Watermelon is back!

We visited both the ENT and Surgeon for 2 week post op visits yesterday and got good reports from both dr's. Emma has tubes in her ears and all is well with them, we don't have to go back to him for another 6 months. The surgeon for her palate says it is all looking great and she can begin to eat soft foods. The blender can begin to get some rest... this morning Melissa gave Emma watermelon and it went over very well.

It is really interesting the way the palate heals, if you look in there it changes from day to day... one day there is a sort of skin looking stuff on the sides and then next there are "trenches" and the next there is some green looking stuff. Melissa said she does not want to look anymore. Emma was really good with the Dr. and opened her mouth for him and did not seem to have any apprehension about the day at all. If I was in her shoes the moment I saw the hospital complex I would begin to try and get away... speaking of which, Emma showed me a new talent last night. I was taking her to "night night" and she was so displeased with this proposed action she twisted in such a quick interesting way that I almost dropped her. We are used to her being sorta wobbly but this was a very deliberate twister type of action that took me by surprise.

Both Melissa and I could not help but laugh (under our hand) but we looked at each other and were pretty amused by this creativity and strength. She is strong and each day seems to be getting stronger and more comfortable in our family. Melissa also said yesterday that we really needed Emma, our family was getting boring and she has spiced things up. That is the understatement of the year!

I am in Houston today doing some work and we will be traveling to Florida in a couple days for work and to see family and friends. We thank God for the good report from the doctors and thanks to each of you for your support of our baby Emma and our family.

It's a small world after all

We will find out on Wed if Emma can start eating normal food again. Everyone is tired of liquid diet... Emma actually seems to be getting used to it as of this morning but we are all very sick of blending everything she eats. Thankfully we bought this incredible blender before our trip to China. It is "Breville" and has this crazy little bowl at bottom with special little blender parts and it is much quieter than our old one at really blends well including ice. Wish I could get paid for advertising for them but figured we should share our wealth of knowledge regarding kitchen appliances. Need advice on a vacuum? Just ask, very happy with ours for two years so far. Iron? yeah, that too.

Okay, back to Emma... she is doing great and has not stuck her hands in her mouth at all. Everything seems to be healing fine and her breath is beginning to not smell like an open sewer. No offense Emma if you are reading this in 2020, it was not your fault, we have heard different theories. Could be general anesthesia "coming out of system" or could be the anti-biotics. Dr told us it was because there was food particles inside her mouth that was making the smell. Whatever it was we hope it will soon be something we can laugh about.

I have got a busy week this week, have to travel to Houston on Thursday and we will be heading to Florida this coming weekend for work. Emma will get to see our friends and family in Tallahassee and we are all looking forward to it.

Both Emma and Lily are at art class right now and I am taking lunch break to update blog since I noticed it has been about a week. Don't have pictures to post right now but should have some good ones over next couple weeks.

One interesting thing to note, I am using Google Analytics on the blog now and it shows where people are visiting from etc. and found that a family in Sweden is linked to our site so I left a comment for them and she quickly replied. They are adopting a little girl from the same orphanage as Emma and she also has a cleft lip/palate. How cool is that? What is even cooler is my step mother was adopted, her parents were from Sweden and her step mother is living in Sweden now with family.

It's a small world after all!

Doing okay

Wow, still tired but all is well. Wanted to post some pics of pre-post surgery and just say that we are doing okay.



Before surgery Emma really handled things well and enjoyed the last moments of being able to suck on her hand. The hospital had great play areas for Emma to play in prior to surgery... then afterwards she was ready to play again. We were home day after surgery by noon. Rough few days but honestly she handled it all with such grace. She takes her medicine with little fussing, wears her no-no's when necessary with a little more fussing. Enjoyed visit from her cousins this weekend and is basically back at it 100%. The only thing slowing her down is not being able to eat normal food yet. Still on liquid diet, but again... she is handling it so well. When I get some sleep I will update with more details since it is pretty cute how she eats.

Back home

It was a tough day because Emma was just miserable. Overall she is recovering very well and continues to impress us with how she handles things. 

