Making Memories. Choosing Joy.

Welcome 2010!

I couldn't let 2010 come without one last post in 2009, especially since it has been forever since my last post! We have all been doing well and busy living life. I can't believe I haven't even posted since school began!

Zach is doing well in school and is becoming more and more obsessed with sports. Saturday will be his first basketball game for his 4th grade team and I have to say that I think they look pretty good! It will be fun to watch it all come together (or not!) and hope that they enjoy this learning experience.

Nick has struggled a bit in reading and spelling, and after his last hearing test we knew why. Unfortunately, his hearing in his right ear now has a moderate loss (and with a severe loss in his left ear, he was really struggling). Fortunately, we were able to get him fitted with a loaner hearing aid right away until his brand new hearing aid arrived and was fitted on Tuesday. He is thrilled that he has a blue aid (blue has always been his favorite color) and while we noticed a dramatic improvement while he had the loaner aid (at school and at home), we are even more excited to see what the Oticon Safari will do for him! This aid is brand new to the market, and I'm sure before we know it Nick will be bugging us to get the "blue tooth connectivity" set up for him!

His left ear continues to heal and we see more definition weekly. I believe that he'll still need another surgery down the road, but for the time being I have been cherishing not having any stress of surgeries. It has taken a long time to heal emotionally, and I still get anxious at times when I look at his ear. The beginning of December we took him to a craniofacial clinic and they want to see him once a year to keep track of his jaw growth on the left side (hemifacial microsomia). The orthodontist would like to see our local orthodontist put some bonding material on his right side to promote growth on the left, in hopes that he won't need jaw distraction some day. Jaw distraction may push me over the edge!

That's the short of it. A quickie update to bring you into 2010 if there are still readers out there. I hope you all had wonderful Holidays and wishing you all a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Christie

Dog Days

I'm pretty certain that today qualifies as one of the "Dog Days of Summer." I think Jasper agrees.

 

Today is definitely the hottest day of summer that we've had. Which is one of the reasons I'm taking the time to update...and because I had a request from Aunt Jane.

Thankfully, not much has been going on. We've been enjoying summer and enjoying the stress-freeness (this must be a word...Typepad didn't underline it to alert me, so I'm going with it!!!) of nothing medical going on. Nicholas' ear continues to heal and I've even noticed a bit more definition. He isn't home right now (errands with Daddy...those two make quite the pair...on the go, go, go!) or I'd take a picture to share. There's a notch on the edge where Dr. Jones had to shave a bit of cartilidge off during the second failed skin graft, where it became exposed. But you know what? I don't care! He's healing, he doesn't care, and it adds a bit of character! Perfection is over-rated!

I've been keeping busy with a combination of "Extreme Home Makeover" and "Clean Sweep." A couple of weeks ago I decided I was tired of the outdated dining room, so it went from hunter green to "crabby apple." I have to say that I love the color, but I forgot how much of a pain it is to paint red. Once it's all done (the paint is done, still deciding on some wall art) I'll be sure to post before and afters! Up next is the foyer, although we are waiting on a price from a painter since it is two-stories. Neither Scott or I are up for that challenge at this point in our lives!

It's hard to believe that school is starting in a couple of weeks. I think we are all ready though...but then the homework arguing will begin again!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Whirlwind.

As I sat down to post this entry, I realized that tomorrow will be one month since my last post! Thanks for your patience...if any of you are still checking in!

Nicholas' ear continues to heal...we had a little "bump in the road" a couple of weeks ago. A layer of skin peeled off his ear (nothing major, just a real thin layer) and then the next day some boys got a little rambunctious with their wrestling and it got bumped, and was bleeding. To say I was sick was an understatement. It scabbed over, and the waiting game began. And the anxiety each time he put on his baseball helmet quadrupled. Last Saturday the scab came off and underneath was beautiful, pink skin! I still get anxious when I come home from work and see his ear for the first time that day, wondering how it will look. Part of that is habit from months of worrying...almost nine months...and part of it I'm just not too sure yet. There are still a couple of tiny tiny spots that I wonder about. I still have not been able to say "We're done." More like "We think we may be done." It's still quite red in some areas, and still pretty swollen. Here are a couple of pictures...I realize I never posted any!

