Update on Emily!

We had another appointment at the University of Michigan last week. The doctors looked did an ultrasound on her hips to make sure her hips are positioned correctly in the brace she is wearing. The doctor said it looked good. She has another appointment in two weeks to get a new brace put on (a clean one). And then she will have an appointment two weeks after that to check the progress of her growth. If the Doctor is satisfied with the progress then he will move her to a transitional brace that she will only have to wear 12 hours a day. Thank you for your prayers for Emily. Please continue to pray for her hip sockets to grow well and quickly.

Other News:

We had a great week with Nana. She was visiting for her spring break. Shelbyanne still walks around saying "Nana", as if she were around the corner. We are beginning our last block (3 weeks) of classes for the semester. Amy is not yet attending classes again, but is listening to them at home. Rob has been working diligently to complete homework and have plenty of playtime with Shelbyanne. She is adjusting well to being a big sister. She likes to hold Emily, and put her pacifier in her mouth if it falls out. We are really enjoying our two precious children. Shelbyanne just seems so big to us now.

First Week Home!

Greetings All!

We have been home for a week now, and are doing great. Emily is adjusting well to life on the outside. She is eating, sleeping, and pooping like a pro. Amy has to wake her up at night to feed her. Shelbyanne is enjoying her sister being around. She says, "Baby, Hold you," which means she wants to wrap her arms around her for about 2 seconds. She is sharing well with Emily. She loves to give her toys to play with.

Updates:

We found out that Emily has hip dysplasia, which means that her hip socket didn't form completely.

(Developmental dysplasia of the hip is a congenital (present at birth) condition of the hip joint. It occurs once or twice in every 1,000 live births. The hip joint is created as a ball and socket joint. In DDH, the hip socket may be shallow, letting the ball of the long leg bone, also known as the femoral head, slip in and out of the socket. The ball may move partially or completely out of the hip socket.)

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site706/mainpageS706P0.html

We have an appointment at the University of Michigan Hospital next week to find out what treatment plan they have for her. More than likely she will have to wear a brace for a certain amount of time to allow the hip sockets to continue to form completely. The good thing is that this does not cause her any pain. We'll update you as we learn more. Please be in prayer for Emily that she would heal quickly.

We had a great visit with Rob's Mom, Marsha. She left today for home in sunny Florida. When she arrived the temperature was 70 degrees. When she left it was snowing and in the 30s. We joked that she brought the cold weather with her. She really enjoyed seeing snow, as she doesn't see much in south Florida. We're looking forward to Amy's Mom visiting. She will be arriving this Saturday and staying for a week.

Take Care All!