Re: Dealing with the older siblings?

[Guest guest]

> thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

>

>

[Guest guest]

> thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi- as I mentioned in my earlier post, we are bringing our baby,

Theo, to Dr Herzenberg from Michigan. The Sinai clinic setting is

really nice, especially as compared to the one we went to in Michigan

(where they had a large cast room and where you were treated very

impersonally). Sinai has a nice waiting room with a large fish tank

that kids really seem to like. The clinic staff and Dr H are great.

Obviously, I don't know your kids :-) but my girls who are 8 and 5

would not be phased by it at all! also, since our kids are about the

same age, I thought I would provide their initial reactions to Theo's

foot (btw I consider you lucky to know ahead of time, we found out in

the delivery room!). Our 8 year old loved drawing on and decorating

his initial plaster casts. Our five year old called Theo's foot

his " mermaid foot " and was actually disappointed that he " didn't have

it anymore " (we aren't!). We have actually drawn a lot of strength

from our kids thru the past year; they couldn't love their brother

more!

hope that is helpful

Helen and Theo

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi- as I mentioned in my earlier post, we are bringing our baby,

Theo, to Dr Herzenberg from Michigan. The Sinai clinic setting is

really nice, especially as compared to the one we went to in Michigan

(where they had a large cast room and where you were treated very

impersonally). Sinai has a nice waiting room with a large fish tank

that kids really seem to like. The clinic staff and Dr H are great.

Obviously, I don't know your kids :-) but my girls who are 8 and 5

would not be phased by it at all! also, since our kids are about the

same age, I thought I would provide their initial reactions to Theo's

foot (btw I consider you lucky to know ahead of time, we found out in

the delivery room!). Our 8 year old loved drawing on and decorating

his initial plaster casts. Our five year old called Theo's foot

his " mermaid foot " and was actually disappointed that he " didn't have

it anymore " (we aren't!). We have actually drawn a lot of strength

from our kids thru the past year; they couldn't love their brother

more!

hope that is helpful

Helen and Theo

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

For whatever it's worth, my older two had no problems going to the clinic

with us for casting other than they were both a PITA running around and

being little boys while we were there. They had no reservations about

their sister and her funky foot, her casts, her splint (the FAB) or her

doctor. To them it was just what we had to do. They don't even think of

their sister as having anything wrong with her foot. They would tell

people when she was in casts " sissy has a big cast, her foot was crooked

and now it's being fixed " No big deal for them at all. They actually like

to go to the clinic now, they've got toys they want to play with. Of

course they're 2y older now and much better behaved... sometimes lol!

But going to the clinic was just like taking her to the Ped for

them. Another doctor's office, another trip with mama, just another

day... I wouldn't worry about your older two at all. They will likely be

more help than you'll know with this new little one. Now, they both help

me out... will go look for her brace when I can't find it, they have even

been known to take her shoes off for her.

The one problem I did have which was minimal, was my 3 year old (at the

time) wanted to touch her feet all the time and when I held her he'd pull

on her clubfoot to get my attention. He didn't realize it was her CF, or

what his pulling might do but we managed. Actually the worst part about

having older siblings and a newborn was the 3 year old hugging and kissing

her too much... which never stopped... and she spent the better part of

her first 2 years figuring out how to scream bloody murder when her brother

would hug her. Now... they're like two peas in a pod... playing and

doing things together. He loves her soooooo much... too much

sometimes! I heard them talking the other day... he saying " do you love

brother? Brother sure loves you Darbi " She agreed and kissed him many

times during their little talk... much better than her screaming because

he's smothering her with hugs and she can't breathe!

HTH,

Kori

At 09:47 AM 6/30/2005, you wrote:

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

>however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

>herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

>12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

>they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

>coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

>7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

>the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

>9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

>however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

For whatever it's worth, my older two had no problems going to the clinic

with us for casting other than they were both a PITA running around and

being little boys while we were there. They had no reservations about

their sister and her funky foot, her casts, her splint (the FAB) or her

doctor. To them it was just what we had to do. They don't even think of

their sister as having anything wrong with her foot. They would tell

people when she was in casts " sissy has a big cast, her foot was crooked

and now it's being fixed " No big deal for them at all. They actually like

to go to the clinic now, they've got toys they want to play with. Of

course they're 2y older now and much better behaved... sometimes lol!

