Amazing

Chloe looks amazing!  We went back to the surgeon on Wednesday and he took the stitches out from her nose to her lip.  She still has a dissolvable stitch in her lip that she will hopefully lose in the next couple of days.  The area has healed so well.   We go for another follow up on Monday.  The doctor did mention that some time in the near future they would be arranging speech therapy.  I am not exactly sure what they do for an 18 month old, but I am looking forward to her speech development.

She is overall doing much better.  She is eating a whole lot more and now eating enough to sustain herself.  We are still doing pretty well with the pureed foods but continue to be hit or miss with the syringe.  Caleb has fallen in love with my peach/strawberry puree.  Every day when he gets home from school he wants me to make it.  It is just a couple of peaches and strawberries pureed.  One day I threw a few scoops of ice cream in it and he said it was the best smoothie he had ever had!  I think Chloe really liked it too because she drank a bunch.   I am still a little challenged with what foods to make her.  I am not the most creative chef, so that creates a problem.  It is super easy to puree fruit and she has been eating a bunch of it.  We did venture out to eat.  We love Tex Mex and had to go get our fix.  I brought her some applesauce and baby food to eat.  She ate some of that and some refried beans and rice.   Over all it went really well.  I was a bit surprised. 

Chloe continues to be a bit more fussy than before the surgery.  She also seems to be a little more clingy to me since the surgery.  Her sleep is also a problem.  She was such a good sleeper before the surgery.  At times she fights falling asleep and then wakes up numerous times during the night.  Sometimes when she awakes, she is crying so hard that it is difficult to put her back to bed.  I think her sleep issues may be playing a part to her overall mood.  Thankfully, her pain has improved and we have not had to give her any of the pain medication in 3 days.

On Saturday when we got home from the hospital, we were sort of playing and Chloe said Mama!  Kevin looked at me and said “I guess the surgery was worth it!”  It melted my heart.  I have tried to get her to say it numerous times since then and have not been quite as lucky but still I know she has the potential to say it.   

I have gone back to work full-time.  My first few days back were not too bad.  She did well and so did I.  Hopefully now our routine will be settling in.  I still sit in amazement when I think about what has happened to her in the last 1 ½ months.  Her whole world has been turned upside down.  She has moved ½ way around the world with 3 strangers.  She has adapted to a completely new environment and way of doing things.  Then she survived a very painful surgery.    She has done remarkably well.  If this time is at all a reflection of how she will do in her lifetime, she will be very successful.