READ POST BELOW BEFORE WATCHING - GRAPHIC

READ THIS BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO!

As some of you know, I am a member of an online community of moms that also have children with clefts. They have been a wealth of knowledge and a source of comfort, support and encouragement. They have amazing little boys and girls at all stages of the cleft journey. Some are just finding out via ultrasound and others have children that are already in grade school. A few of the member themselves were born with clefts. It's fun to find families in the same area or that go to the same hospital with the same surgeons. It make it feel less lonely. They are always so eager to offer advice and support and I have a very safe place where we can post pictures of our kiddos and not have to explain anything or think about what other people are thinking. They even help each other out by sharing stories and even supplies. Like on mom sent me a pair of special arm restraints that are more comfortable then the hospital issued ones. Another mom had sent them to her to use and when I am done with them I will send them to another little one about to have their first surgery. I really can't say enough about these amazing moms and their adorable kids. I wish I could steal a few of their pics just to show you how sweet and precious they all are!

So, the actual reason I wanted to write tonight was to share with you a video that one of the moms posted. It is of her son's cleft lip repair surgery. It is a great video that explains the cleft and the repair. If you are curious about the surgery then you can watch the video. However, if you are AT ALL squeamish about surgical procedures and blood (there isn't too much blood) then you should not watch or turn your head when they are in the operating room because they do show pieces of the actual surgery happening. To view the video see the post above.

What's new??

Ivy turned three months old on September 19th. Wow how the time flies! My great friend Angie took some awesome pictures of her! I opted to take her NAM and tape off for the photo shoot in order to really capture who Ivy is. I am so happy that I made that decision. The pictures turned out incredible and really highlight Ivy's perfect smile! Ivy is scheduled to have her lip repaired on November 1st and it is really bitter sweet. I LOVE her sweet face and "wide" smile, as it is referred to in the cleft world. She couldn't be more perfectly beautiful to me. She will look different after the surgery so I am trying to take every chance I get to savor her natural beauty because she will never look the same. It is hard to get my head around that. But, as always, I try to find the upside to everything and so far I have found two upsides to surgery: 1 - I get to go shopping (we need side snapping shirts for Ivy so we don't have to put clothes over her head) and 2 - there is a Starbucks in the lobby at Doernbecher so I can get a cinnamon scone every morning we are at the hospital if I want! Mmmmmm.....cinnamon scone.....

On another note....Ivy is being a bit of a stinker! She had developed reflux which we believe has been caused by a food sensitivity. She has been extra fussy and cries during feedings. She is so wiggly trying to pass the gas in her tiny gut. It is hard to watch her be in such pain and discomfort. I have cut dairy and nuts out of my diet and I am also off sugar (including all fruits) right now because I am battling a yeast infection in my breasts. I am not exactly happy...it's hard to find stuff to eat and still avoid those things plus some other foods like soy that people are commonly allergic to. The upside is that I have lost about 7 pounds in the last week and a half. The biggest concern I have though is to continue to take in enough calories to keep my milk supply up. I feel hungry almost all the time but that is probably more in my head than anything else. Hopefully Ivy will have some relief soon from this issue and we can figure out exactly what is causing it so I can avoid those foods in the future. And hopefully this doesn't mess with my "Mmmmmmm........cinnamon scone..." plan.

Lily is a fourth grader!

Lily started fourth grade today. I can't believe she is that old!!! Wow...it seems like not long ago I was dropping her off at her first day of kindergarten. She had a great first day. A couple of her good friends are in her class and her teacher loves peace signs so Lily thinks that is cool. The classroom is decorated in dogs and her teacher refers lovingly to her class as the "dog pound." So Lily gets a kick out of that!

Ivy and I are officially on our own during the day! I look forward to getting into a better routine so that I can get more, or anything, done during the day. My goal for tomorrow is just to take a shower! Oh, and pump more than once...that would be really helpful! So if someone can let Ivy know that she should nap so mom can pump, shower and eat that would be nice. I keep trying to tell her but she doesn't listen to me....it's all about her!

Newest member

I want to introduce you to the newest member of Ivy's NAMMY WAHMY....it's her Nasal Stent! This is permanently attached to her NAM with a wire. It is made from a softer acrylic material than the rest of her NAM so we have to be careful not to damage it. The purpose of it is to help shape the cartilage in her nostril as she grows so that after surgery both of her nostrils will be rounded instead of having a flat nostril on her cleft affected side. She has adjusted very nicely to it. She only seems bothered by it if it slips into her nose a little too far but that is easily fixed with some Fixodent on her NAM.

The orthodontist said that it will be about 7-9 more weeks before her surgery. They are going to be scheduling it soon. I don't really want to think about it but it is coming quick!

Craniofacial Acceptance Month

Did you know that September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month? Well now you do! You can check out this website, http://www.ccakids.com/, to learn more about various craniofacial conditions. Cleft lip and palate are the most common but there are many others. So let's celebrate all the faces out there: big, small, short, tall, clefted and not. Happy Craniofacial Acceptance Month!!!

Our Cloth Adventure!

This past weekend we (well, I) finally started using cloth diapers on Ivy. I had planned on doing it from the start but with everything else going on it was just too much. Now that things are settling down I am getting to it. Some of you know that I also used cloth diapers on Lily. I was frugal then and just used prefold and covers. That is just a rectangular piece of cotton cloth with a bunch of padding in the middle that you lay inside a waterproof cover. I really didn't know that there were any other types of cloth diapers until a couple years ago. Oh my goodness it is so overwhelming!!! I decided to wait to purchase a bunch until Ivy was here so I could figure out what works best for her. I have found that the prefolds are just too bulky. My sweet friend Angie gave me some super cute "fitted" diapers which you put on just like a disposable but using velcro and then put a cover on them. (She also made some fun printed diaper covers with matching shirts. The covers fit great but the tops are a little big. I can't wait until Ivy can fit them!!!) ...back to the fitteds......So of course I have to find more because they are working great. They also have diapers that are super cute that you don't need to put a cover on. These are called "All in Ones." Well, now I am obsessed. I won't even tell you how many I have purchased or am planning on purchasing this week! It is crazy! But it will still be cheaper than disposables in the end! I have been looking for deals and buying some used so that is keeping the cost down. I will probably get a few more before my spending spree is done and then we will be set for a while. I am pretty sure Ivy is going to want more cloth diapers for Christmas though!
Just had to share...oh, and if you have used cloth diapers and have a brand you want to recommend please do so!!!