FIRST BIRTHDAY PHOTOS OF ANNA CARR

Here are a few of Anna's birthday photos taken this past month at JCPenney.
(courtesy of SmilesbyWires...electronic sharing)

ANNA CELEBRATES HER FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH A TEA PARTY

ANNA'S BABY DEDICATION ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd

LET THE TEA PARTY BEGIN...

THE CARR FAMILY CELEBRATING ANNA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

MOMMY AND ANNA WITH MY TEA POT CAKE

Anna celebrated her first birthday at our church on Sunday, February 22nd. We had a Tea Party to thank our church family for serving us and ministering to our family the first year of her life. We have so much to celebrate for all that God has brought us through! We served Chicken Salad and Pimento Cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, cubed cheese, grapes, cookies, cocktail weiners, a cream cheese ball and crackers, deli pinwheels, and we had a variety of cakes: My Tea Pot Cake, a Buttercream basket-weave cake, a Sour-Cream Chocolate Chip Poundcake, and a Lemon Bundt Cake. We couldn't have had a more enjoyable party!

We displayed some photos to show how far Anna has come this first year and some of her milestones surgically. She has come through three surgeries this past year and the members of Community Baptist Church have been so gracious to us...they have cooked meals, come to sit with Samuel during Anna's recovery time, cleaned our house, given financially to help with Anna's medical expenses, and lifted us up continually in prayer.

What a blessing to be part of the family of God!

HOME RECOVERING FROM ANNA'S PALATE SURGERY

WAITING TO GO BACK FOR SURGERY ON MONDAY, JANUARY 12

We went to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital in Chattanooga on Monday, January 12 to have Anna's third surgery to repair her cleft palate. We were planning to only have the palate repaired, but Dr. Sargent felt like he would be able to repair the place above Anna's lip where her sutures had ruptured, so we had him decide what he felt would be best once he got into the operating room. We were very pleased with the appearance of the repair. He was able to release the tension and "puckered skin" that had formed when her lip contracted and healed on its own. He was also able to repair the palate and we are finally home to recover for the next two weeks. We had to stay an extra few days in the hospital because Anna quit drinking fluids after the first two days . She was swallowing Pedialyte well on Monday and Tuesday, but on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning she quit drinking. They increased her IV fluids until she was taking fluids again by Thursday and they released us Friday afternoon.

ANNA FEEDING DADDY WITH HER SOFF-SIPP BOTTLE AT THE HOSPITAL

She has done well overall since we have been home. We were able to give her Children's Tylenol for her pain, and she has not had to take the Tylenol/Codeine since we have been home. She ran a low temperature last night (Saturday, January 17) but Tylenol has kept it down so far. She has done well eating from the tube feeder called a "Soff Sipp" bottle. She will continue to eat through it for the remainder of the two weeks while recovering, as well as wearing the "No-No" arm restraints to avoid placing her hands in her mouth or hitting her newly-stitched lip. She is even able to crawl wearing the arm restraints, so I am having to watch her closely. I am afraid she will fall and hit her face on the carpet, so I am trying to keep her entertained without her being on the move. She was so glad to be home. When we pulled out her toys and she could actually sit and play in the floor, she was overwhelmed with excitement! It was good to see her face light up with her usual smile!

SAMUEL PLAYING WITH A LAB THAT VISITED KIDS IN THE HOSPITAL

One of the blessings we encountered this time was staying at the Ronald McDonald House. This allowed me to go and visit with Samuel for a few hours each day and get a few hours of much needed sleep, too. The facility was so nice and made us feel like we were at home. We met a couple of families that were going through the same surgeries as us, too. Samuel enjoyed playing in the toy room and adjusted much better to Anna having surgery this time since he was able to see both of us more often. We realized how blessed we were going through this surgery, as we encountered two families during our hospital stay that lost children. Please lift these families up in your prayers in the coming weeks. Our hospital room was located directly outside of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and there were so many situations where people were hurting and suffering. We praise God for His goodness in the midst of difficulty and trials, though ours seem so small in comparison to the burden these other families are carrying.

We will go back to Dr. Sargent for a follow-up appointment on Friday, January 30. We will keep you posted on Anna's progress. We appreciate the number of prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf!

Thankful for all of you,

Sheri

ANNA'S NEXT SURGERY TO REPAIR HER PALATE... JANUARY 12

Anna will be going to Chattanooga on January 12, 2009 to have her palate surgery. We went to see Dr. Sargent on December 15 and he had us schedule this next procedure. It will be the first of two surgeries that we anticipate for this coming year. Dr. Sargent felt like it was best to wait until a later date to do any repairs on the skin where she ruptured her sutures from the lip surgery. The skin needs more time to heal and grow, so we will probably not do any revisions to the scarring above her lip until he performs our second surgery for the year to lengthen the columnella (making a tip/point on her nose, as well as revising all the scar tissue that lies above her top lip.) That surgery will take place sometime next fall or winter.

Anna is doing well and growing and changing daily. She has just started crawling really well this past week and I am spending lots of time chasing her down so that she doesn't get into everything. Samuel spends time on the couch or on the far side fo the room reading his books so that Anna can't reach him. She wants to be with him doing whatever he is doing. He is learning to share his toys now that she can get to them. Samuel has been learning to potty train this past week and is doing real well. We have enjoyed the past few months with both of them just playing and growing. Anna has really developed a personality and we have enjoyed her being so playful. She has become quite the "Daddy's Girl" lately and lights up when her daddy walks into the room.

