Well..an update finally / upcoming surgery

1. See this great blanket? The office staff at my school made it for me! Each person knitted a different color and then they put it together. It's so soft!

2. My first hot dog!


Well, it's been a little while since I updated. Things have just been a little busy between school and a three year old! But, also wonderful. Hannah continues to do very well and it's so hard to believe that she has only been here a little over 3 months. She is doing great in school. She comes in my room in the morning because all of the early arrival preschoolers are combined in my room from 7:00-7:30 (and then in the afternoon they're all in the other room from 2:30 - 3:30). When Hannah's teacher comes over to collect her class, Hannah grabs her backpack, gives me a quick hug, and heads out the door to her room without a look back. She's still very hestitant about being separated from me in new situations, but in places that have become routine (school, church nursery, etc.) she does great. I'm so proud of how far she has come.

For labor day, we enjoyed a very relaxed day. We headed down to McCalla to check out a festival they were having. We enjoyed walking around, and Hannah got to ride a pony. that was the highlight of the event for her. No pictures though - I had to help hold her on the pony. She also had her first hot dog and she really enjoyed it.

Hannah is doing very well with her cast and it hasn't slowed her down a bit. But, it is getting old to me. I keep having to tell her "no, you can't climb to the very top of that jungle gym meant for 10 year olds when you are three and only have 1 good arm at the moment!" Plus, that arm is starting to get a bit grungy...maybe that's more info than you wanted. But, with a cast that can't get wet that's expected. But, we get it off Friday (YEAH!) and I plan to bring Hannah straight home and fill the tub up and let her play in it for an hour if she wants!

So, we get the cast off on Friday, and then on Monday (the 18th) we will be headed to Children's Hospital here in bham for her cleft palate surgery. Please keep her in your prayers. I'll find out a lot more information later this week when we go in for our pre-op appointment, but I do know that she will spend 1 or 2 nights in the hospital and that she will be on a soft diet for a month. Her surgeon also told me to expect her to be "uncomfortable and fussy" for about 2 weeks. She's not suppossed to play with anything small enough to fit in her mouth or use spoons and forks for a while after surgery either. So, while I know this surgery is a good thing for her and I also know that she is a very resilient little girl, I also know it's going to be hard for my very independent-spirited child who loves to eat! So, we appreciate your prayers! I do really like her plastic surgeon and have talked to other parents that have used him as well. Everyone had only good things to say about him and the care their children received. So, I'm thankful he will be the one taking care of Hannah as well.

Thanks for keeping up with us. I'll update again after we're home from the hospital.