Jennifer was much calmer today than she was for either of the two previous inpatient procedures. She smiled easily and was attentive to the docs and nurses. She knew she would get anesthesia to knock her out during the surgery.

As he did before, in addition to inserting the expanders, Dufresne did a few small things that made a big different on Jennifer’s face. He again did some work around her eyes to help her eyelids close.

He also tightened some ligaments (at least I think they were ligaments) around her mouth to loosen skin, especially on her top lip. That should improve both the functioning anf appearance of her mouth.

Unlike last time, Abitimo and I did not have to take Jennifer back to Philadelphia after the hospital released her. She will be staying with the two families in the Chevy Chase, Md. area who have befriended her.

Sept. 16

From Carolyn

Abitimo returned today to Philadelphia after a month of helping one of her daughters who just had a baby. I was glad to get to know Jennifer more deeply, though I wasn’t wild about some of her behavior. I know it’s probably politically incorrect for me to mention any downside to Jennifer. But I learned in 1999 when I was manager of a refugee camp in the Balkans that the romantic Western image of atrocity victims being pure and good just isn’t true. Some of the refugees in my camp were wonderful people trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy for themselves and their children. Others robbed, cheated, fought their fellow refugees.

Jennifer has been through hell. But that doesn’t mean she is a one-dimensional kid who is defined only by her victimhood. She’s a multidimensional young lady who can be sweet and then quickly turn sour. Thank goodness the sourness did not obliterate the sweetness.

Sept. 10

From Carolyn

First, let me say that I've been trying to get Jennifer to write more entries herself. But she has diligently been working on a story she is writing on the laptop a reader bought her, about herself and her friends. She also has been spending a lot of time working on a paint-by-number kit. She concentrates quite intensely when she paints, and, like a big sister, says, "Olivvvvia" to my 5-year-old if Olivia knocks the table while Jennifer is painting.

This afternoon, Jennifer's English tutor, Frances Nunez, picked Jennifer up to bring her to her house for the afternoon. Frances is helping Jennifer to read a biography of Helen Keller, and was thinking of showing her the movie. Frances also has a 15-year-old daughter, so it was another opportunity to get Jennifer around kids her own age, which she really enjoys.

In the evening, Jennifer, Olivia, Olivia's friend Tasneem, and I watched "Akeelah and the Spelling Bee." Good movie. Olivia and Tasneem, who are just learning to read, were giving each other simple spelling words after the movie and acting as though they were in a spelling bee. Great movie.

Sept. 9

From Carolyn

After months of not being able to get in touch with her mother, Jennifer spoke with her by phone early this morning. Arranging a phone call isn't easy. Abitimo, Jennifer's amazing guardian, has a nephew in the town where Jennifer's family lives. We contact him to arrange a time. Then he goes over to the family's house and we call Sam on his cell phone, which he hands over to Jennifer's mother.

Sam wanted Jennifer to call at 8:30 a.m. Uganda time, which is 1:30 a.m. Philly time. I kept asking Jennifer if she wanted us to set an alarm for her in case she fell asleep and she said, "no, no," she would stay up. I woke up at 1 a.m. and went downstairs to check on her, and sure enough, she was wide awake sitting on the couch in our livingroom watching TV and running into the kitchen to check the time.

Finally, 1:30 a.m. came and she got through to Sam's phone on the first try. I don't know Acholi, but she was obviously delighted to talk with her mother. I could hear Jennifer say the names of her siblings and figured she was getting caught up on how they were doing. I went back upstairs before the conversation was over. I don't know how long they spoke for, but Jennifer slept in to about 11:30 this morning.

Sept. 3

From Tim