Good Reports

We had a VERY long day today at UMC!  Three hours waiting on our second doctor's appointment!  Luckily, Reece was in a great mood and stayed happy the whole time.  His appt. with Dr. Carron, the ENT, went great.  He said that Reece's tubes look good, and we won't go back to see him for 3 months.  He said that Reece needs to be 20 lbs before he will repair his cleft palate.  I shared with him that Reece has trouble swallowing thin liquids like juice because it comes out of his nose.  I asked him if drinking out of a sippy cup would help that, and he said that it does work for a lot of children.  So, Reece has 2 brand new sippy cups to start on this week!  It should be interesting.  We also went to Dr. McCluskey, the hand specialist, this afternoon.  He was really impressed at how well Reece's wrists and elbows have straightened out.  He said that his finger motion was great and that Reece had come a very long way!  He was so excited when he saw how Reece was reaching for and grasping one of his toys.  He also said that at the last visit he was concerned with how well Reece would be able to care for himself personal hygiene-wise.  Now, he said, Reece is stretching his arms out more, and it may not be as big of a concern.  He said that right now it may look like Reece would not be able to wipe himself, but even babies with no joint problems have short arms.  He also said that Reece should be able to stand and walk with his knees being bent.  He may walk a little crouched, but he should be able to do what he needs to do.  His biggest obstacle to walking was his feet, but now they are all fixed!  Plus, Reece is so stubborn (I don't know where he gets that from!) that he will most definitely be determined to do anything and everything!  Basically, we will just have to wait and see, but it all sounded very positive.  It sounded like Dr. McCluskey was pleasantly surprised at Reece's progress.  It was definitely worth the 3 hour wait!  On another note, we sat out in the waiting room with a 15 year old boy that also has arthrogryposis, and he was in a wheelchair and did not move at all.  His arms were crossed and stay in that position.  It was very eye opening for us.  It reminded us that things could be a lot worse than what they are.  It makes us feel even more thankful to God for giving Reece to us.  It's like Nick has said over and over, we wouldn't want him any other way if it would take away the adorable little personality that he has.  So, next Tuesday we are off to Shreveport to hear what Shriners Hospital has to say.  I am trying to stay positive, but there is always that little worry that they are going to tell us something worse. Please pray that we will only hear encouraging news from them.  God is continuing to answer our prayers.  Each time we face something we always get good news.  I know He will not fail us now!  He truly is an awesome God!  So here we go.  Four hours in the car with a 5 month old should be very exciting!  Lots of singing I'm sure!  Take care!  We love you all!