Road to Recovery

She's come a long way - and still has a long way to go. 

I said goodbye to the face on the left and 6 hours later I met the face on the right.  She was still my Bailey, my fresh girl, my baby, my sweetie.  When I entered her ICU room I searched her eyes for something, anything from her to find out what she was feeling and thinking.  I wanted to hold her, touch her, take her all in.  I wondered if she was in pain, discomfort, was she sad, scared, had she seen herself yet? 


My first questions were answered when she held out her arms for me to come to her and hold her!  Just was I was longing to do.  I held her and wept.  I wept for the loss of her beautiful face, for the beautiful repaired face, I wept for my girl going through such a difficult thing, I wept for God's goodness and mercy that all had gone so well.  I wept because I did not deserve such a gift as her. She motioned for her white board we had brought with and the first thing she wrote was, "All my teeth touch!", something she had never been able to do!  She was so happy about that.  Next was her discovery that she could breath out of her nose!  Both sides!  Something else she hadn't been able to.  The changes done to her allowed both of those things to be possible.  Now all I had to do was adjust to the changes I could see with my eyes....
    

Bailey was afraid to go home, I was afraid to take her home.  We were given instructions on feeding, basic care and when to use the wire clippers - pretty much never use them unless she has stopped breathing and needs CPR.  Gently we packed her into the car.  We kept checking off those things that were now behind us and could move forward.  Things like the surgery, getting the oxygen tube out, getting the stomach tube out, standing up, walking, trying to talk, using the food tube.  Each day we will check off more...each day we move closer to getting the wires off and seeing the finished product.





We got her home and settled in with ice bags and blankets, a pillow and surrounded her with love and support.  Soon friends would begin to pour in the house.

Next came the job of tackling the feeding tube and all the fears that went with that.  We started with something yummy like a Jamba Juice.  After many attempts we fished the tube in her mouth and was able to get nourishment to her.  Another event to put behind us and check off.  

The next blog entry will show her before, and after shots from the front and side views.  We continue to be amazed at the number of people praying for her from all over the country.  There are people praying for my little girl who have never met her, but who know and love me.  This fact is blessing her and encouraging her a lot.  There are people praying from California, and North Carolina, from Florida to Minnesota.  We continue to see God answering these prayers.  We continue to call on His grace, mercy and strength.  I am tired, I am scared at times, I am overwhelmed at times.  None of this, though compared to what my little girl, my baby, my Bailey, is going through.  We feel the arms of God holding us, leading us, guiding us and answering us.  He is faithful and good.  I am thankful for all He has done with Bailey and our family.  To God be the glory, great things He has done....  more later