{Update on Kyler}

We spent a few days in Iowa with Kyler last weekend. We were able to meet some really good doctors. They spent a lot of time with him helping us to determine what is wrong with his eyes. We didn't leave there with an exact diagnosis, because the docs in Salt Lake never did some of the tests that really need to be done to come up with an exact diagnosis. They think that the problems lie within the muscles and nerves around his eyes. Most likely, the muscles never fully developed to their correct size. Because of this, his nerves couldn't fully attach to them to send the correct messages to his brain. We will be going back to Salt Lake to have a special MRI done where they will be able to see the muscles, nerves, and the messages the nerves send to his brain stem. After that, we will mail the MRI back to Iowa where a pediatric opthamologist, neuro-opthamologist, and a radiologist will look closer at the scan. Then, we will head back to Iowa for surgery. The will attach, repair, and build up the muscles, repair the nerves, and then realign his eyes so that he can see without tilting his head so far to the side.

We feel very confidant with these doctors, they explained everything to us very well and never made us feel uncomfortable or stupid. Kyler did awesome on the plane and the long layover in Denver because of weather. We had a great time visiting Josh's friend and his wife.


We actually spent Valentines day in the Amana colonies. We ate at an authentic German restaurant called the Ronneburg restaurant. It was very good. They serve the meal family style with authentic sides like sauerkraut, potatoes, their special cottage cheese, pickled beets, and breads. We all tried some different main dishes to get a taste of all of them. It was a great experience. Unfortunately, all of the shops in the colonies were closed because their season hasn't really started yet.
We had a great trip and feel we are headed in the right direction!