[Stop taking my picture!]


[Last time, Mom]

So between healing lots of ball has been played. A typical week is Zach having games on Mondays and Thursdays, Nick having games Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Since school has been out they've been busy in the mornings with baseball camps. The difference in just a few short weeks is amazing, especially with Nick. Zach's team is doing much better than we thought (their first year with kid-pitch/stealing bases) and the improvement with Nick in just the past two weeks is terrific. This is his first year at machine-pitch and once he got the hang of it, he's been hitting great ever since. His whole team is improving and learning where the ball needs to be thrown to, etc. So...as busy and hectic as the schedule is, it is fun to watch them. I could bore you with a bunch of pictures, but after about 5, they start to look the same. Instead, I'll just share my favorite so far of each of them:

[Ready at First Base...my lefty]


[Not necessarily my favorite, but this show's him "whacking" the ball...as he tells me he's going to do before every game]

Swimming lessons and library started this week. At the end of the month we go on vacation and then when we get back we'll have about 6 weeks of summer vacation left...but who's counting? I can't believe how fast it's going! We are all looking forward to vacation and spending time with family. It will definitely be a treat.

Oh...and guess what I started doing again? Reading! I hadn't read anything for at least 8 months and I finally finished the Twilight series last week (hmmm...that could be part of the reason it took me so long to update the blog!). So, if anyone has any good book recommendations, I'd love to have them!

Have a great rest of the week...make it count!

Mother's Day Miracle

[Thanks to Sarah for the title of this post]

So, if you saw my last "tweet" you know that I am not typing this post for the surgery center in Atlanta, but rather from home (well...actually...Panera at lunch). Such a whirlwind. Such a blessing! I can still hardly believe it!

Yesterday morning we got up and around, ready for our day at the Georgia Aquarium. We went downstairs to get a taxi, and 15 minutes later a black Lincoln Town Car pulls up, asking if we called for a taxi. What style! We were at the Aquarium at 10:00, and it wasn't crowded at all. We hit all of our favorite spots and I let Nicholas take the pictures:

[This picture certainly doesn't do this wall of glass justice. I can't even get back far enough to show the entire wall. It is breathtaking.]

Then it was time to see the 4-d movie (the cute animated one where water sprays at you and bubbles come from nowhere...all of that fun!) and lunch. Afterwards, we had tickets for the Titanic exhibit. I got chills when we entered the exhibit. It was absolutely incredible. Scott and I didn't spend as much time as we would have liked, as there was alot of reading, but Nicholas really was patient with us and we did spend quite a bit of time in the exhibit. At the beginning, they give you a ticket with a passenger's name and their information, and at the end of the exhibit you can check to see if your person survived. I was a first-class movie star that survived. Sadly, as Nicholas put it, he and Scott "were swimming." It was amazing and sad. I'm glad that we were able to see it and experience this.



After we were finished, it was time to head to the gift store. I swear, I would have bought Nicholas anything he asked...the reality of soon seeing Dr. Jones was beginning to creep in and we were sure that we would be headed for surgery. Instead of a rather large stuffed animal whale, he settled on some plastic play fish and scuba divers.


We still had time so we went across the street to Olympic Park. It was beautiful! The weather was gorgeous and it was nice to just relax and enjoy the sunshine. It was time to call "Ben" the driver to pick us up to take us to Dr. Jones. Nicholas said "Why don't we skip Dr. Jones and just go back to the hotel and take a nap?" (The party animals didn't return from the Cavs game until 11:30 Saturday night, although Nicholas had a little nap during the 4th quarter).


Ben took us to Dr. Jones and he looked at Nicholas' ear. Left the room and came back with his microscopic glasses and was messing with the back of Nicholas' ear. He finally said those magic words..."This is skin!" He apologized for bringing us down there...are you kidding me? This was the best trip ever! He even wanted Scott to put the glasses on and look. Nicholas had a couple of spots that almost looked a bit like blood blisters, but Dr. Jones said that was fine, and he put some silver nitrate on it. He said it may need some more, or we could just leave it and it will more than likely go away on its own. I think Scott and I are ready for as little intervention as possible at this point! He gave Nicholas the clear to play ball and would like to see us in a year. He gives the ear two years for all of the swelling to go down and to see the true appearance, and at that time it may need a little "tweaking" if we choose. Obviously, at this time it's highly unlikely we'll choose anything!

