A Princess and a Little Fairy

Life's A Beach

Bathing Beauty

We've had so many firsts in the past month I can't list them all, but Lana's first experience at the pool had to be recorded. She splashed, she kicked, she had a great time.

She has also discovered the joy of playing outside. Thanks to the success of her surgery, the light doesn't hurt her eye anymore. The weather in Norfolk hasn't been the best, but we have been taking every opportunity to get out when we can.

She's Walking, Talking and Feeling Great

Lana is on the move. With all the surgery prep and the holidays, I haven't had a chance to update everyone on Lana's amazing progress over the past month.

Many firsts! First English word, juice. quickly followed by many more including So-So for our little dog Sophie. On December 29th, Lana decided she could walk by herself. No with a first step or two, but by walking across the room. Now she walks, climbs and dances.

She is a very social little girl and enjoys meeting new people. It's been fun introducing her to her new family and friends.

She continues to have a good appetite. Sometimes we can't believe how much food that little body can hold. She has gained 2 pounds and grown between 2 and 4 inches depending on who is measuring her. She has also gotten 5 new teeth, with 3 more coming in.

She continues to recover well from surgery. She seems to feel well. There is still quite a bit of swelling under her eye, but above her eye looks great. Much better than before surgery already. This coming week we are planning on having some play dates and returning to the surgeon for a check-up. We are also hoping to begin enjoying the outside. She has stopped shying away from the light. We took her for a ride in the car today and the light didn't make her cry. Next warm day we're going to the beach!

Successful Surgery

Lana's surgery went well, and we're home from the hospital (finally). It took longer than expected and we stayed until they were sure Lana wasn't dehydrated or nauseous. Channing is sleeping on the floor next to Lana's crib as I post.

Dr. Joly, the surgeon, said that her eye was the largest he has even seen, even in adult patients. He was pleased with the results and let us know that everyone in the operating room was so happy as to how her eye looked after the procedure was done. We can't wait to see ourselves (bandages come off in 3 days).

Listen, I have to say that we are humbled at all of the thoughts and especially the prayers that were said on Lana's behalf. Your spiritial strength is overwhelming and we appreciate this more that you will ever know. Thank you.

More details later...

Holiday Update

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It is a wonderful holiday for all of us. Lana is an absolute joy. This picture says it all.

She is enjoying all aspects of the season; the attention of her new family and friends, holiday decorations, food, gifts, she loves it all.

We have run into one glitch, the surgery we had planned for December 31st had to be postponed until Jan 11th. No problem with Lana, it was a problem with scheduling the surgery. So keep her in your thoughts and prayers on the Jan 11th.

Thank you for continuing to follow our story and enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

Home Sweet Home

Sorry it's taken me so long to post! We're doing great, we're just very busy. Last week we had a doctor's appointment every day. We were so lucky that both of the eye specialist were willing to fit us in right away, thanks Dr. Chamblee and Dr. Joly. We got great news that Lana's right eye seems perfectly fine. We also scheduled surgery to remove her left eye and insert an implant. It will be on December 31st. Keep us in your prayers that day. She will have the surgery at The Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters right here in Norfolk and she won't even have to spend the night. The swelling around her left eye and the pressure should go away immediately. She will have a temporary lens in her left eye that just looks cloudy. After approximately three months Lana will be fitted for a lens that covers her left eye and makes it look just like her right eye.

We also went to the regular pediatrician and her health seems to be very good. I'm also thrilled to report that she is eating and sleeping well also. I almost feel guilty about the sleeping, I know several other adoptive families who haven't been so lucky.

This week she has a CT scan to check the size of her eye socket before surgery. She also has to have blood work done. We will all be glad when these two things are done and we can have some free time to play before surgery.

I'm getting lots of questions about the trip. Everything went extremely well. I'll post details during the Christmas holidays when I have a few free minutes. I'm still getting over jet lag and getting used to my new mommy schedule, so I'm going to bed at night around 8:30pm when we put Lana down. Needless to say that's not giving me any time to post or return phone calls. I get caught up soon.