Joshua Update

Just to update everyone, we went back for Joshie's second echo. Though the dr isn't as concerned about the area where there was a possible weak spot, the measurements are still the same so we have to go back again in 3 weeks and keep him on the asprin everyday. He's acting totally fine and has even learned to sit up and pull himself to stand since the hospital.

We've had a lot of visitors coming to see Joshua. Between the local grandparents (Colin's parents and mine), we've had a lot of company but we were also blessed that my dad was able to make it out for about a day and a half. That's the longest I've seen him since Joey's (my brother) wedding and he had never met Joshua.

Please continue to pray that Joshua gets better.

Kawasaki Disease

Hi everyone! As some of you know, we just got home from Children's hospital with our baby Joshua. We were there for three days because Joshie had something called Kawasaki Disease (KD). KD is an infection in the blood vessels that can damage the heart. Though there is only a 1% death rate from the KD BUT the side effects of KD are the leading cause of pediatric heart attack. If your child has EVER had several of the following symptoms at the same time (not even all), PLEASE take them to the Dr and tell them that you suspect that they once had Kawasaki and want the child's heart check via Echo cardiogram. The effects of KD can cause problems many years after the child recovers. And most pediatricians send KD children home with a "virus."

Early symptoms of KD include:

* Fever that lasts for several days
* Rash, often worse in the groin area
* Red eyes, without drainage or crusting
* Bright red, swollen, cracked lips
* "Strawberry" tongue, which appears with shiny bright red spots after the top coating sloughs off
* Swollen hands and feet
* Redness of the palms and soles of the feet
* Swollen lymph nodes

Please take the time to have your child checked if he or she has EVER had any of these symptoms. The specialist we saw at Children's said that if we had waited 3 or 4 more days for treatment, Joshua most likely would have died from complications with his heart. As it is now, he'll need close monitoring for a while because he has some dilation in his Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery, dilation of the aortal root, and a spot where the Dr is concerned that Joshua might develop an aneurysm where the left artery splits.


PLEASE forward this to anyone you know with children. You might save a life. Also, please keep an eye out on your children for symptoms, esp if you are related to Joshua (cousins, etc) since they believe there is a genetic correlation as well.

You can find more information at
http://www.kdfoundation.org/
http://www.pediatrics.ucsd.edu/C9/KD%20for%20Parents/default.aspx


If your children have ever had this disease, please let me know ASAP as the KD specialist treating Joshua would like information from anyone who has had it so they can try to understand this disease better.


Here are some pictures of Joshua before and during our hospital visit.

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The Beach with Emily and the children

Em and I took the children to the beach one of these HOT fall afternoons. It was a beautiful day. Dylan and Ava were hesitant about the water but Joshua had no such qualms. He LOVED kicking his feet in the water. Dylan went off to play with an older boy who had dug a pit in the sand. What's with little boys loving giant holes?

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Pumpkins

We took the children over to Bates, just like my parents did when I was little. Not much has changed, except I think the big pumpkins rot faster now.

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Pictures of the Boys

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Sleepy Baby!

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Dylan's not really plugging his nose.

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My budding artist

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The Aquarium

I took the boys to the aquarium. Joshua slept the whole time and Dylan spent more time playing with the other children that were there than looking at the fish but we had fun.

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Mother's Day

Here are some photos of Mother's Day. Colin took me to Outback Steakhouse and the mall to go shopping.

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Some new pictures

Here are some new (or newer) pictures of the children and us.

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About the Skidmore Family

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Our small family includes Colin, Brandi, Dylan, Joshua, Peter and a new little girl due in July. We're a young family raising our children for Christ.