He in surgery. All has gone well, so far. They gave him the "goofy juice" and he proceeded to get very, very goofy. Then they wheeled him back to surgery. And I held his hand until he fell asleep. Then I walked out, down the hallway, and proceeded to bawl like a baby. Many here enduring surgeries for reasons so much more pressing than Jude. But somehow, my heart still hurts. So grateful to know that the Lord has him in the palm of His hand. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not … [Read more...]

Today marks the beginning of Jude's treatment to correct his relapsing clubfoot. He'll get his first of two casts to prepare his foot for surgery. He is, in fact, at his appointment right now with his dad and a few of his siblings. But I am here. At home. Holding down the fort with the other kiddos. Wishing I could be there with him. Chris, Jude, Sophie, Dalton and Shepherd headed out on Saturday for the long drive to Iowa. They'll be staying for a week to complete the first and second casts. Then they'll come home for about a week. On the 24th, … [Read more...]

*update: Jude did great in the MRI. no results until our docs have a look, but so glad this is behind us now. Thank you so much for your prayers.* Jude came home from China five years ago. He was 16 months and had bilateral, unrepaired clubfoot. We took him to Iowa for casting and we followed the bracing protocol to the letter. And all went well until we took Jude out of his night-time boots, right before his sixth birthday. He began to relapse on his right foot. The relapse rate for kids who are treated properly and braced properly is only about six … [Read more...]