But going to the clinic was just like taking her to the Ped for

them. Another doctor's office, another trip with mama, just another

day... I wouldn't worry about your older two at all. They will likely be

more help than you'll know with this new little one. Now, they both help

me out... will go look for her brace when I can't find it, they have even

been known to take her shoes off for her.

The one problem I did have which was minimal, was my 3 year old (at the

time) wanted to touch her feet all the time and when I held her he'd pull

on her clubfoot to get my attention. He didn't realize it was her CF, or

what his pulling might do but we managed. Actually the worst part about

having older siblings and a newborn was the 3 year old hugging and kissing

her too much... which never stopped... and she spent the better part of

her first 2 years figuring out how to scream bloody murder when her brother

would hug her. Now... they're like two peas in a pod... playing and

doing things together. He loves her soooooo much... too much

sometimes! I heard them talking the other day... he saying " do you love

brother? Brother sure loves you Darbi " She agreed and kissed him many

times during their little talk... much better than her screaming because

he's smothering her with hugs and she can't breathe!

HTH,

Kori

At 09:47 AM 6/30/2005, you wrote:

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

>however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

>herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

>12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

>they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

>coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

>7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

>the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

>9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

>however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Tim,

Well I can tell you, you are super lucky to be in MD and close to Dr. H!!

Many persons come from much further. I personally don't think it would be

too much to bring the older kids. I think they are old enough to fully

understand what a birth defect is, if you explain it to them properly and

not be ashamed of it. My 3 1/2 year old doesn't really understand what

clubfoot is, but knows 's feet are special and he knows how important

those 'special shoes and bar' are. We haven't brought him to Dr. H's

office yet, but only because we have daycare set up and he can't sit still

for more than 2 minutes! I would certainly bring him if I had to.

Actually he asked recently if he could go to one of her appointments, but

I told him it wouldn't be too much fun. He said, 'okay'.

Noone knows your kiddos more than you, so ultimately you and your wife do

what you feel is best for them. Also, I think you will be surprised how

they will be

towards the situation and how quickly they adjust. Kids always amaze us

on a daily basis.

Congrats on the pregnancy!!!

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Tim,

Well I can tell you, you are super lucky to be in MD and close to Dr. H!!

Many persons come from much further. I personally don't think it would be

too much to bring the older kids. I think they are old enough to fully

understand what a birth defect is, if you explain it to them properly and

not be ashamed of it. My 3 1/2 year old doesn't really understand what

clubfoot is, but knows 's feet are special and he knows how important

those 'special shoes and bar' are. We haven't brought him to Dr. H's

office yet, but only because we have daycare set up and he can't sit still

for more than 2 minutes! I would certainly bring him if I had to.

Actually he asked recently if he could go to one of her appointments, but

I told him it wouldn't be too much fun. He said, 'okay'.

Noone knows your kiddos more than you, so ultimately you and your wife do

what you feel is best for them. Also, I think you will be surprised how

they will be

towards the situation and how quickly they adjust. Kids always amaze us

on a daily basis.

Congrats on the pregnancy!!!

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

My older sibling was 4 1/2 years old when his brother was born. We

did not know about it ahead of time so we didn't face this concern.

He was a little stressed though about how this baby was going to

affect his life. A couple of weeks before was born we found

him lying in bed crying (had been for about an hour). He finally

told me that we just wouldn't have time to care for him after the

baby was born and he would have to do everything for himself--wash

his own clothes, fix his own food, and go to Wal-Mart by himself to

get all his own stuff. He only spoke of this once, then the night I

went to the hospital he stayed with my mom. I called them to tell

them that this was it and he wouldn't talk to me on the phone (very

out of character). I told my mom to tell him that I love him. He

said well, tell her that I don't love her. He was detaching:( But

once he came to the hospital and he was the first one from the

waiting room to come back and see his brother he was fine. He even

did fine with all the clubfoot stuff. He didn't go to the first

visit, but he went to many after that. I don't know that I would

take them before the baby is born--it might cause them extra worry

and concern. They might see some children that have problems much

worse than what your baby has to face and they may not realize that.

Personally I would wait and let them go after the baby is born. Just

my opinion. Good luck!

