Summertime

Seems as if I'm managing an update about every 2 months, but hey that's our life around here. Cambrie graduated from kindergarten at the end of May. We are so proud of how far she has come this year after a crazy start. She was only in school for a few weeks before we left for China, and she missed over 2 weeks. Kyle finished up a great year with several awards. He had to work hard that first quarter to catch up after missing 2 weeks of 5th grade. But he managed to reach his goals and even made Principal's list all 4 quarters. Aiden is loving life despite 2 surgeries and numerous doctor visits. It amazes me that he will just walk right back with whatever nurse comes to get us. I would think after all he has been through that he would be scared of medical people. His personality is such a blessing. I think he will definately accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.

We have had a busy summer so far. We met all of Eddie's family in Myrtle Beach the first week of June. The kids had a blast with their cousins, and Aiden loved spending the whole week in water. He wasn't too sure about the loud ocean, but loved our pool at the house. Cambrie taught herself to swim with some instruction from her big cousin Blayne, so she was thrilled. Kyle and Eddie went off to church camp this past week and had a blast. Actually I picked Eddie up on Tues night b/c he had to be at work on Wednesday. Kyle came home today looking pretty worn down, but probably would have stayed another week.

We are thankful to have surgeries behind us for the moment. Aiden's mouth healed quickly without much discomfort, and the circumcision only seemed to bother him during a diaper change. Glad to have them out of the way. During his bronchoscopy and ct scan they discovered that he had a lot of "junk" in his lungs, so we had a swallow study done. We found that he is apsirating when he drinks liquids because he drinks so fast and overpowers his muscles. We now have to thicken all liquids and have removed the valves from all his sippy cups hoping to slow down how fast he drinks. Can I just say I have little spots all over my floors and furniture from the drippage out of the cups. But at least it matches the rest of my messy house. He has also had several ear infections, so tubes may be in our near future. The pulmonologist also suspects he may have acid reflux based on the condition of his lungs, so we are treating that with medicine. Fortunately our pulmonologist decided Aiden was a perfect candidate for a special clinic at Vanderbilt that will involve a pulmonologist, a gastroenterologist, and an ENT. When we go, we will see all 3 doctors together that will coordinate his care. Makes sense to me, and it saves us several trips as well as peace of mind that they are all working together. Our first visit will be in August. He has also been referred for a hearing evaluation because he failed the test in the pediatrician's office. Cambrie failed this as well, and ended up being fine when we had her tested further. But since he is waiting to start speech therapy, this has to be ruled out first so they know how to work with him. Gotta tell you that even with all these things going on, you would never know it if you saw him. He is the happiest guy! He smiles all the time and says hi to anyone who glances his way.

As of now, we don't have any more major plans for summer. Just looking forward to some quiet nights and weekends at home, knowing that will all change when school starts in about a month. Thanks for checking in on us!

Kelly