Cleft continued

Fred doesn't NEED to get it fixed. The muscles in his lip and his palate are completely fine. It won't interfere with his speech. It is strictly cosmetic (though insurance covers it because it is considered a birth defect). I really don't imagine kids teasing him about it. Maybe in elementary a kid will ask, "Is that a scar?" And Fred will say, "Yes." "How did you get it?" And Fred can reply, "I was born with it." --or-- "I fell down some stairs when I was a baby." (I think it is more likely he'll get made fun of for missing teeth or being named 'Fred'.) I can't recall a time when a kid has inquired about his lip. Maybe I should start asking children what they think.

Ha ha. I just asked Chloe's friend if she had ever noticed Fred's scar. She tried to look but said she couldn't see it. So I pointed it out. Chloe said, "Whoa! I never noticed that." Neither had Stella or Annie.

I prefer to just leave it until he wants it fixed (and hope we have good insurance). Or at least until he's old enough to sit still and watch movies/color/play video games while it heals. Or until summer when I can ship off the girls. Or until we have money to cover the deductible. Or until we're about to lose our insurance.