The Beginning

Hi everyone and welcome to our new family blog!  We are starting this journey a little late but I guess it's better late than never.  It has been a year filled with love, laughter, and growth.  We have seen Natalie go from snuggle and cuddle to cut loose and fun in a short 12 months.  She is definitely one of the most active kids I have ever seen.  From the start, Natalie pushed to be independent and was happy to scoot around on her own.  She picked up crawling and walking quickly.  This is where our story really begins...

On her 1st birthday, we took her for her 12 month check up.  Kristen noticed that as she scooted around the house, her right leg was lagging a bit and she didn't seem to want to put any weight on it.  Being the overbearing mom that she is (hehehe), she asked the doctor if there was anything wrong when everyone else said Natalie just favored one leg.  Her mommy intuition was right.  The doctor took x-rays and found that her right hip was dislocated.  She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  This was a condition she was born with but it was unnoticed until her first birthday when she truly starting walking.  Once we saw the x-rays, the next step was to schedule her an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic.  Thankfully, by the grace of God and some connections with amazing orthos, we got an appointment with one of the top ped ortho docs in the nation.  He told us that her hip was definitely dislocated and needed surgery.  So, here we are.  Two weeks after her first birthday and surgery scheduled for Tuesday.  Once there, Natalie will be under general anesthesia and the surgery should take about 2 hours.  She will be in a Spica Cast (mid waist all the way down) for 3 to 6 months. 

This cast is going to turn our lives upside down, but we are prepared.  We have bought the diapers, chairs (check out ivyrosespicachairs.com), bean bags, and dresses.  We will not let this get the best of us.  This is our journey...

Oh, and clearly she will be sporting a hot pink cast!!!