At the hospital she was doing so well in the morning that we got released earlier than expected.  There were hours of the day where Emma simply could not be happy or comfortable no matter what.  We did our best and everyone loved on her and played with her.  She is eating well, watered down yogurt and her protein shakes are favorites.  We know the next two weeks will be challenging when it comes to food but whole family is being helpful.  Trying not to have the old foods she enjoyed within sight and nobody is eating in front of her. 

Lily is being very good with her sister, she would do things with her arms and hands and Emma would copy every move.  Emma went to bed around 8 and our biggest concern of her sucking on her hand was completely unfounded.  Emma has not once stuck anything in her mouth and out of habit a couple times when we thought she was getting ready to insert hand she caught herself and put her hand down. 

So, day after surgery and she really is doing amazing, home and in her own bed fast asleep.

Her tone and voice does sound different now, pretty cool!

Discharged!

All well, headed home!

Long night but Emma is great

Melissa stayed in bed with Emma and I was on little pull out couch.  Basically little to no sleep and things got bad somewhere around 4:30 and we got a little radio flyer and went for a walk.  Emma did not want to end the walk for hours.  We just went around and around.  She is going to the bathroom perfectly, drinking perfectly and right now is sitting in the radio flyer with shoes on ready to go home.   Food is on way up so hopefully that will give her something to do and pass time until dr gets here and starts release process. 

She is really doing amazing and the way she talks is definitely different.  She repeated "I love you" really well and said "no" really well every time we tried to go back in room and stop our long walk.  Mom and Dad were a sight I am sure. 

She just pulled her little hospital band off her leg.  Every time she gets a little bit more of the hospital off her body she seems happier.  The iv is the last thing she demands to be removed.... Hopefully soon.

All tucked in

We were able to go back with Emma in recovery, the nurse was asian which was nice we think.  Again, not like other recoveries we have been in, room was small and we were only ones in there. 

She was still bleeding a little and some blood came out from nose and mouth.

we were only in there about ten minutes and then moved to room by 3:10 cst.  Took a little while to get settled but things are going smooth so far. 

Emma is drinking out of a cup and had oral tylenol with codeine.  She has an iv for fluids and anti-biotics and is laying on me in bed mostly sleeping.  The hospital also got a new cleaning lady :). Melissa and her lysol scrubbed our room from top to bottom.  I warned her that they are going to keep moving us to new rooms to get free cleaning. 

We brought some toys and our own little cd player with calm music Emma likes and the room is great.  I just ordered some broth and since she is doing so good drinking we know she must be hungry, close to 24 hours since she ate. 

Melissa did a great job packing, Emma has her own blankets, toys, cups etc.
We are told that the numbing medicine they use on her palate for surgery will wear off and this evening may be rough.  The only pain meds she is getting is the tyl/cod every four hours so we shall see.

Thanks again to everyone for e-mails and comments of your support and encouragement.  One thing for Andy and Amy --- please send us an e-mail, we don't have your email address (Melissa lost it!).

All done

Surgeon just came out and told us it went perfectly, we should be able to go back with her in about five mins. 

He said she had plenty of tissue (sometimes a concern) and he is very confident about a two week recovery. 
Worst part now may just be her not being able to suck on her fingers for comfort. 

In surgery

Emma did better than Melissa so far (Emma got drugs and Melissa did not). She was almost asleep before going back and everything went smooth.  While writing this the ENT surgeon came out, tubes are in... She had fluid behind both ears (explains the hard flight back to usa probably). 
He told us Emma was pretty much asleep when they put her under general and was peaceful. 

They are beginning palate surgery now and should take at least an hour. 

