Parrs So Far. . .

Baby Ballet!!

2012-01-18T19:44:00.001-08:00

Today was the girls' first ballet class. Mommy is the teacher, so it's a small class at home. But Justine was the surprise dancer. She insisted on the tutu pulled all the way up. TOO CUTE!!

Family Portraits

2011-09-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Anika's 1st Day of School!!

2011-08-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

Anika was very excited to start school today:

As you can see by her many smiles...

We stood outside waiting for the school doors to open while chatting with other parents and kids.

Finally it was time to come in.

Of course, she headed straight for dress up time!!

Based on her feedback, it sounds like she enjoyed it a lot. We missed her at home a lot - but we're doing OK.

My baby's growing up!!! :o)

Fun on Easter Sunday!!

2011-04-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Lakeside Getaway - Day 2

2010-07-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from Day 2 of our vacation on Wonder Lake. This is Anika in her new little swimsuit she got for her birthday...

Mikayla went out for a swim with Daddy...

..while Anika hung out by the shore.

Here's cute little video clip

Later that day, Shannon took the girls out on the paddle boat while Justine and I chilled by the dock:

This was after the girls just got off the boat:

Anika and Mikayla chillin' on the deck:

We found a nearby park where the girls could play outside:

Then we decided to stay and watch the sunset before grabbing some treats at Oberweiss..

My favorite picture of Shannon and Mikayla watching the sunset:
Love vacations!!

Lakeside Getaway - Day 1

2010-07-12T17:38:00.001-07:00

Here's a mini-clip of our 1st day at the cabin in McHenry, IL:

Anika and Mikayla loved hanging out on the HUGE deck:

Mikayla with her granola bar face:

It took a while for the girls to get comfortable enough to jump in with Daddy:

But they did it!

More pictures to come... stay tuned!

More Pictures of Justine

2010-07-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY got some more pictures of Justine on the blog. These were taken on June 10th. Justine is already much bigger than these pictures... growing everyday! :oD

This is a picture of Justine's famous wrinkly forehead. LOVE IT!!

This is Anika loving on her baby sister:

Mikayla on her own...

My babies on a sunny day.

Sunday Dresses...

2010-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some recent pictures of the girls on a Sunday afternoon:

Aren't they adorable??!! These were taken only a few days before Justine was born.
Stay tuned for more pics.

Justine is Here!!

2010-05-22T19:31:00.001-07:00

Justine Elisa Parr
was born on
May 20, 2010 at 1:25 PM
6 lb, 14 oz - 18 1/2 inches

This was taken before she was even weighed...

Later, the girls came to see her:

We'll post more pics as we have them.

Welcome home, Justine!! We love you!!

Mikayla's 1st Birthday!

2009-12-29T09:11:00.001-08:00

I know... it's old news now almost a month later... but here are some videos and pictures from Mikayla's 1st birthday.

This video was taken right after her morning bath with Anika:

Then, the party started:

Anika with Tia Mini:

Mikayla and Anika celebrate with Heather and her daughter Amelie:

Mikayla is standing... but not walking:

Here's a little clip of her waving hello and goodbye:

The cake:

Anika hovering over the cake :oD

Mikayla looked so cute with her little light-up tiara!!

...but she didn't seem too thrilled about the cake.

Mama tries to entice her... but still no sale. :o/

Time to open gifts...

Mommy and Daddy with the birthday girl...

Happy Birthday, Miki-Chic (mee-kee-cheeek)!

Parr Vacation - Day 6

2009-09-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

This was our last full day of vacation - Saturday, August 22nd. Even though it was rainy and kinda chilly, we decided to go fishing. So we stopped at a local store for some advice (and a license):

It was a nice drive in Manistee National Forest:

Anika loves her little Mickey Mouse umbrella:

Shannon, getting the fishing poles set up:

We found a little dock on the west side of Lake Manistee. Shannon hung out with Anika...

Mikayla hung out (literally) with me:

It was windy, but peaceful that day.

Too bad we didn't catch a thing!

Later that evening, we grilled out by the cabin.

Shannon worked hard to get that camp fire going. ALL the firewood was soaked through from the rain... but little by little, he got it going....

We ate outside that night:

Mikayla relaxing by the fire. :o)

Anika trying on Daddy's hat for size:

Finally got to make some smores!

Shannon REALLY got the fire going with his cowboy hat! Go Shannon!

Anika sure loves marshmallows!!

Isn't she cute with smores all over her face?

That was a NICE campfire. It was so hard to say goodbye! :*o(

Parr Vacation - Day 5

2009-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

After a nice restful day at the cabins, we decided to take a day trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It was lovely from the start...

We immediately saw deer hanging out in the woods:

Then we had to stop at the first overlook:

Then we stopped for lunch near then next dunes overlook:

It was a little windy that day, so Mikayla stayed in the car seat for lunch:

The view was incredible!

