Baptism yesterday....10 weeks old today!

I'm such a big girl now!
Smile Train gift...

Pretty bracelet from Aunt Lin

Getting ready for her party!

Haven and cousin Arlie

Yesterday was Haven's Baptism and it was an amazing day! Pastor Nick did a great job and Aunt Lindsey made a slideshow that made us all cry! We had family and friends over after for a pool party and BBQ which turned out really nice. Haven was given many very nice gifts (not that she needs them :) ) but the best part of the day was opening a gift that Aunt Debbie gave her. The Shipley family made a donation to Smile Train in Haven's name so that another child could have the surgery and great care that Haven is receiving. What an awesome gift --we will never forget it. Our family is very lucky and Haven will learn early on that the most important part of life is treating others with respect and helping someone else in need. Thank you, Aunt Debbie, for showing her that through this gift! Aunt Lindsey gave her a really pretty bracelet that she loves! Aunt Amanda gave her a cross for her room with the Serenity Prayer. I could go on and on...she also got the first few pieces of her Precious Moments train from grammy! Uncle Matt took great photos of the whole day so we'll post those when we get them. In addition to having wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, fav cousins, and other family--Haven is fortunate enough to have THE BEST godparents. Amanda and Sean are and will always be a great example for her to look up to and aspire to be like. We're thankful that they are part of her life.

I can't believe she is 10 weeks old today! We have an appointment with Dr. Polley at Rush tomorrow to determine a surgery date and learn more about the process. They are still saying end of September so we're almost there.

August 25th Day in Chicago

Haven had a NAM check up with Dr. Figueroa so Mike took the day off and we made a day of it downtown. We got GREAT news at her appointment...she is ready for surgery! Dr. Figueroa is very pleased with her NAM progress so we will meet with Dr. Polley next week to schedule surgery for next month. As always, she didn't cry and handled the appointment like a champ. :)

9 weeks!

Haven had her 2 month check up today with Dr. Garcia and did great. She got two shots (not 5 like they thought would be a good idea) and handled them like a champ. She also learned to roll to her side and hold her Red Dog in her mouth with her own arms. Ok, I'm sure that was coincidence BUT it made for a cute photo. She was 9lbs even today. We see Dr. Figueroa on Wednesday so I'll be anxious to see what, if anything, she has gained.

9 weeks old tomorrow!

This was a busy week but Haven had a break from doctor's appointments. Tomorrow she sees Dr. Garcia for her 2 month check up and a few shots :( and then Wednesday she sees Dr. Figueroa for her NAM check-up. Mike took off work that day and we're planning on spending time as a family-maybe a museum or the oceanarium?

I'm hoping that we might leave there with a surgery date scheduled.

We spent time with Grammy and Papa today and Haven was wide awake and full of smiles. She is really growing!

We're busy planning her Baptism for next Sunday--lots of great friends, family, and yummy food. Haven has really been an amazing blessing in our lives. I wonder what we did to deserve her? How can something so tiny change so much in such a short amount of time? She has shown me the strength our family has. She has opened our eyes to the importance of helping others and "paying it forward"--we have been given so much love and support and it is our turn to show that love to others.

http://www.pathfinders.ameriface.org/

more photos to come!

Great visit with Greta...

Our good friends Sara & Marty had their little angel two weeks ago. Greta Cody Walsh is an adorable little peanut and the whole family is doing great! Haven made a friend for life...they are only 7 weeks apart!

Can't believe Simon's photos!

I just looked at Haven's friend Simon's blog site--he had his lip surgery two weeks ago today and looks amazing! Click on "laughing again" on the right side of the page.

http://www.littledudesg.blogspot.com/

We had an uneventful day around here...Haven ate like crazy and actually took naps so I was able to clean a little bit. :)

Tomorrow we're going to see Haven's new friend Greta Cody Walsh!

8 weeks tomorrow!

Time flies!

Haven is doing really, really well! She has been consistently sleeping through the night and spent her first night in her crib on Friday. She also had her first official babysitter--Grammy stayed over at Haven's house on Friday while Mike and I went to a wedding. We missed her but it was awesome to know she was in good hands. We went to Aunt Becca's baby shower yesterday too which was really fun. Haven got to take home really pretty flowers...we can't wait to meet Rory!

