Having Fun With Hope

It’s almost been a month since Hope’s surgery and things are pretty much back to normal.

I say pretty much because they’re as back to normal as things can get for a little girl who’s learning new things every day.

We had the first post-surgery checkup last week and everyone is happy with how she’s recovering.  While the arm restraints are gone, the doctor does want her to keep in the nasal stents for another few weeks to strengthen her new nose. Hope is happy to be able to put her fingers (and other things) in her mouth again, and has learned not to hit herself in the nose.  However, she still doesn’t like it when The Civee or I have to clean her nose.

As time passes, we notice Hope becoming more of her own person.  Earlier today, we tried feeding her some regular food for the first time.  She’s been curious about what The Civee and I have been eating, so we figured it was time for her to chow down on her own.  We gave her some rice cereal (no, not Rice Krispies).  And even though more of it ended up on her bib than in her stomach, it was a very pleasant experience.

Yesterday was also a big day for me.  It was the first time I took Hope out on my own.  We had an oil change scheduled for our car, so I wanted to give The Civee some alone time.  Hope and I dropped off the car and walked over to a nearby farmer’s market.  Well, I walked.  Hope was in her stroller.  The only mishap happened before we even left- after dressing Hope, I discovered her shirt was backwards.  But we survived.

Hope seems to be having a lot of fun, and The Civee and I are having fun with her.  We even have a new video, this one is of Hope sharing a laugh with her mom: