Photo Galore!

So, we took the steri strip off long enough to have a little photo shoot...enjoy!

We love you Udi!

Naina is here!!

YAY! She arrived yesterday..and Judah is loving every minute of her! (Well he was a little cranky at first only because he was hungry and tired)
He also had a "pimple" surface on his suture line yesterday...scary! We popped it and cleaned it just like Dr. Mulliken said and it is looking much better today..thank you Jesus!

On the phone with Aunt April

Last night without the steri strip..trying to let the "pimple" get some air.

Udi!

I have to share!....On the plane ride home from Boston we sat next to a girl from Israel. She was so cute! It was her first time coming to America. She hadn't eaten in 24 hours so I gave her a fruit roll up, "What is this?..." as she pulled the sticky snack apart with her fingers, she slowly put it in her mouth and began to chew. She looked at me puzzled "Am I eating this right?" So cute!

We talked the whole time. She told me about her mom in Israel she already missed terribly. We talked about Judah....that's where Udi comes in! Apparently in Israel "Judah" is pronounced "Uda" (oodah) They would call him "Udi" for short (oodie) I loved it! So that is Judah's little nick name..too cute huh!?

Spoon Feeding..

Judah is doing much better eating the rice cereal off a spoon...yay! In the beginning he would just sit there with his tongue hanging out so everything I put in would fall right back out..I would quickly scoop it up and put it back in..as it falls out again!! It became a vicious cycle.

More stitches have been falling out! There are also more that are having trouble dissolving. He looks better every day!

2 Wks Post-op Pics Without Tape!!

We are 2 weeks in to the whole healing process...YAY!!! (picture above was a few days ago..before he ate like crazy)

Just for fun....and for Aunt April! :) (taken yesterday)

Drum roll please!!...and now for the good stuff!

So, is God amazing or what??!!! I know Judah will be changing quite a bit as he heals some days he will look better then others..but WOW!!!

Dr. Mulliken says he looks great. The suture on his lip should soon fall out soon.

I am overflowing with joy! I am so touched and amazed how encouraging and loving everyone has been. I am so blessed to have each of you in my life!

We are on a roll!

Judah ate 35 ounces Saturday and 34 yesterday...WOW!!! Good job babe! :) Thank you Jesus! He seems to be making up for lost time...and then some!
I was sick this weekend and my supply is pretty low so I started him on rice cereal (which mostly ended up on his bib...) because I can't keep up!
My house is a disaster, my dog needs a bath (and so do I..) and I need to get ready to make dinner. I just wanted to share the good news! God is good!
I know I have been posting a lot of pics of him sleeping..but that seems to be the only time I have right now, and it's not much! He is still waking up wanting those chubby fingers... :)

We are HOME!!!!

I am so happy to type those words...you have no idea!!! No more sleeping in the same room with a baby obsessed with sucking his fingers but all of a sudden can't have them...wearing flip flops in the shower...pumping on a plane...waiting an hour for the shuttle bus with a hungry baby that won't eat..AHHHH! It's so good to be home!! The trip is OVER!!

Now we have to start planning our next trip to Boston...the 6 week check up :( Then the palate surgery! One step at a time....one step at a time...

No really, God is so good. I worry way too much, God provides, and then I'm back to worrying! Will we ever learn!?! God takes care of His children!!!!

The picture above was taken as I type this message...he is finally asleep! He has been waking up at 4 AM EVERY MORNING and crying for at least an hour because he can't suck his fingers :( Every time I go to get him he is just a sweaty mess from all the crying..I feel so bad.

Over all, he is doing really good. He is eating better and smiling all the time! I LOVE HIS SMILE!

6 Days Post-Op

We went to get the sutures taken out today! That means we go home in 2 days!!! Dr. Mulliken is very pleased with everything. He thinks Judah may end up with a dimple on his lip! :) His smile is getting bigger every day as the swelling goes down..and I am falling in love with it all over again! He has been pretty cranky lately and is still not eating much but he is getting better every day!!

It is 90 degrees here in Boston. I keep hearing everyone say it is way too hot outside. The nurse even said "your main goal today is to keep Judah from getting dehydrated since it is so hot outside" Riiiight...clearly they have never been to Texas! I think it feels good here!

I can't say it enough..we love and appreciate you ALL!!!!

Back to the hotel!

We were discharged this morning! Judah is still not interested in eating.. it seems we have fought this battle enough already! If he feels uncomfortable, any pain, or is distracted, he loses interest in food. I should have seen that coming Mom and Dad are the same way :) But still! He needs his chunk so please pray that he eats!

I have not been able to get very good pics..we brought our camera but not the battery charger! :) So I have been using my cell.

Here is Judah right after he got out of surgery..

They kept the gauze over his lip and packing in his nose until Thursday morning.
-cold saline over the gauze every hour to help with swelling
-cleaning sutures every 4 hours (we are still having to clean to make sure there is no crust)
Wednesday Judah was so swollen! His big eyes turned into little squints. :(
His lip is very bruised from Dr. Mulliken pushing the premaxilla in (he did Judah's gums along with the lip and nose.)

Top 2 pics- He is still trying to get to his hands for comfort..and fell asleep that way!

I am behind on my updates so I am trying to cram a lot of info into one :)

Dr. Mulliken never has too much to say but we see him tomorrow to make sure Judah's sutures are clean. That makes me feel good. Cleaning gets pretty tricky!

Over all I am overwhelmed..but happy! God is so amazing. He is working everything out so beautifully! I love Judah's outcome. I can't wait to see how he looks when the swelling and bruising has gone down. I do miss his smile..I just keep staring at his old pics on my cell phone.. He has been trying to smile lately!

I think that is a info over load... :)
I love all of you and I REALLY love the comments! It is very comforting knowing all of you are thinking and praying for us.

Waiting....

I talked the hotel into giving us a later check out so we can get some sleep.... I tried but there is no way I can close my eyes and relax.

So, here I am with you all...trying to put my thoughts in to words.... My stomach feels like a roller coaster! I just keep seeing Judah..wishing I could make all this go away..

all the doctors..hospitals..torture devices (also known as Latham, and NAM) I know that part is now over but there is so much more unkown that we will soon be facing...just one step at a time!

Well, enough of that. I am having the hardest time finding words today. So I will just talk about how the trip has gone so far...stress, lack of sleep, and extremely long days!

Sunday we spent all day in the airport/ on the air plane. Yesterday was spent at the hospital getting passed around for pre-op. We finally met Dr. Mulliken! He was short, sweet, and to the point. I still had taping on Judah to keep the NAM in while he ate and Dr. Mulliken wanted it off for pictures. I clearly said we need to get the tape wet first, but the nurse just went ahead and took it off..not sure if she didn't hear me or didn't care but that's why his cheek is so red. (Very irritating)

At the end of both days, when we finally got to the hotel, we spent the rest of the day trying to comfort Judah enough to fall asleep. He became way too tired from the long over-stimulating days.

He was in such a cute mood this morning until he realized he still hasn't been fed yet..then things got tricky :)

Thanks again for all the prayer, and encouraging messages. You have no idea how much you all mean to us!