Chicken Nuggets and Chopsticks: Big Changes for a Little Girl

Big Changes are coming for this little girl. It's her last weekend without a palate. Major. Once her surgery is preformed, she will finally have a hard and soft palate! Mommas of cleft kiddos know how BIG of a change this is. It's. going to be rough, very rough, at first..but the outcome is going to be life changing. Bottle feedings will be SO much easier, drool will be much less, her hearing will improve ohh, and lets not forget, FOOD!!! About 2 weeks post surgery, we will be able to introduce soft foods. We will start with baby foods and see how it goes. Right now, she has NO idea how to even eat. She will put things in, but because of the huge open palate, it comes right out through the nose, or she spits it out..nothing makes it to the back of her throat to swallow. The Surgeon has warned us that at first she may struggle. He told us to keep working at it, and if neccessary, there are Feeding Specialists JUST for Cleft kids, who we can have to come and help us. We are so fortunate to have these resources available to us, and we plan to go ahead and contact them, so that we can enlist their services. They will also help us with Speech issues. We are fortunate that she really has not become that vocal yet..so she will get to "learn" how to talk with her new palate.
As we spent this last weekend before her surgery, we are filled with all sorts of emotions. As her Forever Mommy, I am petrified. Anytime you have a child go thru surgery, you worry. I worry, that with no real knowledge of her past medical history, we really had very little info to be able to pass on to the Surgeon and Anesthesiologist. We have no idea of drug allergies, reaction to anesthesia; nothing-and so I am nervous about her going "under". I also am wrestling with whether we are doing the surgery "too soon". While I have spoken with many adoptive parents who also scheduled surgeries for soon after bringing their Children home, I also know many who are waiting. Waiting for. Better bonding, attachment, trust....and so this has me apprehensive. Mia has adjusted to her new surroundings amazingly well. She is settled, happy, safe and secure. She looks for me when I am not around. She reaches for me; clings to me. What if the surgery sets us back? She has come to trust us and knows that we are her safety. I can only pray that she will not relate US to the PAIN that she is going to have to endure from the surgery. Some have told us that she is so young, that she won't remember a thing. While I'm sure that is all true, we have seen how she used to ache and how she now smiles..and obviously, we don't want ANYTHING to change that. Along with prayers for a successful surgery, would you also pray that the pain does not affect her attachment to US? We are in prayer that she allows us to comfort her, to hold her, and that seeing our faces and feeling our touch, will calm her fears and help ease her physical pain. We believe in the power of prayer, and are asking for it, as we approach next week.

For those of ou wondering about our little guy...we are still peeing...no change in frequency, but hoping the medicine will begin to show signs of improvement.

He had his karate belt test this morning. I have no pictures to show for it, because Daddy took him. You know Dads...they don't obsess over photos like us Moms do. If he did well enough to earn his next belt, he will be awarded the belt at the next class, next week. I will be sending Grandma with HER camera, so hopefully we will get some pictures that way.

Lots of family heading in this week to help with the Boys and to come up and keep me company in the hospital. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive extended family, in times like these. Our closest relatives are 3 hours away, but in a minute, they will hop in the car and head South to help us out. So blessed for that.
Here are a few photos taken from this week. Next post....post op!!!!