Mikayla had to sit this one out...

Then we headed over to the third overlook. Did I mention that it was windy outside that day?

Those dunes were too steep to climb, so we just stayed above them.

Even though it was windy... it sure was fun!

Me and my hubby...

Here are some video clips:

We finally got to a spot where we could actually climb the dunes... so we got in!

Anika went up the hill with Daddy.

Then, it was my turn with Mikayla!

That's us waaaay up there!

On our way down...

This was our last scenic outlook of the day...

That's my baby!!

We tried so hard to get us all in there that when we finally did, we lost the backdrop!

Oh well! Over all a GREAT day on Lake Michigan!

Parr Vacation - Day 4

2009-08-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Day 4 was a very restful day. The weather was drizzly, cloudy and cool. So we just sat on the porch and watched the hummingbird fly around the beautiful flowers just outside the cabin:

After a morning of relaxing in the cabin, we decided to go for a little hike with the girls. Shannon carried Anika part of the way:

Anika had fun riding along..

Shannon was on the search for wildlife in the forest.

After about a half a mile, we arrived at the North Country Trail. Here's the official mile marker...

I carried Mikayla. She enjoyed the ride too.

Our futile attempt to get all of us in the picture..

Nice try, Shannon! :oD

It was so cute. Shannon got a hiking stick for himself and for Anika.

She did really well hiking those woods! Here's a little clip:

Mikayla's in there somewhere... asleep.

We saw a deer on the way back, but didn't get a picture... he was too quick!

Anyway, we got back to the cabin and Anika was VERY ready for her nap...

It was quite a hike for her.

Mikayla was waking up from her nap. She slept almost the whole way back!

Anika ready to sleep:

Later that day, the sun came out. So we hung out on the porch again. Shannon dressed Mikayla (poor thing). Love those brown socks!!

She started to scoot forward a little at the cabins!

Anika woke up from her nap in a good mood that day.

We colored a little on the front porch while daddy got the grill going:

Dinner's ready!

Parr Vacation - Day 3

2009-08-25T17:56:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to our beachfront room at the Aqua Marine Inn:

And headed off to Taquamenon Falls in the upper peninsula...

These are the Lower Falls:

Then we headed over to the Upper Falls...

Anika climbed all 94 stairs!!...

... and counting!

Afterwards, we headed for the cabins via Mackinaw Bridge:

Shannon's lovely choice of music...

When we got to Manistee National Forest, we had just enough time to hang at the beach and throw rocks before heading to the cabins...

That was the best sunset we got all week.

Stay tuned for more...

Parr Vacation - Day 2

2009-08-24T16:39:00.001-07:00

Our first adventure was to take the ferry over to Mackinaw Island.

The girls look cute as ever in the double stroller.

Daddy was having fun with Anika on the outside deck of the ferry:

This is the island from a distance...

And this is up close..

The first stop at the island was the butterfly conservatory. Anika liked it.

They had this little wall with different musical sounds whenever you press each butterfly. Anika was dancing to a few of them. It was so cute:

Then we had lunch on the waterfront:

After lunch, we went for a bike ride around the whole island. It was a gorgeous ride!!

The girls rode behind Shannon's bike in this little buggy...

Can you see Mackinaw Bridge off in the distance?..

After our beautiful bike ride around the island (8.2 miles), we stopped for some fudge and some ice cream. YUM!

Mikayla kept looking back at Shannon holding his ice cream. I think she wanted some too. ;o)

The ferry ride back was TOO much fun. We decided to get on the top deck and ride the waves. Mikayla was with me...

And Anika was with Daddy...

When we got back to the Inn, Mikayla and I hung out on our private deck while Shannon took Anika to the beach.

It was a great day!

Parr Family Vacation!! - Day 1

2009-08-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

OK, so we didn't take very many pictures on the first day. We mainly drove in the rain. Our first stop was the visitor's center in Michigan.. so this isn't a real lighthouse:

Then, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast:

The only scenic stop we made was along the shore, but it was so cloudy, you couldn't see anything from the overlook. Here's Anika with her umbrella pajamas...

Mikayla was snug in her blankie that day too:

More to come for the rest of the days.... Stay tuned!

Old March Photos...

2009-04-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of the girls. These were taken a while ago (March 15th) but I never posted them.

Here's a little video clip of the girls too. Anika was a little excited that day.

Stay tuned for more....

Anika and Mikayla Together...

2009-03-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

I took a bunch of pictures today and wanted to share. Anika loves the camera...

We have Mikayla join us too...

Doesn't Mikayla look confused? HAHAHAAA!!

Can you tell Mikayla had been crying just moments before?....

Anika just LOVES to pose with Mikayla next to her.

