What is arthrogryposis?

A lot of you have inquired about Amelia's condition and so I have been promising to deliver..  Also, an update on how she's doing.  

As many of you know, Amelia has arthrogryposis, which I also mentioned in an earlier posting.  The Wikipedia defines arthrogryposis as...

"Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), or simply arthrogryposis, describes congenital joint contractures in two or more areas of the body. It derives its name from Greek, literally meaning "curving of joints" (arthron, "joint"; grȳpōsis, late Latin form of late Greek grūpōsis, "hooking").^[1] Children born with one or more joint contractures have abnormal fibrosis of the muscle tissue causing muscle shortening, and therefore are unable to do passive extension and flexion in the affected joint or joints.  Arthrogryposis is a not a diagnosis but a clinical finding. So this disease is often accompanied with other syndromes or diseases." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthrogryposis)

Amelia has distal arthrogryposis which means she has multiple contractures of her distal joints; her hands, knees and feet.  Her hands are clenched; sometimes they're really tight, meaning it's very difficult, if at all, to get one of my fingers in her grip.  Then sometimes they're a little more loose and I can slide my thumb in there for her to grab onto.  Her knees are bent at about a 100 degree angle.  And, then of course her feet; a severe atypical case of club feet.  It's hard for Amelia's doctors to tell us how long and what kind of treatment Amelia will continue to require because each step depends on how she responds to the different treatments.  However, they can tell us that there will be some form of treatment of the affected joints until she's done growing (or longer) because if you don't keep up with it, the joints will contract back into their original position.  Just out of curiosity, I looked up the average age a girl stops growing which is 18 years old.  We have fallen into a routine now of weekly (sometimes more) visits to the doctor and are starting to realize and accept that Amelia will require treatment for a long time.  

Tomorrow, Amelia will get cast #9 put on.  This last cast was on 2 weeks following her tenotomy and will be changed tomorrow.  Dr. K said the number of casts following this one will be determined on, again, how she responded to the surgery and casting this time around.  However, for future reference he did tell us that following this casting, she will be in braces around the clock and also start physical therapy on her knees.  Once they get a feel for what they can achieve with therapy, they will then do casting of her knees.

Her hands...  We are scheduled to follow up with Amelia's hand surgeon next week.  We met with him shortly after she was born.  He believes she will respond well to treatment, however he did confirm that because Amelia's hands will never fully open like ours, she will just function different than us, but she'll still be able to use them...that was good to hear.  So, in making sure that's the case, he said at this point, he does not suggest we get very aggressive with therapy and splinting.  He said splinting and exercises are fine, but whomever is doing it, has to really know what they're doing.  Relaying this to Amelia's therapist and then fine tuning her treatment was a little bit of a bump in the road, but I think we're on the right path now with a therapist who has specifically worked with arthrogryposis.  This was an answer to prayer!  Right now, we have to do 2 different stretches with Amelia at least a couple times a day, more if possible.  She also has splints now for both hands.  We got one fitted last week and since she was not happy about it, we had to get the other one done yesterday.  These splints are for "resting" only, because while she sleeps (or rests), that is when her hands are more loose so we're able to get the most stretch out of them.  The resting is difficult because Amelia doesn't really like to sleep for us during the day, so hopefully the nights will be enough.

Tried to sneak them on while she was falling asleep...without success  :)

On Thursday, we have an appointment with Amelia's cardiologist.  At 2 weeks old, he saw Amelia for a follow up from a diagnosis in the hospital of PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus).  At that time, he saw some dilated vessels in the heart that concerned him.  So, this appointment is important to us.  We hope to get some clarification on her condition and hopefully those vessels are measuring back to a normal size.  However, at her recent 2 month check up with her pediatrician, he still heard a heart murmur, which lessens that possibility.  But, we know that if this is God's will, anything is possible, so we hold onto that hope and if the news isn't what we want to hear, we will still trust Him.  

Amelia will also be getting some blood drawn this week.  I just received a call last week that our insurance company authorized genetic testing for a connective tissue disorder that could be serious, so her doctors have decided to go ahead with testing.  Results will take 6 weeks to come back.  Since Amelia was seen by her genetics doctor at only 1 week old before any treatment, they were able to point out some characteristics that line up with her arthrogryposis to make this syndrome a very real possibility.  Another reason her appointment with the cardiologist is an important one.