Just as a side note, the way everything was handled today was really great.  We played in a big playroom until they were about ready, then Emma had the "goofy juice" rolled to surgery. Emma sat in Melissa's lap on the bed as they rolled down. Love the way this is done compared to previous experiences with our boys having surgery.  If you have a choice, I highly recommend a childrens hospital, wonder if they will take adults? :)

Long day

Finished all the appointments and Emma handled them all really well.  Mom and Dad are in worse shape.  Emma did her hearing exam and we had final meetings with ENT and craniofacial surgeons.  Everything is in order and ready to go.  We leave the house around 9 in the morning again and surgery is scheduled for 11:30 I think.  We have to look at all the paperwork because right now it is a bit of a blur. 

She should be in surgery for about an hour and then we get to spend the night with her in a private room.  So far we are extremely impressed with the hospital and staff.  I will write more tomorrow when we have more time. 

She can't eat past midnight and only clear liquid until 9, will pick update from hospital.  Last night with cleft palate!

Pre-op

We are all registered, Emma is doing great so far.  She had pictures taken including with a mirror inside her mouth and right now we are finishing up with a lady that came in with a big doll dressed in the clothing Emma will wear tomorrow and we are just playing with all sorts of toys, stethoscope, little sticky wires, mask etc. etc.   Not sure if they do this at every hospital but it is amazing.  Emma has no apprehension being here.  We seem to come here to play.  Not like hospital visits we are used to.  They also give her a little doctor set to take home and play with.  Melissa was smart enough to get an extra one for Lily so they can play tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be peaceful as well.

She is doing great, we are about halfway through the day.  Still have to get hearing test and appts with surgeons. 

Doctor Doctor Doctor

Today we leave the house by 9:00 to make first appointment at 10, then we have 11:15, 1:30, 2:00 and then a hearing exam and follow up taking us pretty close to 4 or 5.

Today we will get details of what time we report for surgery tomorrow morning. Yesterday Emma slept in a little late after not sleeping all that well the night before. Praying for peace during these next few days/weeks.

Blessing Shower

Posted by Melissa... her first blog post!

While in China, a sweet new friend e-mailed and asked if she could have a 'blessing' shower for us when we got home with Emma. Could she......well

yes! what a kind offer!!  The occasion was wonderful. The ladies so dear,

the cake perfect and the gifts....the gifts.....oh the generosity! The love!

WOW.

I took Emma along and she did great! No one pushed themselves on her...these ladies are wise too! So Emma felt comfortable to walk around and even play with one of her new toys with some of her new friends.

Just another example to me of how God is right here with me taking care of everything. showing His love to me and our family through others........even in Texas, especially in Texas. :)

Thanks to our Texas friends

Melissa and Emma went to a baby shower that some wonderful friends here in TX held for them.

It was really amazing and incredibly generous of them. We have been so blessed by the friends that we have here in TX and in FL as well as family from around the country.

Here are some pictures from the weekend.


Thanks to the Heather, Denise, Martha, Susanna, Jene', Donna, Shelly, Julie, Kether, Elizabeth, Brenda, Jeana and Chelsea for making it like Christmas at our house.

There is a little movie of us all making lots of music, Emma loves it. We also took a little outing to department store and a new shopping area in Cedar Hill. It had little play areas and a big water fountain for the girls to play in. Battery died on the camera so sorry we missed those pics. We have role reversal going on, Lily wants to be in the stroller and Emma wants to push... the store clerks found it quite amusing.

Few more days until surgery, all is well and it was a really nice weekend. Thank you again family and friends for your support and practical demonstration of love to my wife and children. It means so much.

Preparing for Surgery

Nice week, Lily and Emma have been playing on trampoline with Jonah. Jeremy has been spending time with Emma and she loves playing with him. Both Lily and Emma seem to enjoy wearing goofy outfits and hats so we are letting them. They are having a nice time outside getting some sun. Emma is also making friends with our cat... at first she would just scream any time it walked in the room.

All of this is leading up to surgery next week, we can't help but be a little apprehensive, things are going so well with Emma and we don't want to lose any ground with her bonding and comfort with us.