...and she loves chocolate. I had to wipe her mouth before each picture because her mouth was covered with chocolate... can you tell? (I hope not)

Just because... I took a few more with Anika

Anika's Bible...

2009-03-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some clips of Anika with her little toddler Bible that Daddy reads to her at bedtime..

Anika's Facial Station

2009-03-15T17:04:00.001-07:00

This was a cute clip of Anika. She's imitating more and more now. After having a Mary Kay party at my house, she picked up the foundation wedge and started "touching up" her face.

She had a bunch of chocolate on her face too, which makes it even funnier.

Enjoy!

Anika

2009-03-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Very late 2 month pictures...

2009-03-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

Mikayla was sick on her two month milestone... but she still looked cute even a couple days later.... These pictures were taken on Sunday, February 8th. Enjoy!

I think these were actually taken on the 6th, but I'm not sure...

Stay tuned!!....

More Cute Pics of Anika...

2009-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Anika tried on this ADORABLE sweater/hat combo from her cousin..

She just knew she looked adorable, so we took some pictures..

ENJOY!!

Anika LOVES Her New Bed...

2009-01-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

I promised my mom that I'd put up some pictures of Anika in her new bed..

She's been in the twin bed for a while now, but we FINALLY got some new bedding for her...

Her and doggie LOVE it!

Shannon suggested snuggling with her little stuffed animal, and she's been sleeping with her little doggie ever since...

We call him "Doggie", but when she's talking more maybe she'll think of something more original.. ??

Now, Anika LOVES nap time and bed time...

Thanks, Mami and Papi (AKA - Los Abuelitos) :o)

Anika's First Sledding Adventure...

2009-01-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

We had a good snow this past Saturday, so Shannon took Anika out for her first time sledding. He bought her the little sled for Christmas and couldn't wait to give it a whirl... Anika couldn't either... so we got her all bundled up to go:

She waited for Shannon to go and clean up the car to go...

and she waited...

...and waited...

... and waited...

..and finally they were off:

They were joined by good friends, Josh and his oldest daughter Hannah...

This is a picture of Shannon (from behind) with Anika sitting in front of him...

The girls...

..Anika had the little sled...

... but the inner tube looked like more fun...

...off they go!!

Anika took a few more trips down the hill...

Then they headed home. She was covered with snow from head to toe and a smile from ear to ear...

After getting changed, Daddy and daughter enjoyed a nice cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows:

YUM!!

Mikayla Irina turns ONE MONTH!!

2009-01-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 6th, Mikayla reached her one month milestone. We didn't really get good pictures that day. Just a couple of her yawning:

She was kind of fussy and the sun did not shine that day for good pictures...

The next day, however, she was looking cute as ever in her little bear suit that Grandma Karen got her...

and the sun was shining, so we got some really good ones with her eyes open...

I totally think she looks like Daddy... don't you?

Christmas Card Pictures...

2008-12-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics we took to make the Christmas card. It was hard to decide, but it was fun taking all the pictures.... thanks, Raquel!! :o)

These were all taken in our living room by our little fireplace.

This is the one where Mikayla is working on her future as a rap star...

This is how Anika smiles when we tell her to...

This one was the winner...

Whenever Anika tries to say "CHEESE", she looks like she's gritting her teeth.

Then she looks at me as if to say, "Mommy, is this how?"...

Some pics with Mami..

..and Daddy...

We'll put more pictures of our new house soon. For now, here's an outside picture that Shannon took in early October...

The Parr Girls...

2008-12-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures I took this afternoon of Anika and Mikayla hanging out on the couch together....

I asked Anika to kiss Mikayla (which she does on her own anyway)..

It doesn't look like Mikayla enjoyed that...

Anyway, here are a couple more closeups of Baby Mikayla

Stay tuned for more pics...

More Parr Baby Pics...

2008-12-10T19:00:00.003-08:00

For some reason, the last time I posted this, it did not appear on the blog. ?? Here it goes again.

I know that most of these pictures are blurry, but it's better than nothing...
ENJOY!!

Stay tuned for more pictures!!

More Parr Baby Pics...

2008-12-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

I know that MOST of these are blurry, but they're still worth posting. We'll do better tomorrow when we're more intentional about taking pictures during the day. :o)

ENJOY!!

Stay tuned for more pics...

MIKAYLA HAS ARRIVED!!

2008-12-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

She arrived a bit earlier than we were expecting, but we're SO glad she's here!!

Mikayla Irina (pronounced eeerrreeeeeena) Parr was born on Saturday, December 6th at 10:35 PM. She weighed 6 lb 2 oz and was 18" long.

We haven't had a chance to take a picture of her in good light, but as soon as we do, we will... For now, here are some pics we took at the hospital the morning after she was born..

