Something to Smile About

Here's another picture of our cutie pie! I can't believe that several weeks have already passed us by since we first saw this happy little face. Kai is already keeping us busy everyday with some form of preparation for his homecoming.

We are unbelievably excited about traveling to China to meet this little guy.

As many of you already know, Kai was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. His lip was repaired in China and his palate will remain open until he is settled with us. Altogether, Kia will need 2-3 surgeries and orthodontic work. Often, cleft palate affected children experience more ear infections and have difficulty eating until the palate is repaired. Because he cannot suck on a bottle, food is gravity fed to him. Although cleft lip/palate is a very correctable condition, children within institutional settings often suffer from malnutrition. The feeding process is very slow because food and formula can enter the nasal cavity or cause gagging; orphanages are often overcrowded and understaffed and these children require more time to consume food. These photos mean more to us than you could possibly imagine. Kai looks well fed and content despite these odds. His surgeon has done a remarkable job on repairing his lip with his initial surgery. We have been learning about his medical and speech needs and are looking forward to providing him the care he needs.

In the next few weeks we will be able to send Kai a care package. This package will contain photos of Rob and I, a blanket (that we have slept with so that he can recognize our scent when he meets us), a few small toys, and disposable cameras. Our care package will also contain a list of questions we will generate for the aunties (caretakers). We will ask for information that will help us to understand him better and also for details about his earliest experiences to share with him as he gets older. I haven't figured out how many loving thoughts will fit into a small box, but we will be sending yours and ours, packed nice and tight, within his little box of goodies.

Life is good when you can close your eyes at night with thoughts of this sweet angel.