Post-Op Day 6

Well, things are going okay here. Each day Harlie seems to be getting better. I wake up each morning wondering what has changed and how she’s going to look. Right now, to me, the progress seems pretty slow. She finally got a little bit of movement back in her upper lip on Sunday, so you can now tell when she’s smiling. That has certainly been nice to see.

To be honest, Tom and I are still struggling with this one. One thing I am thankful for is that we are in the exact same place at the same time (Tom and I, I mean). We both feel the exact same way. And throughout this journey with Harlie, that has certainly not been the case. We both know all the positives intellectually, but our hearts feel differently. After having a few days at home I have realized that we need our time to grieve the loss of the face we had come to know and love. And we need time to adjust to her new face – a face we still can’t even see. We both know that this will take time. I am asking all our loved ones to please try to understand and just to listen and let us feel the way we feel. I know so many want to make things better for us – but that will happen on its own – in time. We know that. We know we’ll get there, we always have. I trust that months from now, we’ll all be happy and everything will be great.

Murphy has adjusted very well. We were very nervous about him seeing Harlie and he did look a little scared for a few minutes. But he got through it and only asked a few questions. He still doesn’t understand (how could he?) but he plays with her and says she’s funny, just like always. We have definitely noticed some behavior changes, but hopefully getting back into our routine will help with that.

I added some recent photos. I suppose we’ll take one every day for a while to see how she is changing.

So, my friend Heather had a baby boy yesterday. He’s absolutely adorable. And my other friend Marcy, was admitted to the hospital last week for preeclampsia. She’s 33 weeks along now and unfortunately, her condition has gotten too bad to let her continue with the pregnancy. So, she will have her baby tonight or tomorrow (7 weeks early). Please send some good thoughts and prayers their way that everything will be okay. And another friend, Lindsay, will have her baby tomorrow, too (on time). I am just thankful that they are all at the same hospital!

Well, that’s it for tonight. Thank you again for all your understanding, kind messages and support. They have meant so much to Tom and I.

Take care,
Christy