Prepping for Surgery Week...

It now looks like Lia's palate surgery WILL happen next week. She has been cleared by all the doctors, and we have our final pre-op appointment with her ENT/Surgeon this Thursday. So we've been working hard to get her completely off her bottle (as she won't be allowed to put anything - including a rubber nipple - into her mouth for a few days following surgery). It will be an all liquid/puree diet for awhile. We're working on getting her to drink from a "big kid" sippy cup that only has an indent or hole (like a commuter mug) rather than any kind of nipple or spout that would go into her mouth. She doesn't love it, and she spills - a lot - but we are starting to see her drink from it more and more.

I know she is a tough little cookie who will get thru this just fine, and I am trying my hardest not to stress about it. Interesting that - after four years of working in a children's hospital - I now find myself in the position of BEING one of those parents in the waiting room... I have complete confidence in her surgeon and the children's hospital staff.  However, I do feel like we JUST got her home and finally settled into a "routine" (of sorts) and now we are going to put her through this trauma - even though I know it is for the best. It's still tough...

Anyway - we had a great weekend. My parents and sister came to town and stayed with us for a couple days. Everyone had a great time playing with Lia. On Saturday night, after Lia was in bed, we watched the documentary "Babies" on DVD. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. There are so many cute and funny moments - and the soundtrack is great!

Here are some pics from the last few days:

Riding her Kai-Lan car...

Learning to color...

Having a giggle with Aunt Tracy...

Going shirtless with sunglasses (on a rainy, 50-degree day) LOL!

Finally - Happy Anniversary to us! 

Steve and I met four years ago this weekend.

Here's to many more happy years ahead...