ANNA IS HOME RECOVERING FROM SURGERY

Anna and Samuel at the Ronald McDonald House the night before surgery playing chess...actually, they are playing with the chess pieces
Anna with Daddy, Mommy, and Samuel at the hospital on the morning of the surgery
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UPDATE FROM SURGERY OCT. 22: Anna is at home recovering from the surgery to lengthen the columnella and to revise the scar tissue above her lip. We are pleased with how well she did-she is such a strong little girl! We were worried that we would not be able to proceed with surgery due to a stomach virus that she had throughout the night on Monday, but after calling the anesthesiologists on Tuesday morning, they informed us that they would probably be able to do the surgery as long as she was keeping fluids down throughout Tuesday up until the surgery on Wednesday morning. She was able to drink fluids, eat popsicles, and keep crackers and a few shortbread cookies down on Tuesday. We traveled to Chattanooga on Tuesday night and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in order to be there early Wednesday morning for surgery.

Anna was very quiet while we were waiting in the recovery room waiting for the surgery to begin, but did not seem real anxious or upset. This surgery was much harder than the others for us from the standpoint that she was so much more aware of what was going to take place and she understood so much more about being at the hospital and having to see the doctor-we agonized that she had to anticipate so much at such a young age.

Dr. Sargent explained that this surgery was a "stepping stone" in order to be able to do other revisions to the nose probably during the teenage years, so the procedure in itself will not be the finished product. We could tell a huge difference in the appearance of the nose, even though she was very swollen when we saw her in recovery. Her nose does not look as flat at the tip and I think the procedure makes her look a little older.We were amazed at the amount of sutures that were underneath the nose...many more than we imagined, but we are amazed at the handiwork of Dr. Sargent. It is truly like a potter taking a lump of clay and creating something beautiful-our prayers were answered that the Lord would guide the hands of the surgeon...It is truly amazing what he has been able to do over the course of the last two years. We are so grateful for his work and his dedication to cleft patients!

When Anna woke up from the anesthesia, she was a little irritable and just wanted to be held. She did really well when she became a little more awake and alert and wanted some "pink Gatorade" to drink...no other color would do, so Daddy made a special trip to find any pink liquid at the hospital so she would take in fluids. The nurse was very pleased that she was taking fluids so well, and we decided to go ahead and be discharged but opted to stay another night in the Ronald McDonald House so she could rest instead of traveling for two hours after such an exhausting ordeal from the virus and then the surgery. She was really tired from the lack of sleep on Monday night, and then a very restless night on Tuesday due to her nights and days being mixed up. She rested really well at the Ronald McDonald House on Wednesday night following her surgery and was surprisingly asking to eat cookies, as well as dry Frosted Flake cereal that night. She continued to take in some fluids and did really well, not appearing to be in a terrible amount of pain. The fact that she had had such a rough time on Monday night with the virus was a huge concern for us as parents as far as her recovery, but I have been amazed at how resilient she has been today after we came home.

She rested really well on the trip home from Chattanooga, and has wanted to play and has really had lots of energy throughout the day today. She was so excited to see baby brother Daniel, and we couldn't keep him away from her. She wanted her "cuts" (scissors) to cut and glue with when we got home. She loves to cut out tiny pieces of paper and glue them on another piece of construction paper! The funny thing was that the doctor told us that we could remove the "No-No" arm restraints that keep her from bending her elbows as long as we were with her, so she would not scratch or hit her sutures, but she WILL NOT allow us to remove them...she wants to keep them on.

Anna is resting now and we know the biggest challenge we will face the next few days will be to keep her from being too mobile and trying to make her rest, but we rejoice that she has felt so well today and has had the energy and playfulness that describes her so well! Thanks for your continued prayers for our baby girl...we are so blessed to have so many friends and family members lifting us up to the Father!