. Her surgery time is 9:00. We'll try to update when we can!

Family Photo Shoot

This past weekend we did a family photo shoot with local photographer April Martin . It was the most quick and painless session we have ever had! The girls were great and we were done in less than 30 minutes. We received a "sneak peek" of the photos that she took. They are amazing! April we love them so much! We had one small moment when Miah refused to cooperate and gave us the frown with folded arms routine when she was asked to sit on a bench and her oldest sister was asked to stand behind the bench. She thought standing would be better than sitting I guess. Later that night I asked her why she had gotten upset and her answer was "I was just so mad!" Too funny.

Dance

This past weekend Miah had her last dance class of the season. All the parents and siblings were invited in to watch the girls participate in the last half of their class. It was so fun to watch Miah and her friend Sylvie participate in a class together. I don't often get to sit back and watch her engage with her peers. It is a very eye-opening experience. I think the highlight for Miah was that her sisters were watching her. It is usually the other way around, but this was her moment to perform for them! Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?

Happy I Love You Day

Today in Miah's preschool class, all the special ladies in the kids lives were invited for a special 'I love you day tea'. Miah presented me with a hand painted flower pot. She was so proud of her creation. For the rest of the day she kept telling me "Happy I love you day Mom." The teacher read out the children's answer to the question "Why do you love your mom?" Miah's response was "I love my mom because she plays Dora games and puzzles with me."