We found out that we were expecting our first child on February 6, 2012. After taking a pregnancy test and seeing the results, I was shocked! I went to the doctor a few weeks later and our due date was set.. October 5, 2012.
I had no idea what to expect in the weeks and months to come. I felt nauseated 90% of each day for the first 3 months but I enjoyed being pregnant. Knowing that a little life was forming and developing inside me along with a little prayer is what kept me going most days. My cravings were usually simple and nearly always involved some type of mexican food. When I was hungry I had to eat right then or I would feel worse quickly.
I worked 40 hour weeks plus two Saturday's a month. My bed time began usually before 8 pm.. on the couch, I would wake up and move to bed about 11 each night. It seemed like I couldn't get enough sleep.
I began feeling slight movements at about 15 weeks. Time went by quickly. We had the first ultrasound at 18 weeks and the doctor requested that we return to have another ultrasound at 20 weeks since they couldn't get a good view of the baby's legs. We began to worry.. What if our baby didn't have legs? What if he would never be able to function like a 'normal' kid?
When we went back, the ultrasound showed that our son had bilateral clubfoot and they referred us to a specialist. We had no idea what clubfoot was. Different questions kept flooding our minds.. Will he have toes? Will he ever walk? How could this happen to us? We had several ultrasounds to check on his growth and development in the following weeks. We also had the opportunity to meet with his orthopedic doctor and discuss the treatment for clubfoot.
Weeks continued to pass quickly and on October 4th, at 10.30 pm, my water broke. We arrived at the hospital around 11.30 pm and Junior was born at 12.45 pm the following day.. on his due date. He was perfect. He had a very round head, 10 fingers and 10 toes. I fell in love immediately. Yes, his feet were turned in but I really didn't even notice initially.. it wasn't something I really looked for even though I was expecting it.
He got casts to begin his clubfoot treatment when he was just 4 days old. We took him weekly to get a new cast (where the doctor would stretch his foot and cast it in the new position) until he was 9 weeks old. At this point he had a little procedure done where his achilles tendon was severed and a new cast was placed to stay for 3 weeks while the tendon grew back together and healed. This procedure would allow the heal bone to drop down into the heal where it belongs.
When the 3 weeks were up, we headed back to the doctor to get his final cast off. This was just the beginning of his treatment but the doctor was pleased with the way his feet responded so far. The doctor then placed Jr. in the Dobbs bar for 23 hours daily for 3 months. We went for a follow up when the 3 months were up and the doctor transitioned Jr. to wear the clubfoot bar at night and nap time (which he still continues wearing up until about age 5). Junior will be 2 in just a few short weeks and I can hardly believe how fast time has gone. His feet seem to be perfect and and the scars from the procedure are nearly unseen.
God has blessed us with a son who handles everything so well. He is the happiest child I have ever been around. He is kind and compassionate. He seems to be very empathetic for someone so young. He has such a heart and loves to help with nearly anything you give him the opportunity to help with.
My prayer is that I can be more like my child in life. Easy going, joyful, and compassionate with with a heart of gold and and a smile that will melt your heart. He is not perfect by any means and there are days that are harder than others. Each day is new with different challenges and I learn something new from him each day.. lots of days I believe God is trying to teach me patience but we continue to be blessed by Junior and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.
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