Lookin Good!

Surgery went very well. We were actually a little shocked by how different he looks. He's very swollen and puffy, as you can tell by the pics. Once the swelling goes down it will look even better. They removed the cap behind his nub since he apparently doesn't need it anymore, but left the anchor piece of the appliance pinned into the roof of his mouth to keep his gumline in place while everything else heals. The tension from the two parts of his lip now tied into his nub will continue to pull his nub back into place. So overall the inside of his mouth looks very good. He has a cute little tooth coming in on the left side of the nub. It will actually be hard to even call it is his 'nub' anymore, because its already begun to look like part of his upper lip. His surgeon probably wants to close the palate next, prior to doing the final lip repair, so that he can begin working on his speech. Izaiah's spirits are great, but they want us to stay in the hospital tonight for observation. We are overall very satisfied and grateful for the outcome of this amazing surgery. More later... Good night from Chi-town (that's Chi-cago, not Chi-na) :) Thank you friends and family for all your prayers. They are truly the fuel that keeps us going. Soli Deo Gloria!!!

Big Surgery

Izaiah will have a fairly aggressive surgery tomorrow morning. We've just spoken with our surgeon and he wants to do what is called a 'lip adhesion repair', which will grab the two parts of his existing upper lip and tie them together with stitches over his nub. This will apply pressure on the nub from both inside (using the appliance) and from the outside, using pressure from the upper lip. This also can aid in the final lip closure by stretching the upper lip and therefore making it more elastic when tied it into the lip portion of his nub during final closure. We've been cleared by our surgeon to make this an overnight inpatient event, if we decide that we want to stay for longer observation. One of the frustrating issues we've faced is arrving home from his operations and noticing that things are already shifted unfavorably. Since we're not very close to the hospital (90 miles) we may spend the night to ensure that everything is stable. We'll update as soon as possible. Love to all.

Please Pray for Izaiah

Please be praying for Izaiah. He's been in a lot of pain in the last 2 days, as the cap on his nubby is not holding well and is digging into his 'gums'. This morning the scabby area around the nub broke open and has been bleeding quite a bit. He honestly looks like he's been in a wicked street fight (we're not posting pictures, they're a little too gruesome). We have been given a top priority surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. The surgeon is calling us at 1 o'clock today to tell us exactly what we're going to be doing. We think they're going to want to do a partial lip closure to help put pressure on his nub. As always, we rely on the comfort of the Spirit through the prayers of the Saints to carry us through difficult times.

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Bon Appetit!!!!

 

Paternity Wars

 

Bright Eyes

 

 

Jump!!!

 

Beautiful Terrible Cross

Songs about the Cross can have a profound healing and tranforming power. Revelation says that it is what believers will be worshiping and glorying in for all of eternity. This song is truly magnificent. What the Son of Man, the embodiment of perfect manhood / Son of God, the perfect Lamb has accomplished for us is terrible and beautiful in ways that we can merely taste in this life, and only eternity will fully tell. -Worship-

 

"What Does a Snake Say? SSSSssssssss!!!!"

 

Trying to Whistle

 

 

Nap-time Lily

 

Adjustment

Izaiah's 'nubby cap' had slipped a bit, so mommy and daddy gave him a chauffeured trip back to Children's today, where he took a little 'nap' and had it re-positioned. We're praying and believing that it will now hold in place and so it can do its work. We'll take him for a follow up appointment next week to have it checked. The goal is to change or tighten the bands over the next few weeks as it moves down and backward into place, and then the big surgery to close his lip.

Update

Last night was a rough night for Izaiah. It's so hard to know if he's in pain or just wanting to be comforted. Either way, there wasn't a lot of sleep in the Olsen house last night. We can see a significant change in the direction of his nubby; it is now facing more downward than it was. His surgeon has told us that it will be "weeks, not months" until everything is in place for closing his lip, and he will be seeing Izaiah to assess his progress at the end of this week. Our little boy is such a trooper, and we can see him trying so hard to enjoy all the moments when he's feeling good. This is truly becoming a bonding experience for us, as he wants to be held and comforted constantly. Since his surgery on Friday, we've been feeding him with a syringe with a soft extension tube, and he's been taking it surprisingly well. Apparently his hunger trumps his need to have his familiar bottle. This feeding method has also made it easier to give him his medications, since they're also administered via a tube and syringe. Overall, he's doing as well as can be expected. Please continue to pray for Izaiah's speedy recovery and for his emotional well-being, especially since we're facing at least two more surgeries in the next few months.

