Three Years Post-Op Update

Today marks 3 years since Ezra had his crazy Atypical Mycobacterial Infection removed! He is old enough now that when we show him the pictures and tell him the story about the day he kind of understands it...as well as an almost-4-year-old can. Ashton actually asks about it and comments on it more than Ezra does. Anyway, everything is looking great with the incision and the infection site. His Frey's Syndrome from having the gland removed still flares up when he eats, but that's really no big deal as long as we remember to tell people it's not an allergic reaction.

Here he is a week or so after surgery.

This is a month or so post-op.

And here he is just a couple days ago! The incision is almost invisible and the infection site continues to fade.

The lighting here exaggerates the depression left from the Parotid Gland they removed (that's what causes the Frey's Syndrome - a red blotch on his cheek from the salivary nerves that are still there, but are no longer connected to the gland.) I had intended to get a picture while it was flared up, but that didn't happen. 

And here's his beautiful smile! As I have said before, we are beyond thankful that the surgeon and his amazing team were able to remove the infection without damaging the facial nerve. 

Every month or so, I get a comment or an email from another mom whose child has been diagnosed with this. While I am no expert, I remember wishing I knew another mom who had been through this to talk to or ask questions to. So if that's you, please don't hesitate to comment or send me an email at thoner02k @ yahoo . com. You can also read all my posts about Atypical Mycobacterium here.

Thanks for stopping by! 

~Anika

Introducing Jude

We welcomed our 3rd son into the world on June 27th. We are so in love with our little Jude! However, he's not so little! He weighed 10 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.  We were all a bit surprised by his size, but it's probably a good thing since he has two big brothers who would literally love him to pieces if I wasn't around to rescue him!

Can't believe it's taken me so long to introduce him to all of you! I will be back with more pictures soon!

~Anika

Is Baby #3 a Boy or a Girl?

When I was expecting the boys, I wrote a post about Old Wives Tales to see what ended up being true for me.  I have been meaning to do the same with this pregnancy, but just haven't had a chance.  So, since we only have 11 day (or less) until we meet this new Baby, I figured I better get it done!  Here are the same Old Wives Tales I used when I was pregnant with the boys...

Old Wives Tale: Heart Rate - If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl. If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy.

Baby's heart rate has always been above 140.  Usually somewhere between 140 and 150. 

Old Wives Tale: Shape of Belly - If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, you are having a girl. If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks straight out, it’s a boy.

I have had people tell me I am carrying high and people tell me I am carrying low.  I'm really not sure.  Aside from being smaller than I was with the boys, I feel like I am carrying about the same as I did with them...we will call it right in the middle and sticking straight out.

Old Wives Tale: Shape of Mom’s Face - When your face gets fuller and rounder when pregnant, it means you’re going to have a girl. If your face is long and narrow, it’s a boy.

Again, no change in the shape of my face this time around.

Old Wives Tale : Key Test - This test involves a key. If you pick up a key at the top (the roundest part), you are going to have a boy. If you pick up the key at the bottom (smallest part), you are going to have a girl. If you happen to grab the key in the middle, congrats, it’s twins!

So I had to leave this one in the mix because I always grab a key by the middle. :)  But, we do know it's only 1 this time!

Old Wives Tale: Mayan Tale - The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception. If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way!

29 + 2013 = 2042, even = girl

Old Wives Tale: Acne - If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.

Yup...strange break outs...more so than I remember with the boys.  Often around my hairline and behind my ears.  Lately it's been my chin.

Old Wives Tale: Cravings - People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.

Like last time, no specific cravings...just lots of what I usually like...sweets!

Old Wives Tale: Skin under Left Eye - The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl.

Still no "V" or "branches" to speak of, just one squiggly line.

Old Wives Tale: Dream of Gender of Baby - If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having.

I have had 2 dreams about having a girl. 

Old Wives Tale: Side You Most Rest On - If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl.

I prefer my right side.

Old Wives Tale: Morning Sickness - If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl.

I didn't really have morning sickness this time around either, but I realized I was pregnant after getting nauseous 3 afternoons in a row.  All it took was a quick snack and some water and I felt better.  After those 3 days, I just made sure to have a snack before I started feeling yucky.

