December 23rd, 2014 - Our Christmas Eve

We are celebrating Christmas a day early as a family of four.  Because we are heading to Michigan for Christmas we decided to celebrate with our little family on Christmas Eve, so that makes the 23rd our Christmas Eve.  Growing up we always opened one gift on Christmas Eve and it was always pajamas and a stuffed animal (to help us sleep).  We have continued the tradition with our kids.  This year instead of buying a stuffed animal for them to open we decided to take them to Build A Bear, so they could make their own.  Liam picked a Batman bear and Lilly picked a brown bear, which she decorated with a white dress and silver dress shoes.

After making our bears, the kids and I went to Warsaw to get together with my Aunt Gloria, Uncle David, my cousin Jillian, and her two girls Lorelei and Lucy.  Jillian and I have always been close and our kids get along so well.  We try to get together at least twice a year.  The weather was so warm, the kids actually played outside a lot.  It was so nice to get some fresh air.

Liam with Lucy

Lilly and Lorelei

After supper we let the kids open their pajamas and then take a bath.  Liam got dinosaur slippers, which Lilly wanted to try on.

Daisy tried to help Lilly open her present

Liam's PreK Christmas Party

I offered to help come up with the activities and games for Liam's Christmas party.  Lilly and I joined Liam for his pajama Christmas party.  We started the morning with story time.  I read Little Star by Anthony DeStafano.  It is about the star of Bethlehem.  Then, the kids had to find baby Jesus hidden in the classroom.  Once he was found, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  After story time we did our art project, which were paper stockings.  They turned out really well. 

After our art project we had Christmas themed centers.  The groups of students switched centers every 5 minutes.  The centers included - play dough with Christmas cookie cutters, fishing with candy canes for ornaments, pin the nose on Olaf, dress up "photo booth" (Christmas dress-up clothes & pictures taken on the iPad), and ball toss.

pin the nose on Olaf

ornament fishing

ball toss

play dough

photo booth

After centers, the kids watched The Polar Express and had a snack and hot chocolate.

Liam was so excited to have Mom and Lilly with him for the day.  He looked out for Lilly and made sure she knew where to go and what to do.  Lilly enjoyed her day at Preschool too.  What a great way to kick-off Christmas break!

Liam's PreK Christmas Program

Today was Liam's PreK Christmas program, Christ the Savior is Born.  Liam did such a great job of singing and doing all the hand motions.  Liam's favorite song was Hear the Bells because they got to ring jingle bells through the song.  Grandma & Grandpa Herman came to watch too.  There was a cookie reception afterwards, which Lilly liked best.

Date Night with Liam

Liam and I had a date night last night.  Liam was excited to get dressed up in his 'business suit' and spend an evening together.  We went to the CLHS Embassy Christmas concert.  Liam loved listening to the band best.  We got hot chocolate on the way home.  It was a great night.  I think it will have to be a new tradition.

Hart Christmas

Hart Christmas was fun chaos.  We hosted dinner at our house and then opened gifts and enjoyed having 4 kids running around, playing with their new toys.  We ended the festivities by watching Frozen, a family favorite.

Liam spent all evening playing with his new toys in the garage.  He got an airplane that flies and a hot wheel track.

Nana made the girls hand-made tea sets and teddy bears out of cloth.  Lilly was so excited!

We got Hudson a bath instrument set, which was a big hit.

Liam trying out his straw glasses.

Cleft Clinic 2014

Lilly and I spent the morning at Parkview Hospital for a cleft clinic.  Lilly has been seen by a couple of the doctors on the team already for individual things, but this is the first time the collective team has reviewed her for a plan. Here is the breakdown of what they found -

Pastic Surgeon/Physician Assistant/RN
Lilly's palate is healing very well.  We will have to keep an eye on it as she grows.  As of right now, it does not look like she will need additional surgeries, but we can't rule it out completely.  She sees her plastic surgeon once a year to monitor how things are going.

Dietitian
Lilly is such a great eater.  I mentioned that she eats all day, but the dietitian didn't seem concerned that she would over-eat, since she is still so skinny and active.  Lilly is eating all types of textures now.  She has no problem swallowing food.  I think Lilly just really loves eating and having food available to her.  She's starting to recognize when she feels full, because there are times when she doesn't clean her plate.  We've notice how muscular she seems now.

Pediatric Dentist/Orthodontists
The dentist will see Lilly in February for a cleaning and will look more closely at her teeth, but mentioned that all of her teeth are growing in well and look good. The orthodontist said her mouth does not show any typical cleft palate signs.  Her cleft palate was far enough back in her mouth that it didn't cause problems in her teeth.  She will probably need orthodontics for her over-bite, but that is not a cleft palate issue.  He thinks her two front teeth are wavy (they look chipped) because she clenched her teeth while she slept at the orphanage and wore them down.  He does not think it's from malnutrition or a fall.

Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist
Since we were just in last week to have Lilly's wax removed and we're going in next week to have tubes put in, Dr. Reddy just popped in and said hi.  Lilly's ear appointments are about every 3 months.  We have to go in regularly to check for wax, fluid, and see how her hearing aids are working.  Lilly's hearing loss will warrant frequent appointments.

Speech Language Pathologist
The speech therapist suggested that in addition to speech services through the school system, Lilly should see a speech/language therapist through the hospital.  She thinks Lilly would benefit from having a speech teacher who knows the anatomy of a cleft palate mouth and can work on the physical aspect of her speech and not just hearing and repeating sounds.  Our insurance should cover this, but we will probably have to be put on a waiting list.  She also gave me ideas of what to do at home.

Everyone thought Lilly was, of course, so sweet and stylish.  She makes an impression on everyone she meets.  She has come a long way!  I'm thankful for all these professionals and their willingness to help.