Soaking off his second set of casts and signing “more”… his first baby sign!
Waiting for his appointment
After cast #2, just look at those tootsies!
Dr. Morcuende, reassuring Shepherd that his feet are looking GREAT!
Ready for his next cast with a bottle in one hand and a chip in the other… what more does a guy need?
I had the pleasure of meeting up with an online friend, Jenny, and her daughter Kelly. Kelly was treated by Dr. Ponseti as an infant and was in Iowa for her yearly check-up.
Jenny is not only a great friend, but she has been my mentor when it comes to clubfoot. We ‘met’ when I was researching treatment options for Jude, shortly after we received his referral. I am forever grateful to her for giving me the ‘push’ I needed to take Jude to Iowa instead of trusting my sons’ feet to a less experienced local doctor. Clearly, Shepherd likes her too 🙂
Shepherd is a pretty easy going guy. Here he is relaxing in the car on the way to lunch with Jenny and Kelly, all smiles!
This is the great room at the Ronald McDonald House. All these lovely quilts were handmade and donated to the kiddos who are staying at RMH. As you can see by his expression, Shepherd was initially overwhelmed by his options…
I chose this quilt because the John Deere reminded me of Iowa. Shepherd chose it for the adorable teddy bear attached 🙂
We were delayed by a day due to bad weather in Iowa. We decided to make the most of our time by spending some time at, where else? the MALL 🙂 Here’s Shepherd having a great time at the mall’s mini playground
And then Shepherd had his first carousel ride! He was nervous at first…
Uhhh, nice horsie…
Realizing this is actually pretty FUN!
Some pre-bedtime chillin’ on the couch and loving on his new teddy bear
Ready to go HOME! See you in a week!
Wow his feet look great! What a cutie!
That baby is crusin’ through those casts – and what a difference a week makes!!!
Wow – God is good!!
awww that last picture of you and shepherd is really cute!
First of all, his feet are lookin’ good! But more importantly, that is one happy baby! And cute too!
What sweet pictures and what a difference those casts make in a week! Amazing! So glad to hear the process is going so well! Have a great week!
Wow! His feet look great! I must tell you ~ Shpeherd is the most beautiful child. I am in love with him from your posts. He has the most amazing smile and expressions… how blessed you are!!
Patricia
He has the cutest smile! I have enjoyed following the journey!
What a blessing that he is able to get such great care!
His feet look fabulous!!
What great photos! I just love the last one. Shepherd so happy with his mama!
wow…he is one happy guy! and his feet look like they are responding so well! i showed matthew the photos as we read a book about a baby tiger being sick and being helped by the doctor…he tried to share the book with shepherd through the screen!
you look gorgeous in the photo of the two of you!
Glad everything is going so well!! The bottom picture of you and Shep is priceless;-).
Glad that all is going well with his adorable feet and that you’ve had chances to meet your online friends in Iowa!
Wendy
Amazing. His feet look SOOOO good!
I cannot get over how fast this is going.
Great pictures! Hand Made Quilts..what a treasure.
Andrea
wow, his feet look great! Let me ask you…when are you going to be on Oprah girlie…you have a lot to share!
I think Shepherd is the smiliest boy I have ever seen.
wow…it’s all so amazing!
he looks wonderful…the joy on his face is so evident. the changes in his beautiful feet are incredible…thanks for sharing this with us…it’s so inspiring. jenny led you along your path and now you lead so many others and have made a club foot diagnosis so much less frightening. it’s been a wonderful education for those of us still awaiting our sn matches. i added club foot to the lists of special needs i thought we could handle after following jude’s journey and i’m sure i’m not the only one!!!
blessings,
wendy…typing one handed because of a baby sleeping on my chest 🙂
Dear family,
My Englisch is not that good because i live in The Netherlands but i want to write to you all that i am proud that there are familys likes yours!!
It feels great that you welcomed the Chinese kids and that they are doing so well with youre biological kids.
We have two Chinese girls and they are born with a special need.
We wanted to start up a 3th procedure but unfourtenately we are to old (44+42 y.o.) for the Dutch law to go to China ones again and close a 3th child in our arms.
I wish all the best for you and youre family,
best regards from Holland,
Laura, proud mom of Fé and Suu.
I am AMAZED at the difference in his feet..he has the BIGGEST and BEST smile:)
WOWEE!!! Look at those tootsies!! They look fantastic already!! He is just sooooo HAPPY too…fabulous!! Look at him go on that carousel!
SAFE & speedy travels HOME!!
This is all so amazing and wonderful. Thank you, God, for giving people the heart and mental capacity to be in the healthcare profession! I am so happy to see how well sweet Shep is progressing.
Many blessings,
Lisa
He is BEYOND cute! His feet look great too.
I’m 35, been walking just fine for 34 years, but I’ve had a nagging pain in my foot for a couple of years. Turns out, my feet don’t pronate when I walk. Who knew?
So now, I’m basically doing a treatment for mild club feet. I’m thinking this is probably something better treated in infancy. Holy cow it hurts!
Look at those beautiful feet!!!
I LOVE that last pic of the two of you. His smile is priceless, and as always you are looking stunning..grrrr. 😉 love you though.
Sending lots of love!
🙂
Amie
Can he get any cuter??? His feet are really starting to come together nicely and so quickly. What a relief!
Doreen (taking out the “in Montreal…it’s enough already!)
What a sweetie! Seeing the pictures from week to week, the progress is just amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Shepherd has the MOST infectious smile! 🙂 I loves seeing just how happy he looks!
Another fun time in Iowa, eh? Glad you got to meet another friend – that is so special!! Shepherd’s feet are looking GREAT!
Oh..that last picture of you and Shepherd is awesome! I just can’t get enough of his sweet smile. 🙂
His feet look so great! Truly amazing to see the progress.
His progress is SO amazing to me Stef… just beaming over here.
Frame that last pic and hang it on a wall- incredible!
I love to see how that little man has just come to life in your care. 🙂
His smile lights up the world! And his feet look fantastic — it must be so rewarding : ))
glad you got some ‘mall’ time – always a fun distraction!
Stef,
It was such a pleasure to finally meet you (and sweet Shepherd) in person. It would have been wonderful to meet the rest of your family as well- perhaps some day!! Kelly cannot stop talking about how cute and sweet Shepherd is. I feel blessed to have you as my friend and pray that we can spend more time together some day.
I’ll send you my pics…I haven’t uploaded them yet!
Continued safe travels-
Jenny
So happy to hear that he continues to make progress! And what a great last photo of you two together!
Stefanie,
I think it’s just incredible from your pictures how his feet look after 2 castings compared to when you first brought him home. It is just unbelievable to me. Thanks so much for sharing your heart and those wonderful photos. They give us hope too.
Jenny
He feet look amazing!!! What a happy little guy!!!! I just love checkin in on your blog : )
WOW!!! What an incredible transformation! Such a cutie pie too!
Stef, he is too cute! His feet look so good too – love those little toes!
Hi!
I am a recent viewer and love to check in with what your family is up to! Sheperd’s feet look great! He is so blessed to have your family to grow with and live a more fulfilling life! We are also adopting from China. Our LID is April 12, 2006. We have a while to wait, but reading blogs like yours helps to believe in this journey. I suppose it will be another year. God has a plan!! I wish you many blessings while you raising your family!
Cathy
I LOVE looking at his sweet face. He is so special. 🙂