So, a quick update and some new pics!
Wednesday we had our first appointment with the surgeon who will repair Mia's cleft palate. We also met with speech therapy and will go back for an appointment with the dental team. We will do everything at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They have an incredible team, sort of a "one stop shopping" kind of thing. Once we were in our room, everyone from each team came to us. Pretty neat, I thought. Everything looks great and Dr. B wants to do her surgery late summer or early fall. This will give her more time to bond with us and adjust to her new home before having surgery. At this point, it looks like one surgery will do the trick! We won't know for sure until it's done - sometimes they can't get the palate totally closed or a portion may open again - but it all looks good so far! We will start some speech therapy now so she can practice sounds that she will be able to make after her palate is closed.
Mia continues to amaze us everyday. I can't believe how quickly she has picked up the English language. We have had her for 5 weeks now and she can say so many things. "bye-bye, hello, hi, ball, night-night, up, more, eat :), and the list goes on and on. Two of my favorites are Carly and Max - our cat and dog. These were a couple of the first ones and they came way before "momma and "daddy". Every time she sees either Carly or Max, she gives a big surprise face and calls their name. Every time. It is so funny! You would think that by now the "newness" of the cat and dog would wear off. Nope. Every morning it is like she has never seen them before. Of course, because of the cleft palate these words don't sound exactly like I write. "Up" is more like "Uh" because she can't make a "p" sound and "eat" is just "eee" without the "t". We have had no problem so far communicating with her. Never underestimate the power of a pointed finger coupled with a grunt. :)
The boys have just been great too. What fantastic big brothers they are! They really enjoy her and can't wait to see her in the mornings. You should see the excitement everyone has when we pick up the boys from school. She grins and giggles. They say "hey, Mia" in their best "I'm talking to my baby sister, baby talk". It is just a joy to see. They also love Mia's night time hugs and kisses. Boy has she learned the art of good hugging quickly! Tate has also been the proud recipient of a few smooches right on the kisser.
Mia is adjusting to her new home and family well. She is not quite the ferocious eater she once was. She still wants to eat anytime she sees food, but doesn't shovel it down anymore. This is a good sign because she is realizing that she will have enough. She is sleeping great. One of our favorite times is bedtime. She loves drinking her milk and being rocked. She is quite the playful thing and has created all kinds of little games to play with us - mostly for the purpose of trying to stay awake. :) It has become a great time for bonding with her and so we play the games and don't get to worried about getting her to sleep. Eventually she settles down and is even ok with being put in her crib awake. She just turns over, gets all comfy and falls fast asleep.
I just can't express what a joy she is. This kid has some major personality. She is so expressive. I can't wait to get some video up for you all to see. Hopefully coming soon!
I'll leave you with a few pics!
Egg Hunt!
Sandbox!
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