Post-op, 1 week+ after surgery!

These are in no particular order, but are all pictures of the week after surgery. As you can see by the smile on his face, this kid is a trooper, and is healing up nicely!

We had our post-op appointment Friday, and it went well. We saw one of the other plastic surgeons who aided in the surgery, Dr. MacMillan, she was great...and very pleased with the results! Not sure if plastic surgeons say this to all their patients, but "it was one of the best repairs they've ever done"! I think it's funny, but we are happy with the results too! :)

This one is from a week ago, Saturday...3-4 days after surgery. There is a little more "scab" on this one from a little nose dive into a blanket that made it bleed a bit. :( Mommy and Daddy felt TERRIBLE!!!

This one has got to be my ultimate favorite so far...typical fingers in the mouth, and those big ol' eyes that we love SO much! Our little man was almost back to normal, until that nose dive!

I love this one because of the goofy smile...his upper lip is loosening up quite a bit already, but those 1st few days it was pretty tight! He doesn't love the arm restraints, but has gotten used to them and even figured out how to undo the velcro!

This is hanging out on Grandma's shoulder, Friday I think...still a little swollen...but looks like he's blowing kisses! Love you sweet boy!!!!!

Day 2 and some pictures

So this morning I'm recounting the past day, and then I suddenly realize that it hadn't even been a whole day...not even 24 hours since this little man was wheeled out of surgery! No wonder he was still a mess! Time seems to just poke along, less than 24 hours seems like a week of torture! We feel like we've been living in 10-15 minute increments, we have a rotation to keep this little guy happy...hold him, swing, bouncer, "non-bouncy" exersaucer, hold him, stroller, lap, floor, play with soft toys, front pack, hold him, swing...the cycle continues!

He is doing a lot better today though! Starting to see more and more of the fun little smiley man we hoped would still be there!! We are struggling a bit with feeding, just not eating very much yet because he is uncomfortable, but every little bit counts. We are drinking a little juice too, hoping to move the poop issues along, because we all know that never feels good!

I thought I'd put some pictures up, so if I have time I will write more later on! Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers, it has truly gotten us through!

Early in the morning, Wed. starving, but still happy!

Poor little man in recovery/post-op with daddy...

Looking pretty good, sleeping at least, on the way home. This is about 3-4 hours after surgery!

This is the morning of day 2, not even 24 hours after surgery...he is already

giving a glimpse of that new smile!

After all my fears and worries, I love it just as much...but I will NEVER forget his old one!

Calder's Lip Surgery

We are almost through our first night with our new lip and nose...and this last stretch of good sleep has been 4 hours!! Pretty rough afternoon and evening though, all I want to do is take the pain and discomfort away. :(

Our day yesterday began early, as we left Murrieta around 4:00 AM to drive to San Diego. Check in was at 5:30, and Calder wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight. We sort of expected him to fall right back to sleep once we were driving, but in typical "Jennings' kid" fashion, he stayed awake so he didn't miss anything! After talking to himself, chewing on his bunny from Grandma, and then crying for awhile, he finally slept about the last 10 min. of the drive, and then for about 30 min. after we arrived. We started the admission process, and got our "one size fits everyone but a baby", peach pj's, played in the pink padded crib/bed, and met the nurses. The doctors came to say hello, and just before 7:30, the anesthesiologist came to get the little man. Daddy was confused, and was still holding Calder, so he got lucky and walked back with them to the surgery doors, leaving mommy to pack up the things and go to the waiting room. Probably better in the long run...I didn't really have a chance to cry!

Dr. Sinow, the plastic surgeon, had given us a ballpark time of 11:00 AM, so up until then the wait was bearable. Then after 11, we started to get a little concerned...but such a meticulous surgery takes a really long time! They called for one of us to go back to recovery around noon, so I went back and got to hold him for quite awhile. They were still giving him oxygen and monitoring his vital signs, and he was very heavily sedated...so he slept on and off for about 45 min. to hour. Then they brought daddy back and we swapped. At this point, we had started to give Calder some glucose water from his bottle, which he gulped down well. So, daddy took over and went to post op to hold him, and mommy went down to the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions.

Ooops, didn't really say anything about the doctor's report yet. He spoke to Shane while I was in recovery, then came in to talk to me. The surgery itself was pretty tedious, as I mentioned before, but it went fairly well. Calder tolerated all of the anesthesia and medications fine, but they found an "unexpected" infection in his tear ducts. We have been wondering about this since his birth...he has had quite a bit of goop around his eyes on occasion, but then it will clear up for awhile. His eyes have always been really watery, and red rimmed when tired...but the doctor thinks now that there has been an infection for some time. ?? As a parent, I feel terribly guilty, but he has been to the pediatrician MULTIPLE times, and I can't remember a time when we didn't mention it, and she didn't look...needless to say, the plastic surgeon was ticked. Any infection during a surgical procedure isn't good, especially one so close to the "work area", so now we are also on heavy duty antibiotics, oral, eye drops, and drops for the ears, to prevent any of that infection from spreading. I guess this isn't the worst news we could have heard, but it was not "great" and we are now a bit more nervous about the recovery process.

So, back to post op...daddy stayed with Calder and I went to get the prescriptions filled. When I got back upstairs, the nurse was removing the IV and printing out the discharge paperwork! It was almost 3:00 by the time we actually left, but we felt like our questions had been answered, and we were as ready as we could have been to head home. Calder slept the whole way, and we were definitely glad to be home after a long day. I will continue this later, but I need to get this little man some more medicine, and see if he will take a bottle. What a journey this has been so far!!

Last day of our favorite smile...

I guess it's hard for me to explain to people why I'm not happier about Calder's surgery...in addition to being a nervous wreck...I am just sad that I'm losing that huge grin. I know my "cleft mommy" friends get it, but it's hard to even talk about it with other people. Meaning well, they always say things that shouldn't hurt, but do...You spend all this time loving your child more than you could ever imagine, exactly the way they are, and then all of the sudden they are different. It's not that I think I'll love him any less, I'm sure I will love him even more, but it makes me sad that he has to change. If only everyone else in the world would be as accepting...

I dread that he will look back at his baby pictures and dislike them, or be embarrassed...when all I want to do with them is blow them into huge reprints and plaster my walls with them!!! I guess it's all relative. This is one of those times I wish I had a crystal ball, so I could see how his life will be later...I can only hope that all of the difficulties I know he might face will make him a better and more empathetic person. I hope I can help that along too.

So, as random as this posting might be, it's my last day to love the heck out of this little man's smile, and to figure out how to let go a little bit too. I will be posting some post-op pictures, so that will probably be my next entry. I can't wait until I can post some pics of both smiles...

Love you little man!!

Sick of being sick!

I've been terribly sick, and willing it to just leave us alone isn't working! Little man has had a bit of the runny nose and cough, but today at the pediatrician, she gave the go ahead for surgery on the 17th! I can't believe that she said OK, but I am SO relieved!

That means I have exactly nine days to love the sweet smile I see everyday...which isn't enough time in my book, but we've taken lots of pictures...

14.4 pounds was the weight today, so he is still growing too! Ok for cereal with a spoon, and veggies and fruits too...he's gonna love that!

He is almost ready to sit on his own and getting up on all fours is the most recent feat! I know that one day, I'm going to look over and see him crawling and climbing all over everything!

Wanted to get a quick post on here, but I'm off to eat a late dinner and then to bed!

SICKNESS be gone!