The days are going by so fast...  Not knowing what lies ahead for Amelia can weigh heavy on our minds, but I have also been able to put that worry aside so that I don't miss being able to take in this time with my little Amelia, and Elsie and Sam for that matter.  I will never have these moments of smiles and coos again once she passes that stage.  This again is only achieved through prayer, I believe!  I'm usually the worrier to the point it consumes me at times. So, when I stop to think about that, it's pretty amazing!    

Good morning!!

Please continue to pray that:

Amelia will continue to respond well to treatments and tolerate her splints...
That the appointment with the cardiologist will be a positive one with some clarification...
Elsie and Sam will continue to adjust well...
God will give us perseverance each week...

So, with that, I would like to share with you another verse that a good friend of my mom's, who battled cancer, shared with me.  God's promises...

"I WILL LEAD the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I WILL GUIDE THEM; I WILL TURN the darkness into LIGHT before them and MAKE THE ROUGH PLACES SMOOTH. These are the things I WILL DO; I WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM."  Isaiah 42:16

Thank you again for continuing to support us in so many ways!!  We have been SO blessed!  In fact, this Sunday our Amelia will be baptized!  We are so excited to officially commit her to Christ and in realizing she is His first, we will do our best, with His help, to raise her to love Jesus with all her heart!  If you would like to join us, you are welcome to come!  If you need the details, leave me a comment and I'll be in touch!

"I have called you by name; you are Mine."  Isaiah 43:1

So far, so good...

Surgery went well!  Dr. K said she did get a little upset at one point, but they got her settled down and for the most part, she did great!  He said she will most likely hit a rough patch tonight when the numbing wears off, but now that she is 2 months old, we are able to give her Tylenol, which I am thankful for!  So, we are going to stay on top of that and hope it helps! 

As far as surgery, he was able to successfully stretch the Achilles tendon in both legs and pull the feet up.  She will now be casted for 2 weeks straight instead of one.  She will be having a couple more casts after that and then they'll reevaluate to determine whether she will need more casting or not.  Pray she responds well to the treatment and hopefully this set of casting will be done sooner than later!

THANK YOU for your encouragement and most of all your prayers!  I can say, without a doubt, God heard your prayers today for our sweet Amelia!

A friend shared this verse with me this morning from Psalm 121:1-2.  What I love about this verse is that THE Creator of Heaven and earth was with each of us this morning (and always)!  How awesome that is!! 

"I lift my eyes to the hills--

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth."

Amelia's very first surgery is coming up!

On Wednesday, our sweet Amelia will be having a minor surgery on both legs; a bilateral Achilles tenotomy.  This surgery will stretch the tendons in each leg in an effort to bring the feet up.  She will then be casted again immediately following the procedure for another couple weeks.  Her response to this part of the treatment then will determine how many more casts she will have to have. 

The plan was to have the surgery at the hospital, but because the doctors decided that the anesthesia would be too risky, they will be doing this in the office.  I am relieved because I was most worried about the anesthesia part of it, but on the other hand, I hope it's not more painful for Amelia.  Another reason they wanted to do it under anesthesia is because Amelia moves so much.  It sounds like they're pretty confident they'll have it under control, even if it takes more nurses to hold her down.  :(  The numbing will be similar to what you would get in the dentist's office if you have ever had a filling or any other type of procedure where they first numb it topically (applying the numbing cream to the area) and then give you a shot to numb it the rest of the way through.  So, asking for prayers on Wednesday that:

1.  She will respond well to this part of the process and surgery will be successful in correcting her club feet for now
2.  She will feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure
3.  That she will come out of the procedure itself with minimal pain over the next couple weeks, if any

Thank you again for ALL the prayers!  I have received so many messages letting me know they're already lifting us up in prayer for Wednesday.  It's so comforting and brings me to tears!  

Again, I promise to update you on Amelia's prognosis in the very near future!  I received a call from the genetics doctor last week that I want to update you on.  We are going to really need some prayers for upcoming appointments and tests, so I will do my best to update you on that very soon!