We look forward to the holidays and a few weeks to just relax before this upcoming surgery. (We will have the same restrictions as far as feeding her through a tube feeder for two and a half weeks and wearing the elbow restraints again, so it will take a few weeks for her to recover.) We are hoping and praying for a speedy recovery and covet your prayers. God has been so faithful to see us through all of her procedures and medical needs this past year-He is so good! We are sure that this year will be a testimony of His continued grace, too! We have been blessed beyond measure through the trials we have faced and praise Him for His goodness!

Thank you for remembering us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!

May Christ dwell in you richly this New Year as you seek Him and serve Him!

The Carr Family

JUST ENJOYING LIFE WITH SAMUEL AND ANNA

Lately,we are just enjoying our time with Anna and Samuel as we await her next surgery , watching them both grow up...way too fast! It seems like only yesterday that we brought Samuel home from the hospital, and Anna's first eight months have flown by, as well. Samuel has been an excellent big brother and continues to love on his baby sister, helping out in so many ways. ("Sharing" is still a work in progress, but he can't hug her and kiss her enough!) She is growing and changing so fast. She is sitting up and plays with her toys for great lengths of time. She is eating really well, enjoying the variety of baby food (though it comes out of her nose quite frequently.) She is still doing a good job taking her bottle, too. We are still working on the monster of "POTTY TRAINING" with Samuel and probably will be for quite some time. All in all, everyone is doing well and the Lord continues to bless us beyond measure. His provision has been profound and we stand in awe at His continued goodness and faithfulness to us.

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him." Psalm 68:4

OUR LITTLE BUTTERLY AND CHRISTIAN SOLDIER ALL DRESSED UP AT MAMMAW'S AND PAPPAW'S HOUSE

ANNA'S PALATE SURGERY DELAYED UNTIL 2009

Anna went to see the plastic surgeon on Monday so that we could determine whether she would be able to have her palate surgery on December 3rd. Dr. Sargent was pleased with her skin being closed where the sutures had ruptured, but felt that it would be beneficial to wait for the scar tissue and skin to soften so that he can revise the skin above her lip when he repairs the palate, if it is possible to perform both procedures together. Therefore, he decided to postpone the palate surgery that was scheduled for December 3rd and wants to see how she is progressing in two months. We go back on December 15 for him to look at her and he will make a determination about the date for the palate to be repaired. We even discussed the possibility of him not being able to revise the skin above her lip until next fall when they lengthen the columnella (skin from the tip of the nose down to the lip). The scar tissue may not be healed well enough to attempt the revision where her sutures ruptured during the next surgery, so we are just going to wait and see what advice he gives us at our next appointment. We had hoped to have the next surgery completed in 2008 because our deductibles have been met for the year, but the ruptured sutures were a small setback to that occurring. We are just thankful that we have come this far and she has done as well as she has.



Anna after her birth (February 25, 2008) and this past week (October 11, 2008)

Anna has made such wonderful progress thanks to the TN Craniofacial Team!


We were looking at the photos from our first appointment with Dr. Sargent (taken just two weeks after Anna was born) and it is amazing what Dr. Sargent has been able to do so far. We will forever be indebted to him for the work he has performed on Anna, as well as Dr. Cox,the dentist that placed her Latham device at the first surgery. We have a long journey ahead with at least two upcoming surgeries in 2009, but the Lord has poured out His grace on us through all that we have faced so far. We are certain that He will continue to sustain us through the upcoming procedures that we face, and we stand in awe at His provision this past year.

Thanks to all of you that have prayed, cooked meals for us, visited, helped by sitting with the kids, and given to us financially to help with Anna's medical expenses. I am so encouraged by the notes and cards that we have received throughout the last eight months. I can't wait until Anna is old enough to comprehend all that our friends and family have done for us during this time-she will be amazed at the love that has been poured out on our family this past year. You all have been such a blessing to our family and we could never repay you for all you have done.

A quick update...Anna went to the pediatrician today due to both ears draining and they placed her on an antibiotic, as well as ear drops. She has not slept well the past few nights because of pain in her ears. Please remember her in your prayers during the next week. We are still working on eating baby food; some days she likes it and on other days she doesn't want any at all. We are starting her on Zantac because we feel like she has had symptoms of reflux for quite some time now, and hope this will give her some relief concerning some issues with her stomach. Samuel went to the dentist for the first time this past week and had a good visit. He loves to go to the hopsital for Anna's appointments so he can ride the elevators! :) Isn't that a typical two year old? The simple things in life bring such satisfaction! We are working on potty training some...pray that mom has great patience during the coming weeks. :)

May God bless each of you richly!

STILL RECOVERING...NEXT VISIT TO SURGEON IS OCT 13

All is well with the Carr family (just on the go as usual)! We go back to Dr. Sargent in a few days to determine whether Anna will have her palate surgery on December 3 as scheduled or whether we will have to reschedule it for January 2009. She is loving life without the "No-No" arm restraints and playing excitedly with all her toys. Her lip is healing fairly well, but still has a small hairline opening that runs horizontally across the top of her lip. She is eating baby food, well at times and not caring for it at all at other times. She is using a spoon like a pro, but we just have not got her eating schedule figured out yet. If we wait too long to offer her the baby food, she just wants her bottle of milk and lets us know clearly that the baby food is not going to make it into her mouth. :) Hopefully you can see the progress she has made in the last month from the photos I am including.

Samuel is growing more and more, talking more and more, and on the go more than ever. He is a good helper, though, and loves Anna. He is currently teaching her to say bye-bye and loves to go with her to her many appointments. We are still learning to share our toys (a lifelong task we will face, I presume). We will let you know how her visit with the surgeon goes next week. Thanks for your continued prayers.