We took a couple more pictures of the girls tonight as we're all enjoying a quiet evening at home after an eventful weekend...

Stay tuned for more pics... now that we finally found our camera cord (:oD....

Mami's Birthday Pics...

2008-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I know it's been FOREVER since my last post - but these last few pictures of Anika are worth the wait. Shannon surprised me with a WONDERFUL day together on my birthday (Monday, September 22nd). We started off going to the mall...

Anika was in a great mood. She managed to wet BOTH pairs of pants that we had for her that day, so we got a cute little dress on the clearance rack at Macy's for $2.75!!! So, she looked just adorable the rest of the day...

We headed out to Long Grove on the bridge where Shannon and I got engaged almost exactly four years ago.

Anika was enjoying some bird watching outside the Apple Haus in Long Grove:

I had to...

We took a little walk around the fountain in the middle of the square:

Then we headed back to the car through the park:

Anika enjoyed bouncing around on her daddy's shoulders...

It was TRULY a wonderful birthday!

2008-06-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

OK... I know it's been MONTHS since I last update the blog... but blogger finally has the option to upload several pictures at a time. So I'm picking up where I left off with my favorite pictures from Day 6 in Guatemala. Shannon and Anika's 1st time on the black sand beaches of Guatemala.

Here are a few pics - more to come later (hopefully not TOO much later)...

Stay tuned.... no really!

GUATEMALA!! - Day 5

2008-03-02T06:23:00.001-08:00

We hung around the house on Wednesday.

We had cheap charcoal that needed the help of a fan to get going...

It was so ridiculous Shannon had to take a picture of it.

So, we're one day away from the luxury night at the resort near the ocean. DAY 6, HERE WE COME!!

GUATEMALA!! - Day 4

2008-02-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

On Day 4, we drove out to a nearby tourist town called Antigua. We started off at an indoor marketplace that was just inside of some ancient ruins:

We shopped a little and bought some native shirts and some jewelry. The place was only a couple blocks away from the center square, so we walked. On the way to the square, we stopped at a very nice Peruvian restaurant - in Guatemala!!

The food was great (in my opinion). The restaurant was very pretty, so we took a few more pictures before we left:

These are some pictures in the center square that has a little fountain in the middle:

Shannon and my dad visited the inside of the church in the background of those pictures. My dad took a few pictures:

While Shannon and dad checked out the ancient church, Minerva and my mom and I enjoyed some ice cream with the baby.

Just before we left, I caught a nice picture of Shannon with the buggy in the background and the MAJESTIC volcano. It was a little misty that day, but you can still see that tremendous volcano:

On the way out, we stopped through a nice hotel.

Just a taste of the gorgeous sights we saw in Antigua.

Stay tuned for more Guatemala pics...

GUATEMALA!! - Day 3

2008-02-15T05:42:00.001-08:00

After a day of adventure on Day 2, we decided to take a day of rest on the following day (Monday). We hung out and made tacos:

While mom and I were in the kitchen, Minerva and Shannon and my dad were encouraging little Anika to walk. She took a few more steps at a time than usual:

GO ANIKA!!!

GUATEMALA!! - Day 2

2008-02-12T20:38:00.001-08:00

Our first full day in Guatemala was a pretty full day. It started late, but we finally got up and out. We decided to go to "Mercado Central", which is an indoor marketplace - but it was closed because it was Sunday. But, we were still able to take a look around "Palacio Central", which is a beautiful palace/museum - but we couldn't go inside:

The center square is surrounded by the palace, a church, a stage of some sort, and some shops. Here are a couple pictures of the church:

Only a few blocks down is another church that caught Shannon's attention. He and my dad went in to take a look around. We also took a couple pics:

On our way to dinner, we stopped at a personal landmark - the place where my mother lived as a child from birth. It's actually a storefront now. It's the blue building that says "Comercial e Industrial". We took a picture with three generations of ladies:

We ended our Sunday adventure at a good steak house called "El Ganadero".

More to come in days to follow..... (told you this would take a while)

GUATEMALA!! - Day 1

2008-02-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Shannon and Anika and I (along with Minerva - AKA Tia Mini) spent the last week in sunny and warm Guatemala!! We were there from Saturday, Feb 2nd until Sunday, Feb 10th. We surprise visited my parents and it was the best surprise I have ever given them.

We had such a wonderful time and have tons of great pics, so I decided that I will show one day in Guatemala at a time. This is the video of what I call, The Surprise:

Later that day, we were visited by on of the neighbors, Marlene, and her baby girl, Sofie:

Anika Brushes Her Teeth...

2008-01-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

This was taken on New Year's Day:

Anika really likes to get her teeth brushed. YAY!! Thank God! Hope you enjoy watching this as much as I like brushing her teeth (I love it). :o)

Happy New Year!!

