progress

The work week has flown by. Grandma Hot Dog is leaving tomorrow morning...seems like she just arrived. It's been wonderful not having to worry about Adeline during the day this whole week. For Adeline, it's been a week of lots and lots of cuddling and holding and chatting and playing and singing. I'm glad that she and Adeline were able to spend so much time together.   I know Nile is not ready for her to leave. She still has sooo much to learn..."So, Grandma, what do you want me to teach you tonight?"  It's also been a week of watching Star Wars, playing Wii, Candyland, puzzles, reading books. And she does it all with a smile.  I'm sure she is ready to head back and enjoy her quiet home.  What a way to spend your first week of retirement!

Even thought I didn't have to worry about Adeline while I was at work, I still missed her A LOT!  Now I know why so many mommies take the the whole recovery time off - not just to take care of their babies, but to take care of themselves!  But I am grateful that Aaron and I have such wonderful parents that are willing, and wanting, to help us out.  And I'm thankful that I have a good job to go to everyday.

Adeline had her first follow up appointment with her plastic surgeon, Dr. Miller, today in Omaha.  It went well - everything is looking like it should.  The bumps in the back of her head that we thought were rivets or screws are actually corners of reconstructed skull.  Dr. Miller drew a picture of what her skull originally looked like and where they made cuts and rearranged and reshaped the skull.  It made much more sense now that I had the finished product playing in my lap.  Her "flat top" is really a big empty space.  Yikes!  She went from having  no soft spot to a giant one - he says this will fill in with time.  Her hair is growing in so fast.  With the flat top and high and tight "hair cut" she looks like a drill sergeant.  It's exciting to guess what color her hair will be.  A beautician recently told me me that Asian parents often shave their baby's hair so that it grows back thicker.  Well, it works! This is one plus to the whole situation!  Adeline has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Puccioni, her neurosurgeon on Monday.  If she continues to do well, and Dr. Puccioni agrees, she will be able to go back to daycare a week from Monday. Amazing.

It was a pretty interesting wait in the lobby of "Village Pointe Aesthetic Surgery".  You can get your eyelashes permed for a mere $50.  It will make your eyes look wider for up to 4-6 weeks.  As we (Aaron, Cecilia, Adeline, Nile, and I) were sitting in their not-so-comfy-but-beautiful-and-modern leather chairs I was thinking, there is NOTHING for a 4 year old boy to do to pass the time in this office.  An 18 year old boy (or my 34 year old husband) wouldn't need a thing - there was plenty to look at. But after the short visit with Dr. Miller was over, Aaron and I came back out to the lobby to see that Nile would prove me wrong.  He was sprawled out sideways in one of the white leather chairs (wearing his red fireman rain boots, "talking" Spiderman shirt, and horrible stocking hat hair) having a heart-to-heart with one of the pretty 40-something (or maybe 50-something, Dr. Miller is good) year old patients.  They were discussing video games.  And somehow, with his Nile "magic", he had her talking about her ex-husband.  As we were approaching she was telling him, "Yeah, my son's dad likes to play lots of 'games', but I'm pretty sure Mario Kart isn't one of them."  Maybe Nile will be a Dr. Miller some day.  That would be okay with me - I've been told my eyelashes are pretty wild!

After the appointment Adeline finally got to meet her soulmate, Braydon.  Braydon had the same CVR surgery for Sagittal stenosis - with the same surgeons - just a week after Adeline.  When I scooted next to Erin, Brayon's mommy, so we could get a picture of us with our Cranio-Babies in our laps, Adeline immediately reached over and began exploring Braydon's head and incision with her little fingers.  And he let her.  They will have a bond for life.

I must be getting better too.  Adeline left the house with a (very cute!) hat on her head, but I didn't put it back on after her exam.  While I was walking around Toys-r-us with her in my arms, it took 3 different womens' second looks before I remembered that my beautiful baby girl had a big brown incision across the top of her bald head.  And I didn't care.  It made me feel really good.  And proud.  We are both tough girls.