Update on Our Little Princess

Practicing her Kung Fu

Yes, we received a long awaited update on Chaning and boy was it received in such a way that He could only have orchestrated. As you can clearly see, Chaning is such a happy little girl and is very loved. We are more excited than ever to meet her and are forever grateful to her foster family for loving, protecting and nurturing her.

Looking at the pictures we sent her.

My Brave Girl on Giggle Juice..Take 2

OR Scheduler - Please be here at 8:30 a.m. for her surgery. Mommy & Daddy - Alarm goes off at 5a.m.; arrive at UAB 7:30a.m. Picture taken at 10:30 a.m still in the waiting room.
Progress 11:30 a.m.- Julia and Daddy relaxing on her hospital bed
waiting for giggle juice
12:00 p.m still waiting on that giggle juice.

12:30 p.m. - Giggle juice arrived!!

3:30 p.m. - My baby girl is returned to her room looking a little like Mick Jagger. Dr. G did an outstanding job on her nose and lip.

It was a looooong day for us but we are so thankful to be home and in our own beds tonight. Julia has an upset stomach from the meds and lack of food for so long but seems to be resting quite well with her last dose of meds. I was so concerned about having to put the restraints on her arms but she is so self conscious of the surgical sight that she has been so good about not touching it. Again, we are so blessed to be right beside such a world reknowned surgeon who is so good with kids. Even after being in surgery all day long, he came back to check on her before going home. Yes, we did make it back with Braxton (who was actually classified by the doc as looking more like a dog toy). What can I say, she loves him.

As many of you might know by now, we did receive updated pictures of Chaning and were blessed with information about her beyond measure. I realize many of you are waiting for me to share those but I will be restraining from that post until possibly tomorrow.

Our Brave Girl!!

Braxton

Tomorrow is another big day for us around here. Julia is having her second cleft revision and third cleft related surgery. She seems to be relatively calm about what is about to happen tomorrow. She has to know what to expect with this being her third time around. It's always a long conversation when pre-op calls to run down her previous surgeries. Instead of carrying around social security numbers and birthdates of all my children (yes, I have to stop and recall dates at a rate of one per minute these days), I am going to have to carry around a medical history for each kid. Although cleft has not been her only special need, we are so thankful that we have been able to give her any and all medical attention that she has needed. We are so fortunate to live so close to UAB and to have the Intl Adoption Clinic nearby as well.

Well, we will get up before the rooster crows tomorrow and head out. We have packed a bag in case we do decide to stay overnight. Julia will arrive in her PJ's with Braxton in hand. My job, as a upstanding mother, is to make sure Braxton leaves with us. He has been granted the priviledge to accompany Julia back to the operating room. Braxton, unfortunately, cannot have a bath or he might take to falling apart (according to the unremovable tag). I have been assured that he will be moved away from her once she is put under, germs--uggh. If you remember the update of her last revision here I didn't do too good of a job of bringing Snowball home with us, oops.

On a different note, we were told that updates on the children (that includes Chaning) should be coming soon to our adoption agency, they hope! Do I smell chocolate brownies, cake balls, Reese's and all other sugar coma induced items heading my way???