Healing Progression

I think it's amazing to watch Hank's lip heal right before our eyes, so quickly, in the span of a few WEEKS. I can only imagine what months and YEARS will provide. I'm so very happy with how it has come along and how totally easy-going my lil guy has been through it all, especially having his arms out in a Frankenstein manner for two straight weeks. Well, his arms are "back" and it was all worth it. Yum yum, those fingers never tasted so good - and excellent timing, too... those teethers are trying their darndest to come in!

Left: One week mark. Right: Two week mark.

Hank had his 2 wk check-up appointment and Dr. Girotto and Christine thought he looked great. The "plan" is this: We'll get through the holidays with no further surgeries. At the beginning of the year, Dr. Girotto will fix Hank's cleft palate in one surgery. About a month or two after that, he'll do a more refined lip surgery to make Hank's lip even prettier! In late October of this year, however, we have an appointment with one of Strong's ENT doctors to discuss Hank's upcoming palate surgery and the placement of tubes in his ears on surgery day (routine procedure with palate repair). That same day we'll have one more consult with Dr. Girotto before scheduling The Big Day (#2!) in January.

And then, i believe, as far as any of us can foresee - - this should be IT for a long time (hopefully). There's no telling at all when Henry will be ready to have his heart ultimately repaired, but with any luck, it's not until he's well healed from all the facial repair. I'm confident that will be the case - he's been doing so well at home on his own. No monitors, telemetry, no NOTHIN'. And i'm loving it.

Hank will be 8 months old tomorrow and he's doing all sorts of stuff that he SHOULD be at this age, if perhaps a touch delayed by a couple months. He's tracking visually, kicking like crazy, laughing, cooing and saying short consonant-vowel combos and has even played Peek-a-Boo with Ron and I, a big PLUS developmentally. We've been given the go ahead to start sitting Hank up in a Bumbo, with assistance of course. I cannot wait to see him hold his own more and more.

Today, almost three weeks.