In fact, in the meantime, another prayer request would be for Elsie and Sam.  It seems to be taking it's toll on them lately, especially Elsie.  I know a newborn is an adjustment in itself, but the extra strain on all of us has been hard on them.  So prayers for them too would be very much appreciated! 

I am going to leave you with some verses that I didn't even realize were right in front of me while writing this post.  And, of course, the words are perfect and just what I need to hear from Isaiah 40:26-31.  Another AWESOME reminder that God is taking care of us!  He never ceases to amaze me!

²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
    not one of them is missing! 
²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob?

    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Number 7

Getting cast #7 put on today!  Pray for little Amelia that she takes it even better than she did last time!!  :) 

A look at how far we've come...

Yesterday, Amelia had an appointment to get cast #6 put on.  She is doing so much better with it!  This makes me so happy and proud of her!  :)  She still cries a little when they stretch the feet into position, which is still hard, but at least she's consolable.  Of course, we're starting to get the routine down now too!  Between the snuggling, sugar water and feeding during the process, we're able to keep her a little more comfortable through it all.  Thinking of the first few appointments, I didn't know how I was going to survive each week!  God has been good!  The first night and day following are a little rough too, but knowing that helps me deal with it.  Having another doctor in on the casting has also been good.  In fact, she gave us with some really good pointers on how to keep Amelia comfortable.  This brings up another huge answer to prayer and it still amazes me to think about.  

Going back, Amelia's first appointment with her orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. K, didn't go as well as expected.  We weren't completely comfortable with him because he didn't seem very personable with Amelia and that was concerning to me since I knew we would be seeing him a lot!  He is also very new, but I tried not to let that get to me because I know that doesn't necessarily mean he's not good at what he does.  Regardless, we contemplated switching doctors, but in the end decided to stay with him.  In fact, he ended up apologizing for the first visit realizing he was a little short with us after a stressful day.  I was still a little unsure, but it turned out to be the best thing for Amelia.  At the second set of casting, Dr. Maples showed up to weigh in on Amelia's treatment and has been working on Amelia with Dr. K ever since.  Dr. Maples has been specializing in pediatric club foot for almost 30 years!  In fact, she's the Pediatric Club Foot Program Medical Director at Mary Free Bed.  Our pediatrician wanted to get us in with Dr. Maples from the start, but she was not accepting new patients.  We're not sure of the details of how and why she got involved, but nonetheless, God's work, no doubt!  We have a really good relationship with Dr. Kemppainen now too.  Sometimes when we ask for God's direction, He may not answer in the way that we think, but it's always the best!  

The plan of care going forward...Amelia will have one more cast and then on March 5, she will be having surgery to stretch the tendons in each leg; a bilateral achilles tenotomy.  This is considered a minor surgery, however they will be giving her anesthesia, which can be an issue in babies with the same condition Amelia has.  Therefore, they will be doing the surgery at the hospital with an anesthesiologist from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  So please pray the surgery goes as well as expected, that the anesthesia is not an issue and God protects our baby girl from any complications.  They will then cast her after surgery for 2 weeks and then probably have 2 more casts after that.

In the next post, I'll update you more on Amelia's condition and prognosis and how the treatment is going on her hands.  I know I haven't been good at posting lately; sorry about that!  I'm going to try and do a better job of keeping up with it!  So, stay tuned!  :)    
 
Again, thank you for the many prayers on behalf of our Amazing Amelia!  So many of you have shared different verses with me and one of them was Psalm 71.  Leaving you with verse 14 and some pictures of Amelia's progress as of yesterday! 
 

"As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."  

Psalm 71:14

Precast ~ January 15, 2014

 January 22, 2014

January 29, 2013

February 5, 2014

February 12, 2014

February 18, 2014

4 down, 6 to go!

