squeaking by {post-op post}

we're squeaking by today. day one home after surgery is never easy, but my girl is doing surprisingly well. she's not happy and is agitated a lot, but she is still determined to play and be up to her usual antics. she's dying to jump on the couch...it seems her main goal today is to catch one of us not looking and work her way up there. unknown to her, she has no strength in her legs from being in bed for 2 days and not eating...those little twigs aren't really working like usual. she already face planted into a toy piano this morning. i nearly had a heart attack...and so did she. 

the best part of this surgery?? she allowed us to comfort her...the whole time. she rarely flailed backwards or thrashed at us like the last time. even in extreme pain, she constantly wanted us close to her...holding her, patting her, holding hands or within eyesight of her crib while she was asleep. there is nothing so precious as holding your child when they are in pain and knowing God is allowing you to be a part of their journey. it's a beautiful thing.

i'm not going to post any new photos of her for a few days. she is so swollen and her nose is really starting to bruise today. but her lip looks so seamless...you can't even tell where it was closed! it's really quite amazing.

dr. taylor is one of the sweetest doctors i've ever met. he was the first person to tell me i needed to cherish emery's cleft because i would be sad when it was gone...i knew when he said that, he was the right doctor for us. he didn't want to repair her cleft to make her beautiful...his goal was to make the repair excellent because that's his job...the beauty was already there to begin with.


clint put em in the bath for a long time this morning to see if we can relieve the buildup in the nose stints...those things are no joke. the doc wants us to keep them in for 7 weeks...or at least that's the goal. he said most people don't make it past 3. now i know why. i have a feeling we will throw a giant party the day they come out.

when we picked up the boys last night on our way home from the hospital, it was a beautiful sight to see how compassionate and worried they were for their sister. they literally didn't take their eyes off of her and wanted to know everything about her surgery. foster especially was very concerned and has been carefully looking out for her all day. he keeps asking me how long it will take for her new lip it blesses my heart to see how much these kids love each other. there is something so incredible about watching your kids care for one another...like all is right in the world.

since clint is home this week, the boys are doing lots of boy things...

and i am so very grateful to clint's boss for allowing him a whole week off...it makes a huge difference to always have one of us available to monitor the couch climber :)

(our dolls wear no-no's too :)

we have been so blessed to have so many people praying for emery this week. we are hopeful that good days are ahead soon.