Sanibel

Prayers for Faith and family. Stay strong for the little one. She is loved.
 

Faith received two different kinds of chemo yesterday. This happens every third treatment. When she has these two chemos together it really knocks the snuff out of her (VinCristine and Dactinomycin). She slept last night and most of today only to wake up enough to eat a bottle or some puréed pears ( her fav food when she’s not feeling well) then back to sleep again. 
She’s finally perking up now and wanted to sing to you all! ❤️🥰😞 (Sorry I can’t post her video)

glad to hear she is doing as well as her lil' body will let her....such a fighter....you rock Faith!!!!!

This is from yesterday....
She doing great! Healing well from surgery! Doing fantastic with the chemo. The Dr said that basically the side effects we've experienced this past week (slight nausea over the weekend) is it. She should not be all that unwell with this chemo!

woohoo on the lungs!!!

Ok folks here is another update,
No cancer in the lungs!!!!
She was having some issues keeping her oxygen up but nothing serious,  just  the anesthia still hanging out in her system.
She's eating well.
She's going to be receiving chemo today.
And we should be heading home tonight.
Her discharge was up in the air there for a while but now they've decided her going home should be okay

Dr. Meade feels that Faith will only need 18 weeks of chemo!
She also said that it is extremely rare that the chemo will shrink the tumor to the point that surgery will not be needed........
But we know Faith, and we know how she defies the odds and Proves there is Power in Prayer! Our Faith can move mountains! So prayer warriors, pray! Pray that God uses his power through her chemo to smite this tumor!
 
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Sincere prayers and love for sweet baby Faith and her family. She is a warrior baby! 

Warning, This is going to be a long post. 
Also Trigger Alert
We took Faith to Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday for some regular follow up visits, a BAHA hearing aid fitting as well as Pre-Op surgery clearance. The surgery is for her eyes due to strabismus with esotropia (which means her eyes are crossed but only one eye turns in at a time, not both at once)
So I’ll start from the top.
She was fitted for her hearing aid and as you seen in the previous post, it went well. 
What we did learn is that Faith should only need this type of hearing aid and not a permanent one that’s implanted behind her ear. As she grows her hearing should get better as her ear canals widen. So good news. She also got a CT scan of her ears to make sure there is nothing physically affecting her hearing such as blockages or fluid or wax....we are waiting for the results on this.
We saw her cardiologist who was very pleased that her heart has remained stable. She still has the small vsd (hole in her heart) but this is not causing any issues or affecting her in any way other than when she gets sick she has a harder time getting over the colds. So Faith graduated to one year visits!! He was very pleased that Faith has exceeded his expectations! So yay! Good news!
We saw her eye doctor who measured her eyes once more to make sure the surgery was necessary and would be effective. Yes to both of those. Even though the inner muscle pulls her eyes inwards alternately, her vision itself is fine. So she can have her hey surgery! Yay! Good news!
Okay so there’s all the good news.
While we were down there Faith needed to have a screening abdominal ultrasound to check her kidneys. Children with Trisomy 18 are at higher risk of developing Wilms Tumor which is a type of kidney cancer. 
We received these results on Friday 
The ultrasound showed multiple lesions on her left kidney (nephroblastomas) as well as a 2.2cm mass (the size of a ping pong ball). It also showed she has gallstones too.
So an ultrasound is like looking at a black and white tv through a fish bowl. This does not give the drs a full view of how much her left kidney is affected.
So we are going down for an MRI to look at her left kidney and get a better idea of what’s going on. 
Then they are going to try and do a biopsy while she is having her eye surgery.
Then once we get a better idea of what’s going on she may be receiving some “soft” chemotherapy which is the lightest stuff they can give her, easy on her heart as well as her immune system.
Or
She will receive “soft “ chemo and possibly have an operation to remove a part of or her whole kidney. This is depending on the MRI results as well as the biopsy.
We need to move fast. We are going to wage war. These lesions and this mass are ticking time bombs. It is not a matter of “if” it will turn to cancer, it is a matter of when and how bad, but remember, at this moment, it is not cancer, yet.
The chemo will act as a weed killer in a sense, by killing these nephroblastomas (the weeds) before they grow into a bigger problem and spread. 
This will be a week by week and at times a day by day process. 
This is not going to be something that is going away quickly, it’s going to take time and patience, but most of all...it’s going to take prayer.
So what I’m asking of all of you is to do what you’ve been doing all along.... pray.
If Faith has taught us anything it’s that when we come together as one, United, there is Power in Prayer and she is proof of this!
I don’t want you to feel sad.
I don’t want you to feel bad.
I don’t want you to feel sorry.
I want you to feel strong 
I want you to feel the strength of the Holy Spirit coursing through your veins as you pray.
I want you to feel the power and the hope of Jesus Christ in your heart.
She is not just my Faith, she is OUR FAITH!
We are going to keep moving forward, we are not giving up! And Faith is going to keep doing what she’s always done, Defy the Odds and Prove that there really is Power in Prayer cause that’s how she rolls! 
So pray folks and pray hard, put your hearts into it cause this little girl is living off of YOUR PRAYERS and YOUR LOVE! 
Thank you for all your support and your faith in Faith❤️

Faith got her Colear hearing aid this morning.

She just had her heart ultrasound & the dr said she could have her eye surgery as long as the anesthesiologist is ok with it. So she will no longer be cross eyed In a few weeks!! That is the best b-day news I could get!! Yea!! We have been waiting & 🙏🏻 for those words for 6 months!! 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻 😁☺️🥳

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - You Got Lucky
 

It looks like Bee Balm.
 

