8 weeks post-op

FINALLY ... I can start to see the outline of the cupid's bow on her top lip. The infection is gone, the swelling has gone down. To quote Dr. Larry Hartzell , "That is one pretty lip !"

I think I have a theme going here ... take pictures of the mouth when it is dirty ! You guys are going to start to think I never wash her face !!! The shiny stuff on her upper lip is actually antibiotic ointment. If you look at the nostril on the right side ... you can see the red bump that remains from the infected area. There is also a red area on her lip itself ... that is the site where the stitch that caused all of the infection finally worked itself out.

The area between her nostrils, the columna, was actually pulled down to make the upper part of her top lip. You can see in this picture how narrow her little nostrils are now. Her next surgery will be some rhinoplasty to lengthen the columna and create some larger nostrils. She is breathing a lot easier now, compared to right after surgery. Her nares (nostrils) have actually gotten bigger as the swelling decreased.

JUST AMAZING WHAT GIFTS OUR SURGEONS HAVE BEEN GIVEN !!!!

AR Children's Hospital Cleft Team is AMAZING. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Lisa Buckmiller, Dr. Larry Hartzell, Dr. Patrick Munson, Emily Copeland (RN) and Beth Nutt (speech therapist).