Anika's Talkative Bathtime...

2007-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

This video was taken with our new digital camera tonight after church (Sunday, December 30, 2007). Anika was very talkative after her bathtime. Her hair's all wet and funny looking but she's enjoying herself nonetheless.

Her new fun thing to do is to "gimme five". Every time she does it she laughs out loud or smiles from ear to ear. It's VERY cute. Hope you all don't have any problems viewing this. Don't forget to turn up your volume!! Her sounds are sooo cute!! :oD

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

FINALLY!!! Recent Pictures of Anika!!...

2007-12-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Minerva and I took these pictures of Anika today...

Merry Christmas everybody!! :o)

One Month Later...One Month Late...

2007-11-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

These videos were taken exactly a month after Anika's surgery. However, there is NO sound because I took them with my digital camera.

Anyway, it's exactly one month old now. Anika is still cute as ever.

This was taken when Anika just started pointing to stuff. It's truly adorable...

I hope this works so you can all see!!

Anna

Adios Abuelitos!!

2007-10-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

Anika plays with Abuelito the night before they leave for Guatemala.

These are a little blurry, but they capture the moment. Anika receives a going away gift from my parents before they leave for Guatemala (Sept 30th).

They bought her a telephone...

We'll miss you Abuelitos!!! :*o(

Happy Birthday, Mami!!

2007-09-24T04:50:00.001-07:00

Saturday, September 22nd was Mami's birthday:

It looks like that cake was on FIRE, doesn't it? Well, the flash was off, so that's the best we could get.

Earlier that day, we went for a walk at Grant Park:

Those tents in the background were for a book festival that was going on at the park. After we settled down, Daddy fed Anika while I took some pictures. This one's of her sneezing:

Anika loves to play with her spoon after she eats...

Buckingham fountain changes from moment to moment.. so when its center stream jetted into the sky for a few minutes, it formed a rainbow!!

Here's Anna's famous arm's distance family photo:

We still asked someone else to take a pic for us:

Here are some more pictures with Daddy (I couldn't resist):

The perfect rainbow for the perfect day. :o)

Anika's Favorite Duckie..

2007-09-18T19:31:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures of Anika in her new duckie bath tub...

She loves playing with her little squirt toys and doesn't like for her bath to end anymore..

Just figured I'd share how much she loves the tub. Since the docs didn't shave any of her hair, you can't even really see her little wound - but Mami's keeping it clean to make sure there are no infections.

So, Anika continues to do well each day with a lot of smiles and laughter. She is sleeping in her crib again for at least part of the night, but still wakes up in the middle of the night ready to be held again. I don't mind. She's cozy. :o) But, hopefully she'll sleep through the night again soon.

We praise God because He has given us all that we need to get through this trial. Shannon and I continue to draw near to Him and trust Him for strength and wisdom and anything else we need. Of course we are held up by all of the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf. Without that, I don't want to imagine where we'd be. Thanks again to all of you for your prayers.

I will continue to keep you posted on Anika's recovery, so stay tuned...

Anna

Anika's 1st Post-Surgery Bath

2007-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

Anika did very well with her first bath. We used a special bath tub this time. It's a big blow-up duckie with a beak that quacks when you squeeze it. Very cute. Anika got it as a gift for her 1st birthday and she liked it a lot (thanks, Chris & Denise). I would have taken pictures, but I was kinda nervous. She looked great, playing with her toys and letting Mami do her thing.

She slept well last night again - partly in the crib and partly in my arms. Here's a picture of her playing with Tia Mini this afternoon:

Her swelling continues to decrease - and so far, all is going well here at home. Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and support.

Love,

Anna

Anika is Home and Doing Well...

2007-09-15T10:08:00.001-07:00

Today, is Saturday, Septemeber 15th and Anika just spent her first night at home. She slept in my arms (Mami's arms) all night so we could keep her head a bit elevated. She didn't want anything to do with the crib last night - but that's fine by me. We'll move her in there when she's ready.
She's been in a good mood ever since she could open her eyes yesterday. She's smiley and happy and doesn't fuss very much at all. Praise God.
Here's a picture of her at breakfast.

As you can see from the picture, she is still a bit swollen - but this is MUCH better than what it was a couple days ago.
She's still getting pain medication regularly and some antibiotics - but there is no indication that she's in any pain. God has given us the grace to get through what I believe was the worst part of this. And I know He'll sustain us through the rest of this. Please pray that her first bath go well tonight - I'm kinda nervous, so I appreciate your prayers for that.
We'll keep you posted on her recovery.
Thanks again for your prayers,

Anna

Anika's Going Home!!!

