The sticker...

Here's an early picture just after we were able to see Lia. I'm sorry I don't have a better picture for you at this point. I just keep hearing Lia's 16 year old voice in my head... "Dad! I can't believe you put that picture of me on the internet for the entire world to see! I looked terrible!" So I'll leave it at this one.

On the other hand...

Here is a picture of what the surgeon found in her nose! (Not the dime... that's just for perspective.) It's a sticker that looks like it came off a new pair of shoes! As you can see, it was the size of a stamp. She had to have put it in her mouth and it went up instead of down. We won't be having that problem again. (I'm hearing that 16 year old again, so I better stop.)

She is already drinking juice, which means we should be home by tomorrow afternoon. She is talking and copying facial expressions. She is on a steady diet of Tylenol, Motrin, and Nickelodeon. It's amazing how TV can make kids glaze over!

Thanks for your prayers. Words can't express how greatful we are...

Wow... It's really strange to look at her and see a new face! Even more importantly, the gaping hole that connected her nose and mouth is no more! We realize that this is not the end... it's only a beginning, but a really important beginning, and Lia's life will be infinitely better.

If you have followed this blog at all, I think you will discover an ongoing theme... Lia is a survivor. She opened her eyes after the surgery, looked at Luciana and in the weakest little voice said, "I'm fine."

I'm going to eat... I give more details and let you know what the doctor located in her nose later... Now you know you'll have to check again.

A New Profile

It's hard to believe that Cecilia's face will look different in a couple of hours. We are sitting here in the waiting room while the surgeon is rearanging the inside of Lia's mouth and nose. We were told today that they may not need to remove a piece of her rib in order to close the palate. We are praying that this is the case.

What you don't know from this picture is that Lia was just throwing a fit that could have been measured on the Richter scale with a seismograph when they came in and gave her, what they were calling, "joy juice." It worked like a charm! (Could I get some of that to go?)

We'll keep you updated as we find out more.