5 Days Post OP Already

Well it's been 5 days since Audrey's surgery and she is angry, frustrated and stubborn! She doesn't like the arm restraints much so we give her free arm time and just pay really close attention to her... can't have anything in the mouth. She hates the syringe that she's supposed to eat with so we've given up and are being REALLY careful with a spoon and an eye dropper. She LOVES her antibiotics and Tylenol... sugar! She hates the ear drops. It feels a bit like having a new born again. Checking her diapers to make sure she's going enough (then you know if they are eating and drinking enough) sleepless nights and grumpy parents. We're surviving well. My parents have been great at taking care of Sam and taking turns holding the moaning Audrey. I have a really soar back from carrying Audrey all the time (she's mommy's girl right now... I'm no longer feeling special, just tired!) She sleeps most of the night but wakes right on time for more medicine... 11 pm, 3 am, 7 am. We're all a bit stressed by how uncomfortable she still is. The Cleft nurse said that if she was still in pain on Monday, we should bring her in to be checked.
Sam has been the biggest trooper through all this. He came to see her in the hospital and was most impressed with all her tubes and the red light on her toe (oxygen saturation monitor). I think he was really worried about her too. He brought her a toy from the toy room for when she felt better, and that night Chris found him whimpering after they'd said good night. Chris asked him what was up and Sam said "I'm still praying for Audie" So cute! He said the same thing to my Mom the next morning when he crawled into bed with her. He's back to sitting on her and kissing her just a little too enthusiastically!
The worst part of all this is the mental picture I still have of Audrey right after surgery. She was SO swollen that she didn't even look like herself and they were holding her up in a sitting position, supporting her head to help her breath. I almost lost it. She could only whimper horsely... for hours. The nice thing is that with each hour she looked better and better.
I feel so sad for her when she's hurting, all I can do is drug her, cuddle her and tell her I love her.
Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes!! I think they worked!

P.S. We put up our Christmas, I mean Holiday, no wait, Christmas Tree today... Sam was hilarious about it... 6 tiny trains on one branch... ten red pine cones hooked together on another!! The tree looks great. We're having a little Christmas with my parents before they fly home tomorrow. Yummy dinner is on the way!