Whittemore Family: Henry's 1st year and prepping for surgery #2!

It's hard to believe that an entire year has gone by since Henry was born. It's amazing to think about the past 12 months and everything we have learned. Looking back at the few days before Henry was born and waiting with anticipation, excitement and some nervousness of not knowing what to expect with a cleft lip and palate.

This little guy has taught us more in 1 year than we could ever imagine. And not just the medical stuff. Sure, we know a lot more about the inside of a mouth than most, but he has showed us so much love and the good in people everywhere. To start, the generosity in family and friends is unfathomable. Our support system is rock solid and we could not be any more blessed nor thankful. Then, there are the little things, like a random lady stopping us in the grocery store to talk because she has a son who is grown now but was born with a cleft lip and she just wants to smile at Henry and remember her baby. Or the friend of a friend who has never met us but adds Henry to her prayer group. Or the amazing teachers and staff at William's preschool who give extra help with William when they know we are traveling to Stanford with Henry. The list could go on and on. The point is, there is so much good out there in the world that we have witnessed because of having Henry in our lives. We thank God everyday for giving us such an amazing gift!

Next Friday, April 4th will be his surgery to repair the cleft palate. The surgery will take a couple hours and then we will stay overnight in the hospital 1-2 nights, depending on his recovery. Basically, all of the tissue is already there (on the roof of his mouth), just pushed to the sides. So the doctor will make multiple incisions to release the tissue and then close the opening by bringing it all together with many stitches. The 2-3 weeks after surgery will be the difficult part as he will not be able to have anything touch the inside of his mouth. He will eat liquefied food out of a syringe and wear arm bands to keep him from touching his mouth or sucking his thumb (which he loves so that is going to be sad!).

Here are a few pictures of the last few months!