2007-09-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

After a rough evening and frustrating morning, Anika's swelling FINALLY decreased enough for her to open her eyes. She can see, and as a result, she's in a MUCH better mood. Since we've been feeding her, she has been digesting everything just fine.
This morning was a bit rough and she fussed a lot. It seems as though she was just fed up with being in the dark. She was able to calm down and slept a lot. It was hard because early this morning, she could open her left eye and got excited that she could see. Then she couldn't open her eyes anymore, so it was upsetting. FINALLY, at about 2:00 PM this afternoon, she was able to open both eyes and has had them open ever since.
We got back her urine test results this morning that confirmed that she did not have any kind of infection, though she did have a fever (common after surgery). That was no surprise, but it's good to receive confimation.
The next wonderful progress was that the drains in her wound were finally taken out. One of the plastic surgeons came by and removed the drains and the dressing from her head.
She also got approved to start taking all medication (antibiotics and pain medication) orally, so she no longer needed the IV. All went well with that, so they took out the IV this afternoon. All of the other wires and stuff that made it so difficult to hold her were finally removed and she's as free as a bird!!
The neurosurgeons and plastic surgeons both gave us the thumbs up to go home today. The swelling has substantially decreased and is still getting better by the moment. They have written up the discharge instructions and we should be good to go before the evening is over. Please pray that we make a smooth transition home and that Anika would be able to sleep well at home. Also pray that she would not have any infections or any problems with keeping her wound clean.
Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and your support. We know that God is keeping us strong through all of this and that He is taking great care of Anika.
We'll keep you posted on the progress as usual. Stay tuned...

Anna

Anika Eats Like a Champ...

2007-09-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday afternoon (3:30 PM) and I just wanted to let you all know that Anika is eating like normal. As Shannon mentioned before, she was already nursing the night of her surgery with no problems. Now, she's eating solid food (with a spoon), munching on Cheerios, and sipping with her sippy cup - sitting up and holding it all by herself!!
She is SSSOOO cute!! As Shannon noted before, her head/face is so swollen that she can't open her eyes. And you can tell that she's frustrated that she can't see - but she's not frightened by it at all anymore. She reaches out to feel for stuff (like Mami's hair and face) and she can find a Cheerio quite easily even though she can't open her eyes. Considering all she's been through, she is ssoooo peacable - just sitting up in the bed "looking" around - mainly turning her head when she hears something new.
Anyway, not much else is new. The swelling has not worsened, and it may have even started decreasing (very slowly). I think the worst is over and we're on the road to recovery. The doctors say that she should be able to open her eyes in the next day or so - and when she does, she'll be extremely happy.
We're still not sure if she'll go home tomorrow or Saturday, but she's eating well and pooping and all the normal stuff that she did before - only without being able to see. OH! One more thing I forgot to mention - they didn't shave one bit of her hair!! They refreshed her head dressing today, and we were all so surprised to see that there was no little punk rock hair do this time. She's still got a full head of hair - and no staples (unless I didn't see them through all the hair). :o)
OK, that's all the update I have for now. Anika is doing very well and Shannon and I are too. Thank you all so much for your prayers. We know that the Lord continues to strengthen us and give us a peace that's hard to describe. Thanks again for your prayers!

Anna

Shannon's post, Thurs 9/13, 10:00 a.m.

2007-09-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

We had a good night. We were moved into a private room at about 9:00 p.m. Nice and quiet. And we have a little roommate who came in about 2:00 a.m. Anna slept in the room again, and I in the family lounge. We all three slept well. Anika woke about 2:00 a.m. and nursed well. The morning so far has been a bit challenging. Since we have another little one in the room with us, and so close, when he cries, Anika gets worked up and visa versa. Also Anika is still swollen, not much decrease since the night so far. The neurosurgeons came by this morning and said everything looked good and to expect the swelling to start to go down by evening. She still cannot see and right now this seems to be frustrating her a bit, she wants her mama today. She is rested and more alert now. Debbie Olson is here with us again today. She has been commenting about how well Anika is doing in light of all the post-op's she has seen (she was a nurse for many years) and we attribute that to our Lord Jesus.
In times like these you really see the body of Christ shine, we are very grateful to God for our local church family and the many, many other dear saints and friends from Moody, from down home, around the country and even in Guatemala and other foreign lands for all your prayers. Our God is very very good. He is kind and caring, he is soveriegn, and he is so very faithful.
Thank you all again for your continued prayer and support. We need it.

Glory to God.

Shannon

Shannon's update, 9/12 @8:30 p.m.

2007-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
Anika is doing well. She is still at peace and very calm. She is still nursing, and we got her to take to the bed. The swelling is peaking now, should be decreesing by the morning. Again we thank you for your prayer and encouragement and we thank God for all he is doing. God bless...

Shannon

Shannon's update, 9/12 @ 12:26 p.m.