Last Wednesday, cast #4 was put on.  The appointment itself went pretty good.  There were still tears, but it didn't seem as bad as last time.  I was so proud of our Amelia!  And thankful for your prayers!  Although, I did tell her doctors that she was pretty fussy over the last week.  Because Amelia can't speak for herself, the doctors measure their limits with her based on her reaction over the week.  If in that week, she is inconsolable, that warrants a trip to the doctor before the next casting.  She was consolable as long as she was being held.  She just couldn't seem to find it.  So, I brought this up.  Her doctors said that they pushed their limits with her a little bit more that week, so they agreed to back off a little.  That made me sad for her, but the longer Amelia has casts on, the less movement her muscles get and that's not good either.  But, they were okay in being a little easier on her this week.  She also had some sores on her feet where the bone by her big toe is pushing against the cast, so they put some extra cushioning and cream on that.  She still wants to be held all the time, but she is cooing and smiling and that is so great to see!  In fact, the doctor agreed that because she's becoming more aware of what's going on, that may explain her fussiness.

So, now we're on our way to the appointments today.  Praying for a good day!

Caught a smile!  

Decorating the casts

A quick update...

Tomorrow is another appointment day for Amelia.  She will be getting her casts changed first and then we will head to Occupational Therapy on her hands.  We hope, as always, that the casting is not too hard on her.  I always dread it...  Last week she seemed to do better during the appointment than she had been (thank you for your prayers!), but she had a tough week.  The doctor tells us to expect fussiness 24 hours following the new casting, but the 24 hours passed and it's Tuesday night and it never seemed to really let up.  Most of the time she's good as long as she's being held, but there have been times when nothing worked...poor baby.  However, I have had wonderful friends come through for me this week to just play with the kids and hold Amelia for me too, if necessary.  Awesome!!!  :) 

We also met with a hand surgeon last week Friday.  We gained some new insight into the condition of her hands, which was great!  However, he didn't quite agree with the treatment Amelia is receiving at occupational therapy, so we will have to address that tomorrow.  Hopefully that goes well!  I will update you more in the next post.   

As always, thank you so very much for your prayers!  I keep receiving so many messages, notes and calls of encouragement, prayers and offers to help in some way...it's truly amazing!  I just look at Amelia and think how neat it will be to some day tell her how many people were praying for her; how very special!!! 

So blessed...

Thank you just doesn't seem to cover it, but here it goes...  First and most importantly, we want to thank so many of you that have covered us in prayer since this journey began.  There are so many times throughout my day that I stop and think, "I would never feel this Peace if it wasn't for all the prayers that I know are being said for us!"  It's indescribable!  Not to mention the encouragement and reminders that you are praying for us through your cards, calls, emails, messages...in whatever form they come, they certainly do not go unnoticed and are greatly appreciated!  I hope to eventually thank each one of you personally!    

Then there's the meals...it has been SO wonderful not to have to worry about meal planning!  We have been so very blessed in this way!  Then there are those of you that have called from the store offering to pick up any groceries we might need.  Thank you so much!!! 

A huge thank you to those that have been willing to take care of Elsie and Sam for us while we take Amelia to all her appointments.  Even to those who have just offered!  This is so important to us because we want to make this as easy on the kids as we can too.  

Thank you to those that have offered to come over and just hold our sweet Amelia so that I can take a break or spend some time playing with Elsie and Sam.  These offers are especially nice since I feel it's important she gets plenty of love these days!  :)   

For those of you that have gone out of your way to do these things (and more!) that have made our life less stressful and giving us the opportunity to focus on the important little people in our lives...THANK YOU!!!  

"...my cup overflows."  Psalm 23:5

***********************************

Today, Amelia will have her second set of casts changed.  Please pray that the casts are doing their job!  Please also pray that while Amelia's feet and ankles are stretched to put the next set of casts on, that she will feel as little pain as possible.  This is also hard on mom and dad, so pray for us too that we are able to comfort her during the process.   

Sam wanted to share his blanky with "baby sister."

Amelia will also have some occupational therapy today on her hands.  At this appointment they will be making splints for her hands.  Pray that they will also do their job and that as Amelia grows, the process will help her gain full function of her hands (even though they don't anticipate this). 

This will be another full day for little Amelia; pray it goes smoothly for all of us! 

A friend shared this verse with me the other day.  This was her favorite verse when they also went through some difficult times with their baby.  Today he is a healthy, beautiful little boy!

