whew!

So, the saying goes that time flies when you're having fun. But when you're not? Crawls like a snail! The past three weeks have just about been the longest of my life, but now that we're home and it's behind us, I've been able to get a little perspective. And so, here is the good news:

• Ainsley's surgery went just as it was supposed to: The ENT doc put the tubes in her ears and was able to remove lots of grossness (eyeroll! I'm sure it's a word!). The plastic surgeon harvested a piece of her rib and the oral surgeon used that piece to form a brace between the two pieces of bone in her upper gum with the expectation that the new cells from her rib will help to fill in the gap between the bones and form one alveolar ridge. She now has a small incision on her ribcage and her upper gum line is in one piece...and she was able to keep all of her teeth!


• Our hospital stay was not fun, but just like last time, once we were able to leave the hospital, Ainsley made remarkable improvements. I'm sure that had almost everything to do with having 4 adults at her beck and call, endless walkabouts, and a wagon made from a laundry basket and a belt.


• At her follow-up appointment yesterday Ainsley got a glowing report. The oral surgeon said her mouth looked great and gave us the okay to take off her arm immobilizers! Then the plastic surgeon said her incision had healed nicely and she was cleared for tub baths! And she had another tympanogram and the audiologist said there is definite movement in her eardrums (She didn't actually "pass" this test, but they usually don't do a post op test until 4 weeks and it had only been 12 days...movement is definitely encouraging and we'll take her in for another test in a few weeks).


• Ainsley's killer cold/cough is starting to wane and she actually slept for 5 1/2 hours last night. ALL. AT. ONCE. (Unlike 2 nights before when she woke up every 45 minutes...Sorry Quandts!!)

And so that's that! Two down and one to go! We should be getting the call soon to let us know when her next surgery will be...the plastic surgeon told us yesterday that it should be in 3-4 months, so May or June. And the really fun part? Ainsley needs to be weaned from the bottle and sippy cups before that surgery. Basically, when he creates her new palate, for the first 6 weeks it will be like wet toilet paper. Just about anything can puncture it. No sucking on bottles or sippy cups and no eating anything with texture (just level 1 baby foods, pudding and applesauce!). So, we started tonight having her drink from a real cup, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. She was able to drink a few sips without choking or gagging or giving me a shower, so I think that's a good start!

A few other items of note from the past few weeks:

• Ryan ROCKED at singing the National Anthem. He'll be blogging about that soon and maybe we can even load the video for you to see.


• Ryan and Emily both got straight A's on their 2nd quarter report cards. I think this is the first time they have both gotten straight A's at the same time. Fantastic!


• The kids had a great time with Grandma Mary...and she left a spaghetti pie in the freezer that I think was the best she has ever made!!


• I got my hair cut. It's Katie Holmes before she got the cut with the bangs. I like it. I could actually be Katie Holmes. Without the killer legs. And the ridiculous amounts of money.


• Ainsley has a new tooth...on the bottom...#7 if you're counting.


• And last, but certainly not least: Congratulations to my fabulous sister Kate and her equally fabulous boyfriend John, who is not her boyfriend anymore...but her fiance!! They got engaged on Valentine's Day. We are all sooooo excited for them!

And now I'm off to bed. Sorry for the absence. It's good to be home.