[Nicholas doing a victory dance while we waited for the taxi. He was whooping it up, let me tell you! I think it was at this point that the news that he could play ball was finally sinking in! This could be my most favorite picture ever!]

Ben picked us up after Nicholas' appointment and happened to have AirTran's number programmed on his phone. Before we arrived back to the hotel, we had flights reserved for 6:40. Ben kept telling us that we would be able to make it, no problem. So we rushed into the hotel to pack (it's a good thing they didn't go through our bags...I'm not sure I would have been able to get my bag shut again!) and Scott talked to Jason, our buddy at the front desk. He was so incredibly kind and didn't charge us for cancelling the room reservations at a late notice, or for not "checking out" of our room until 4:00. If you ever need a hotel in Atlanta let us know, we are more than thrilled to recommend the Marriott and their staff at this particular location.

As Ben promised, we made it to the airport in plenty of time. The flight was great...Nicholas fell asleep before take off and we finally convinced him to stay awake after we landed. He's happy to be at school today and Scott and I are happy to be at work today (did I really just say that? Yes I did!).

[The view during decent...it was hard not to get emotional about the journey we have been on]

You know what else I'm happy about? I added Nicholas' baseball games to our calendar and had a huge grin on my face minutes ago when I purchased his baseball pants for pictures tonight. It's slowly sinking in!!!

A special thanks to our parents for helping us through all of this. You certainly made this past year easier for us, and for Zachary. Really, I'm at a loss for words on exactly what to say, but please know that we appreciate all you have done. We love you!

Lunch is about over for me, so I will go back through and add pictures later tonight. I have some good ones!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Christie

Enjoying Atlanta!

We had a wonderful flight to Atlanta, although we cut it quite close with our arrival. Everyone was pretty much boarded when we got there. Yikes! We got to beautiful Atlanta at noon, and grabbed a bite to eat at the airport before heading to our favorite hotel. They were kind enough to upgrade us to a King Suite again, which will be nice since we aren't leaving until Tuesday morning. I took a little nap and the boys watched some t.v. show about a man catching snakes and wasps...sorry I missed it! We walked about 5 blocks to our favorite outdoor mall and picked up a wrap for me from The Cheesecake Factory...why didn't I cave and get the cheesecake? I'm kicking myself now! Scott and Nicholas are standing in line as I type waiting to get in to cheer on the Cav's. I was planning on doing a bit of digital scrapbooking while they are gone, but discovered that I forgot the wireless part to my mouse, and I had it set up for my left-handedness...so my trackpad is all messed up. Guess I'll crawl in bed with my book and see if there are any good movies on!

We bought tickets for the Georgia Aquarium tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it and seeing the Titanic exhibit. We will meet Dr. Jones tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Plans are set.

We will fly out Saturday morning, arriving in Atlanta at noon. The boys have big plans to see the Cav's play Saturday evening and I have big plans to ... do nothing! Sunday we will see Dr. Jones at 3:00 at his office and then we are planning to have the surgery Monday morning at 7:30. We will fly back home Tuesday morning. I'm hoping that we can make it to the aquarium.

Nicholas' ear isn't looking any worse, thank goodness. Actually, if you didn't know that there was exposed cartilage behind, I think it's looking really good! The swelling is going down and is becoming more defined ... just in time to get swollen again!

I'll definitely be keeping Twitter updated, and even have big dreams of getting my "Project 365" updated too (but don't hold your breath). Thanks for continuing to check in on us and keeping us in your prayers. It is so comforting to know that so many of you are praying for us and thinking of us. Thank you.

One step forward, two steps back...

So...you may have noticed my "tweet" from this morning. We saw the local plastic surgeon yesterday, not for him to do anything other than tell us if we were looking at skin or cartilage. Unfortunately, that sick feeling I get in my gut every time I think something doesn't look right didn't lie. The doctor also thought we were looking at cartilage. He said that there may be a thin membrane covering it, but he felt it was definitely cartilage and that we needed to head back to Atlanta. The step forward is that it seems the skin graft on the edge of the ear will heal. The step backward is the exposed cartilage is in a new place, behind his ear (on the ear, not the scalp). It's about the size of a dime/nickel. We need to keep it moist with bacitracin/xeroform.

