Surgery scheduled

Today we met with Dr. Sargent who is with the craniofacial team in Chattanooga. It is said that he is one of the best surgeons in the Country. He said that Maggie's lip repair looks great so she will not need a revision. We scheduled surgery to repair her palate for May 7th. She will be in the hospital 2 or 3 days and return home with a very bland diet. Knowing how she likes to eat, that won't be fun. The doctor said the cleft comes all the way to her gumline so she will need some orthodontal work done at age 5 or 6. He also said that her speech may be very nasally and she may need more corrective surgery in the future. We are also scheduling an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor to check out her hearing. Dr. Sargent said that many cleft children have hearing issues and get frequent ear infections so if she is in need of tubes, he wants to take care of that the same day as her palate surgery. After our appointment we went to the mall and Maggie got a stoller for her baby and a toy camera. We also got a couple of long sleeve outfits as it has been cooler than we thought. We have also upgraded her tricyle, although I have yet to put it together. The new tricycle is safer and easier for mommy and daddy to steer (thanks to Granda Millie who sent us money for these "necessities"). We also went out to dinner at P.F. Chang's tonight. Maggie grabbed the chop sticks next to her plate and began using them. This whole time, we thought she was taught to eat with a spoon. It was amazing watching her eat like that. We are putting her to sleep in her room tonight. She has been sleeping next to us in the pack and play. We hope all goes well.