I should have cucumbers and zucchini up in about a week and ready to go.
SMR58 Pickling Gherkins
Burpless Muncher Cucumber
Brown Russian Sweet Cucumber
Fordhook Zucchini.
 

The Stampeders - Sweet City Woman • TopPop

This is interesting! Ant colonies farm them!
 
  EcologyEdit
Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also benefit from growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris.
The flowers produce pollen, but no nectar. Various bees and flies visit the flowers looking in vain for nectar, for instance sweat bees in the genera Lasioglossum and Halictus, cuckoo bees in the genus Nomada, small carpenter bees (Ceratina), and bee flies in the genus Bombylius. Some bees come to collect pollen, including mining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators.[7][8]
The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten by mammalian herbivores.[8]

This is interesting! Ant colonies farm them!
 
  EcologyEdit
Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also benefit from growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris.
The flowers produce pollen, but no nectar. Various bees and flies visit the flowers looking in vain for nectar, for instance sweat bees in the genera Lasioglossum and Halictus, cuckoo bees in the genus Nomada, small carpenter bees (Ceratina), and bee flies in the genus Bombylius. Some bees come to collect pollen, including mining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators.[7][8]
The bitter and toxic leaves and rhizomes are not often eaten by mammalian herbivores.[8]

Boredom was alleviated by something I found in the greenhouse today. Once upon a time I bought a white bird of paradise plant. I saw them growing in baskets in Florida and thought I got lucky when I found one at Lowe's. There must be more than one kind as this one subsequently grew to 9 or 10 feet tall and has never bloomed. No it hasn't bloomed yet but it did produce something interesting. Lo and behold when I watered today I found an earthstar fungus growing in the pot. Don't have a clue as to where it came from as I have never seen one in the yard. Maybe the spores came in with the potting soil. Who knows?  Isn't it great?
 

REO Brothers - Bee Gees Medley ( Stayin’ Alive , Night Fever & More Than A Woman)
 

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Thanks for the update Bon!  Many prayers for sweet Faith Marie and her parents and grandparents!  

Update on Faith Marie, she had an appt at CHP today. Turned into a full day for them, but we all have answers now! This is what Brandi told us......
Eye check up at 9 am. It was decided at this appt that Faith needed to see the eye dr due to “pulling” in her right and left eye, significant pulling in the right. Eye dr appt was scheduled for same day at 1230. She was diagnosed with strabismus, esotopia. Glasses will not help the situation, she needs surgery in both eyes, scheduled in September pending, must discuss with heart dr first.
She was scheduled for hearing check up at 11 am She failed initial hearing test and was rescheduled for same day Natural ABR. She slept on me with the leads on her head and an ear piece in her ear that sent sounds in her ear to monitor how her brain responded. She was found to have normal hearing in certain tones but has moderate hearing loss in others. She has hearing loss due to small ear canals but also hearing loss was noted at the auditory nerve.  Due to small ear canals and her auditory nerve showing hearing loss, a regular hearing aide is not effective. She was signed up for BAHA hearing aide.
My initial reaction was no no no to surgery lol, but after the dr explained to me that without the surgery she has no depth perception, no balance, so she won’t be able to walk or stand well or sit well or reach for things. This is why she reaches out with her hand the way she does, like she is searching with her hand instead of her eyes. 
When her left eye is turned in she can’t see out of it, only can see out of her right eye and vice versa.
So basically the inner muscles of her eyes are too tight and pulling her eyes inwards, not at the same time though, so they have to fix it so she can see and she has moderate hearing loss, she can hear, just not well.
 

I grew purple broccoli once. 
Correction that was purple cauliflower. Had to eat it raw as it changed color when cooked. 

Have you ever heard of pink or “Watermelon Snow?”
WEATHER HEADLINES by: Mike Doyle
Posted: Apr 14, 2020 / 08:15 PM EDT / Updated: Apr 14, 2020 / 06:30 PM EDT   As kid we were always told to avoid and not eat yellow snow, but have you ever heard of pink or “watermelon snow?”.
The Colors of Snow: If you asked anyone what the color of snow is, they would say white. But, did you know pure snow is translucent and has no color. It’s all the colors mixing and reflecting off the snow that gives it the white color that we see. That being said snow can also be the following colors…pink, green, blue, grey, black, yellow, red, orange and brown.
Pink & Green: Let’s start with pink and green snow or also called “watermelon snow.” This snow phenomenon occurs worldwide roughly between 10,000 to 12,000 feet in the alpine and polar regions. Algae is the cause of the weather phenomenon. This alga grows in cold weather. The snow falls as white, but once it lands algae can start to grow. The alga is predominately green and can give the snow a greenish tint, but it also has some red in it. The red color protects the algae from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The red allows the algae to absorb the solar energy and melt the snow. This process supplies the algae with liquid water which it needs to survive. It is the red part of the algae that turns the snow a pick color. So why is it call “watermelon snow?”. The algae also secrete a fruity smell similar to watermelon.
Blue: Snow is made up of frozen water. Frozen water is a light blue color. When there is a lot of snow it can appear to look blue. Snow that is well shades can also look blue.
Red, Orange and Brown: For snow to have these colors its picks up dirt, sand or pollution while falling to the ground. It is these pollutants that change the color of the snow.
Grey & Black: The snow can turn these colors if they fall through a heavy smoke or soot. Normally, there would be a large fire or a highly polluted area near bye. What goes up must come down. The pollutants can hitch a ride back down to the surface on snow.                                                                                                  https://www.wearecentralpa.com/weather/weather-headlines/have-you-ever-heard-of-pink-or-watermelon-snow/

Someone who takes better pictures than I do sent me this crocus. The contrast between the orange pollen and the purple petals is incredible.