So we've talked to Dr. Jones and he will see Nicholas next Friday morning, with a probable surgery on Monday. We still haven't quite figured out the arrangements of flying vs. driving...although the price of airfare may make the decision for us! We talked about Scott and Nicholas flying down Friday for the appointment, then if he needs surgery we drive back Saturday/Sunday. But that's an awful lot of travel. Or the three of us flying down Friday with plans to stay through Monday evening/Tuesday morning and renting a car. Or just driving down Thursday and staying until Monday after surgery. Frankly, none of the options appeal to us, which is why I guess we are having a hard time deciding.

To say that we are disappointed is an understatement. We are sad. We are angry. We are frustrated. We are sad. Did I mention we are sad?

I'm better today. I was dreading telling him that we weren't sure about baseball. He brought home a Cub Scouts flier on Monday and I promptly hid it...out of sight, out of mind. But after seeing the Doctor yesterday, my Mom said maybe this would help with the disappointment of baseball. So when he got home from school today, I told him that I wasn't sure how much ball he would get to play, but maybe we could do this instead (imagine...a Princess at a Cub Scout meeting...the things we do for our children!). And he is actually very excited about it, and didn't seem to mind about baseball at all. I'm sure we'll have some tears when games actually start, but for tonight it's okay and that's what I needed.

Please pray for continued healing for Nicholas, and guidance for Scott and I. That we will feel peace in our decisions. Please pray for knowledge and skill for Dr. Jones. Thank you!

A quick update...

Just spoke with Dr. Jones after sending pictures again. He doesn't think we have anything to worry about...a great way to begin the weekend! We have an appointment scheduled with a local plastic surgeon for Tuesday afternoon, so after Dr. Jones sees pictures from Monday, we may cancel it depending on what he says.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

:::Sigh:::

I had a minor meltdown after Nicholas got home from school today. I was looking at his ear and noticed quite a bit of white behind his ear. I instantly assumed it was exposed cartilage and my stomach did the flip-flop that it has become accustomed to. After talking to Dr. Jones and emailing pictures, I feel a bit better. He doesn't think the white area is exposed cartilage, but is skin. Of course, it is hard to tell from pictures so we will more than likely see a local plastic surgeon either tomorrow or early next week, for our peace of mind. Dr. Jones also mentioned that it looks like "we lost some of the skin graft" on the helix (the edge of the ear). Thankfully, no skin has turned dark, so he thinks that it will heal on its own. So we are back to putting Xeroform on that area.

Please keep us in your prayers. Prayers of healing for Nicholas and guidance for Scott and I would certainly be appreciated.

Praise the Lord!

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."
                                                                        1 Peter 5:10

I worked until 5:00 tonight and had alot of anxiety on my drive home knowing that I'd be taking Nicholas' bandages off. I prayed the entire way home. By the time I pulled into the garage I was at peace and felt God's loving arms around me, strengthening me. After we ate dinner, it was time to remove the bandages. The spot that was on his ear at his checkup was gone (Dr. Jones cut it off, thinking it was a stitch. Of course, I had managed to convince myself that it was so much more, given Nicholas' track record) and what remains is a dried up loose stitch just waiting to come off. I think his ear looks great, but there is still alot of healing to be done. It is quite red (but I'll take red any day over brown/black) and is still quite swollen, to the point that there isn't much definition, but I haven't seen anything this beautiful in a long time! Please pray for continued healing for Nicholas' ear. The last time, the skin graft didn't start failing until a day after the bandages were off. While I am not dwelling on previous times, it will be a few weeks before I feel confident that this is it! Let me just tell you, I have not stopped thanking God for His blessings and the smile on my face keeps getting bigger and bigger.

As always, thank you for blessing us with your prayers.

Speaking of prayers, I'm sure most of you have been following baby Stellan, but if you haven't been, please lift prayers up for his healing as well. If he isn't already in heart surgery, he will be either tonight or tomorrow morning.