Five weeks and five days

Alice took her trip to the clinic at Guys totally in her stride, which is more than can be said for me I fear. She was as good as gold all the way there and while being poked and prodded by the cleft surgeon and the orthodontist, although she did squirm a bit when the latter took a mould of her mouth and who can blame her? She now has 'strapping' on her lip - a ridiculously low-tech but fiddly contraption made from sticky tape and a rubber band which will help get her muscles ready for the first operation (scheduled for April 5th). She'll also have a plate inside her mouth which will be fitted next week (so *another* trip to London.)

It all makes her 'problem' seem much more real, somehow, now the medical and surgical teams are so visibly involved. And signing the consent form for the surgery was horrible - even though it's a minor procedure I still looked at the list of possible risks and thought: how can I do this to my baby? I know it's all for the best, but part of me wishes I could keep her safe at home just the way she is, instead of having to interact with the medical establishment and the big bad world in general.

Alice in her new facial attire: