Long Overdue Update!

Well, we've been living in Georgia with Jonathan's parents for six months now. (Has it really been that long!?) Once he was set up with a doctor down here, Jonathan was quickly referred to a neurologist who proceeded to methodically work her way through every test on her list. Every one came back as normal as you could hope for. Hooray! - No brain tumor. No apparent Lyme's or MS. No vasculitis. No aneurysm. But now what?

Over New Years, Jonathan's chest pain and heart palpitations went from fairly annoying, to increasingly alarming. So he was referred to a cardiologist who also ordered a battery of tests and voila! One came back slightly abnormal. Jonathan was diagnosed with a "right bundle branch block" which the doctor explained as caused by the steroids/virus and told us should go away within a year or so. That was a huge relief! But we still had many more symptoms to find answers for.

Most recently, Jonathan has been seeing a GI doctor for a bunch of issues and going through all of their testing. So far nothing significant has shown up, but we're still working with them. We're also trying to work with his neurologist to find the cause of his persistent and often severe headaches. These are his main complaints at present.

Apart from the physical aspect, we've had a lot of emotions to deal with as we made the decision in March not to return to Alaska this summer. Jonathan's health has simply not improved enough to work on a regular basis, let alone live hours away from any type of medical care.

We had planned to fly up and pack up our house/say goodbye to friends at the end of April, but Jonathan caught a cold the week before we were leaving which brought a lot of symptoms back, making us uneasy about traveling and spending time away from medical care. So, we accepted the offer of Jonathan's brother in PTA and some wonderful friends to go through everything we own and sell, pack or toss it for us. Once everything is packed up, they'll mail the totes down to us.

I'll take a moment to admit - as matter-of-factly as I can type it or even say it to friends, that was an enormously painful decision to make. We don't know if this decision means that we simply will miss the busy season this year, or if the Alaska chapter in our lives is completely finished. And while life in Port Alsworth has its challenges, we love it there. We love our cozy blue house. Jonathan has his dream job - flying in bush Alaska. We really love our friends there. Port Alsworth is the place we made our first home together. Facing a future with so many unknowns and the inability to plan is uncomfortable and scary.

But God has made it faithfully clear to us that we are where we are supposed to be, even if it is a painful place. He has purposes for us here. We are learning and growing in our dependence on Him. and that is what counts. That is what matters. That is what we try (and often fail) to focus on every day.

As far as what's ahead: Jonathan scheduled an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. That is coming up at the end of this month and we would appreciate your prayers as we prepare for it.

If you would:
Pray for the doctors to be granted wisdom.
Pray for us to recall everything accurately and communicate clearly.
Pray for peace in knowing we are in God's hands,
Also, for us to have wisdom and patience in our parenting (as well as our marriage :)) and not to let stress influence our interactions.

And finally, a quick update on our little man, our bundle of sunshine and snuggles and fun!

Ethan had his first birthday in February! It was so wonderful to be able to celebrate it with family. :)

 He is walking and talking - learning all kinds of boy-words like "car" "dog" and "stick". He loves games like peek-a-boo and wrestling with Daddy. He also loves to help with the laundry or cooking.

He is a super-affectionate little boy, smothering us with hugs and kisses every day. We love every one!