Monday, September 26, 2011

Home Improvement/Adoption Blog



Lots of home improvement going on lately: I went out and bought a claw-foot tub for a future master bath renovation and this weekend I worked a lot on our half bath floor. Not completely done, but the trim and the paint should be done this week. Here are some before and during shots.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The surgery saga


Grace is facing 4 separate issues in her mouth and face: shown here, she has a HOLE behind her two front teeth -- not a true fistula in the sense of a palate re-opening, but a new hole formed due in part, (my professional opinion yuck yuck) to her palate being pushed apart too abruptly after last year's surgeries. The plastic surgeon, Dr. Williams at Scottish Rite, is also proposing to do another corrective procedure on her palate, a frenotomy (frenectomy? frenotomy?) (separating her front lip from the gums because hers is completely attached thereby disabling her from puckering her top lip at all) and doing some cosmetic work on her lip. The scariest part of this to me (other than her risking life and limb) is the repair to her hole: Dr. Williams wants to cut a flap in her tongue, sew it to the hole above, wire her teeth together for 3 weeks and, in a follow-up procedure, snipping the two apart. I was nervous about the possibility of the palate rejecting the tongue flap/graph and/or deforming her tongue and screwing up her speech even more.

After asking for everyone to pray and receiving a 2nd opinion from another oral plastic surgeon, we are all feeling a lot more confident in the procedures and our faith in Dr. Williams is renewed. Sorry dude, I love ya, but I need to know God wants this surgery too.

I will post the date of impending surgery once we have any specifics. All the prayers are keeping her brave and funny as always. My favorite Grace story of the last few weeks: we were standing in the bathroom and I was brushing Frannie's hair. I got a whiff of gas and asked "Whose got the toots around here?" Gracie immediately pointed to her head and said "I got toots. I got ear toots." She means ear tubes. She's just so deadpan, it's hysterical.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

I don't like BUSY



We do have lots going on. Grace is going to have to endure more surgery. Details are sketchy because although I love her doctor (her plastic surgeon), I have some concerns about his plan for repairing the hole in Grace's mouth (see attractive photo shown here). Donna gave me the idea to apply to Shriner's who will evaluate and treat for free. Grace also needs to have her p-flap evaluated to make sure it's working, which is possibly the cause of her continued speech problems (she sounds so nasal still). Kevin started SEC football work which takes him away for 2 or 3 days every week, not so fun. Well, it may be "fun" for him, but his family misses him. Today I have to take a Saturday class at school for the WHOLE stinkin day. The consignment sale has not been too successful despite working 4 thousand hours preparing for it. So far in the sale I've made $54. The sale is over today and I will know by 3:00 how much I've made. The girls both started ballet classes and I'm supposed to be tiling the half bath tomorrow. Right now it's lumpy concrete and aluminum mesh poking up in spots. By the way, I do love my kids and wouldn't trade them or my dear dogs for the world. Kevin also is a keeper.