Surgery Plan

I just got off the phone with Dr. Mulliken in Boston. He wants to do Riley's surgery in 2 stages. He will do a lip adhesion and some work to the nostril on the left side (because it is more cleft than the right) within the next month or so. This procedure will take approx an hour to do and we will spend the night in the hospital. Her stiches will dissolve and the trip should take about 4 days. He will do the complete lip repair when Riley is around 5 months old. This will be a much more involved surgery and will take around 8 hours. We will spend atleast a week or longer in Boston for the 2nd surgery. Doing the repair in 2 stages will give Riley the best, most symmetrical result. Dr. Mulliken says she will not have any of the problems that normally come with clefts--speech difficulties, ear infections, differences in facial growth--since her palate is intact! We are so thankful!! I will let everyone know as soon as we get her surgery date. Please pray that Riley stays healthy and her first surgery goes as well as planned.

Riley is doing great. She sleeps like an angel--which I am not used to b/c Sawyer was not a good sleeper until around 7 months old! I hope she stays that way! She's feeding well and is staying awake a little more during the day.

Sawyer is a great big brother. He loves to hold her (by himself) and help me feed her by holding her bottle (by himself). He takes diapers to the trash for me and helps me bathe her. He is so funny in the things he says. He can't understand why she doesn't have shoes, "Her lost them, Mama?"