Post-Op Doctor's Visit

Nina had her post-op doctors visit. She does have a fistula (hole) in her mouth. The doctor was discourage that it was there but not alarmed. It is about 1/2 mm in diameter. It is definitley noticable when her mouth is wide open but her palate is certainly an improvement over what it was a month ago. Right now there are no surgeries planned to close the hole. We will monitor it and the doctor said that is could get smaller or close on its own as her palate continues to heal.
Nina is on the list for the Cleft Clinic that will be in Bozeman at the end of May so she will see the doctor again then.

We don't know how or if this will affect her speech. That is another thing we will have to monitor. Nina will be starting speech therapy in the next week or so. We are deciding on which therapist to go with and she will need an initial evaluation before she can start the therapy. She was accepted into the Early Intervention program and will get therapy twice a week for 30-45 minutes each time.

We are disappointed that a fistula developed, however, we did know that it was a possibility. Hopefully it will not require another surgery, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Nina is not physically affected by the hole at all and remains her happy-go-lucky, cute self! For that we are very grateful!

Yummy

Nina is still on soft foods (hopefully today is the last day, we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow) and it sure is messy! She had some Italian ice for dessert and ended up wearing most of it.

More Easter

After a big Easter breaksfast we all went for a walk. Nina insisted on wearing her rabbit ears and carrying her new purse with some eggs in it. It was a busy Easter for all of us, but one of the best ones we have had in a long time.

Easter

Nina got 2 Easter baskets this year - one from the Easter Bunny and one from Grandma and Grandpa, who are visiting and meeting her for the first time. She got more eggs to open and candy, stuffed animals and some other goodies.

Easter Egg Hunt

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. It was sunny out but a bit chilly. Still, not too bad for this time of year. Nina had fun once she figured out what to do and that the eggs were filled with candy! She had a ball opening all of them once we got home. We have enough candy to last us until Halloween.

Here comes the Easter Bunny

Nina doesn't really know about the Easter Bunny, but we got her some ears anyway. Sometime she cooperates and keeps them on long enough for a picture. We are hoping to take her to an Easter Egg hunt this weekend. The weather is supposed to be okay, but there is still some snow on the ground and it is bound to be muddy. All part of Spring.

Happy Easter!!

On the Phone

Looks like we might never be able to receive any phone calls once Nina hits the teenage years! Luckily this is only her pretend phone for now so we can still stay in touch with everyone.

At the Playground

With the weather getting a little warmer (finally) and most of the snow melting, we have been able to take Nina to the playground. She usually makes some friends while she is there and has a good time sliding and swinging.

All Dressed Up

My mother got Nina this dress for Christmas. While it is adorable, we haven't had any place to wear it yet so Nina had to model it so we could get some pictures.

Too cute

This one was just too cute not to share

The Duck Pond

There is a duck pond nearby and we took Nina there for the first time in February. It was fairly cold out be she seemed to enjoy herself once she got the idea of what to do. Some of the ducks were more agressive than others but she wasn't deterred. It will be much nicer to go when the weather (finally) warms up.

Bathtime Part II

More fun in the tub.

Paper

Nina loves to open the mail or look through the newspaper and get all of the papers spread about the room. As you can see, she is a born shopper, already looking for a good deal!

CoCo

One of Nina's favorite toys (for now) is her cat (or "hat" as she calls him) CoCo. CoCo often goes night-night and she is quick to point out his ears or tail.

Chinese New Year 2008

We celebrated Chinese New Year at the local Children's Museum. There were activities and demonstrations. Nina had fun playing with the other kids.

Superbowl

While we are trying to forget the disasterous Superbowl, Nina sure was a cute cheerleader!

A Girl and her Dog

From the first day we brought her home Nina has been crazy about Thunder. He is very gentle and patient and the two of them are like peas in a pod.

Around the House

Here's a glimpse into some of the daily activities: snack time, writing on paper (or anything Mom and Dad will let her write on) with a pencil and filling up any kind of bag. She is a busy girl.