Old Wives Tale: Hair on Legs - If the hair on your legs has been growing at record speeds, you might be having a boy.

My leg hair barely grows these days.  I haven't shaved in 5 days, but my legs are still smooth.

So, there you go.  What are your thoughts this time? I should also add that Ashton (one of our boys) has been insisting that it's a girl! We will see if he has any brotherly intuition! 

Here's a picture from some recent family pictures we had taken.  Not the best "bump" picture, but it will have to do! (Poor baby #3 isn't getting the weekly bump pictures like the boys did!)

20 weeks...Halfway There!

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound. Baby was a bit of a showoff - scratching it's forehead and nose, and wiggling around quite a bit.  Overall measurements put Baby in the 73rd percentile...weighing in around 12 ounces.  The heart rate ranged from 145-150 bpm.  The technician also noted that Baby has long toes; Daddy's toes are ridiculously long too. :)

While we don't want to find out the gender until Baby is born, I do enjoy guessing based on the many Old Wives Tales that exist.  Something I read recently said that if the placenta is on the right it's a girl and if it's on the left it's a boy.  So I asked the technician...mine is posterior, or smack dab in the back...so that didn't help at all, but it does explain why I felt so much movement early on.

Here is Baby scratching its nose. We also got a short video of this...so fun!

A good look at those long toes!

And here is a great profile shot...

For comparison, here is Ezra's profile at 20 weeks...

...and here is Ashton's profile at 20 weeks. (He was always wiggling so this was the best we got!)

Hard to believe we are already halfway through this pregnancy!  Praying the last half is as easy as the first half!

~Anika

Two Years Post-Op Update

Two Years! It's been two years since Ezra had surgery to remove the atypical mycobacterial infection that had settled around the facial nerve along the right side of his jaw. He is doing great; both the incision and the spot where the infection was are continuing to heal nicely.

You can see the faint line of the incision along the front of his ear, then under his earlobe and towards his chin...it stops about halfway between his ear and chin. There is still a slight depression from the gland they removed above the end of the incision; the doctor said that because of how young he was this should completely go away. He developed Frey's Syndrome because they removed that gland; he had just had a glass of apple juice before I took this picture, so the redness you see on his cheek is the effect of the Frey's Syndrome - it comes and goes with varying intensity depending on what he eats...fruit and candy cause a stronger reaction. It doesn't hurt him at all, we just have to make sure anyone who takes care of him knows it isn't an allergic reaction!

The actual spot where the infection was is in such a hard place to get a picture of. You can kind of see it here...right where his shirt, neck and jawline meet. Over the last few months we have really noticed it change from red to a light pinkish color. His doctor said we could bring him back for more surgery if we didn't like the way it healed up, but it seem so unnecessary to put a child through cosmetic surgery when it is something that very few people notice. 

 Ezra also had a "crooked smile" for a couple months after surgery due to the facial nerve being disturbed, but there are no signs of that now! Just a mischievous grin and twinkling eyes!

Last night we wanted to celebrate Two Years Post-Op, but it has been so cold here (cold enough for school to be closed the last 2 days!) that we decided to just stay in and have a little ice cream rather than venture out for a treat!

If you have more questions about our experience with Atypical Mycobacterium, please leave a comment or email me at thoner02k @ yahoo . com. You can read all my posts related to this here.

Hope it is warmer where you are than it is here! Thanks for stopping by!

~Anika

I have a really good excuse!!

It's been pretty quiet around here for a couple months, but this time I have a good excuse...

It could be that I am just busy taking care of the cutest toddlers you have ever seen. Which is true, but it's not my excuse.

It could be that my husband took a new job this fall and is working 2nd shift, so I am on my own in the evening with said cute toddlers. Which is true, but it's not my excuse.

Today, my excuse is the size of a lemon...

We are expecting Baby #3 in June! (Yes, just #3...not #3 & #4.) I don't remember being overly tired when I was pregnant with the boys, but I have been this time. Possibly the combination of taking care of two toddler plus being pregnant??? Anyway, thought I would let anyone who is still reading know that I am alive and well! 

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your 2014 is filled with much love and happiness!

~Anika

A Backyard Rustic Wedding

Last weekend my brother-in-law and his bride had a gorgeous day for their wedding! I am not sure if I have ever seen a more perfect weather forecast for the whole week! We spent several days leading up to the wedding decorating the yard. It was exciting to watch everything come together.

