Day 6

8:45am - Ellie played "Life" on the iPad with Emma and Abbey until about 11 or so. They all had fun and Ellie laughed a lot - which is quite painful when she smiles or laughs - but I guess I look at it as a good kind of pain. :)
She woke up at 12:45 asking for pain med. She had trouble getting it down. It's the weirdest thing ... Sometimes she just can't get the liquids to go down her throat. It just comes out. We haven't figured out why this happens but anyway this was one of those times. The pain med kept coming back out. She was crying in frustration but managed to get about half of it down. Then at 3 she woke up and I asked her if she needed more pain med and she said no. So I was glad the half dose was enough.

She told me (wrote me) this morning that her lower jaw area and bottom lip aren't numb anymore. This is good news. There's always a risk of permanent numbness when you undergo this type of surgery. The numbness can last for months. Usually at the 6 month mark, if you still have numbness it's more than likely permanent. And it's most common for the permanent numbness to happen on the bottom due to the amount of nerves that they work around on the lower jaw. She told me a few minutes ago that she can't tolerate the ice packs anymore because now she can feel it and it's too cold. So I got her a cold washcloth instead.

She ended up drinking 18oz yesterday. Which again is an improvement but we need to keep striving for 32 (or more in my opinion)!! I can't hardly stand to think about how much weight she is losing. Can you imagine only drinking about a water bottle a day? I keep reminding myself that once she can expand her eating that she will gain that weight back quickly!!

If anyone is up for charades, come on over! I feel like it's a constant game of charades to figure out what Ellie is trying to say. Sometimes it's pretty funny. As we are all trying to guess what she is saying!!! This can be comical.

7:00 pm -Ellie had a great day today. Her face swelling is really looking better. And she has had a better appetite today - she has had 22 ounces! Thankful for progression! She had tons of friends come over today and that always makes a difference. She has the most amazing friends ever too. :)
Tonight I am thankful. Thankful for friends and family. Food, "happys" for Ellie, cards, prayers, visits, etc. Thankful for the people that make a difference. I think God puts it on people's heart ... So thank you for listening to that nudge.
Thankful that Ellie drank more today. Thankful that her pain has improved so much. Thankful that they didn't have to take bone from her hip! Thankful for answered prayers.