Things have been very very busy around here. I am sorry for the lack of updates!!
I have really been trying to focus on getting us settled and it feels like we are trying to make up for 4 years of life that we missed with Sefan in a month.

This week we went for her first dental surgery to repair her decayed teeth. We first became aware of her dental issues from pictures from other adoptive parents who visited Sefan's orphanage. In Sefan's pictures she rarely smiles with her teeth. However in one photo we got a glimpse. We wish we could have gotten to her home earlier because her teeth continued to decay in the 7 months since the first picture was taken. Basically the front 4 front teeth have severe decay and most of the molars have cavaties. Our dentist has been FANTASTIC about helping us to figure out the best course of action to correct the issues in a way that will not affect her ability to learn English and eat solid foods. Many friends have suggested that we pull all 4 front teeth since they are baby teeth and the dental work can be expensive but we decided to go forward with the more expensive route because we think it will be best for Sefan in the long run. At this point there is no way we could explain to Sefan that we are about to pull her front 4 top teeth....I am sure it would be very traumatizing for her and might affect her trust in us.
we are very very thankful to have dental issurance to help offset the cost of Sefan's dental work. She will have 3 crowns put on the front 4 top teeth and one will have to be pulled because it is too far gone for the dentis to save. She will have a crown in the back and 5 fillings. We completed the first surgery on Wednesday and the second will be this coming Wednesday.
We had to arrive early on Wednesday because Sefan was not supposed to eat or drink for 8 hours before the surgery. They had her drink an orange liquid medication to sedate her. She didn't like it at all but she obeyed and drank it. Then we sat in the inner waiting area to watch some cartoons. After a few minutes Sefan couldn't put her puzzles together anymore because she was so dizzy. I picked her up and she fell asleep. When I passed her off to the hygienist she woke up and started to fuss. She fussed for another 3 or 4 minutes but then she calmed. They gave her some laughing gas and strapped her to the papoose board because the sedation makes her body go the way her head goes and they didn't want her to fall off the chair. The procedures took about an hour and a half. They did only one side of her mouth with 2 cavities filled and 2 crowns on the front teeth. When they brought her out to me she was calm but fussed when she saw me. Her lips were still numb. We were so impressed with the result! The crowns look FANTASTIC! She is soooo happy with them too. Before we had the procedure I had seen her looking at her teeth in the mirror and she has told me before "Sefan black teeth". Also this helped to relieve some of the pain she has when she eats. I am hoping the next surgery goes just as well. It is more extensive and she already told me "Dr. Jim.....NO". It will be difficult to get her to cooperate again and I am sure she will be confused when she loses the front tooth but it should eliminate her pain when eating.
Here is a picture of the result from the first surgery. The right side is complete. The left side will be done on Wednesday