Making some progress...

Hi everyone,

The weekend is winding down and Kevin is just getting wound up, so it seems like a good time for another update. We've had a fairly packed full weekend. On Thursday night Mike and Meg Heister flew up with their 10 week old son Jackson to come see us. They got to visit with Ethan at the Hospital, and Kevin and Jack become instant friends. (By that I mean they made eye contact from time to time) We ended up spending Saturday night in Boston, so that we could see downtown Boston and spend more time with Ethan. All and all it was a great weekend.

Ethan had another surgery last Friday morning. They dilated his esophagus back to 10-12mm. It had constricted back to 4mm prior to that. They've given him a couple doses of steroids to help reduce the swelling. His recovery has been much better then the previous week, and he definitely seems to be getting back to himself again. They are doing mist collar trials again, which is definitely a step in the right direction. One thing they did notice during his last dilation was that where he had a leak after the major surgery before, there has now formed an "out-pouch" that may need to be removed surgically later. The doctors are still trying to determine if another surgery is necessary.

We did find out that he's most likely not going to be able to make it home for Christmas. It's been very difficult for Tina and I to consider, and being completely honest we just assumed not think about it until it was reality. We are really going to miss not having our baby home with us on Christmas morning. We are going to make the best of the situation though, and make sure to spend part of the day with him down in Boston. A healthy Ethan is all we can ask for Christmas.

In other news, the garage has all four walls and the roof up. Luckily they got the shingles on Saturday, just before the rain started earlier this morning. It's exciting to see some progress there.

Kevin seems to be getting bigger every day. His personality is becoming more and more apparent, and he is the source of many laughs for us throughout the day. The boy cannot stop smiling anymore, and it's such an amazing smile. The best part of my day is coming home and walking into the house to see my family here.

Just another quick thanks to everyone who's been there for us. You are incredible, and we truly appreciate all you do. Have a great week!

Love,

Ryan, Tina, Ethan, and Kevin