A hard day for this Mom and Dad

My beautiful girl, my first born, my precious child - Bailey.  She is strong, compassionate, determined, wise beyond her years and loved by all who know her. 

This is the day we have been anticipating for 4 years.  It is a bittersweet day for sure.  Bailey has a jaw disorder, "developmental musculoskeletal jaw malrelationship" or "maxillary hpyerplasia and mandibular hyperplasia" contributing to a significant functional, developmental musculoskeletal jaw malrelationship. WOW...

Although this will improve her profile and facial look, it is by NO means a cosmetic procedure.  This was a necessary surgery. 

She will have her upper jaw detached (yes from the skull) and rotated (tilted) up, and repositioned, her lower jaw detached and shortened and rotated up.  They also need to split the roof of her mouth and widen it 10mm (yep, that is 1 cm - look on a ruler to see how much!).  Her jaw is in part being reattached using wires and also a mix of her own platelet rich plasma mixed with a chemical and cadaver bones to make a "caulk" of sorts.  This mixture will speed healing, have less bleeding and less oozing.  It is pretty amazing stuff!

This surgery will take 6-8 hours and will be in the hospital only overnight.  She will have 4 permanent stainless steel wires left in her face.  She will wired shut for 8+ weeks!  That means she will be fed through a syringe.  Her food will be all liquid and needs to be the consistency of water.  No solid type foods allowed - including seeds from raspberries and tic tacs!  Food will be prepared in a blender or will be protein drinks, smoothies etc.  After her wires are removed in 8 weeks she will need to work on jaw mobility.  She will not be able to open her mouth very wide for a few weeks.

Bailey, who wants to be a nurse, was amazingly calm.  Mostly due to the amount of friends and family praying for her.  She is in good hands.  Her calmness was a comfort to me.  She is anxious to put this waiting behind her and move on to what God has in store for her.

Saying goodbye as she was wheeled away was painful.  As she went down the hallway I knew that was the last time I would see her beautiful face as it was now - the only face I have ever known.  She is so beautiful now, but I know when this is all done and over, she will have the face that God intends for her to have.  She is an amazing young lady.  Her dad and I are so blessed that God is allowing us to raise her.  As this journey unfolds, I am sure we will be seeing God's goodness and grace. 

When we were driving in at 5:30 AM, the sunrise was pretty cool.  Mist and fog on the ground and rays of sun peaking out of gray clouds.  I was reminded of her middle name...DAWN.  Scott and I chose that because her delivery when she was born was quite difficult.  Scott would sing to me.  One song, "Great is Thy Faithfulness", an old hymn, brought great comfort.  A line in the hymn, "morning by morning new mercies I see" was especially meaningful as I went into my 4th day of labor (yes 4th).  So, my Bailey DAWN, is a reminder that God's mercies are new every morning.  I am sure I will see His mercies each morning with this journey.