Bethany is home and recovering well...

A quick update on Bethany... She came home late yesterday afternoon as she was doing well with her liquid intake and pain control. They usually say two nights in the hospital because the surgery is usually done on children that are younger than Bethany. I've included some pictures that better tell the story of her (and our) experience. Thanks for all of your prayers through this. She is doing very well!

Just before surgery after we got her dressed in the hospital pjs she began to get the worried look... It makes us wonder what her surgery experience was like before we got her. We believe that she had two prior surgeries to repair her lip while in China. Shortly after this picture was taken I carried her to the operating room where the anesthesiologist gave her the "sleepy gas" to put her out for the procedure(s).

After over 2 1/2 hours we were finally able to see Bethany again. It's kind of hard to see her so groggy, bleeding and in pain. Thankfully the doctor and nurses did a great job of staying ahead of the pain. The first day she really just dozed in and out of consciousness. That was a good thing as I'm sure that everything felt sore from her ears (tubes) to her lip (removal of dysfunctional salivary glands) to the biggest part, the installation of the soft palate. The doctor said that we shouldn't look in her mouth because it will appear as if a bomb had gone off in there. He then said I know you're going to look but I just wanted to warn you. He was right. The soft palate was literally formed from existing skin from within her mouth/nose. Amazing! Keep in mind, Bethany woke up with a much smaller airway to breathe through and a much smaller space to move her tongue. Instead of breathing through a large space which consisted of both her nasal cavity and mouth ,she now had two smaller spaces to breathe through. The doc said that this can be a big shock for them as well.

Bethany's room. Notice Bethany's arms. After surgery "no no's" are strapped to her arms to ensure that she cannot touch her mouth. These are velcro-shut tubes that keep her from bending her elbows. She still has mobility but it is very limited. This was and continues to be a source of frustration. Within moments after waking up, she complained about these and thankfully yesterday we were able to remove them when she is closely supervised. She must wear them at night for the next two weeks. My parents came to help and keep us company. We were glad to have them!

Bethany really perked up when her brothers arrived for a visit on the second day. She was also glad to have the no no's off!

Finally, a picture before all of this happened. Easter morning. Doesn't everyone look happy?

Thanks again for checking in. We have a resilient and amazing little girl!

Dan for the family

Bethany's Surgery Update

Early this morning we went to Children's hospital in Minneapolis for Bethany's surgery. The procedure took about 2 1/2 hours and was successful in addressing multiple issues. First the surgeon installed tubes in her ears releasing large amounts of fluid from her ears. This has already dramatically improved her hearing. The second piece was to install a soft palate in her mouth. This took most of the time as the gap was especially large and the doctor forms the palate out of existing material from within her mouth and nose. He equated the feeling in the mouth/nose to that of a skinned knee feeling as she recovers... OUCH! Thankfully she has much in the way of drugs to help through the most difficult healing. The final piece was to remove the pits in her lower lip. They proved to be much deep and more numerous than the doctor expected so that took a good amount of time as well. The rest of the day was spent sleeping restlessly as nurses and aides cycled through the room to administer more medication and check vitals. She is doing as well as can be expected. Probably the most frustrating part for Bethany right now is the arm "no-nos". They keep her elbows straight so that she cannot get her hands into her mouth. When she did come to consciousness I would ask her if she wanted to watch tv, have daddy read a book, have Grandpa sing a song ;), drink or go potty? The only yes we got was to go potty.

We are thankful that she is doing well. We are glad that Grandma and Grandpa Hay were able to come to support us and Rox and Tim were able to spend time with the boys as we have been at the hospital. The doctor says tomorrow may be more difficult as the drug levels diminish and she becomes more active. I'm back home with the boys and Becky stayed the night at the hospital. It is likely that she will be there through Sunday but it is possible that she could be released tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming. Pray that Bethany will know that we will always be there for her and will love her through this. Pray for Becky that she gets some rest and that she can muster patience through her fatigue.

Dan and Becky

He is Risen...He is Risen Indeed!

Hi! Well, yes, we have not been great on keeping you posted with the blog. However, Bethany's surgery is this Friday, April 17th, so the activity will pick up a bit as we post items relating to her surgery and recovery. So, stay tuned and check in from time to time!

Dad and Bethany playing cards...

Matthew placed 4th in design in the pinewood derby with his landspeeder.

We are finally through the "birthday season" here at our house, with Toby's occuring April 1st. Since he is just 4, we didn't have too big a "party." Grandpa and Grandma Hay, and Aunt Julie and the girls joined us at Chuck E. Cheese to do the games for about an hour, and to have cake and presents. Then we went to Broadway Pizza for dinner (Chuck's Pizza is expensive and yucky!) and back to our house for a bit! It was all very exciting for him and the other kids, and very overwhelming and tiring for us grown-ups!

Grandma and Grandpa made a special birthday cake just for Toby!

Grandma Hay with cousin Jillienne and Bethany.

Birthday song for Toby.

Monday Trent and Matthew return to school for 4th quarter, after having their 3 week spring break. I wish I could say it was a relaxing break, but with my work schedule, sickness that went through all 4 kids, yearly well-checks and other scheduled appointments, and swimming lessons that started a few weeks ago, it was quite hectic. I think the boys were glad to have the break, however, and are looking forward to finishing up their years! It's hard to believe Trent will be going all day next year! I will really miss him.

Grandpa and Grandma loving on Matthew!

Our dear friends the McGraws recently gave us their piano (Thank you again!!!!) and Matthew is chomping at the bit to start lessons. I think we will wait until the fall, though. In the meantime, he has taken all of his recorder music from school and plunked it out on the piano. He loves sitting on the bench and playing around with notes. Let's hope his enthusiam continues once the lessons start!! All this time Dan and I have been waiting and hoping that he would sing...but it just may be that instrumental music is going to be his niche!

Bethany continues to do very well. She is very demanding of attention and tests boundaries fairly regularly, but she is happy and comfortable in her family! She is eating and sleeping well, and is trying out a lot of English. We are so glad her surgery will be over soon so that we can start speech therapy! There is a lot of things she is saying that we just can't understand...even though we belives she is using mostly English, or a combination of Cantonese and English. She now knows the camera is for smiling, and poses and grins the minute she sees one out! We took formal pictures at JC Penneys last week, and she did a great job! We can't wait to get them back and post them for you.

All dressed up for pictures. She's still not sure about dresses as you can probably tell...

Today we did our Easter egg and basket hunt at home, since I am working all morning into the early afternoon tomorrow at church. Tomorrow afternoon we are spending with our long-time good friends, the Hartmann family, which we are really looking forward to. Between our 2 families, we have 9 kids, so there will be a lot of activity!!

Trent enjoying his Easter basket (we did the Easter egg hunt Saturday morning...)

Despite our busy schedule, we have tried to focus on our Savior this week and the sacrifice He made so that we can live eternally in heaven with Him someday. We are reminded daily of our need and dependence on Him, and are so thankful for His gift to us! God's blessings to you on the most beautiful and wonderful of days tomorrow!

In HIS Joy, Becky for the hayfam6