Family Reunion

Livi and I spent this last weekend in Georgia for our family reunion. Livi was a little bit more shy with everyone this year compared to last year--very clingy to Mommy. I didn't mind seeing that at all! I've been worried that she wouldn't develop any stranger fear, but she does seem to be more wary of unfamiliar people than she has been. I managed to get a couple cute photos of her--in this one Livi is trying out her new jaw in earnest on an ear of corn. She managed to do a pretty good job of it! The funniest part of it was that up until now she hasn't liked corn! I guess it's all in the presentation.

This photo is Livi wearing Papa's hat. I loved the gangster look she pulled off. Too cute! Livi also surprised me this weekend with her skill on a balance beam. I was holding her hands, of course, but she was very deliberate in the placement of her feet. It was quite impressive! I can see that we're going to have some gymnastics lessons in our future. And speaking of balance--Livi is walking more and more and better and better. I'm so proud of her!

~ Jeana

The Big Wait...

We have finished the "turning of the screws" and are now into the big wait for the final surgery to remove all of Livi's hardware. That will be some time in early December. We ended up moving her jaw forward 20 mm--a little more than 3/4 of an inch. The difference is incredible! I hope to get some photos this weekend.

On my health front, I still have a bit of a cough and my voice isn't yet back to full strength, but I'm improving daily. I have an appointment for a second breast biopsy on Monday--the first one came back negative, but they saw another mass that looks different, so we have to do it again... fun...

Other than that things are moving along nicely. Livi seems to like her new occupational therapist. Now that we have our whole therapy team in place I'm hoping we will see her making some good progress.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Fall weekend!

~ Jeana

Comparison Photos

We are now at 14 mm and the difference is just incredible! Here are some photos for comparison:

This one is Alivia's original chin. This was taken this past July when we were in St. Louis.

This one is how she looks now in profile. The difference is just amazing!

Here are a couple other new ones from different angles. As you can tell, Livi is doing just great! She's gotta be the most amazing child in that sense. Even her doctor is amazed at how well she is doing.


Enjoy!

~ Jeana

A Taste of Fall

We are finally starting to get some Fall-like weather here--lots of rain, but beautifully temperate days with nice breezes, too. I love it! If I could just get over this nasty bronchitis I'd be so happy!

Livi is doing incredibly well! As of this evening we have moved her jaw out 10 mm! You can really tell a difference. And she's tolerating it so well! No pain at all that I can tell. She is on antibiotics, but no other medications. We've also got her started back in speech therapy finally and, while she doesn't like it very much, we are already seeing some good results from it. Her new physical therapist will start on Friday and we should be getting an occupational therapist going in the next week, as well. Between those three and her cognitive therapist she's got a pretty full plate these days!

Speaking of full plates... you wouldn't believe how her appetite has suddenly picked up! She's eating much more now than she was before the two surgeries and drinking much more, too. I expect to see another growth spurt real soon.

We go back to the surgeon on Monday of next week for her next follow up appointment. I'm hoping that we will be able to stop the screw turning then and remove the rods. Then she'll have to wear the internal pieces another 6 weeks or so and we'll go back to have those removed. I expect it will mean another hospital stay, but hopefully only for a day or two at most. In the meantime, Livi continues to amaze all of us with her progress and her cheerful attitude!

~ Jeana