Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hank's Palate and Refined Lip Surgery

I see you smiling at me! (5 days post-op)
On Thursday, May 19th, our darling Henry had his second facial surgery since his first one back in September. This time, his palate was repaired and his lip was made more defined to look less "whistling." It's truly amazing how much that first surgery brought Hank's maxilla BACK into this face. Dr. Girotto performed surgery for about four hours, each procedure (palate repair and lip refinement) taking 2 hours. Dr. Girotto emerged full of smiles and reassurance that the surgery went great, no surprises. Henry did well with anesthesia (everyone's main concern, given his heart condition) and even directly out of surgery, looked pretty good to me. His appearance was not as dramatic as his first surgery, but quite noticeably different, nonetheless. His little nose was even MORE rounded and "button-y." His upper lip no longer goes up in the middle; even though it was expectantly swollen, i could tell it was much smoother and more 'even' with the bottom lip.

Above Pics: Left: Pre-Surgery ~ Middle & Right: 1 Hour Post-Surgery...
A little bloody, but CHECK OUT MY NOSE, MA! My lovey...
Below Pics: ... 5 Days Post-Surgery (Top, Up, Side)


As of this entry, Henry amazes me with his healing progression, seemingly so RAPID. It's only been five days, and already his look appears smoother and the stitches less noticeable. And of course, the return of cooing, giggles and smiles are a clear indicator that he's truly on the mend. His sleeping at night has been rather disrupted with pain and general discomfort, but i expect that to be less severe starting very soon. He already doesn't seem to need the pain meds as readily as the first few days.



And now... the drumroll please... a dramatic side-by-side of:

Sweet Henry Huggins, Version 1.0....................Rockin' Hanksteroni, Version 2.0

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Barney!

I'm the happiest kid EVER!
Shirley (aka Nana) took Thomas, and not Sam, for a little one-on-one time to see Barney Live in Concert. I had purposely introduced Thom to Barney in the weeks before, via Netflix Watch Instantly, as he'd never heard of the Big Purple Dinosaur before. Needless to say he LOVED it. Shirley said he paid attention and sat still for most of the show, which started at 6:30. He's usually winding down from the day at that time. He came home at 9:30 p.m. wide awake and full of ear-wide grins and giggles. Not to mention carrying a Barney balloon. Thom LOVES balloons. Thank you Nana, for showing Thom a great time and surviving the barage of kids everywhere. And thanks also to my friend Christa for selling us the two tickets.

Thursday, May 05, 2011

"May the 4th..."

"May the 4th be with You." - In honor of International Star Wars Day, Sam shows off his jedi knight skills. He's been practicing his WHOLE LIFE for this performance. It's truly awe-some! Enjoy.