Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Jacinda's surgery update
Surgery was today and it went very well. She has been sleeping a lot due to the pain meds but when she wakes up she is pretty upset. Hopefully we will get to come home on Thursday. Thanks for all of the prayers.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Snowy Update on Jacinda
We're still snowed in here! We're loving the snow, but not the ice. I (Sherry) drove Aaron to his brother's house this morning and the ice on the roads was pretty bad. The kids and I made it home just fine, but I'm perfectly happy to not drive again the rest of the day! (Aaron went to his brother's house to borrow a car .... Aaron's car has a flat tire and all 4 tires are really bad, so he is not driving it in this weather. His brother is a mechanic and is ordering new tires today.)
Jacinda's surgery is still on for this Wednesday, 2/3. We're not sure yet what time ... we'll find out tomorrow. I'm not really worried about the actual surgery. We have some of the best cleft surgeons in this country operation on her! I'm most concerned about the anesthesia part of the whole thing. I have heard that little kids sometimes have a hard time coming out of it.
Dr. Inchon, the plastic surgeon, will repair her palate and touch up her lip and nose a little. He said she will still have a hole in her gumline and that her nose would be the hardest part of the surgery. During the surgery, an ENT surgeon will take a look at her ears and place tubes if she needs them. We're fairly certain she will. She had a hearing test a few weeks ago and it showed that she has fluid in both ears.
We are very fortunate that Aaron's parents have graciously agreed to keep Luke and the dog for a couple of days for us. That way, we can focus on Jacinda and Luke can have fun!!!
Specific things you can pray for .....
1. That Dr. Inchon will be able to accomplish all he intends to so we can minimize the number of surgeries she will need.
2. That I will not have a panic attack! I'm serious about that .... I've had a few of them in recent history.
3. That Luke will not worry if we're coming back to get him. It turns out that when he stayed at Aaron's parents house while we were in China, he was worried that we weren't coming back to get him.
4. That Jacinda's pain will be kept under control.
Jacinda's surgery is still on for this Wednesday, 2/3. We're not sure yet what time ... we'll find out tomorrow. I'm not really worried about the actual surgery. We have some of the best cleft surgeons in this country operation on her! I'm most concerned about the anesthesia part of the whole thing. I have heard that little kids sometimes have a hard time coming out of it.
Dr. Inchon, the plastic surgeon, will repair her palate and touch up her lip and nose a little. He said she will still have a hole in her gumline and that her nose would be the hardest part of the surgery. During the surgery, an ENT surgeon will take a look at her ears and place tubes if she needs them. We're fairly certain she will. She had a hearing test a few weeks ago and it showed that she has fluid in both ears.
We are very fortunate that Aaron's parents have graciously agreed to keep Luke and the dog for a couple of days for us. That way, we can focus on Jacinda and Luke can have fun!!!
Specific things you can pray for .....
1. That Dr. Inchon will be able to accomplish all he intends to so we can minimize the number of surgeries she will need.
2. That I will not have a panic attack! I'm serious about that .... I've had a few of them in recent history.
3. That Luke will not worry if we're coming back to get him. It turns out that when he stayed at Aaron's parents house while we were in China, he was worried that we weren't coming back to get him.
4. That Jacinda's pain will be kept under control.
Friday, January 29, 2010
An Update on Mr. Luke
I thought I'd write an update on Luke for once! He had his appointment with the cardiologist yesterday. The heart murmur is still there, but the cardiologist is not concerned. He said Luke has no restrictions and does not have to take antibiotics before dental work. He wants to see Luke in 2 years when they will do an echo test to look at the VSD again. The doctor is not concerned at all and said that even if the VSD never closes, Luke will lead a perfectly normal life. So that was great news!!!
We are also researching preschools for Luke for next school year. We would like him to go 3 mornings a week. We think it will be good for him to have something to do that is just for him. We went to storytime today at the library and he had so much fun. He listened to the stories and played the games! He even sung one of the songs in the car on the way home. So we really think preschool will be great for him.
We are also researching preschools for Luke for next school year. We would like him to go 3 mornings a week. We think it will be good for him to have something to do that is just for him. We went to storytime today at the library and he had so much fun. He listened to the stories and played the games! He even sung one of the songs in the car on the way home. So we really think preschool will be great for him.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monkey Adventures - "Uh-Oh"
Today when we were in the doctor's office, Luke and Jacinda were across the room while I was paying. All of a sudden I heard someone say, "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh." It sounded suspiciously like Jacinda ..... which is odd because the only word she's said up to now was Mama.
