Toby had a bilateral club foot repair surgery back on March 11. He wore casts for six weeks, but was never held back. He had two pins in each foot while he was wearing his casts, and he was so active that one of the pins got pushed up into his foot and the skin healed over that later. Dr. Gutheil had to cut his foot open in the office to retrieve the pin, but it all healed up nicely and was fine. We are constantly stretching and trying to massage the scar tissue left on the inside of his feet.
After the six weeks, we got Toby's feet molded for AFOs (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) which is basically a calf-high brace that holds his feet in a flat position that will fit into a shoe. His AFOs are light blue with trains, trucks, and planes on them. Super Cute! However, they rarely stay on because he is so active that he crawls right out of them!
Toby still gets around by crawling. He can stand up as long as he is holding onto something, and he'll even take a few weight-supported/guided steps. He still does not have feeling in his feet and we question the spotty feeling he has in his legs.
So our next task in this journey is to work on Toby's mobility. We are trying to get him walking. Adam, Toby, and I went to Lubbock today to pick up his first walker. It is called THE PONY and is bright yellow. He was very excited to get it, but he is not quite sure what to do with it yet. I know that with the therapists' help he will get going in no time. Here is a picture of Toby on his first walker!
Toby also just celebrated his second birthday here at the house last week. Of course we had to do a Toy Story theme since he is currently in love with those movies. He got plenty of Buzz gear and hasn't stopped playing with his new treasures ever since.
This is a picture of Toby at his 2-year wellcheck. He got us into some trouble! He has been throwing up a lot lately and while I was discussing that with his Dr he decided to grab his head and said "OW" (a new work that successfully gets attention and sympathy as Toby has figured out). This action raised some red flags with the Dr. so we got to spend the rest of the afternoon at the children's hospital doing a rapid MRI and x-rays of his shunt. Turns out that everything was okay. I guess it's not a bad thing to be reassured that everything is working properly (blessings in disguise).
Needs: I'm always constantly aware that people are so genuine about the prayers they have offered in Toby's regard. Sometimes I feel guilty for holding back our emotions and needs from people who are so willing to help. There is no doubt in my mind that I have been blessed by the hand of God. I've never seen a miracle in real-life until I saw Toby's face for the first time. However, you always want more for your kids. I have really been focusing on this story in Mark about this blind man. We all know that Jesus healed the blind, and many other illnesses, in the Bible stories we've always heard. BUT the personal tie to these stories I have now helps me focus on the smaller details of these stories. This blind man in Mark heard that Jesus was in town. He was shouting and shouting and everyone around him was trying to make him be quiet. Just imagine trying to be heard in a crowd of people. But in the story it says the man "cried out all the more" and Jesus finally asked him what he wanted. As Toby's parents we will never stop crying out all the more. We want to be heard. My prayers are to understand what to "shout" about. We know that God has a special plan for our son, but we also believe that it is not intentional for our child to have a disability. We always pray for Toby and for his purpose in this life. May God use this situation as an instrument, and hear our shouts for whatever type of healing he intends. Thank you all for the love and support you have shared with us for the past two years!
I love reading your blog. Toby is indeed a gift from God! I'm praying for your family and for the changes that will come in Toby's life. Love you guys!
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