 

 

Nana & the Kids (Pre-Surgery)

 

Not for the Squeamish!

We've just returned from Children's Memorial Hospital, where Izaiah had a successful installation of the device to begin retracting his premaxilla ("nubby"), which will properly prepare his mouth for the lip and palate repairs that he needs to restore proper function and appearance. As you can see from the pictures, it is certainly a foreign object in his little mouth, but he's already taking to it extremely well. A severe snowstorm today made our drive home terribly long (1.5 hours in and 5.5 hours home), and yet he never even made a fuss. He's just an absolute angel, and we're very proud of him!  We were so impressed with the professionalism and kindness of the staff at CMH. The level of service we received today has already put our minds at rest for our next surgery which, God willing, should be to close his lip and possibly a portion of his palate. We'll continue to update the blog when we can.  Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts to all who've continually lifted our family up in prayer. As of now those prayers have been abundantly heard and answered in ways that have increased our faith and amazement at the grace and mercy and sovereign hand of our blessed Lord and Savior. To Him be all the glory!

 

Surgery Went Well

He was just given morphine and he's sleeping now. We'll know in the next couple of hours if his pain is being managed. If so they'll release us to go home today. More details later. Thanks to all for your prayers.

Family Shots

 

 

Izaiah's First Surgery Scheduled

For those who don't yet know, Izaiah will undergo his first surgery on Friday, January 20th. The details of his surgery are posted below under our December 14th blog post titled "Izaiah Repair Update". Please be praying for Izaiah and this first major step in his recovery. We are so grateful for the cleft team that the Lord has sent into our lives. Surgery will be at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. We'll post an update soon after surgery, so please check back after Friday evening.

We pray everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday, and we wish everyone a happy and blessed new year. Love to all.

It's Snowing!!!

 

 

Someone Turned 40 Today!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Husband.  40 Reasons Why I Love My Man... in random order:

1. He makes me laugh every day.
2. My "serious" tendency really needs that.  
3. He is not afraid to be silly.
4. Or sometimes even cry.
5. He knows me and he loves me anyway.
6. He never asks me to drive.
7. He is and will always be the most handsome man ever.
8. My heart still pounds.
9. He forgives my occasional grouchiness.  :)
10. He understands and supports my relationship with coffee.
11. He is an amazing father.
12. He works many hours to provide for our family so that I can fulfill my dreams of staying at home and being a wife and mom.
13. He can cook a great meal.
14. He is my hero, my best friend, a person I look up to.
15. He is mine.
16. He loves God with a passion that inspires me.
17. He loves talking for hours with me about about God and His word.
18. And sometimes he just listens to me talk for hours.
19. He calls / texts / emails me every day "just because".
20. He loves me like no other.
21. He tells me I'm the apple of his eye.
22. His heart is tender.
23. He washes windows.  
24. And does a really great job!
25. He loves family vacations and is always the one to initiate and plan them.
26. He calms me when I'm stressed; he gives it his best shot anyway.
27. He took me all the way to China to bring home two beautiful babies to call our own.
28. He encourages me when everything is not fine.
29. He is never afraid to try to fix or build something, which is why we never need to call the repair man.
30. He has a romantic heart and love candles and soft music as much as I do.
31. He most often apologize first.
32. He prays for the will of God to be done in our family.
33. Loving God and following Jesus is the most important thing in his life.
34. He wears my favorite colognes because he knows I love the smell.
35. He tries to give me everything I ask for.
36. He takes me out to eat when I'm too tired to cook.
37. He just plain spoils me.
38. He does what he says he will do.
39. He is faithful and trustworthy.
40. I'm just crazy about My Man!