Cleft Clinic Appointment

Well, the appointment was fabulous. I cannot say enough good things about everyone we saw. We saw Dr. Grant (the plastic surgeon), an audiologist, speech pathologist and a geneticist. The reason for the genetic consult was to rule out that her cleft was a part of any "larger" syndrome that would affect other areas like learning development, kidneys, heart, etc. Here's the scoop on what we found out.

First, Dr. Grant said he will NOT have to repair her cleft at this time because her palate is essentially closed. The hole she has is due to the cleft of her gum so language development shouldn't be an issue and she is eating fine. He said that as she grows older, she will learn to control the liquids coming out of her nose when she eats because it will start to bother her. Her first surgery will be around 4 years of age. At that time he will do some work on her nose to put some length between the nose and the lip, and he will revise her scar since her lip will have grown. He called it "fixing her up for school."

Then, her gum cleft will be repaired at around 2nd grade (that's average age; it can be done as early as 6 years old but it depends on her teeth, I think). An oral surgeon will do this surgery and it will actually be a bone graft from bone in her hip to build in the cleft. They said the cleft part is not bad but the bone graft is pretty painful. Dr. Grant said she looks great and everything is "normal" for a cleft.

Then, we saw the audiologist who tested Eden's hearing. They can't test each ear at this young of an age but said she is hearing normally with both ears. Her eardrum is not moving as much as they would like (probably due to the fluid) so they referred us to an ENT to see about putting tubes in.

Next, the speech pathologist listened to Eden a little bit and said she is making all of the sounds she should be able to at this age. She said they don't even evaluate internationally adopted children until they've been home for 6 months but everything sounds great. She gave us some handouts to help us know what sounds/words she should master over the next year.

Lastly, we saw a genetics doctor. This is where things got interesting. You may have noticed in Eden's photos that she has 2 indentations on her bottom lip. It almost looks like she's bitten her lip. Well, this is actually salivary glands that are "in-grown," so to speak, and it is an indicator of a genetic syndrome that I can't remember the name of. This syndrome only causes clefts, and if Eden has it there is a 50% chance that her children would have cleft. Dr. Grant said when he revises her scar he can actually drain those and her bottom lip will smooth out. They drew blood to check for a certain chromosome that will tell us if she does have this syndrome. We hope that the test is positive because if it is, the doctors will know that her cleft is NOT part of any larger genetic issues. And, Eden will know that her own children have a high chance of having a cleft as well. This is priceless information for a child abandoned with no family history. I'm not sure what the next step will be if the test is negative. The geneticist said they start with tests that they think will be positive and work from there.

So, we had to make another trip to the lab for yet another "ouchie." They drew blood from the vein in her arm but we didn't have to hold her down this time because it was only 1 vial. She did great. She screamed but as soon as I told her it was over she did the sign for "all done." Then, mommy whipped out the secret stash of teddy grahams I had been saving. That did the trick.

We will go back every 6 months for follow up until her surgeries are all done. Dr. Grant said to go ahead and take her to the dentist because cleft kids have a higher risk for tooth decay so they will want to start seeing her around 2 years of age. And, he said start saving for orthodontics. They will refer us to an orthodontist that specializes in clefts when the time comes for that. What a resource this cleft clinic is!

Overall, it was a great visit and we walked away humbled that God has surrounded us with the resources to meet every one of Eden's needs. Every doctor that saw her just raved at how well she is doing, saying "We see a lot of adopted kids and she is doing SO WELL." This gave me a chance to brag on her foster mother in China and again acknowledge the incredible gift that she gave my precious daughter.

As we left Eden waved, said "thank you," and blew kisses. As the nurses teared up at how sweet she is, I was reminded again of what blessings these children are, and that Gene and I have been part of an incredible miracle of God giving an orphan a family. "Lord, please don't ever let me grow numb to what You have done. May Eden be a daily reminder of Your goodness, grace and faithfulness." Amen

Shots Galore!!

Well, we had our first pediatrician visit yesterday and it wasn't pretty. Eden is doing great, but we got 5 shots, a TB skin test, and a finger prick. I felt so horrible for Eden. She actually did well, though...probably because it was the first time and she didn't know what she was in for. The reason the doctor went ahead and did them all on this visit is because now she is up to date on shots until kindergarten. Thank goodness for that! Eden has gained about 2.5 pounds since we adopted her. The pediatrician was really pleased with her weight gain, eating, pooping and sleeping habits. She is doing so well. What really blew Dr. Albert away was how much she is talking - in English. It really is amazing how quickly she is learning the language.

She woke up today with a fever and stuffy nose. I gave her Motrin and her fever is gone. She seems to be feeling better. It may have been from all those shots, or I think she may be cutting some teeth. I did my first rectal temperature on her this morning. I couldn't help but wonder, "Who discovered this way to take a temperature?" Can you imagine the first time it was done? It's really gross and weird if you think about it. Anyway, Eden was pitiful this morning so we did a lot of snuggling and she's down for her second nap right now. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be better.

Speaking of tomorrow, we have our appointment at the Cleft Clinic with Dr. Grant at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. We hope to get some idea of a treatment plan for Eden's Aviolar (spelling?) cleft and the small hole in her palate. We will post on the blog what we find out tomorrow.

