My Perspective

OK...so I write this blog for a couple of reasons: to document things because I don't ever get around to scrapbooking and to keep in touch with friends and family. It is never fun to write about challenges in life because I think I want to look back only on the good things. But, to get the full perspective of our lives and to remind me to count my blessings I try to write a balanced picture of life. So here is my perspective on the latest.

Friday afternoon I got a call from the doctor's office. I saw the name pop up on the caller ID and thought really fast--did I miss an appointment, forget to make a copay, or is something wrong. I picked up the phone to hear the voice of the Doctor. I immediately sat down because doctors don't just call for fun. I knew he wasn't calling to congratulate us on having another girl.

He told me that he was reviewing our ultrasound and wanted to talk about a possible complication. He said that there is a possibility that one of her feet is clubbed. It isn't a definite diagnosis because it is possible that it was just the angle of the ultrasound. She may be born without any problems but in case the ultrasound was correct, he wanted us to be prepared. He did tell me that it is a correctable problem. I thought--if we can correct it, we can deal with it.

After I got off the phone I immediately started researching clubfoot deformity. I didn't feel despair over the whole thing, but I certainly had tears going down my face as I read. It is a common deformity and one that doesn't cause the baby pain. It is where the tendons that connect the leg and foot are too short. It causes the foot to turn in and down. It can be corrected through a series of casts put on every 5-7 days for the first couple of months. The foot is back in the correct position by about 2 1/2 months. They are required to wear a brace/splint (it looks pretty funky) all of the time for a few months and then just while sleeping until they are 3-4 years old.

There is a doctor up in Ogden that is certified with the casting method of treatment. I feel like if I can get a hold of the right doctors and have all of my 'ducks in a row' that we can handle it. I am hopeful that perhaps the angle of the ultrasound was just a little bit funky and that she will be born without any problem. But, I also know that there are many, much more difficult problems that children can be born with. I am grateful that everything else on the ultrasound looked good.

I wonder if I was somehow expecting something with this baby. This pregnancy has been anything but normal (if pregnancy can ever be called normal). I was more nervous about this ultrasound than with the other kids. I was relieved when things seemed to go routinely. Who knows.

On Saturday I attended the Relief Society Broadcast. We sang "How Firm a Foundation" and this particular section brought me a feeling of peace concerning my baby:

Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed!
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

I know that we will be strengthened and helped through this challenge. We have felt that same help during Law School and through every other trial we have had over the past 10 years. (Deep breath and big sigh) We CAN do it.