Home for 25 months now

Updates are getting fewer and farther between, LOL. Busy kids and busy parents!

Josh doesn't seem to have grown much in height or weight this past year, but he sure has matured emotionally :-). He now attends full-time Kindergarten... so he can firmly learn those all important letters, numbers, colors and shapes! And he fits right in with his classmates :-).

March of 2011, Josh needed an emergency tooth extraction due to an abscessed molar he hadn't even told us about :-O. Blessedly, we were already on our way to Seattle for a 6-teeth extraction in Robert's poor mouth!! So two VERY grumpy boys were in our van on the way back home. YIKES it was a long trip back!

Summer of 2011, Josh and Mom flew to Peoria, IL so he could meet Cindy's family there (hadn't yet met her 3 sisters or their families). He had a great time.

A diagnosis was surprisingly given when Josh and Mom flew, just the tow of them again, to Irvine, CA for the 2011 Vascular Birthmarks Conference... to try to learn what to best do for Joshua's ever overgrowing upper left jaw (due to the Port Wine Stain). Five of the 6 doctors in attendance said "well of course he has Klippel-Trenauney Syndrome" aka KTS! What a shock! We had previously been told he did not have that. KTS is when vascular anomalies affect one or more limbs so extensively, that it affects capillary, lymphatic and venous systems. Josh has that in his right arm, hand and shoulder. Most KTS patients (almost 90% I believe) are affected in a leg! Some sources say the KTS can also appear in the head, neck and trunk. Likely that's what's going on with Joshua's jaw.

What to do about it?? Sigh. It's so incredibly rare to find ANY surgeon that has ANY experience with this, that over 3 months later, I have yet to find one. We have placed lower orthotics in his mouth to keep the left lower jaw from turning in any further due to the pressure of the upper... but we have yet to locate an orthodontist either who has experience in this! We're praying for God's very clear guidance for all of us. This overgrowth means Josh can no longer chew on his left side of his mouth, and his speech is being impacted. He currently receives 45 minutes/week speech therapy for this.

But despite the mouth issues, Josh remains a very cheerful, mischievous young man most of the time :-). He lOVES to go hiking with Mom, and he retains his curiosity for EVERYTHING. His fave sandwich for lunch is cheese and banana peppers... hold the cheese works for him too. ;-D He's a precious, delightful boy who has fit into our family very well! :-)