Weston Jeremy Taranto was born March 17, 2006 at 4:29 am. He weight 7 lbs and was 19 1/2 inch long. He was born with a Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Bilateral Cleft Palate.

We discovered his cleft during a Level II Ultrasound at 20 weeks. My pregnancy with Wes was overwhelming. Although I tried not to let the information about his cleft cause stress on my baby, it was very difficult for me to control. My feelings and thoughts were at times consumed by uncertainties, questions, guilt, and many unexplainable emotions. Since his birth, we have faced many uncertainties. One major concern was his vision. He did not appear to see. He is now focusing on things and tracking. He grabs anything that is put in front of him. We had to switch Cleft Teams after having a bad experience with the dentist at University of Florida, Shands dental clinic. Wes has a very wide cleft and needed the NAM, a device that would pull his cleft closer together, before his lip closure, but all we were getting was let down and discouraged by our visit to the dental clinic. After this experience, Wes and I traveled to Atlanta, GA to Scottish Rite with a wonderful friend for a second opinion. We had a wonderful team visit and Wes had the Latham, this device is surgically placed in the roof of the mouth (first surgery) and brings the gum together, placed by the dentist at Scottish Rite.
We are now quickly approaching his Lip Surgery, Monday August 14th. He will also have tubes placed and some work done to his nose. Time has gone by so slowly waiting this day and now it seems to be coming too fast. It is hard to understand, but in a way I sad. My baby is about to change drastically. I look at him and all I see is love, my heart. I just feel an overwhelming set of emotions, mostly just scared and my heart aches knowing the pain he will have to endure. This past year has been a roller coaster. What a journey he has taken.