Mommy & Whitney (and new picture with Fiona)

We have had a number of requests for photos, but our hard drive is full, so we cannot download our pictures from our camera. This picture is from last month at a friend's cottage. Susan doesn't know that I (Matt) am posting it.

Pride

What is spina bifida teaching me? That I have some pride issues to deal with. I have been enjoying this 'honeymoon' stage, the general public not knowing that Whitney has spina bifida. She appears to be a happy, cute, healthy, baby girl and no judgements are made. Having the surgery also means having a hip brace for an extended period of time. I have had to work through this and determine that in large part it has been my pride standing in the way. It is hard not to care what other people think. I hope that I can continue to learn and grow not only with this experience in my life but also with many others. I have a long way to go. Needless to say we have decided to give Whitney the 50/50 chance that this may work. If it works it would be a huge benefit to her long term. We are planning on a 7:30 a.m. surgery on August 15th. Her new hip brace is being fitted this Thursday and we should be ready to go. Please pray that our other fears would also be put aside as we prepare for surgery.

We have had a few other appointments recently and all is well. In therapy we are working hard on rolling over more and sitting up. Hopefully we can get a little further along on these two before surgery. Recovery and the addition of the brace may set her back a little.

Thanks for thinking of us.

Hip News

We had our second opinion to discuss Whitney's hip on Thursday and Matt was able to join us. The visit went well as we peppered the poor lady with questions. We also had another x-ray taken as she was unable to feel the hip correctly and that was helpful to see where it is currently. We are in a crucial time frame as her hips have not yet fully developed. Her right hip is on the right on course of development however her left hip is not. They hope for a 20 some degree for each hip socket. Her right is 17 which is good and her left is somewhere in the 40's. It is also very important that she is as balanced as possible as we look to the future. We are still having conversations about this surgery. The tentative surgery date is set for August 15th. We are leaning towards doing it but have not made the final decision as of yet. They would be severing a tendon in hopes the body would 'repair' itself and the growth plate would continue to grow with the hip in place. She would have a hip brace for the extended future as long as it seems to be working. If it does not work then there would be no reason for the brace. We would not need a cast and for this we are thankful. Please pray with us as we continue to make decisions on Whitney's behalf.

Clinic

We had a great experience at our clinic appointment. I did not know what to expect going into the day so we were the first to arrive. I just wanted to be prepared. We were put into our own exam room and everyone came to us. It was excellent. I brought a bottle of water and a small snack for myself and hardly had time to eat it. We ended up seeing about 10 different people and they just kept filtering in. People ranging from an orthotist to a social worker. There was someone obviously behind the scenes making things go so smoothly. We were also able to get Whitney's braces (AFO's) in the same visit which saved me a trip. The best part of the day was having a few odds and ends questions I have had waiting for someone to answer and I am happy to say they were answered. Overall a wonderful visit and I am so grateful to be living in a city that has so much to offer Whitney.