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

The journey begins...

Amelia's journey begins...  The journey began for us when we found out we were pregnant with our 3rd child.  We were so excited!  We knew right away that we wanted to find out what we were having.  So, at 20 weeks, with our other 2 children in tow, we couldn't wait for the ultrasound tech to tell us.  For our close friends and family, the following will be a re-cap, but for those of you that don't know, I want to start from the beginning.

During the ultrasound, we found out it was a girl!  We explained to the kids that they were going to have a little sister!  At the time, I was worried about Sam, because he wanted a brother so bad.  But, that quickly became the least of my worries.  The excitement in the room changed quickly when the ultrasound tech noticed some concerns with our daughter.  She suspected some clubbed feet and clenched fists.  After the ultrasound, we saw my OB who went over the ultrasound with us.  She was not concerned since in most cases, clubbed feet does not require extensive treatment.  As far as the "clenched fists," her impression at the time was that we'll just have another ultrasound at 24 weeks and she was probably just holding her hands that way at that particular time.  We walked away with heavy hearts not because of the physical disabilities that could hopefully be easily corrected, but with what was causing this. After a lot of prayer, we decided that by trusting my OB's opinion of the ultrasound, we were trusting our God, who created our baby girl before she even came to be (Psalm 139:16). 

At 24 weeks, they were already prepared to bring in the high risk OB to do the ultrasound.  He confirmed that she did have clubbed feet.  As we held our breath about the hands, he said that the right hand and wrist were deformed.  The fact that it didn't appear clenched and affected only one of the hands were good signs.  Therefore, he comforted us in that he was fairly certain this did not involve the brain, but we wouldn't know for sure until she was born.  The good news was that she was growing at a healthy rate with the brain and other organs measuring well.  Psalm 139 was our source of comfort.  God was knitting together this sweet baby "fearfully and wonderfully" (vs. 13-16).  Her days were already planned for her!  We had to believe this awesome Truth for our daughter and for us, chosen by God to be her parents.

Fast forward to her birth...  Amelia was breached, so during my C-section, the first thing my husband saw was her clubbed feet...that was tough.  Because I couldn't see from behind the curtain, I was holding out for that first cry...it was music to my ears!  As I prepared for what I might see, I looked over at her lying on the table with the nurses cleaning her off; I first saw the clubbed feet, and then not only one hand, but 2 deformed hands and the words of my doctor were going through my mind, "because it's only one hand, that is a good sign."  During this celebration of new life, Satan was already at work trying to take me down.  My heart started to race...I just wanted to so badly hold her and look in her eyes and know everything was going to be okay.  Unfortunately, with a C-section, that doesn't happen right away and being sick from the anesthesia, that wasn't happening for a while.  When I finally got to do that, I fell in love right away...but, deep down, I wanted to know right then and there if everything was really okay.  I just wanted her to be okay.   

The days in the hospital went by quickly.  At first everything seemed to be "fine."  The clubbed feet and deformed hands seemed to be the only concerns with a good prognosis.  She was also eating really well, so that was great!  On Monday, I was discharged very early in the morning but, we didn't leave the hospital until later that night.  The pediatrician that saw Amelia on Monday noticed some additional concerns that she wanted to address before we left. 

Amelia had a heart murmur that she was quite certain was a PDA.  Babies receive their oxygen from the mother's umbilical cord in the womb, but shortly after birth, that opening in the heart closes because the baby is now receiving oxygen on their own.  Apparently, it is not uncommon for this process to take a little longer in some babies, but they still had to do an echo cardiogram to be sure this is what it was.  We were able to go over the results with the cardiologist soon after the test.  He explained that this is nothing to worry about, but wanted to see Amelia in 2 weeks for a follow-up.  

The pediatrician also pointed out that Amelia's legs did not extend all the way.  I was surprised no one picked this up before, but she was swaddled quite a bit of the time.  She wanted to consult with a genetics doctor because she felt it was important to rule out an underlying syndrome responsible for these "multiple contractures."  We were not able to see this doctor in the hospital, but we were able to get an appointment with him the next week. 