Pam and (8-12-01)

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

My older sibling was 4 1/2 years old when his brother was born. We

did not know about it ahead of time so we didn't face this concern.

He was a little stressed though about how this baby was going to

affect his life. A couple of weeks before was born we found

him lying in bed crying (had been for about an hour). He finally

told me that we just wouldn't have time to care for him after the

baby was born and he would have to do everything for himself--wash

his own clothes, fix his own food, and go to Wal-Mart by himself to

get all his own stuff. He only spoke of this once, then the night I

went to the hospital he stayed with my mom. I called them to tell

them that this was it and he wouldn't talk to me on the phone (very

out of character). I told my mom to tell him that I love him. He

said well, tell her that I don't love her. He was detaching:( But

once he came to the hospital and he was the first one from the

waiting room to come back and see his brother he was fine. He even

did fine with all the clubfoot stuff. He didn't go to the first

visit, but he went to many after that. I don't know that I would

take them before the baby is born--it might cause them extra worry

and concern. They might see some children that have problems much

worse than what your baby has to face and they may not realize that.

Personally I would wait and let them go after the baby is born. Just

my opinion. Good luck!

Pam and (8-12-01)

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Tim,

I admire all the thought you are putting into preparing your family for the

arrival of its newest member.

Here are a couple of thoughts of my own, sorry if this gets a little ong, I seem

to have misplaced my ability to be concise.

It's probably not necessary to take your older sons to visit the clinic before

the new baby gets here. They may run into children there with far more severe

problems and be a little freaked out by that, but if they are asking to go

along, take them.

There's certainly no reason not to tell them about the clubfoot now. Show them

pictures, tell them that the new baby will have to wear casts for a few weeks

and a nifty looking brace after that and that pretty soon this new kid will be

wanting to tag along everywhere and play soccer with them and bounce on the beds

and no one will be able to tell there was ever anything different about his/her

feet.

My older daughter was only 2 1/2 when her little brother Jonah was born with

bilateral clubfoot. She loved drawing on his " casties " , thought the cast saw

was one of the coolest things ever. She has always loved going in for Jonah's

appointments with us (I think in large part because she always scores candy and

stuffed animals from the nurses). She was even in the room when they performed

the tenotomies. When Jonah was in the FAB full-time, we got lots of stares and

questions. Hannah got to the point where she would be the one to tell people

that this is part of the correction process for clubfoot, that Jonah's feet were

twisted up when he was born, but that now they were perfect and he has to wear

the brace to keep them nice and straight.

While it's true that the feet need to be seen to soon after the baby is born, it

is not by any means an emergency. Give yourselves time to breathe and connect

with the new baby. Check those feet out, feel of them and kiss them and take

lots of pictures. With the Ponseti method, they will be in casts for just a few

weeks and then they will be perfect and ready for a lifetime of use.

I'm sure Dr Herzenberg will help to put you at ease when you meet with him next

month. You are lucky to live near one of the absolute best Ponseti

practitioners--we travel over 300 miles each way to seek treatment for our son,

and many others travel much farther.

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, corrected bilateral clubfoot, FAB

14/7)

diverescue522 wrote:

> thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

>

>

[Guest guest]

Tim,

I admire all the thought you are putting into preparing your family for the

arrival of its newest member.

Here are a couple of thoughts of my own, sorry if this gets a little ong, I seem

to have misplaced my ability to be concise.

It's probably not necessary to take your older sons to visit the clinic before

the new baby gets here. They may run into children there with far more severe

problems and be a little freaked out by that, but if they are asking to go

along, take them.

There's certainly no reason not to tell them about the clubfoot now. Show them

pictures, tell them that the new baby will have to wear casts for a few weeks

and a nifty looking brace after that and that pretty soon this new kid will be

wanting to tag along everywhere and play soccer with them and bounce on the beds

and no one will be able to tell there was ever anything different about his/her

feet.

My older daughter was only 2 1/2 when her little brother Jonah was born with

bilateral clubfoot. She loved drawing on his " casties " , thought the cast saw

was one of the coolest things ever. She has always loved going in for Jonah's

appointments with us (I think in large part because she always scores candy and

stuffed animals from the nurses). She was even in the room when they performed

the tenotomies. When Jonah was in the FAB full-time, we got lots of stares and

questions. Hannah got to the point where she would be the one to tell people

that this is part of the correction process for clubfoot, that Jonah's feet were

twisted up when he was born, but that now they were perfect and he has to wear

the brace to keep them nice and straight.