2007-09-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

We do thank you all so very much for your prayer and support. Anika's surgery was a success, but it took longer than expected, it was more difficult for the surgeons than they had anticipated. They opened up the plates on the left side of her skull, and they reconstructed her front brow on both the left and the right. We had a long night but she is doing well though the swelling is severe right now. Much worse than last time. Her eyes are swollen completely shut right now, she can't see. We have just been able to switch her from morphine to another pain killer that is very effective, non-narcotic, with less side effects. She seems to be doing very well all things considered. She seems very peaceful. Groggy, and not particullarly happy, but peaceful and calm. She is nursing and needs for us to hold her all the time. Last night and thus far today she would not be put in the bed or the car seat. We have to hold her all the time. She cant see so she needs to know we are there, so we speak gently to her and hold her close. Anna and I are alternating holding her and trying to rest a bit. Debbie Olson, a dear friend from chruch is with us today and taking turns too. She watches Anika quite a bit for us, she used to be a nurse, and they're buddies.
God once again has shown us his great faithfulness and compassion. He is a truly loving and caring God, so very personal and intimatley accuainted with all our ways. He does not promise us life without trial, infact the oppostite, but in Christ he does promise peace. It is amazing to see Anika in the condition she is in right now, with i.v.'s and wires and the wrappings and drain tubes and the severe swelling, after all she has been through in the past couple days...she is calm and peaceable and does not seem frightened. Anna and I too have peace and strength. All this, dear freinds is a work of God. Doctors cannot grant that sort of thing, only God. Jesus told his disciples in Jn. 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me." We have been standing on this as well as Phil. 4:6ff.
God has proven himself trustworthy to us once again. We thank you for your prayers, and we ask that you continue to pray for us throughout the week. The swelling is to peak tonight and they anticipate we will be able to go home Fri. or Sat.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

God bless,

Shannon.

All is Well...

2007-09-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, I just wanted to update everyone on Anika. The first answer to prayer is that we got the morning slot, so her food fast (from midnight to 6 AM) was not so bad. She was in good spirits this morning, bubbly and cute as ever in her new front facing car seat. We sang to her some joyful songs, and just before it was time to go in, she fell sound asleep!! The anesthesiologists were very pleased that part of the job was already done. :o) - PRAISE THE LORD!!
We just received word from the nurse that Anika's surgery went very well. They have finished the reconstruction and are now in the final stages of the surgery (transferring to recovery). According to the plastic surgeon's nurse (Mim), we should be able to see her soon - between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. Thank you all very much for your prayers. Please pray for a speedy recovery so we can take her home soon. Thank God Anika is doing well!! Stay tuned for more updates on her progress...

It's Been a Good Summer...

2007-09-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few highlights from this summer with Anika.....

Anika's 1st Swing (September 2nd):

She was a little scared at first - but then she finally enjoyed herself...

She LOVES being on Daddy's shoulders:

Later that day, splashing in the pool:

Lunch at the Holiday Inn (Merchandise Mart):

We had lunch with Victoria and France on the most beautiful sunny day in Chicago.

Chicago's Air and Water Show (August 18th):

Tchaikovsky Concert at Millenium Park (August 15th):

That was a rainy night!!

Abuelito's Birthday (August 7th):

Anika FINALLY enjoys chocolate cake!! :o)

Looking forward to many more memorable moments...

Anika's 1st Birthday Party!!

2007-08-02T20:19:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a month now since Anika's 1st Birthday bash, but the memory of it will last a long time! Her party was on Saturday, July 7th and we had a wonderful time celebrating her first milestone with lots of friends and family...and lots of food too.

Anika had a great time and socialized a lot. It seemed almost as if she knew it was her party..

These pictures are with the "early" friends, Danny and Lisa Gierke (w/their daughter Madison), who have been friends since "early" childhood.

Of course, we had to get some pics with "Los Abuelitos"....

Later, we had lots of fun with the birthday piñata!!

Of course, the birthday girl gets the first swing..

Then Gabriel..

Then Elijah...

Then Nelson..

Then Allie...

The first to breakthrough was Zeke..

Then Angel...

..then Richie finished it off for the kids.

It was hot outside, but it was fun...

Sweet Pea's first REAL cake...

You never know how baby's gonna do with their 1st cake. It's funny, because Anika didn't really want to EAT any of the cake. She just played with it in her hands..

Then showed her hands to everyone..

Then tried to get some on me...

These two are my favorite birthday pics (taken by Shannon AKA Daddy)...

We kept trying to see if she'd want to eat some more if she tasted it..

But she still wasn't as interested as the rest of us were..

That cake went FAST..

Here's a picture of Anika with uncle Greg...

Finally, we opened gifts and thanked everyone for the beautiful clothes and toys for Anika.

Thanks again to everyone for a wonderful birthday celebration!!!

