Surgery Over!

Gracie proves once again she is one tough little girl.  I barely have time to write anything here but we'll see if I can at least ramble a little and get some pics going. She came through the surgery so well.  The dr was able to close the entire palate w/ this surgery which he originally thought would take two.  Praise God!!! --Over and over for that.  She went in a fairly happy (despite not eating or drinking for 15+ hrs), playing with all the little hospital goodies like air masks, bloodpressure arm  bands, little sticker things that go with this stuff, and even some of the nurses id tags (which they got back once she was knocked out)... However, coming back out was not near as much fun.  She has well over 100 stitches in the top of her mouth and her little lips were swollen and of course blood in mouth and nose.  She calmed down after Dan and I got there and w/ some calming drug in the IV.  We then moved to the room and she even opened her mouth when the dr came in later that night to look!  The next time she shook her head no but eventually opened. 

We were just going to stay Thurs night but she began to develop a fever in the night & was at about 103 next day.  She wasn't lookin too good at all and just sleeping a lot.  They had to take more blood and a nose swab thing (Thankfully, I was over sleeping at Ronald McDonald House as I hate to see her stuck again and all that).Anyhoo, they kept us two more nights and today (Sunday) we headed home.  She is awfully fussy tonight and I gotta go help here.  She has stiff arm restraints to keep her from damaging her mouth with a toy or her hands.  She is on a pureed or liquid diet for at least a week and think the arm bands are at least 2 weeks.  She does ok w/ them but gets really frustrated at times.  They are so uncomfortable and irritating!  Anyway, temperature down, stitches look as good as they should and she slept a few actual stretches of longer than  20-60 min last night & I didn't hold her all night so got a little zzzzz myself.  This is the worst of this process as she will be 6-7 b4 next needed surgery and that one much less impacting.  Her voice already sounds different and her cute little lips look more even as the folded in side is not sucking into her mouth as much.



view from my room on 4th floor, 4015



In playroom b4 surgery. Dropped a toy and bruised base of my big toe but just limped a little and went on...

For some reason everyone here likes it when I put this mask up to my nose. These people are weird.

This nurse has an adopted daughter from another country too and so I offered her a kiss just out of the blue.

For some reason dad looks like he was on the operating table too....

Doctor Nelson... I think he may have something to do with my sore mouth but I have no evidence.



Playing with my "robot stiff" arms.  I picked the messiest activity in the playroom w/ exception of finger painting.



My n' my wooden arms just before going home!

She really wants regular food after just liquids or nothing for last 4 days and to use utensils!  Poor baby... this will all be over soon.