Smiling with the kids in Kashgar, China!

Wendy, our Pediatrician, with her favorite patient! I was lucky to capture this moment during her examination!

Look at those cheeks! On the left is one of the local nurses talking with this mother.

We all had a great time with this little man. He took the handle off a door and used it as a gun, probably not a good thing to be encouraging, but he had a great time pretending to shoot us!

Oh my cuteness! Isn't he just adorable?!?

I brought this light toy with me and brought it out for Julia to show this little girl! I love how the light reflects back in Julia's face! The little girl was awestruck!

What a smile!

I just love the moment I captured here. The mother in thought and the little guy staring at someone next to me. Their fabrics are beautiful! I love the combination this mother is wearing!

My roommate Natalie brought this cute stitched doll from Australia. She had a special one for one girl and one boy. This was the lucky girl and she was thrilled to receive it!

Oh I love his smile! I love how engaged the fathers were in their child's care!

This was my best friend! I wish I remembered his name, but I'll call him "my little man". On the last day, I decided I was going to give my light toy away to a special child. This little guy was screaming, just upset at something. I decided he was the one and right after I gave it to him, he stopped crying. A miracle toy! I showed him and his mother how to light it up and for the rest of the day, he had it in his hand. Even when I walked them down to the OR, he was still carrying it! The next day, our last day, I was worried he might have lost it in the OR, but to my surprise he was holding it in his bed! He looked great and was happy with his toy!

 

Oh, such cheeks! I love his outfit, the cute beanie! I believe it was worn because they are Muslim but still, it looked cute on this little guys!

"My little man" later the same day I gave it to him, holding his new toy!

I saw this little guy and busted a smile, "what is on your head little man"? Through the help of interpretation, I learned he had been crying and after mom put this net bag on his head, he stopped! Whatever helps! I had to get this picture, such a cute guy!

"My little man", so precious!

This little guy was not one of our cleft lip/palate patients but he did come to have a consult for his nevus (a large mole on his right face). His father brought him to have the surgeons give them advice, which is to go to the capital of the province and receive care. Yet I don't know if that is realistic for this family, which breaks my heart. He was so cute. I found my bottle of bubbles and decided to see if he was interested in playing with me while he waited for the surgeons to come see him. Oh did he like them, he was jumping up and down popping bubbles! We had a great time, about 15 minutes! In the end, I left his dad with my bottle of bubbles!

We met this little guy on our first day in the city, after our tour of the hospital. We noticed his arm but didn't think he was a candidate for our surgeries. Little did we know, his dad had him open his mouth, and he had a cleft palate. We saw him a few days later, such a cutie!

I loved this little girls outfit! A red sequin, silk dress, complete with pearls! A beautiful girl!

This little guy was also another special patient of mine. He had his cleft lip repaired on day 1. His Grandpa was always with him. I just loved them! He looked great after surgery!