Out with His Tonsils, Too!

After going through the decision to remove Maryn's tonsils, we realized that JB struggled with many of the same symptoms (snoring, gasping, apnea, etc).  He has always had huge tonsils, but honestly has not struggled much with strep or throat illnesses.  The doctor removed his adenoids at 3 years old, and that was a game changer in terms of general sickness.  At that time, the doctor said he didn't want to consider tonsils until older, but that we'd watch them.

So, fast forward to "older", the week of Maryn's procedure we visited the ENT for JB with videos of him sleeping.  The ENT immediately recommended surgery, and he went through the procedure this past week.

Fortunately he did GREAT the day of, even though a little nervous as we waited in pre-Op.  After waking up he ate 4 popsicles and drank 2 Powerades, plus ate the entire plate of noodles, applesauce, and ice cream.  Such a great appetite!

We came home early afternoon, and JB was thrilled with all the goodies he got to keep him busy (legos, molding kits, puzzles, etc).  His Grammy, Aunt Shawntel, and our neighbor spoiled him as well!

However, poor guy is still in pain several days later (which is to be expected), and his flair for the dramatics has made the recovery appear a slow one... :)  Still, I know he'll be back to normal soon, and this surgery will be worth it for improved sleep and breathing.  So thankful it all went so well!

(Note: for the first time in his entire life, he sleeps with his mouth closed!)  

Out with the Tonsils!

Our kiddos have some big tonsils (and get them honestly, from me - which seems to be the only physical trait they inherited from their Mama!)  After Maryn's continued to grow and started to majorly obstruct her breathing, the doctor recommended we remove.  And we agreed.  Not only was her snoring out of control, but she also had periods of sleep apnea that were downright scary to hear.

Of course, Maryn went into a surgical procedure with a lot of exuberance.  The promise of non-stop individual attention, ice cream, and one-on-one snuggles throughout her recovery almost made her giddy about the entire thing!

The worst part (other than recovery): a COVID test a few days before the procedure.  Goodness gracious, that swap has to be millimeters away from the brain when they shove it in. Although she didn't flinch at the blood drawl, the COVID test really upset her. And this was the morning before her recital, so it forced a make up redo!

She did so well the day of surgery: no questions, no concerns, very compliant with the nurses (even after a second blood draw!), and then super, SUPER silly after the "princess juice" to relax her.  I felt like I was trying to take care of a drunk college girl, telling me she had to get up, take off her clothes, go find the nurse... :)

After a very successful procedure (and confirmation from the ENT that her tonsils were "absolutely enormous"), she came back very agitated and upset before taking a good, solid nap to sleep off the anesthesia.  

She then hung out with Mama and Daddy while she sucked on some popsicles and begged to go home.

Poor girl had a couple of episodes with her tummy, and that, plus her throat, made it very hard for her to take liquids.  They warned us that we may have to spend the night, but fortunately she kept enough down in the late afternoon for us to go home around suppertime.  I've never seen a girl change so fast into her clothes. She even buckled her own sandals while I went over the paperwork. The moment they let us leave, she was out the door.

Her recovery has gone very well. The second day she felt rough, and slept on and off in my "office" (which is currently our bedroom) while I worked.  We also cuddled quite a bit, which I'm not going to complain about.  :)  By the third and fourth days, she was back to normal and harassing her brothers non-stop.  Her voice is still super high pitched, and it's precious!

So thankful for modern medicine and easy, smooth, successful procedures. As always, our small town hospital took big time care of us.  So long, big ugly tonsils!!

Maryn's First Dance Recital

Our little girl accomplished what she her Mother has been dreaming about for years: her first dance recital!!

This is where the impacts of the global pandemic actually worked out in our favor.  All year Maryn has said she would not dance at the recital, and she refused to dance during performances at nursing homes and community events.  (She would literally just stand there while her classmates twirled and tapped, glaring at the audience).  Although I know it was devastating to many that we couldn't have a "traditional" recital, it was the perfect venue and approach for our little girl:  minimal people, no stage, in and out, one and done.  She actually danced and enjoyed herself!!

A huge shout out to Ms Abby and Fancy Dancer for creatively and ingeniously figuring out a way to allow the dancers to perform under all the new regulations and keeping safety in mind.

And this sweet girl!  So pretty in all her yellow. We're so proud of Maryn.

She enjoyed her first year of dance class, especially Ms Abby, the older girls who helped in the class, and the time each Monday with her little bestie, Aditi.  These girls are too cute for words!

Funny enough, even when Maryn was not dancing her performances this little boy would shimmy and shake from the audience.  He loves to dance!  If we can convince Daddy to let us, Wesley may be joining her at the studio next year... :)