It was a LONG day, but we made it!!! Hudsyn couldn't have formula after 4:00 this morning or pedialyte after 7:00; but, when I tried to wake her up to eat at 3:30 she was totally uninterested and at 6:30 she wasn't really a fan of the pedialyte... We had to be at the hospital at 9, and due to some scheduling confusion between the doctor's office and the hospital, Hudsyn wasn't scheduled for surgery until 12:05. She had her moments, but she was sweet for the most part - it could have been MUCH worse!

The surgery was supposed to take approximately 90 minutes; so, after speaking with the doctor, nurse, anesthesiologist, and a few residents, Isaac and I walked Hudsyn back to the holding area and saw her off to the operating room.

After 2 hours I finally got a call on my cell phone from the nurse who took her back letting us know everything was ok, but Dr. Smith was still working on her. Of course, my mind started racing - if it was taking so much longer than expected, then obviously something didn't go as planned... or something! I had been pretty calm up until this point, but now I was starting to freak out a little!! But, then, another hour later (after 3 hours of surgery) Dr. Smith came out and told us things went well and he was very happy with the results. Soon after that, I was able to go back to recovery and snuggle my precious baby girl. She drank some sugar water and had some pain medication and was resting well in my arms while we rocked.

When she had her first surgery in December, the nurse had already fed her some sugar water by the time I was brought back to recovery. This time she was just starting to wake up... that was hard! Seeing her look around wondering where she was and what was going on.... but, I was able to pick her up quickly and soothe her. Isaac really wanted to come back to recovery but only one person was allowed at a time, so after I got some sweet snuggles in and saw that Hudsyn was okay, I asked the nurse how long she thought we'd be in recovery and decided we could switch out. But, because we were all expecting things to be the same as last time, when she went to get Isaac, the rest of them (Hoot, Honey, and Barrett) hopped up and followed... thinking they were going to meet us in her regular room - not in recovery (where only one person is allowed). :) I was shocked to see all of them coming around the corner with our plethora of stuff! But, no one said anything... likely because it was so close to the end of the day... :) Soon we all loaded up in the elevator and headed up to room 9120 where we sit now. Poor Hudsyn has been uncomfortable a large part of the time we have been here. But after some pain meds and then some breakthrough pain meds, she is able rest a little before the pain returns. Poor baby girl. :(

She looks SO different. It is hard to tell at this point what the end result will be due to the nasal stents, swelling, stitches, and steri-strips, but I know she is going to look a lot different. I will miss her sweet cleft smile and her adorable scrunchy nose half smile, but I am so glad to be one step closer to her forever smile.

I hope she is able to get some rest tonight. I know she is tired and doesn't know what is going on. Sleep is the best thing for her now, so I am praying for a restful night.

We are so blessed to have so many people thinking about and praying for our sweet Hudsyn (and the rest of us). God is good, all the time!