How could you not love this face?
Cancelled Appointment
I was all ready to take Rylan back to the surgeon for her final appointment tomorrow, but I received a phone call from the surgeon's office today and the appointment has to be cancelled. Something came up in the doctor's personal life, so he must go out of town immediately and he will be gone for the next few weeks. Her surgery is still a go for the 28th of February and if I have any questions, I can give his office a call. I know that the plan was to make a final decision on surgery when he saw her tomorrow, but I have no doubt in my mind that it still would be happening because her lip has not changed since we saw him three weeks ago. I am a little disappointed because I would have liked to just chat with him about the surgery and what to expect, but I'm sure he will go over any specifics that morning before the surgery begins. Plus I can always call if I think of anything specific I want to know. I do plan on calling the anesthesia department at the hospital to double check on how soon before surgery she is allowed to eat. From what I've read, breast milk is safe up to 4 hours before surgery but I want to make sure.
Now the waiting game begins...3 weeks and counting.
Morning Smiles
Rylan is now smiling, but she doesn't do it often so up to this point I hadn't been able to catch the smiles on tape. She is always her happiest first thing in the morning so I decided to take the camera in with me this morning when I went to get her and finally I have proof of that big beautiful pre-surgery smile!
Baby Oil - My New Best Friend
After weeks of taping Rylan's lip and dealing with sore cheeks, I've finally found a solution. Baby Oil is the magic liquid! I found out this handy tip from reading some of the message boards and tried it today. The tape came off really easy and didn't scrape up her cheeks at all. Now I will be able to replace the tape more often, which will keep it tighter just like the doctor ordered.
Surgery Date Set
I got a phone call today from the surgeon's office to reserve our spot for Rylan's surgery. Looks like it will be happening first thing in the morning on February 28. We will get a call from the hospital the day before to give us an exact time. I know that there is a slight possibility that when we go to see Dr. Morrissey in a few weeks he will decide that the lip adhesion is not necessary. But for now, I need to be in the mind set that this is happening and start to mentally prepare. Lucky I've got a lot of supportive friends and family who are ready to step in with a helpful hand or a shoulder to cry on.
Change of Plans
Went back to the surgeon yesterday and now we have a new plan of attack to fix Rylan's lip. He took the old tape off her face (rougher than I would have done it) and applied new tape, basically pulling her lips completely together. Even her nose straightened out and both nostrils looked normal. I couldn't believe it! Having seen how much progress the tape was making, he decided that the nasoalveolar mold may not be necessary to fix the nose. He did however say that he thought we were going to need to do a lip adhesion. This is a surgery where he will stitch the two sides of the lips together and once they heal (about two months) he will go in and do the final cosmetic lip repair. He wants to see Rylan again in 3 weeks to make a final decision, but meanwhile we are going to move forward as if the surgery will happen, filling out the appropriate paperwork and such.
I certainly am nervous about Rylan having to have surgery and as always, I wanted to learn more about a lip adhesion. I did a lot of reading online and spoke with other parents through message boards. I feel more calm knowing what to expect immediately after the surgery and knowing how much of a difference this surgery will make in her final appearance.
Look how far her lip has come!
Making an Impression
So Rylan has surprised me yet again and really did well getting the dental impression today. The poor child - not only did we have our appointment at the dentist, but she also had her first round of vaccinations this morning. She really hasn't been herself all day and is running a slight fever. Hopefully the Infant Tylenol will do the trick.
Back to the dental impression - Dr. Morrissey works out of the dental office on Tuesdays so he was there to meet us. He came and said hello and then told me he would be back after the impression was done. The dentist had me sit in the dental chair and lay Rylan on my lap so her head was angled down towards my feet. They stuck the clay-like material in her mouth and molded it around the cleft and gums. She fussed a little and gagged but that was it. While they let the clay harden, Rylan got a little bit fussy and was not too happy when they stuck it back in her mouth with the gel stuff on it. Luckily, the dentist didn't keep the impression mold in Rylan's mouth as long as she normally would. Rylan cried when that was finished and ended falling asleep in my arms while we waited for Dr. Morrissey.
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