While it's true that the feet need to be seen to soon after the baby is born, it

is not by any means an emergency. Give yourselves time to breathe and connect

with the new baby. Check those feet out, feel of them and kiss them and take

lots of pictures. With the Ponseti method, they will be in casts for just a few

weeks and then they will be perfect and ready for a lifetime of use.

I'm sure Dr Herzenberg will help to put you at ease when you meet with him next

month. You are lucky to live near one of the absolute best Ponseti

practitioners--we travel over 300 miles each way to seek treatment for our son,

and many others travel much farther.

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, corrected bilateral clubfoot, FAB

14/7)

diverescue522 wrote:

> thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in land

however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen Dr.

herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and Luke

12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6 and 9

they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new baby "

coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should allow

the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for them

however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tim,

I get a little backlogged with posts at times so I missed your

original post until I saw responses to it. My youngest daughter was

born with unilateral left clubfoot. It was not diagnosed before her

birth so we were not able to prepare ourselves or her siblings

(twins, now 6 years old) in advance.

Anyhow, the baby surprised us at delivery with her clubfoot and

multiple congenital heart defects. Very quickly our life centered

around MANY, MANY doctors appointments. They went with us to the

majority of the ones in the first few months. We explanied as best

as we could that she had been born with a special foot and that her

heart was not formed the same as ours. They went with us to the

doctors and I asked the docs to help me explain some of the

questions I didn't know how to answer!!

We switched to Dr Herzenberg last summer when my daughter was 10

months old. We live in a fairly rural area of Southern land and

we were not getting the best care we could to correct her foot. Dr

Herzneberg has simply been an unbelievable blessing! He is an

AMAZING doctor and I have thanked other members of this board

repeatedly for helping me find him I think it would be a great

idea to take your older sons with you to meet Dr. Herzenberg and see

the clinic. They are going to have questions and Dr H may be able

to answer some of them! My older two have explained to other people

about their sister's condition quite well. If they were ever

overwhelmed, it didn't come through. You'll be amazed at how

quickly they just accept that their little brother's foot looks

different than theirs but that it's " no big deal " (as my older son

put it to his friend one day!).

Marilouise

9/9/03, LCF, DBB 12/7

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new

baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Tim,

I get a little backlogged with posts at times so I missed your

original post until I saw responses to it. My youngest daughter was

born with unilateral left clubfoot. It was not diagnosed before her

birth so we were not able to prepare ourselves or her siblings

(twins, now 6 years old) in advance.

Anyhow, the baby surprised us at delivery with her clubfoot and

multiple congenital heart defects. Very quickly our life centered

around MANY, MANY doctors appointments. They went with us to the

majority of the ones in the first few months. We explanied as best

as we could that she had been born with a special foot and that her

heart was not formed the same as ours. They went with us to the

doctors and I asked the docs to help me explain some of the

questions I didn't know how to answer!!

We switched to Dr Herzenberg last summer when my daughter was 10

months old. We live in a fairly rural area of Southern land and

we were not getting the best care we could to correct her foot. Dr

Herzneberg has simply been an unbelievable blessing! He is an

AMAZING doctor and I have thanked other members of this board

repeatedly for helping me find him I think it would be a great

idea to take your older sons with you to meet Dr. Herzenberg and see

the clinic. They are going to have questions and Dr H may be able

to answer some of them! My older two have explained to other people

about their sister's condition quite well. If they were ever

overwhelmed, it didn't come through. You'll be amazed at how

quickly they just accept that their little brother's foot looks

different than theirs but that it's " no big deal " (as my older son

put it to his friend one day!).

Marilouise

9/9/03, LCF, DBB 12/7

>

> > thank you for your reply. My wife and I live in

land

> however we feel much better hearing from someone else who has seen

Dr.

