Ella

I thought I had figured out everything to tell Ella about her upcoming surgery but I realized today I missed a key piece of information.

Ella has been saying she thinks she will do ok with the bone graft surgery and I reinforce that to her as well.  Today she said she thinks she will do ok with not smiling.   After some more discussion, it turns out she thought the bone from her hip would show in her mouth so that is why she didn't want to smile.  I had her look in the mirror and I pointed out her gum and said the bone will go in the gum.  They will make a small cut and put the small bone inside and then sew the gum back up.  Then I said, that is why you need to eat soft food for awhile - so that the gum heals faster.  And being Ella, she said she thought it would be better if she only ate soft food for a month after the surgery.  The doctor said 2 weeks and that will end up being pretty hard on my girl.  She is going through a growth phase right now (so is Elizabeth) and has an increased appetite.  Going on soft and liquid will be tough.  There is no way she will be able to do it for a full month.  But, I told Ella that was up to her but that I thought two weeks would be good. 

I am also glad that Ella doesn't have to stop smiling - she has one of the best smiles in the world.