Finally, we got the green light!  Nels and I were very excited to bring our new baby girl home and be together as a family of 5! 

The next week we saw the genetics doctor.  He was very nice and personable with Amelia, that meant a lot to me!  After looking her over, literally from head to toe, he found a few more things about Amelia that gave him a better idea about what was going on.  He wanted to run it by his colleagues in Seattle, Washington and get back to us.  He used the word "arthrogryposis."  There are many different forms of arthrogryposis, so be aware of what you might find if you google this...  We found out more about it than we ever cared to know and unfortunately, it has now become a familiar word to us.  We also learned that time will play a big factor in determining what Amelia's limitations will be.  

 
Last week Amelia had an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon and she was casted up to her little buns with only her toes sticking out.  In fact, with this first cast, her feet are casted upside down; this is the first step in pulling her feet away from her legs.  There were definitely tears, but in the end it went better than expected (for Amelia and mom and dad).  The initial plan includes casting each week for 10 weeks and then they will re-evaluate further treatment.  Elsie and Sam had fun decorating her casts and Amelia didn't seem to mind either!  Although, anytime her brother and sister are around, she's a happy girl! 

In the afternoon Amelia had an appointment with her cardiologist. At that appointment, they did another echo.  We were excited to see a familiar face perform that test for us.  Thanks Lindsey!  :)  Amelia did awesome too!!  We then sat waiting for the doctor to come in and go over the results with us.  We assumed everything would be fine and we could write this one off...but, we were wrong.  The PDA had started to close, but he saw something else; something he has only seen a handful of times in his 30 year career, he told us.  Amelia has an enlarged aorta and ampulla in her heart...I wish that I could give you more details, but it was a lot of information to piece together.  There is a chance that because no one could really get a true height on Amelia (because of her legs), that this could have something to do with it, but it could also be connected to everything else going on.  So, at this point, we have to wait a couple months and they will do another echo when Amelia is 3 months old. 

The very next morning, I received a call from the genetics doctor and he had talked to the cardiologist.  He went on to further explain to me that there is a connective tissue disorder that involves the heart and stiffness of the joints (multiple contractures).  So, he is going to wait on testing Amelia for arthrogryposis and see what the cardiologist comes up with in the next couple months.  The good news is that whether Amelia has one of these conditions or not, it does not affect treatment of her feet, legs and hands at this point. 

The next morning was tough for me; I know things could be so much worse, but not knowing exactly what we're dealing with was weighing heavy on me as I looked at my little Amelia sleeping in my arms.  Not to mention, she was very fussy that day, which the orthopedic surgeon told us to expect because of the casts.  Of course, without realizing it, God was going to intervene shortly...  A dear friend made a surprise visit.  She had something for us along with a letter explaining that what she had for me had nothing to do with her and all the credit was to go to God.  She had taken Amelia's name and took each letter to begin verses from Psalm 139 that I leaned on when we initially found out about Amelia before she was born.  It was beautiful!  She told us she even tried different names and Amelia was about the only one that worked.  All I could do was cry because God was without a doubt reminding me that Amelia's life was not by accident and He had and still has every single detail planned for her.  I may never understand why, but I have to trust Him.  That same day, our church family dropped off a "prayer pager."  Every time someone says a prayer for us, the pager goes off.  Again a reminder that God was taking care of us!  I take it with me wherever we go.  The rest of the weekend I felt really good and I know it's because of the power of prayer, I have no doubt about that!! 

Monday Amelia started occupational therapy on her hands.  She did awesome!  We will now start doing some stretches with her at home and go back to therapy once a week.  Today Amelia had an appointment to get her casts changed.  It was tough on her because they have to stretch her feet a little bit further every time...heartbreaking for this mommy, and daddy too.  The doctor also said that her feet are going to be more sensitive each time the casts come off.  One down, 9 to go!

I named this post "Amazing Amelia;" my sister gave her this name shortly after she was born and we believe that regardless of what the future holds, Amelia will be amazing and overcome whatever is in front of her!  Thank you for all the prayers being said for our little Amelia and also Nels and I and the kids.  We're trying to just deal with what's at hand right now and most importantly, enjoy our newest addition!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5