Kaitlyn's surgery

We finally had Kaitlyn's face surgery done. She did great (as always) and is wearing the LeFort device without complaint (usually). The surgery was December 15 and she spent 4 days at the hospital. She got tons of stuffed animals and other assorted goodies, and had lots of visitors. The hospital treated her very well. She is such an amazing little trooper and we're so proud of her! Here are a few pictures:

This is before they hooked up the distractor



This is after they hooked up the distractor



And a side view



As you can see, she's still her happy, smiling self. This kid is stronger than anyone I've ever met.

The procedure is going well. We turn the screws to advance the distractor twice a day, and she's doing even better than the surgeon thought she would. We see him again on Tuesday and he'll decide if we can stop turning the screws at that time. If we can, she'll need to wear the device another two weeks to prevent "rebounding," but she can have it taken off after that. Yippeee!! We were originally told it may take as long as 4 months for the entire procedure, but now it may be done in as little as 6 weeks. What a huge blessing!