Sure enough, Jacinda now has 2 words .... Mama and Uh oh! I was very excited .... but then I realized she probably picked it up because we're always saying Uh oh when she destroys something!!!
This afternoon, somehow, she managed to get mud all over her ...... and she had been inside the whole time!!! I think it came from the dog, although I didn't see it actually happen.
Sure enough, Jacinda now has 2 words .... Mama and Uh oh! I was very excited .... but then I realized she probably picked it up because we're always saying Uh oh when she destroys something!!!
This afternoon, somehow, she managed to get mud all over her ...... and she had been inside the whole time!!! I think it came from the dog, although I didn't see it actually happen.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Monkey Adventures
It has come to my attention that several of our friends find our life wildly entertaining. So, in order to keep them laughing, here are some random stories about our crazy little monkeys.
- A few days ago, Luke was watching TV in the family room, I was watching TV in the living room, and Jacinda was bouncing around all over the place. Luke comes into the living room, sighs, and says, "Mommy, Jacinda went outside with no pants on." She likes to open and close the sliding door that opens onto the deck. She was wearing a shirt and a diaper, but no pants. I left the door unlocked, and sure enough, she was standing on the deck with no pants on!!!!!
- I told Luke that he needed to stop growing because his pants were getting too short and I didn't want to buy new ones. He said, "But I HAVE to keep growing." I asked why and he said, "So I can reach things."
- Last night, Jacinda fell off the couch onto a puzzle, and landed on her face. She didn't have a single mark on her face!!! Then at church this morning, she ends up with a nasty scrape on her face and no one knows how it happened!!!!! She's going to end up in the ER one of these days.
These 2 monkeys definitely keep us laughing and we LOVE it!!!! There's always something crazy going on around here!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more serious note .... Jacinda's palate surgery is still on for February 3rd. She has a hearing test this Wednesday. Everyone (her pediatrician, her speech therapist, and us) think her hearing is fine. It's just something that a lot of cleft kids have issues with, so her pediatrician thought it was a good idea to at least get a baseline before her surgery. Her pediatrician's office pulled some strings and called in a few favors to get us in this quickly!
Luke has a follow-up appointment the week of January 25th with a cardiologist. He has a tiny heart murmur that was diagnosed when he was a day old. It has never caused any problems and still isn't. He saw a cardiologist when he turned 1 and he had several tests on his heart and the doctors were not concerned. His pediatrician would just like us to have a follow-up.
I (Sherry) have several medical appointments over the next few weeks. I'm seeing a new ENT doctor this coming week for some help with my allergies and sinuses. I have a root canal scheduled for the 27th of January. The dentist that's doing the root canal is kind of wacky, so I'll have to write a post about that later!
That's about it from here ...... just pure chaos!!!!!!
- A few days ago, Luke was watching TV in the family room, I was watching TV in the living room, and Jacinda was bouncing around all over the place. Luke comes into the living room, sighs, and says, "Mommy, Jacinda went outside with no pants on." She likes to open and close the sliding door that opens onto the deck. She was wearing a shirt and a diaper, but no pants. I left the door unlocked, and sure enough, she was standing on the deck with no pants on!!!!!
- I told Luke that he needed to stop growing because his pants were getting too short and I didn't want to buy new ones. He said, "But I HAVE to keep growing." I asked why and he said, "So I can reach things."
- Last night, Jacinda fell off the couch onto a puzzle, and landed on her face. She didn't have a single mark on her face!!! Then at church this morning, she ends up with a nasty scrape on her face and no one knows how it happened!!!!! She's going to end up in the ER one of these days.
These 2 monkeys definitely keep us laughing and we LOVE it!!!! There's always something crazy going on around here!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a more serious note .... Jacinda's palate surgery is still on for February 3rd. She has a hearing test this Wednesday. Everyone (her pediatrician, her speech therapist, and us) think her hearing is fine. It's just something that a lot of cleft kids have issues with, so her pediatrician thought it was a good idea to at least get a baseline before her surgery. Her pediatrician's office pulled some strings and called in a few favors to get us in this quickly!
Luke has a follow-up appointment the week of January 25th with a cardiologist. He has a tiny heart murmur that was diagnosed when he was a day old. It has never caused any problems and still isn't. He saw a cardiologist when he turned 1 and he had several tests on his heart and the doctors were not concerned. His pediatrician would just like us to have a follow-up.
I (Sherry) have several medical appointments over the next few weeks. I'm seeing a new ENT doctor this coming week for some help with my allergies and sinuses. I have a root canal scheduled for the 27th of January. The dentist that's doing the root canal is kind of wacky, so I'll have to write a post about that later!
