Surgery Update!

God is so good. That's no suprise, but it just has to be said. We have nothing but wonderful things to share in reguards to Rachel's surgery this morning and we give God all the glory. It's no suprise things went so well with all the people that are praying for Rachel.

Rachel's surgery was the first of two surgeries on her lip. Today's surgery was officially called a Cleft Lip Adhesion. The plastic surgeon basically sewed up her lip, which will allow the muscles to stretch and grow over the next 3 months. It is then when she'll have her second lip surgery, which will be the official repair. However, the outcome of today's surgery was far better then we had anticipated. She looks pretty different and pretty good and it hasn't even been a full day yet.

Rachel has had 3 bottles so far, and each feeding has gone ever so smoothly. She's not showing any signs of problems with eating. It's so different seeing her eat now, before we just kinda stuck the bottle in the hole of her mouth, now she looks like any other baby with a bottle in her mouth. Rachel has to have arm restraints on for the next 2 weeks. This is to keep her hands away from her surgical site and stitches. She can have them off when we are supervising her, but we took them off this evening, and it was her mouth that was the first thing she went for! So we put the restraints back on.

As I had read online from other accounts of mothers who had children with clefts, I was overcome with tears upon seeing Rachel for the first time. She looked so different. I was amazed at what Dr Lehocky had done in the short hour he had her. Looking back at pictures we've taken just over this past weekend, I already miss seeing her wide smile. That was the face I'd come to love. But I'm sure loving this new face already! Today's surgery outcome is simply incredible. And again I say, "God is Good".