And, Gene and I are so honored that we will be sharing our adoption experience with prospective adoptive couples tomorrow night at the Lifeline Information Meeting. Eden will go with us also. I remember like it was yesterday when we attending this meeting in October of 2005. A couple brought their newly adopted daughter from China and I was HOOKED!! It's such a privilege to speak out on behalf of the world's orphans. I pray God will give us the words to say so that He will speak to those future parents that He has picked out for precious orphans. What an incredible God that He uses these adopted babies in such amazing ways to inspire others to trust Him and walk this faith journey of adoption.

This weekend we are going to Knoxville for our friends Andrea and Daniel's wedding. They are precious friends and we're so excited that Eden made it home in time to celebrate with them. Then my dad and step-mom are coming in town Sunday and they haven't met Eden yet so we're going to my grandmother's house for lunch Sunday. I'm so excited for them to meet Eden and for her to meet them.

I know everyone likes pictures, so I've posted some of me feeding Eden with the chopsticks we bought in China. We're doing what we can to instill a love for her Chinese culture, even at 20 months old! And, I put a photo of us with Heather and Caleb Platt at the airport on the day we arrived home from China. The Platts adopted Caleb from Khazakstan in March and we are trying to arrange their marriage. Just kidding, but they are becoming fast friends through play dates. Heather and I met when we both were doing our home studies for our adoptions and our friendship has grown and become so precious to me. It has been so great to have someone to walk through this process with. And Caleb and Eden are close in age (4 months difference). Isn't he so cute? You have to admit they make a cute couple.

Well, I'm going to go clean the bathroom before Eden wakes up. We'll post again soon.

We're Doing Great!

Hey everyone! Sorry these posts aren't coming frequently enough for some of you but there isn't as much to "report" these days. Eden is doing so well! We went back for our follow-up visit with the International Adoption Clinic today and found out some great news from a medical standpoint. Eden has most of the vaccines she should have and no parasites were found, which is so great! She had gained 2 pounds which inches her closer to "normal" for her height. She did still have some fluid in her ears even after 10 days of antibiotics and the pediatrician said she feels like Eden will need tubes. We will know more once we have our appointment with the Cleft Clinic at Children's Hospital. We go there on Sept. 6th to get the "down low" on how to proceed with treatment for Eden's mouth issues.

She is learning words and speaking well. The bonding is a slow and steady process. We were encouraged after meeting with the behavioral specialist at the Adoption Clinic today because she assured us that Eden is right where she needs to be and we want her to be bonding wise. The fact that she is "waiting" (as the specialist called it) to give her trust and love to us fully shows us that she had a strong, healthy bond with her caregiver in China. This is a good thing for Eden. We are seeing so much progress in her each day.

She has really opened up to me emotionally. Daddy is still more of a playmate, but Eden absolutely ADORES him and lights up when he comes home each day. The progress I see is her coming to me consistently any time she has a true need. From feeling unsure around new people, to being tired, to being hungry or thirsty, she comes to me every time for these needs to be met. She also is beginning to want to be held by me A LOT. She is allowing me to shower her with affection, and is beginning to offer affection to me. If I ask for a kiss, I almost always get one. Every now and then she initiates affection. The one in the house getting most of Eden's love is our chocolate lab Maggie. Eden sits on her, lays on her, shares toys and food with her, and most of all kisses her probably 25 times each day. Every day Eden's personality emerges a little more.

The latest thing I have learned is that she is somewhat of a girly-girl. Her newest word is "bow" and she points to her hair anytime I put her on the changing table. We put the bow in her hair, then she stands up to admire herself in the mirror as she grins from ear to ear. Then she gets down, pulls the bow out of her hair and runs off to play. She really enjoyed the pink fairy skirt and wand that my mom gave her. She also likes to carry her "purse" around the house loaded with "loot."

We took our first visit to Anniston, where my parents live, this past weekend and Eden did great. We visited my mom's 2nd grade class and they had made a huge banner for Eden and drawn pictures of her on it. Several of mom's students from last year and the 2nd grade teachers showered us with love and gifts. Eden LOVED being with all the children. She even sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider" with them. Then on Saturday we introduced her to my 2 brothers' families. She enjoyed playing with her cousins, who were so good with her. They were so excited to meet her. Then on Sunday we took her to meet the precious people in my parent's Sunday school class who had so faithfully prayed for us while we were in China. We only stayed for a few minutes but it was so important for me to let them see what their prayers had helped accomplish and to say "thank you." They loved meeting sweet Eden.

We will definitely be laying low this week since we had such a big weekend. Eden did great, though. Several times a day I would just take her away from everyone for a few minutes to snuggle and "re-connect." And we continue to enforce the "no holding" and "no giving her food" rule. We did allow my parents to pick her up for photos or for a quick kiss. She loves her Ja Ja (my mom) and Peepaw (my step-dad). She also loved my mom's 2 dogs and kissed them all weekend. I am still not ready to leave her with anyone, but I hope to begin letting my sister watch her for an hour each Sunday so I can attend one of the church services in another month or so. I miss attending the worship services so much but these precious moments of forming this bond with my daughter will never come again.

Thankfully, I can listen to the sermons online, the the church has come to us as people have cared for and loved on us so much. Thank you all for the continued support and prayers. I love you all. Eden is calling for me to get up from her nap so I have to go. Hope to post again soon!