Gaining weight!

We went to see Dr. Figueroa yesterday for another NAM check up. She is doing really well and gained 7 ounces over the last week to bring her to 8lbs 7oz! I can't believe how big she's getting. The best part of my day today was seeing her smile! Next appointment is the 25th--more photos to come!

Look who ran into at Rush yesterday--Anita was there getting her chemo and looking awesome--what a GREAT surprise!

Today is Daddy's birthday--Haven is sleeping after a long day of visiting with friends and family. :)

Wubba Nub!

Haven had trouble keeping a pacifier in her mouth because of the cleft so her Grammy got her a WUBBA NUB...there's a cute animal at the end with beans in it so it can sit on her tummy and not fall out. Thanks Gram!

photo updates

Haven at 7 weeks! She ate like a COW today...all I did all day was make bottles!

Check these out...

Two things to share:

One is the link to Simon's blog. You can see Dr. Polley's amazing work just hours after surgery. Haven is SO lucky to have the best pediatric surgeon in the country to take care of her.

www.littledudesg.blogspot.com

The other is something really special to me. When we first found out about Haven's cleft, we had a few days of confusion, anxiety, and worry about what the future would hold. I turned to the internet to start researching everything I could about cleft lip and palate. I came across a blog that changed my whole perception of this journey--I still cry every time I watch the video on her blog but from the first time I saw it--I knew that everything was going to be ok. We are all on a path in life and this was ours--it wasn't bad or different it was just the road that our family was meant to travel. I've said before that I feel like this experience has changed our family and opened our eyes to what REALLY matters in life so I want to share this link with you.

www.abcfrye.blogspot.com

7 weeks tomorrow!

I can't believe she is 7 weeks old already. I know it sound silly because she is still so little but it's hard to imagine life without Haven. Her NAM is making a huge difference in her smile (although I love the smile she was born with) and she will be ready for surgery by the end of September at this rate. Her friend Simon had his lip surgery the end of last week with great results. We met Simon's parents during one of our visits to Dr. Polley's office. He was born in May and had his NAM already when we first met him. It gave Mike and I a good idea of what we were in for when Haven received her device which was nice. He was born with a cleft lip, palate, and issues with his ears which required tubes to be placed during this first surgery. Haven had her first surgery on 7/14 to remove part of a tooth and to take out some tissue that was holding her lip back. She didn't do very well with anesthesia and we ended up spending the night in the Pediatric ICU for monitoring but she's a tough cookie (as her daddy says) and was back to normal after a day or two. While she was under-they did the impression for her NAM and we picked it up that next week. The first day was rough--it resembles a retainer and because Haven's palate is not open-it was an extra discomfort in her mouth at first. She had trouble eating that first day and was exhausted from screaming for about 3 hours straight in the doctor's office....so she got a good night sleep and we started all over the next day. She learned how to eat all over again and hasn't looked back since. Mike and I take it out every night to clean it and have become pros at getting it back in with minimal screaming from Haven. :) It's amazing to me what has become our new "norm"--I think nothing of cleaning her mouth out with gauze and holding the appliance in place until the Fixadent adheres. This is just one step on our journey and we are loving every minute of it...

Update!

Haven has now had her NAM for over 2 weeks and it has made a huge difference! Dr. Figueroa says she will be ready for surgery in about 6 weeks! This week she started sleeping ALL through the night as well. Life couldn't be better!

She did have her first surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago to: remove part of a tooth (go figure!), loosen tissue so her lip can be moved over gradually with the NAM, and to have the impression done for the NAM. We had to be at Rush at 5am and she wasnt able to eat which was harder on us than her I think. All in all, this was a very crazy day for our family and I'm glad it's over. She didn't do very well with anesthesia but she was only about 7lbs so we're assuming she will come out of it much better for her lip surgery. We had to stay over one night which we didn't plan on doing but the up side is that we met the staff on the Pediatric ICU and loved them. We know we'll feel very comfortable when we go back for her lip surgery next month. Just another reasone we LOVE Rush!

I know this is not a pretty picture...but it wasn't a pretty day.

We survived and life went on. :)