What Can We Expect?

***This is a repost from Caden's Caring Pages which were written while we were waiting for, and after Caden's Cranial Vault Reconstructive surgery***


Little man is getting oh so big! ‎"Uh Oh!" are Caden's words of choice these days...and yes, Caden, throwing Mommy's wallet and car keys in the cat's water bowl is "uh oh!" He has officially taken off and started walking! He was taking a few steps at a time before but now he is off like a rocket! He amazes me every day with all of the things that he is learning and doing. He makes me oh so very happy!
So plans have slightly been changed regarding the bake sale to help pay for Caden's surgery. Due to the time of season with the holidays around the corner, unfortunately I am unable to get a spot to hold a bake sale with any retail facility at this time. Salvation Army and Toys for Tots are filling the company's calendars at this point. But that is ok, Cayce and I have been talking and we decided we will still try and do the bake sale, but do it after his surgery instead. It might also help because we will have actual pictures of his head and scars and people will be able to believe that the surgery is real and not a scam. Thank you for those who have offered to help me with baking and manning the bake sale. As soon as we get an actual date I will let you know so we can get the ball rolling!
I have had many people ask me about Caden's surgery and what exactly is going to happen. We will find out for sure on Dec 14th when we have our appointment with the Plastic Surgeon. However, we already have been told what to expect and it isn't pretty. They will be cutting Caden in a zig zag pattern from ear to ear. The reason for the zig zag is so that Caden will not have a permanent part in his hair later on. Cayce's scar from this same surgery is straight from front to back and he has a very obvious scar, and hopefully this will be prevented. The surgery lasts about 8 hrs (which will be complete torture for Mommy and Daddy). The Neurosurgeon will be there to make sure that Caden's brain is protected and the Plastic Surgeon will be doing a CVR (cranial vault reconstruction) which will reshape Caden's head and also allow for it to grow using desolvable screws, plates and sutures. I have been speaking to several mommies of children that have had this surgery and they said that the worst part happens about 48-72 hrs after the surgery. Caden's eyes will swell shut from all the pressure that happened during the procedure and it will stay that way for a few days. They say that makes the babies very upset- which I can completely understand. The first day or so they will have Caden on Morphine to keep him comfortable and sedated so that immediately after the surgery he can heal as much as possible. The surgeons tell me that Caden will be well on his way to healing after just 2 weeks and should be nearly COMPLETELY healed in about 6 weeks. That just amazes me! I know that with God watching out for him that this surgery will be ok and that he will make it through like the champ that he is and he will heal beautifully! I got permission from one of the mommies to use a few of her pictures of her beautiful little girl to post so that you all can see what Caden's future holds. Be prepared, the pictures will pull at your heart strings...