Lip Service

Laundry is finally caught up from our recent whirlwind road-trip to Oregon. Little Man had his annual visit with the team of cleft specialists in Portland, as well as a surgical revision of his lip.

Like countless others from his native China, Little Man was born with cleft lip and palate. He had his first lip surgery as an infant ensuring he could sufficiently eat and grow. A year and a half later, three months after officially joining our family he had palate surgery stateside, closing the roof of his mouth to aid in both eating and speech.

This most recent surgery, his third but not last, was to keep up with his physical growth– it seems scar tissue is simply not as malleable as “virgin” muscle and skin. The same surgeon who operated on his palate two years ago recommended and completed the revision, repairing misaligned muscle that affected both form and function.

He’s such a trooper, seriously a tough cookie. (I wish he didn’t have to be.) Back home and healing, the swelling is subsiding and we are growing accustomed to his new smile. The most challenging part has been protecting him from re-injury, he simply does not understand why he can’t climb the fence to spy on the neighbors nor jump on the trampoline.

Thank you, Lord, for skilled surgeons, modern medicine, health insurance, and access to quality care.