It's been a very long time since I last posted. Our summer was very busy with very little time to relax. We are all doing relatively well...all things considered. It seems our stress level keeps rising...lots of emotional stuff happening here!
We started school at the beginning of September in hopes to get enough work done so that once surgeries start for Malia, we can take time off without falling behind. Yesterday Malia had 2 appointments; so after her piano and voice lessons, the girls and I headed to town for a fancy girl date.
I have to tell a funny story...while waiting for Malia, I chatted with Martin with my phone speaker on. As a joke he mentioned that the guys were going to have his specialty for lunch...mac n' cheese! Well, wouldn't you know it, Raina began begging to go home for lunch!! What a girl!!
Anyhow, I managed to convince her that we should head to a fancy place in town. The girls ordered their own food and even got pop, which rarely happens in this household!
Then they got these super cool desserts! They simply couldn't get enough of these volcanos!
Then we headed to the first appointment with Malia's "hard tissue" oral surgeon. We love Dr. Humber! He is seriously one of the most personable, compassionate and understanding doctors I've ever met! He was the man that gave me the confidence to say "no" to summer surgeries for Malia. She really did need some time off to just be a carefree little girl!
After our first appointment, we made a quick stop at Starbucks! It was such a huge treat for my girls! The simply glowed! And I'm pretty sure they felt like complete grown ups!
Our second appointment was with the "soft tissue" oral surgeon. This surgeon is new to town, coming here from Edmonton. He also seems to be very personable, doing his very best to put Malia at ease.
As you know, Malia has already had 2 surgeries to close a rather large fistula in the roof of her mouth. (She actually has 2 fistulas, but the one is small enough that the surgeons are confident they can close it during the bone graft surgery). The 2 previous surgeries were both FAMM Flaps. Apparently, a FAMM Flap is a bit like taking a hose, kinking it at a 90 degree angle and hoping the water will still flow through. So if you can, picture a blood vessel instead of the hose, with blood trying to flow through to ensure a good graft...and you'll understand why the FAMM Flap didn't work for Malia. So, instead of attempting the FAMM Flap again, the idea is to go back to the original idea of doing a Tongue Flap. The Tongue Flap is more invasive and will be more difficult for Malia to deal with as she will have a very difficult time talking.
I'm very grateful to be moving on with surgeries, to get this part over and done with. However, there is only a 50% chance that a Tongue Flap will actually be successful. This mama's heart almost broke at that news! I swallowed long and hard, and tried to tell myself there IS a 50% chance that the Tongue Flap WILL be successful! So we will pray! And we'd love to have all of you praying too!
After hearing this news, I knew I needed a distraction and needed to create some more beautiful memories with my sweet girls. So we headed across the street to our cities beautiful Meewasin Trail and enjoyed the wonderful fall leaves and the fantastic fresh air...and a bunch of giggles and hugs!
On our way back to the vehicle, this little girl figured her feet were too sore to walk. I ended up giving her a piggyback ride....
...while this sweet girl carried my bag!
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
Psalm 18:2
2 comments:
We will be praying for you with all your changes and Malia's upcoming surgeries! We get to meet everyone Dr. Humber and the new surgeon in cleft clinic this fall too. I would have choked too with a 50% success rate for the tongue flap. Hoping that it is indeed 50% successful!
It is so awesome that you had a "girls" day. Love the pictures. Cherish those special memories!
These are some very beautiful pictures. It sounds like you made a good experience out of a tough situation. We have an adopted son who is going through similar surgeries and we have just realized how important it can be to make good memories out of bad circumstances. Every time we go to the doctor, we do something fun before.
Victor Peterson @ Dr. Farole
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