Good morning!
I can't believe it's only been 3 weeks since Miss Haven Grace came into the world. It seems like long ago that Daddy and I went to weekly appointments at RUSH. We always ate ice cream at Brown Cow in Forest Park afterwards...
I will never forget that moment--no one could have prepared me for how amazing that experience would be. Her daddy went right to the NICU with her while they checked to be sure she didnt inhale meconium and to see how extensive the cleft was.
So much happened while we were at the hospital but we were thankful to have Dr. Archie stay over to deliver Haven. Our family waited patiently outside the door until they heard her cry. 
She has been a busy girl these last 3 weeks...
-Born 6/21/10 at 9:17am 6lbs 9oz 19.25 in. She spent one night in the NICU where they began using the Habermann feeder in order to wean her off the IV and she did great! She was 6lb 6oz when we left the hospital but was eating great and was able to spend one night with us in our room.
-She came home that Wednesday and we were so happy to find our home decorated top to bottom in Baby Girl signs, posters, gifts, a HUGE yard display (photo to come)...all from her Aunt Lindsey, Aunt Amanda, and Gram. I still cry when I think about how awesome it was to come home to that. THANK YOU!
-She met Dr. Garcia for her first pediatrician appointment. This was 5 days after she came home and she was already up to 6lb 10oz!
-Our great friend Sara Walsh came to take photos of Haven in her tutu (something her mom couldnt wait to see!) They are amazing as we knew they would be. Sara is not only a great friend but a very talented photographer! http://www.soulshine-photography.com/
-She went back to Dr. Garcia 2 days later because her eyes were bothering her a bit--got some drops. She weighed in a 6lb 12oz that day so she is GROWING!
-She went back to RUSH on 6/30 to meet with the surgery team. We were all pleasantly surprised at birth to find out her palate was intact and she would be ready for her first procedure this Wedesday already. They will be admitting her to RUSH Wednesday morning and Dr. Polley will be removing some tissue from her cheek area that will help to stretch her lip over when she wears her NAM device. While she is under-they will fit her for her NAM (nasal alveolar mold) that will help move her nose to it's proper place and even close part of the cleft in her lip and hopefully make her actual surgery less invasive in the fall. I'm extremely nervous about Wednesday but I know I need to toughen up because this will be the first of many things that make her mother uncomfortable. :)
I want to say that this whole process has made us even more thankful for the great family we have. Haven's aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, favorite cousin, and extended family have been so supportive. Mike and I are so excited for her future and have faith that everything will work out. We were fortunate enough to find out about her cleft at about 20 weeks during an ultrasound. There were definitely a few very rough days as we processed that information but we devoted 100% of our efforts from that point on to interviewing surgery teams, doing research, talking to other families, and putting it all into perspective. We were to have a perfectly healthy little girl and we would get her the best possible care to be sure she stays that way. We met with RUSH and University of Chicago--we fell in love with Dr. Polley's team. They were exactly what we needed--the best in their field and they were able to help us see how minor this was in the big picture. Haven would be fine and go on to lead an amazing "normal" life.