Anniversary

18 years ago today Melissa and I vowed to eachother to love and cherish till death do us part.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think our life would be like it is ----  but thank God it is!  We are more in love today than ever before. It has not been easy but as Melissa says "nothing that is really valuable or precious is ever easy".  Through good times and bad Melissa has been there for me and I am a very blessed man to have her as my wife.  She is a wonderful mother to our children and has proven herself to be selfless and deeply dedicated to others, from her family to friends and much to my chagrin, to many strangers.  If you know her then you know what I am talking about. 

I am the luckiest man alive and am looking forward to another 18 years... Minimum. 

Melissa, I love you... Happy anniversary!

"No" is such an easy word and over the last couple days Emma has mastered it.  It helps in so many ways, do you have to go neow neow? "No" (shaking her hand) and she says it with gusto. 

Lily asks her if she wants to take a nap "No" with extra gusto. 

She also is getting along with the animals better, pet the kitty and does not scream when dog is close.  So, lots of growing. 

We took a couple bike rides today, I braved Target again with them.  Emma liked a little doll that has a potty seat and when you press a button it sounds like the doll says neow neow pee pee and throws her hands in the air and says "yay" so Emma would copy the doll.  Pretty cute. 

Second bike ride was on a really pretty bike trail that goes by multiple playgrounds so we stopped and played at each. 

Jonah worked with Grandpa and was hankering for italian at new yorks best pizza and pasta.  Really good food, Emma and Lily shared fettucini and loved it. 

The day ended with us going to introduce Emma to the fish at Joe Pool lake which is past a park, that had a sign about a petting zoo.  So I pulled in and found out it will open next week but while we were there we played on more playgrounds by the lake.  Finally home for another bath. 

It was a nice weekend and this week we have only one dr appt (wed) as we get closer to surgery on the 16th.  I think we got some good pics so I will try to post later or in morning. 

Tubes

So today we had ear nose throat specialist appt.  Pretty much everyone that walks in that office gets tubes from what we can tell.  They recommend putting tubes in same surgery as palate repair.  We are going to do research and would appreciate your thoughts.  There has not really been anything negative that we have heard about them but you gotta be a little skeptical when an office visit that nobody really did anything costs 1200 bucks. 

Sigh, but I was glad to see the office had free pastries from pharmaceutical reps. 

Yeah, another rant is coming on. 

What is most important is Emma's health and that is what we are focused on.  Next week she has an appt with our family doctor and will have blood work done.  She is keeping a fantastic attitude and we are proud and amazed at how well she is doing.
Tonight I took the girls for a bike ride (Emma has a "cocoon" on back of my bike) and we rode to target and back.  Then she wanted to ride Lily's bike.... We have to get her a little three wheeler quickly. 

Quick update on Jeremy, he is up to 21 hours flight time and is about to take his test and start solo flights so that is a big milestone.  He said about 6 of his 8 touch and go's were perfect.  The other two were just a tiny bit too much but if you were landing you would not know the difference.  Instructor seems impressed with him and says he is way above average. 

Whirlwind

Last couple days has been very busy, we took Emma to her Dr appt and things have been moving very fast since then. Her surgery to repair the palate is Oct 16 which only gives us a couple weeks to get everything done. Today she visited the dentist and he was amazing. Really great with Emma and I have never ever seen a dentist appt like that. The room is basically a big play room, they let us in early so we could play with her with all the toys that are there. Then very slowly as she is comfortable you ease her to the chair, well... she went to the chair on her own and jumped up. The dentist helped her "brush her teeth" but while they are brushing he is doing the examination. He counted the teeth, checked the cleft area and made sure there were no cavities. He said her teeth look fantastic and she is cleared for surgery (if there is infections or cavities they do not like to do the palate surgery).

Okay, so tomorrow we go see the ENT to see if tubes are needed in her ears, they are sometimes able to do that during the palate repair so it will be good to know. She will have another appt next Wed and then pre-op Oct 15 and surgery on the 16th. We are both able to spend the night in the room with her and if she begins taking fluids the next morning we will be able to bring her home.

Once again thanks to friends and family for prayers and e-mails and everyone who is commenting. Sorry if we are not responding that well... we are trying to keep the blog up to date as best we can. Here are some more pics!