Rhett and Kylee got engaged in May, so there wasn't a lot of time to plan and prepare.  They decided to get married in my in-laws backyard and went with a somewhat rustic theme...including a lot of burlap, lace and mason jars.  Their colors were gray and yellow - think sunflower yellow.  We had a couple pinterest boards filled with ideas and realized we would need to focus on a few projects that would have the most impact.  This is what we ended up with...

Wooden Signs: We cut out letters with my cricut, pinned them onto pallet boards and spray painted over them.  They took longer to make than I expected, but they turned out great!  Some of the spray paint was shimmery so it didn't photograph well, but you could easily read them in real life.

Some of the signs helped the guests find their way around...

Some of them lined the path to the ceremony and reception...

And this one was carried (or should I say pulled) down the aisle by my boys! (Too cute!)

The Father of the Bride built the arbor and the aisle runner was burlap and we sewed lace onto the ends...I didn't get a close up picture. 

We spent many hours making yarn balls. After a few fails, we found that a mixture of cornstarch, glue and water worked best...and be sure to grease the balloon with vaseline!  For the bigger balls, we used "punching balloons" because they are round, versus the teardrop shape of a regular balloon.

We also used embroidery hoops to make "fabric chandeliers.  Three of them hung in the middle of the tent surrounded by the yarn balls...

And the rest hung in the tree limbs along the path, like this one.

The bar area turned out so cute! The guys built the bar using pallets and it was decorated with bouquets of sticks and burlap roses and embroidery hoops filled with various fabrics.  The windows sitting on the left listed the drinks that were available.

This arch was to the side of the bar.  We saw something similar on pinterest and asked the guys to take a stab at making one too.

There were both regular tables and picnic tables. We tied twine around the ends of the table to hold the table cloths down.  The centerpiece was a tree cookie and 3 mason jars...one with sunflowers, one with a candle and one with sticks and rocks.  I wish I would have taken another picture after we flipped the plates over...they were purchased from various thrift stores and the variety of patterns and colors was so fun!

The food was served from the basement of the house so we added a few decorations to the porch.  This old wooden ladder got spruced up with left over decorations from other areas. 

And the other side had a cute lantern and a giant tree cookie. 

They used their picnic basket as a card box. 

 Cow bells to ring for a kiss 

 This was part of the guest book table decor...a stick bouquet on a tree cookie.

There were several garlands (made from lace, burlap and various other fabrics) that were hung is a few areas too.

Such a fun day, well actually it was a fun week! Oh, and I should probably share a family picture from the day! (The boys are at an age were suckers are a necessity if you want them to cooperate for more than 2 minutes!) Quite a good looking group, don't you think!?!

I am planning to write a post about my dress as well. It was a $4 Salvation Army find, the color was perfect for my Element, but it had silly sleeves so I reworked it.

Enjoy the weekend!
~Anika

Spring 2013...if you can call this weather Spring

It's been an interesting season here is Wisconsin.  Just when we think the weather is making a turn for the better, we get another cold spell.  Or even 16 inches of snow...that's what happened on May 2nd!  I think we are out of the woods when it comes to the snow storms, now if it could just warm up and stay that way for awhile!!  (Keep in mind these pictures are in chronological order!)

Riding around the house with their shades on.

Just a little snow left. We were so ready for some outside time! 

Relaxing with the magna-doodles

  No more snow and no more coats! Our annual visit to the S&S Sugar Bush to pick up our Maple Syrup and eat some delicious pancakes. 

Shorts and John Deere Tractors!

UGH!! 

At least the boys enjoyed it for a bit!

One lazy Saturday morning. :) When they wake up at their usual 6:00AM on the weekends we toss them in the middle of our bed and try to get another hour of sleep...this particular Saturday it actually worked!

The snow is gone again!

Golf cart rides at Grandpa's house. 

Mother's Day campfire 

More sandbox time 

And a few pictures from our family photo session...

So that's what we have been up to the past couple months. I have 7 more days of school and am looking forward to summer vacation with my boys! I'm hopeful that the weather will turn around for good so we can enjoy a lot of time outside. 

Have any fun summer plans?

~Anika