Happy New Year! We certainly are thrilled to be entering 2012 with our long-awaited Mei Li home with us. She has added so much joy and life to our family! What a blessing she is. . .
Today, we received a phone call from Dr. Blount's nurse to schedule Mei Li's surgery. We were expecting her spinal surgery to fall around the end of February, but tonight we found out we are on the books for January 31st!! We have a consult with Dr. Blount to discuss Mei Li's MRI film on the 19th. We have been told to expect her to be in the hospital for 4 days. Then, she will need to be on her back and "still" for about 7 days at home. . . For those of you who know our Mei Li. . . you are probably shaking your heads in disbelief, right now. This little one is always on the go. . . busy, busy, busy!!! Keeping her still for 3 minutes is a task. Seven days is monumental! Mama is going to need some divine intervention to help her manage this task. :-) We are thrilled to get this major surgery behind her. Every day that passes, the risk increases that she could have problems with her spinal chord tethering from the tumor. We want our Mei Li to have as bright of a future as possible. . . and we want her to be able to embrace that future as soon as possible!
It is amazing to look back and realize that Mei Li has been home for 3 months. She has been through serial casting for 5 weeks, a surgery on her Achilles tendon, casting, braces on her foot and now surgery to detach this tumor from her spine. By the time she enters February, she will have completed her major surgeries, and her foot and spine will have been corrected! Hallelujah!!! :)
I will post more details once we meet with Dr. Blount.
And, on another note, I am so proud of my Anna Grace! She has a big audition tomorrow, and has put it together in a day and a half!!! She has memorized a pretty hefty monologue and is ready to audition for the part of Alice in Alice in Wonderland! Whether she gets cast or not. . . she has done a brilliant job getting it learned and delivering it in a delightfully "Alice" way! Break a leg tomorrow, Anna Grace!!! Mom and Dad are so very proud of you!
Good night! And, thanks for following :)
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4 comments:
Good luck, Anna Grace! And praying for Mei Li. Laying flat for a week is really hard for kids. Some of the parents I work with have had success entertaining their kids with the following: DVD's, hand held games, play-doh, coloring books, over the door/chair basketball goals, bubbles, balloons, tons of books, special food treats. Good luck you your family.
Hi Kristi! I checked in on the Shanghai Yahoo group tonight--something I haven't done in ages--and saw a post by you. I am so glad I came over to see how your family is doing. Mei Li looks great! She is precious and beautiful. I have thought of her so many times over the last nine months. Her little personality was so cute and bubbly when we met her. I bet she has just blossomed since coming home!
Oh, and I should add, from the five minutes I spent with her in Shanghai, I cannot imagine her being still for seven days! Good luck!!! :-) I hope she has a successful surgery and recovery.
Thank you so much, Daphne and Mary Beth!! I have definitely got to come up with a gameplan for those days after surgery. She is a ball of fire, for sure! :)
Mary Beth, she is an angel. Her love for everything new, her warmth and joy of having a family that loves her. She has taught us SO much. We adore her!! I am ready to get this last big surgery behind us!! And, I want to know that she will be able to launch forward, in Mei Li style, to her future without concern of that tumor debilitating her down the road. She is such a little overcomer. . . and she greets each and every day and even these doctor's appointments with a glowing smile. Have I mentioned I'm in love with this little girl??? :)
THank you for checking in!!!! And, it is wonderful to have contact with you all these months later after you met her in Shanghai!!!
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