Cuts and Cutting

Today we went for haircuts. Mia just got her bangs cut. We are going to get the rest of her trim a couple of weeks before the wedding. Anna got a whole haircut. We are trying to grow out the trillions of layers she has and she looks really cute with a short bob. She sat on the chair without crying for the first time. The last two times she has had to sit on my lap.

Mia stays up about an hour later than Anna on the days she takes a nap. She is really good about playing quietly after Anna goes to bed. Her favorite thing to do right now is cut.

She cuts for no reason in particular, just because she can.

She cuts for a straight 30 minutes at a time. I know this phase will pass because I've seen many children go through it. But it's just so darn cute.

End of the Visit

Grandpa and Grandma went home on Tuesday morning. We had a great visit and the girls especially had a good time. It was nice to spend time at both our house and Bill's. And we'll see Grandma and Grandpa again at the wedding!

Today Anna went to the dentist for the first time. She saw one at the cleft clinic and we chose to go to his office for the follow-up after talking with our plastic surgeon. Today we saw his brother, also part of the practice. He had an amazing bedside manner, really sweet.

We found out that Anna is missing a lot of enamel on her top two front teeth. So we have to be careful we brush those two really well. She has no decay. That's from not being in an orphanage! She'll have to go back at least every six months.

I don't think I posted that we found out the ENT I really liked doesn't do closures like Anna needs on the hole below her nose. He also is not available to put in the tubes on the 25th of September with the plastic surgeon. So...next week we are seeing another ENT that our surgeon works with a lot. He is available on the 25th, but he will also decide if he can just do the closure himself when he evaluates her next week.

Every day the girls are playing more and more together. Anna still doesn't like it when Mia gets in her face, especially with a toy. We've had to confiscate a few hoping that Mia will finally get it. But Mia is so good with Anna in all other areas. She always includes her in everything she does.

The next two weeks we are trying to work on Dan bonding more with Anna. Especially putting her down for naps and bedtime. I am going to Beth and Becky's showers in two weeks and he will be here alone with the girls for the weekend. Praying praying praying that Anna will not be too upset about me leaving.

Dessert at Our House

Someday they will figure it out. And I won't be able to get away with it. But for now, they are clueless and happy.

They think the banana ice cream I give them is really ice cream and not just frozen bananas put it in a high speed blender.

They think that muffins made with sweet potatoes and no sugar are really good. And they love popsicles, i.e. frozen orange juice. This is what dessert at our house looks like and they love it. Shhh...don't tell them the truth!

Parks!

Our parks in Douglas County are AMAZING! They are almost all less than ten years old with so much fun stuff for the kids. We enjoy at least one almost every day.

Mia recently got a new tricycle and loves to pedal it all around. We often take it to the park with us.

She even shares it with her buddies!

Getting sad that summer is winding down here in Colorado and we won't be going to the park nearly as often very soon.

Fresh Produce

Last week we were driving to the new house on a different road and came upon this organic farm. We just had to stop and take a look! The manager said this is only their second year of operation. You get to choose the exact vegetable that you want them to pick for you. It's a bit pricey; but it was fresh and fun and I think it's good for kids to see exactly where their food comes from. We got some carrots, lettuce, beets, green onions and squash.

There was even a playground and corn box for the kids to play in. I'm sure we'll be back again before the end of the summer!

More Visitors

My mom and stepdad are visiting from California. The girls are having so much fun! Yesterday we just hung out at the house.

Today we drove over to the new house and looked at the lot and model. Later, we went to visit my Aunt Dorothy in Aurora (90 and still plays Bridge). She is my mom's sister. My mom has 4 sisters, ages 75, 87, 88, and 90, and a 92 year old brother! Mom is the baby at 70.

I love family! And, yes, I agree, I need to take a photography class!!

Visit With Plastic Surgeon

Today we had a great meeting with our plastic surgeon! She was so sweet...the first thing she did was give Anna a hug and kiss. She confirmed for us what we thought happened: a section of her lip surgery stitches did not hold on the left side from the original procedure. And that is why she has the open crater under her nose. She said that the repair of this was a minor minor surgery and could even be done by the ENT when he puts the tubes in if he is willing. So we have a call in to him. The plastic surgeon, Stacey Folk, could do it but not until September 25th, right in between the wedding and the next grandbaby. We would really rather it was done in August. Just waiting for the ENT to call me back.

On another good note she said the Chinese surgeons did an amazing job on Anna's lips and palate. Bilateral cleft lip and palate surgery is extremely complicated and she said it could not have been done better! Thanks, Shanghai Healing Home. By the way, that is Anna's picture on the video on the home page and bottom left of the four pictures at the top. They are both pre-surgery.

On a not so good note, she says the fistulas in her hard palate really can't be repaired until she has her bone graft at 8 or 9 years old. There is just no tissue to work with. So she will have difficulty with many sounds until that time. When she is 3 and 1/2 she can get a retainer that will cover the holes and allow her to make some of the sounds.

Overall, we are happy campers!