July 22, 2008

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.

4 comments:

ljbrouwer said...

It is really hard to not care what others think (i was hoping to grow out of it someday...) add fierce mothers love to that and you may be in for a life long fight! :)

We will continue to pray for you as you prepare for the surgery.

Love and prayers,

julie

Anonymous said...

We are definately praying for your little one, as well as, your struggle with "what others might think" My suggestion?......... remember how your mom was ! She was "queen" of blazing her own trail, and not looking back or caring about uninformed peoples' opinions !! Whitney is so blessed to have you and Matt as parents, It is all by God's desgin ! We pray everything will go well,and benefit Whitney's physical abilities! Love you Susie :-) aunt Kathy

Anonymous said...

Wow, if that isn't a normal feeling I don't know what is!!
Yeah, I gave up on the "not caring what other people think" awhile ago. It's a life long struggle that is for sure! Just when you think you're on top of it...something always happens. Unfortunately, some people will tell you, and some will even be rude. But it may not be as bad as we think it is ahead of time...there is no way of knowing. I always think the unknown is so much worse! The Lord grants us strength and peace though the trials of "people", and He will provide you with an awesome knowledge! Praying for all of you, and especially little Whitney as she goes to surgery! Thanks for the updates~ keep them coming! BTW, she is an adorable and cute baby...she gets that from her big sister ;)

Anonymous said...

FIrst i want to tell you both that i have enjoyed reading ALL your blogs...i got sucked in and couldn't stop. I am a physical therapist with a special interest in spina bifida. i got invovled in a camp for children with spina bifida 8 years ago and have been involved ever since--they stole my heart. i am working on an educational video about spina bifida to encourage expectant families and educate them on what a wonderful and full life an individual with spina bifida can have--unfortunately, many times their doctors tell them the best option is to terminate pregnancy and i want them to know their child CAN have an amazing life! i wondered if i could have your permission to use some of your wonderful pictures of whitney in my presentation. i understand if the answer is no...but i just had to ask. you can contact me at Sarah.Matics3@gmail.com. thanks so much for sharing your story--god bless!