Update

I hope this post will answer any questions any of you have about Nicole's condition, progress, and future treatment. Lisa and I both struggled quite a bit at first with the news that Nicole's situation might be a bit more severe than we had expected, but we are now both feeling very reassured and confident that everything will work out.

For those of you who don't know, Nicole was born with a form of skeletal dysplasia (similar to Vanessa) characterized by shorter limbs. One of the most notable abnormalities is that both have shortened ulnar bones, causing their hands to turn out slightly. However, Nicole was also born with club feet. If any of you are unfamiliar with club feet, here are some pictures of Nicole's feet. They will probably illustrate better than I can explain.

We had our first appointment today with our Orthopedic specialist, Dr. Stotts, at Primary Children's Hospital. He examined her feet, knees, and hips. Before the appointment, we had been told that Nicole possibly had problems with her knees and hips. Dr. Stotts looked at her knees and explained that she is currently hyper-extending her knees when she straightens her legs out. He said this is very normal because she is a 5-day-old girl and is very flexible. No concern there. He also said her hips felt normal, but that they will do an ultrasound in 4 weeks to confirm that they are developing normal. He has seen the x-rays of Vanessa's hips (which were also a concern) and said they look great.

As for her feet, he said they look like a normal case of club foot. He is trained in the Ponseti method, which is a non-surgical method for correcting club feet. He explained to us that she will have several casts put on her feet with the intent of returning her feet to correct position. She got her first set of casts today, and will have them changed weekly for 4-6 weeks. Here are some pictures of her first casts.

You'll notice that her feet are kind of positioned like a ballerina. Dr. Stotts explained that the first cast is designed to lower the arch of the foot. You can see in one of the pictures of her feet that her arch is very high. After she has had casts for 4-6 weeks, they will make a minor incision and snip her achilles tendon to loosen up her feet. They will then recast her feet and leave the casts on for 3 weeks for the tendon to regenerate. Following that, she will wear a brace--which is basically a metal bar with two shoes strapped onto it--for 23 hours a day. This will go on for 3 months. After the 3 months, she will only have to wear the brace for about 12-14 hours a day--mainly just when she is sleeping--until she is about three years old.

Even though she will be in a brace, everything we've heard leads us to believe that her development (crawling, walking, etc) won't be slowed down. Here are some more pictures of our sweet little girl.

Throughout all of the poking, prodding, and casting, Nicole has been and extremely patient baby. We know she has a very strong spirit, and will be able to face the challenges that are ahead of her. I was able to give Nicole, Vanessa, and Lisa blessings tonight and it was very clear to us all that not only is Nicole a valiant and courageous spirit, but she has been blessed with a big sister who will be an incredible strength to her and a mother who has been prepared to care for her in the way she requires. We already feel so blessed to have Nicole in our lives and look forward to seeing her grow and progress.

I also wanted to add that Vanessa has behaved extremely well amidst many changes--a new sister and a move. Here is a shot of her getting away from all the chaos and watching "Seeping Booty" (Sleeping Beauty).

We want to thank everyone for their surprise visits (thank you so much Angelene!!), supportive phone calls, prayers, and service during our crazy time of transition. Family and friends are truly some of the greatest blessings we can have. We love you all!