First cleft lip surgery

I said last night that I have been waiting for this day since January 26th, the day he was born. However, I was thinking this morning that it's actually not true. I have been waiting and wondering about this day since we found out about his cleft in October. That's a very long time to think about the surgery and how it may or may not affect him, me, and our family. I am so thankful it's over. Since he has to have so many in the future, I think perhaps the first surgery for the lip and the first surgery for the palate are going to be the most stressful and worrysome for me. All in the life of a mother, right?
 
Today was Rydon's first cleft lip surgery. It is stage one, meaning the lip muscles and skin tissue were sewn together. This helps the the second stage not be under so much strain and risk tissue tearing. We reported to the day surgery department at 6am. He went off with the nurses to surgery about 8am and by 8:40 Dr. Menezes was back, telling us it went great and we can see him soon. We left the hospital a little before 10am. In the photo below we were still in the waiting room and Rydon was hungry, so Brady asked me to take this picture and posted the caption on facebook: Two grumpy dudes who don't get breakfast. It was soooo funny!

It is so cute that he is holding Brady's thumb while having his first bottle since 11pm last night.

I love that his hair color is almost the same strawberry blonde color as mine. It's about time we had a kid with my hair! We are also hoping his eyes stay blue like Brady's...because we need one kid with those too :)

His pain will only last a couple of days. He has surgical super glue on his outer upper lip tissue, and a couple of dissolvable stitches in his lip.