Hearing test/Aquarium

On Monday, Maggie had her initial hearing test. She heard fine in her left hear but had some loss in her right. The doctor said it is probably due to fluid in her ear. It was decided that she will need tubes inserted in her ears and they will be done at the same time as her palate surgery next Wednesday. The Dr. said she may need tubes until age 10 or 12, and that the initial pair should remain for 2 to 4 years. Also on Monday, Barbara and Maggie went to the aquarium with her friend Mia and Mia's mom. Barbara said they had a great time. Maggie has had a stuffy nose and cough the last couple of days so none of us has slept well. She will go to the doctor in the morning as we don't want anything to delay her palate surgery.

Uncle Bob

On Monday night, I received a telephone call from my Uncle Bob, who resides in New York. He told me that on the spur of the moment, he would be traveling to Huntsville, AL on Wednesday for work purposes and would have time to travel to Chattanooga to see Maggie. He arrived this afternoon and stayed for several hours. It was great to see him and Maggie loved him. It was hard to see him go but we hope to see him again soon.

LWB Pictures

As I wrote about in an earlier post, Maggie's surgery was done by Love Without Boundaries. Here are the pictures I received from them that would have been taken in October 2006.

more pictures/video

Our week

I know I haven't posted too often lately, but it is hard with a 2 year old next to you (not the I'm complaining). She actually fell asleep early tonight so I have some time (I guess her not taking naps are catching up to her). Our week was great. We had some friends over for dinner on Thursday night and Maggie did great. She gave them kisses good bye and really took to them. I'm glad she is opening up more. Also on Thursday, Barbara got a manicure and Maggie got her toenails painted in polka dots. Barbara said she did great. Maggie is proud and shows off her new toes. On Friday we went to a cookout at another friend's home. We had a great time and Maggie learned to play kick ball. She had a great time and really enjoyed running the bases. We relaxed this weekend and just spent some family time together. It was kind of nice just hanging out at home. Maggie is still sleeping in her own bed and actually slept until 5 AM this morning before crying for "mama". She learns more and more everyday and can sing Old McDonald and Patty Cake. We go tomorrow to have her hearing checked in preparation for her surgery on May 7th.

Daddy's little helper

After dinner tonight, Maggie helped me rake the grass in the front yard. She always wants to help us do stuff, whether it be folding clothes, setting the table, or loading the dishwasher. She is Ms. Independent and wants to do everything herself. I guess she had to do that in the orphanage. Barbara took Maggie to the dentist today and had her cavities filled. Maggie cried a little bit, but Barbara thought it was more because Barbara could not be right next to her more than anything. The doctor used no sedation and Maggie was cooperative. Afterwards they went to Chik Fil A and then to the park with Maggie's friend Mia and her mom Jennifer. Remarkably, Maggie took a nap both today and yesterday. We'll have to see what time she goes to bed. It's still hard to go to work, but it's amazing to see Maggie's face light up when I come home. We play and play until she goes to bed, so it is hard to get on the computer. We are enjoying every second with Maggie and wouldn't want anything else.

Love Without Boundaries

After receiving the initial telephone call about Maggie, we received some paperwork describing her history, habits, health, etc. and her referral pictures. In the initial paperwork, it explained that Maggie's surgery to repair her cleft lip was completed by a volunteer group called Love Without Boundaries (http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/. Love Without Boundaries is an amazing group of people who volunteer their time and skills to perform numerous health related surgeries on children around the world. These children would not be able to have the required medical attention without them. Before we went to China, I discovered a blog for Love Without Boundaries http://lwbchinablog.blogspot.com/ and found the date of Maggie's surgery in China (October 29, 2006). It was incredible to actually know she was there on that date and to read about it. After returning from China with Maggie, I emailed Love Without Boundaries and asked for any information regarding Maggie's surgery and for any pictures they may have. Today I received an email back with an attachment. The attachment contained pictures of Maggie before and after the surgery as well as some notes regarding the procedure. They are also mailing us the records from the surgery that we will share with the doctor. We are more than appreciative of this group of people and ecstatic to have pictures of Maggie when she was only 14 months old. We will keep this information forever. I don't know how to get the pictures to this blog, so I cannot post them here. Once I figure it I will add them.