Getting Better

 

Matt has turned a corner, this second surgery really seemed to help. He is still has some swelling, particularly in the area next to his mouth where the biggest chunk was removed.   I don't know what this kid is going to do in a few months and he has so much room in his mouth.  Monday he is going to have the tape and drain removed, we will have a much better idea how things are healing.  Hopefully we should have the results of his biopsy.  The swelling should come completely out and the cheek should lie flatter in the next months. His facial muscles should get back to working better, too.   Incisions still make me queasy, and they are heartbreaking on my beautiful boy's face.  I have been more than relieved to have them covered this week.  His cough is doing much better and he has also been fever free. 

 

Matthew has somewhere picked up to call me mommy all of sudden?? It sounds a lot like his version of monkey (mut-me).  He and I went back and forth 30 times while I brought him every monkey in the house.  He kept getting madder when I obviously wasn't getting what he wanted and leaving the room to boot.  We finally asked "mommy??" - to which we got "YEEESSSSS". 

 

Matthew has become super attached to me these past weeks, rightfully so, but we will need to transition back through that in some time.  His new fascination is with watching drummers on Youtube.  We originally started watching Chinese drumming groups, but he has a definite preference for American marching bands.  He has gone through 2 toy drums in the past week and I think we finally have a half way decent one for him to jam on, some days I wish it would break ;) When he isn't drumming, he has been cutting up paper.  He awed the child development staff at the hospital as he cut up piles of paper while we waited for surgery.  They even came back and asked if he really was two years old.  Matt sometimes forgets the correct word for scissors and calls it a knife.  Nothing like having your two year old request a knife from his diaper bag in front of someone...

 

Thanks again for all the prayers, messages, love, cards, gifts and food that has been graciously given to us in the past two weeks.  We have been blessed beyond measure.  We have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but are coming out on the other side better for it all.  I have become very grateful for our hospital stay back in July, it certainly gave me a small taste of what to expect.  Otherwise, I think I would have been completely overwhelmed with so many new things thrown on us at once.  Most importantly, we are so grateful to all of you that have embraced Matt, how amazing to go from someone who had nothing, to someone who has it all.