Saturday, August 4, 2007
Summer fun photos
...Naomi with her cool shades...relaxing at a friend's pool...Danny and his best buddy Claire at the arboretum...
Thursday, August 2, 2007
New car!
We just got a good deal on a 2004 Dodge Neon. It's smaller than our Camry, but has good interior space and is rated very reliable. It also handles well and has only 31,00 miles on it. Roger had done research, looked at several Neons in the past few days, and just bought this one yesterday. I am excited about how this second car will help me do the things I want and need to do in the daytime. This week we can go to the pool and stay cool!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Update on Naomi
We have been in survival mode and haven't blogged for ages -- it's high time for an update. We have been home about two months now. Generally, Naomi seems to be adjusting very well and attaching to us. The biggest challenge for us has been her frequent night wakings. After discussion, Roger and I agreed that we would try having him be the only one who cares for Naomi at night, since she seems to want me more (waking up is less rewarding if she doesn't get Mommy). Roger has some good tricks for getting her back to sleep. This new strategy has been working well for the past week or so. She is sleeping for much longer stretches at night and napping better too. We hope this trend continues, for all of our sakes. The help and support we've been receiving have made a huge difference for us, and we are very grateful to all who have come over to help or brought meals. And God has clearly been answering your prayers to bless our family through this whole process.
We took Naomi to see a pediatric plastic surgeon at CHOP on June 25. Her cleft palate repair surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 26. This is the earliest available date, and fits well with our wishes. We will have some time just to settle in together as a family first. It would not be good to delay it any further, however, since waiting could hinder her speech development (she'll be about 18 months old). The surgery will take about 2.5 hours and will close the whole palate except for the gums. The gums will be done when she is older (maybe 8?) so as not to impede the growth of her mouth.
A few days ago, Naomi saw an eye doctor. She has a slight adhesion of the eyelid that prevents her right eye from opening fully. The doctor was not too concerned, but since she is already having surgery soon they will fix the eyelid at the same time. Next week we will take Naomi to an ear doctor since most cleft palate children have trouble with recurring ear infections and fluid in the ear causing possible hearing loss. It has become fairly automatic in the U.S. to put in ear tubes at the time of the cleft surgery. So she will likely be getting eye, ears, and mouth done in the same surgery! We are also getting her up-to-date on her immunizations. And we are checking into lining up free speech therapy for her through the Early Intervention program (Childlink).
By the way, Danny is getting used to being a big brother. He has the normal feelings of a sibling -- sometimes he enjoys Naomi, at other times he finds her bothersome. He is pretty good at making her smile and laugh. She also enjoys when her Daddy tickles her and tosses her around a bit. With Mommy she loves to be held and play with Mommy's hair.
We took Naomi to see a pediatric plastic surgeon at CHOP on June 25. Her cleft palate repair surgery has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 26. This is the earliest available date, and fits well with our wishes. We will have some time just to settle in together as a family first. It would not be good to delay it any further, however, since waiting could hinder her speech development (she'll be about 18 months old). The surgery will take about 2.5 hours and will close the whole palate except for the gums. The gums will be done when she is older (maybe 8?) so as not to impede the growth of her mouth.
A few days ago, Naomi saw an eye doctor. She has a slight adhesion of the eyelid that prevents her right eye from opening fully. The doctor was not too concerned, but since she is already having surgery soon they will fix the eyelid at the same time. Next week we will take Naomi to an ear doctor since most cleft palate children have trouble with recurring ear infections and fluid in the ear causing possible hearing loss. It has become fairly automatic in the U.S. to put in ear tubes at the time of the cleft surgery. So she will likely be getting eye, ears, and mouth done in the same surgery! We are also getting her up-to-date on her immunizations. And we are checking into lining up free speech therapy for her through the Early Intervention program (Childlink).
By the way, Danny is getting used to being a big brother. He has the normal feelings of a sibling -- sometimes he enjoys Naomi, at other times he finds her bothersome. He is pretty good at making her smile and laugh. She also enjoys when her Daddy tickles her and tosses her around a bit. With Mommy she loves to be held and play with Mommy's hair.
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