Four more days...

I have been counting the hours until our post-op visit today, fully expecting to be free of the dreaded arm immobilizers and back to the bottle!  However, I was hit with the sad reality that my poor crying baby would have to continue with the torture devices for 4 more days.   Here's a summary of our doctor visit:

Setting:  Anna and I have been sitting in the exam room for about an hour.  Anna has cried (on and off) before we left for the appointment, outside the hospital, throughout the hospital, in the waiting room, and in the exam room (where we had waited for about an hour at that point).  I had finally given up trying to entertain/comfort/distract and was sitting there holding my poor crying child with my head in my hand.  Surgeon, resident, and nurse walk in.

Surgeon:  Hello!  How are you?  Oh, look - she's crying for us and making it easy to look in her mouth.  Oh, good, healing nicely!

Me: So I can take these things off her arms?  (in a joyous voice)

Surgeon: Oh no no no - how long has it been?  Not 2 weeks yet, right?

Me:  Almost - surgery was last Monday - 10 days ago!

Surgeon:  No, don't take them off till Tuesday.  Be very careful - we must let this heal.  She is older than most kids that we do this surgery on...it will take a little longer for her to heal than a younger baby.

Me: What about the bottle? (I had packed a bottle in Anna's diaper bag in anticipation of giving her one in the exam room in a joyous reunion of baby and bottle)

Surgeon:  Oh no - no bottle!  Wait till Tuesday - we must be careful!

Me: Wait, no bottle?  She won't drink anything!  (sort of in a fake/ha ha exasperated voice)  She won't stop crying!

Surgeon: Well, she's not dehydrated (noting the tears flowing freely as she continues to scream).  And besides - you can do it - you just have one baby - I have 4 children, including triplets!

Me:  Wait a minute - I have 3 other children at home...this isn't easy, buddy.  You can tell me all this stuff I have to do and then go home to your non-screaming children (I didn't actually say all that stuff at the end, I just thought it.  I did tell him we have 4 children too, though).

Surgeon:  Well, I need my wife to call you.  She wants to adopt a cleft palate baby from China.  

Me: Ha!  Yes - you should do it - it's just a lot of work!

Surgeon:  Okay.  Are you massaging her scar on her lip? 

Me: Wait, am I supposed to be doing that now?  I thought I wasn't supposed to go near her mouth?

Surgeon:  Yes - keep it up!  I mean, she's already crying, right?

Me:  Right, okay, I'll do it.  Wait, my husband wants me to ask about her teeth - what's the plan for her poor teeth?

Surgeon:  Oh that's right - your husband is the one who worries about the teeth.  The baby teeth will fall out, she'll get her grown up teeth, then she'll get braces, just like all her friends.  No big deal.

Me: So in the interim, I mean, her poor crazy teeth are pitiful...my husband is just worried about her being made fun of...

Surgeon, turns to nurse: Have you ever heard of our cleft kids getting made fun of for their teeth?  (as in, they have a lot more to be worried about than their teeth, for crying out loud)

Nurse: No, not really...

Me: Okay, sounds good.  See you in 3 weeks.

Anna:  scream, scream, scream

As much screaming is going on, however, I am very grateful that Anna has done so well.  The surgery is behind us, she looks great, and I know she is going to take off even more once we get rid of these arm immobilizers!  Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement!

A brief respite from crying to make faces at the phone camera

Before we left home

Outside the hospital

Waiting to see the surgeon