Palate Surgery - Saturday

Early on Saturday morning the nurse and I began our regime with Maelyn. We changed her diaper and pyjamas and tried to clean up her nose and mouth. The nurse then asked me to try feeding Maelyn -- soft foods only, of course. I felt terrible trying to put food in her mouth, but she willingly ate the yogourt that was offered to her. When we tried to get her to drink, however, she would have nothing to do with it at all.

Maelyn was fussy and miserable -- who could blame her? Nothing seemed to make her happy. She noticed the highchair in the room and kept pointing at it...so we put her in there and she seemed to be more content. At this point Paul arrived at the hospital and he was able to hold Maelyn for the first time since her operation. They cuddled for awhile and she seemed to settle in his arms.

Maelyn was eating her second yogourt when Auntie Kara and Uncle Cam arrived at the hospital for a visit. Maelyn was eager to cuddle with Kara and even managed to eat a few more yogourts -- seven in all that day!

Then Grandma showed up and brought with her some pyjamas for Maelyn. With her IV in her hand, none of the pyjamas I had would fit over her arm. Leave it to my mom to have pyjama tops of every size! After we changed Maelyn the nurse moved us to a private room. It was much quieter and I was looking forward to having some privacy. Kara and Cam headed home at this point and then Grandma, Paul and I took Maelyn for a stroll around the hospital floor to help distract her from her discomfort.

Maelyn loves heights and enjoyed the view from the eighth floor!

That morning the nurse showed us how to care for the stent in Maelyn's nose, put drops in her ears and give her the medication that she will need over the next few weeks. Maelyn was not happy about any of the demonstrations. The medication, however, did help her to feel sleepy and she had a nap. With Grandma there, Paul and I took advantage of the available babysitter and left the hospital in search for some lunch. We had a quick lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant and then headed back to the hospital.

After lunch and her nap, Grandma headed home and Auntie Kara and Uncle Cam returned to the hospital. It was nice to have others there to help us entertain our little girl. Despite more pain medication, Maelyn stayed awake and even started to play with some toys that we brought to the hospital with us. We eventually ventured out to the playroom and Maelyn loved the new toys she found there.

Paul's handiwork on the board in Maelyn's room...

 

Enjoying some time in the playroom...

Enjoying the view...

After our visitors left, we tried putting Maelyn to bed -- but she wanted nothing to do with it! Paul was able to catch up on some sleep while I tried to entertain Maelyn. I couldn't believe that she had the energy that she did -- was this the same child we could barely get to stay awake or move around that morning?! Even looking at the pictures from the day, I am amazed at the difference twelve hours can make. I took Maelyn back to the playroom and then we went for a long walk all around the hospital. I had to try and keep up with her -- I was running after her with her IV pole. Finally, at about 1am, she gave in and went to sleep. Exhaustion set in and I was able to get a few hours of sleep.