Anika's 1st Birthday!!

2007-07-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from Anika's ACTUAL birthday. Thursday, July 5th. Sweet Pea was looking cuter than ever that day...

We celebrated with a little cake shaped cookie and a candle...

My mom and dad (los abuelitos) and Tia Mini came by to wish her a happy birthday too..

Stay tuned for pictures from Sweet Pea's birthday party (July 7th)!!

Anika is ELEVEN Months Old Today!!

2007-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Of course, we had to celebrate...

These are some pics with her "winter in June" look. Today's high was only in the 60's. That's Chicago for you.

Enjoy!!

Tia Hopy gave her "Piggy"

I think Anika likes Piggy.

Mama's 1st Mother's Day!!...

2007-05-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

On my first Mother's Day, Anika and I took a 3 mile walk for a good cause. We joined my sister and some friends in the Y-Me walk for breast cancer. It was the perfect day...

Sweet Pea was loving the view in the stroller...

Tia Mini drove at the start of the walk...

off to the left is Ivelise (friend) with her husband Andres and her baby boy, Jorge..

The babies rode side-by side.

Finally, Mama took over the stroller...

After a while, I just carried her along the lake..

This is me having fun with my camera at the end of my arm...

Minerva got to hold her for a little while too...

This is Jorge chillin' on his daddy's shoulder...

Here, we're almost done with the 3 mile walk..

... and for the finish line!!

After we picked up some prizes, we made our way to Buckingham Fountain:

It was cold by the fountain, but warm off into the gardens near the fountain. We hung out with the Pea in the sun for a little bit...

After the race, Shannon and my sister took me out to lunch at Hackney's:

Later, I was showered with cards, a great gift (breakmaker) and gorgeous flowers!!

It was a long, but beautiful day..

Sweet Pea finally fell asleep on Mama. One of my favorite things...

Anika at Kyle and Alice's Wedding (May 12th)

2007-05-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

On May 12th, our friends Kyle and Alice got married. Anika went with us to the wedding. We didn't get any pictures of the newly married couple, but we got a few of Sweet Pea...

She just started clapping the day before...

Here, she's laughing with Cisco and Daddy at the reception...

This is Sweet Pea with Mami and her friend (Jeanie Wang), who stood up in the wedding...

Congratulations, Kyle and Alice!!

Chillin' with Dad...

2007-05-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

These pictures were taken a couple days after the little "10-month" celebration. Anika LOVES hanging out with her daddy...

..love that daddy/daughter time!

TEN Months BABY!!!

2007-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know this is outdated (today is May 20th), but here are the pictures we took from the day Anika was 10 months old.

We didn't bake cake that day, but we did manage a piece of cake from a party Minerva went to that day...

That's OK, we had a little candle, which Anika couldn't stop staring at. She's always mesmorized by the candle...

Let Mama eat cake!! ;oP

More 9 Month Pictures...

2007-05-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are the rest of the 9 month photos I have of Anika...

I couldn't get her glasses to not glare, so I took the rest without her glasses...

I thought this one was funny...

Anika's 9-Month Pictures - the evening pics

2007-04-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken later in the evening when Anika turned 9 months old.

So, as usual, we had to make the cake and sing to Sweet Pea. One day, she'll get to eat some. :o)

Mami's Little Girl...

2007-03-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

I know these are outdated, but better late than never. I took many pictures of Anika when she turned 8 months old (over a month ago!). Here they are....

This is her little chubby cheek-no lip face...

I thought this was funny... see how flexible babies are!!

This one's my favorite!!

My Name Is....

2007-02-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

what?

my name is...

what?

my name is...
(record scratching..)

SWEET

PEA!!

That was Anika's rendition of "My Name Is.." to go with her little do rag. :o)

All of the pictures in this post were taken on Valentine's Day (Feb 14, 2007). The sun was out and Mami was click happy for Sweet Pea. ENJOY!!

Sweet Pea's New Look!!

2007-02-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true - our little 7-month old is wearing GLASSES!! The pediatric ophthalmologist presribed them for her a few weeks ago.

This is Sweet Pea with Daddy the very first time she ever put on the frames with her prescribed lenses:

It's hard to tell if she likes them or not - but she has not been pulling them off or fussing with them at all. That's a good sign.

According to her ophthalmologist (Dr. Rahmani from Children's Memorial), she has to wear her glasses all of the time. She has severe astigmatism in her right eye. I guess astigmatism altogether is common for children - but Anika's case is beyond the norm and needs corrective lenses. I'm not sure for how long, but for now, they're just cute!

Here are some more pics from her first day with glasses:

The rest of these pictures were taken the next day (this morning 02/18/07):

They're hard to keep on straight, but I guess with time we'll get used to it.

Baby girl Anika finally got her glasses!!