That's about it from here ...... just pure chaos!!!!!!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Jacinda's Birthday is Tomorrow .... Bittersweet
So Jacinda's 2nd birthday is tomorrow. It's great ... we've been home from China with her since the end of October. There was a time when we weren't sure if she'd be home before her birthday. So we're really excited that she's home and doing so well.
But. I can't help but think about her first mom. Was she excited to be having a baby? How did she feel when the baby was a girl AND had a cleft lip and palate? Did she immediately know that they would give up the baby? How did it feel to leave the baby outside, in front of an orphanage? I'm so glad DD was left somewhere that she'd be found quickly. She was dressed in a coat and wrapped up in blankets. Obviously, someone took good care of her.
How does Jacinda's first mom feel every day, but especially on her birthday? I'm so sad that DD's first mom will never be able to see her grow up, or see her sweet, crooked smile, or get kisses from her. But on the other hand, we get to experience all of that. It's such a strange, bittersweet feeling.
I haven't thought much about Jacinda's first mom until now. I can't imagine leaving my baby and never knowing what happened to her. I am so grateful that God thought we were the right parents for this precious, sweet little girl.
But. I can't help but think about her first mom. Was she excited to be having a baby? How did she feel when the baby was a girl AND had a cleft lip and palate? Did she immediately know that they would give up the baby? How did it feel to leave the baby outside, in front of an orphanage? I'm so glad DD was left somewhere that she'd be found quickly. She was dressed in a coat and wrapped up in blankets. Obviously, someone took good care of her.
How does Jacinda's first mom feel every day, but especially on her birthday? I'm so sad that DD's first mom will never be able to see her grow up, or see her sweet, crooked smile, or get kisses from her. But on the other hand, we get to experience all of that. It's such a strange, bittersweet feeling.
I haven't thought much about Jacinda's first mom until now. I can't imagine leaving my baby and never knowing what happened to her. I am so grateful that God thought we were the right parents for this precious, sweet little girl.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Speech Therapy
Jacinda finally started speech therapy this past Monday. It was WONDERFUL! Her therapist's name is Allison and she was just amazing. Jacinda really warmed up to her quickly .... probably because Allison brought lots of puzzles and toys with her!
Allison was very impressed at all the noises Jacinda is already making. She thinks that once Jacinda's palate is repaired, she'll be talking in no time! Allison also said that Luke talks VERY well for a 3 year old, and that having him as a model will really help Jacinda.
We learned a few more signs, which Jacinda already had mastered by the end of the hour. We learned help and down. Our speech pathologist on the craniofacial team really wants us to limit the signs we use because she doesn't want Jacinda to rely on the signs once her palate is repaired. She wants her to talk. Allison said she understood that and the way to avoid it is for us to use the sounds with the signs.
Allison showed me some ways to help Jacinda make sounds, even if she can't say the actual word. For example, when putting an elephant in the puzzle, I should say, "Jacinda, say eh-eh-elephant". And she says the eh sound just fine and puts the piece in the puzzle!!!
Allison will come once a week for an hour for now. Once Jacinda makes progress, we'll re-evaluate.
This will sound crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to her palate repair surgery! I'm ready to get that over with and move on! I can't wait until Jacinda can talk!!!!! And drink from a sippy or straw cup that doesn't leak!!!!!!!!!!
Allison was very impressed at all the noises Jacinda is already making. She thinks that once Jacinda's palate is repaired, she'll be talking in no time! Allison also said that Luke talks VERY well for a 3 year old, and that having him as a model will really help Jacinda.
We learned a few more signs, which Jacinda already had mastered by the end of the hour. We learned help and down. Our speech pathologist on the craniofacial team really wants us to limit the signs we use because she doesn't want Jacinda to rely on the signs once her palate is repaired. She wants her to talk. Allison said she understood that and the way to avoid it is for us to use the sounds with the signs.
Allison showed me some ways to help Jacinda make sounds, even if she can't say the actual word. For example, when putting an elephant in the puzzle, I should say, "Jacinda, say eh-eh-elephant". And she says the eh sound just fine and puts the piece in the puzzle!!!
Allison will come once a week for an hour for now. Once Jacinda makes progress, we'll re-evaluate.
This will sound crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to her palate repair surgery! I'm ready to get that over with and move on! I can't wait until Jacinda can talk!!!!! And drink from a sippy or straw cup that doesn't leak!!!!!!!!!!
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