Back Home

We're back home in NM after returning late last night. Shelly and Josiah met Mamoo this morning to pick up Silas and Eli, so we're all back together tonight.

The final day in Cincinnati went well. Josiah and Shelly stayed in the hospital Wednesday night while Josiah had an impedence probe (a tube with multiple ph probes) down his nose to his stomach while being hooked up to a monitor that collected data and looked for reflux. On Thursday morning, the tube was removed and we headed back to otalaryngology for the final procedure of our stay, another scope down Josiah's nose and throat. This was the same procedure he's struggled with before, except this time he had to eat and swallow, not just talk. HE PERFORMED LIKE A CHAMP! Perhaps it was a matter of getting used to the procedure, or knowing this was his final procedure before going home, or a result of so many of you who were praying...but he did great. A little fussy at the beginning, but then he followed directions, ate and swallowed, and kept calm. When it was over, he jumped up and down on the floor in excitement!

His medical team in Cincinnati is still waiting for the results of a few tests and will meet next week to discuss where we go from here. However, unless unexpected red flags pop up, they believe we'll be moving toward airway reconstructive surgery and trach removal in the next few months.

After leaving the hospital, we met a friend of Art's from high school and college for lunch and then headed to the airport, arriving back home after 11 PM MST (after 1 AM EST). Our bodies are still somewhat mixed up as to what time it is, but hopefully we'll get good rest this weekend.

On the adoption front, there was another conference call for families adopting from Rwanda last week. We actually missed it because of Josiah's appointments, but I did listen to a recording and there wasn't any really new information. We're still in a waiting period while our paperwork is reviewed by the Ministry in Rwanda.