> herzenberg personally. we have two other boys Hunter 8/21/96 and

Luke

> 12/14/98. Rache and I have spoken briefly to the boys since at 6

and 9

> they kind of caught on that something was wrong with the " new

baby "

> coming 9/16. and I are going to visit and see the clinic on

> 7/8. and I are struggling with whether or not we should

allow

> the boys to see the clinic at sinai before our new baby is born on

> 9/16 since we are concerned this may be a bit to overwhelming for

them

> however it may help them prepare as well? Any thoughts?

> >

>

>

> >

[Guest guest]

I have to agree with everyone else on this. My older kids were only

2 & 4 when my daughter was born. The 2 year old didn't really

understand, but my 4 year old is very intelligent. It never phased

her...same thing--she'd tell people Ava had a " crooked foot " and

helped write her name on the casts. You'll get tears in your eyes

when they come to you for the first time and tell you one of their

dolls/stuffed animals has " a crooked foot like the baby " . It's

perfectly acceptable to them.

, mommy of:

Guinevere, on & Ava 8/4/04 RCF ABS FAB 16/7

> Tim,

> Well I can tell you, you are super lucky to be in MD and close to

Dr. H!!

> Many persons come from much further. I personally don't think it

would be

> too much to bring the older kids. I think they are old enough to

fully

> understand what a birth defect is, if you explain it to them

properly and

> not be ashamed of it. My 3 1/2 year old doesn't really understand

what

> clubfoot is, but knows 's feet are special and he knows how

important

> those 'special shoes and bar' are. We haven't brought him to Dr.

H's

> office yet, but only because we have daycare set up and he can't

sit still

> for more than 2 minutes! I would certainly bring him if I had to.

> Actually he asked recently if he could go to one of her

appointments, but

> I told him it wouldn't be too much fun. He said, 'okay'.

>

> Noone knows your kiddos more than you, so ultimately you and your

wife do

> what you feel is best for them. Also, I think you will be

surprised how

> they will be

> towards the situation and how quickly they adjust. Kids always

amaze us

> on a daily basis.

>

> Congrats on the pregnancy!!!

>

> Shook

> Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

> Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

> 2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

> Vienna, VA 22182

> x374

> x374

> fax

>

>

[Guest guest]

My 2 year old did this too. We didn't know for sure until Janelyse was born so

we hadn't really said anything to the kids. It wasn't a big deal, we just said

that some babies have crooked feet, but they can be fixed and that's why their

baby sister was in a cast. My daughter had a doll that soon became a favorite

because it's legs were crossed like her baby sisters (who also has severely

dislocated hips which causes her legs to cross instead of sticking out

straight). Kids are very accepting and if you present it as no big deal then it

isn't. My four year old loves to tell people why his sister wears shoes with a

bar between them and why she had a cast on. They'll be fine with it. It's much

less shocking for them than it is for us!

Marcia

Re: Dealing with the older siblings?

I have to agree with everyone else on this. My older kids were only

2 & 4 when my daughter was born. The 2 year old didn't really

understand, but my 4 year old is very intelligent. It never phased

her...same thing--she'd tell people Ava had a " crooked foot " and

helped write her name on the casts. You'll get tears in your eyes

when they come to you for the first time and tell you one of their

dolls/stuffed animals has " a crooked foot like the baby " . It's

perfectly acceptable to them.

, mommy of:

Guinevere, on & Ava 8/4/04 RCF ABS FAB 16/7

> Tim,

> Well I can tell you, you are super lucky to be in MD and close to

Dr. H!!

> Many persons come from much further. I personally don't think it

would be

> too much to bring the older kids. I think they are old enough to

fully

> understand what a birth defect is, if you explain it to them

properly and

> not be ashamed of it. My 3 1/2 year old doesn't really understand

what

> clubfoot is, but knows 's feet are special and he knows how

important

> those 'special shoes and bar' are. We haven't brought him to Dr.

H's

> office yet, but only because we have daycare set up and he can't

sit still

> for more than 2 minutes! I would certainly bring him if I had to.

> Actually he asked recently if he could go to one of her

appointments, but

> I told him it wouldn't be too much fun. He said, 'okay'.

>

> Noone knows your kiddos more than you, so ultimately you and your

wife do

> what you feel is best for them. Also, I think you will be

surprised how

> they will be

> towards the situation and how quickly they adjust. Kids always

amaze us

> on a daily basis.

>

> Congrats on the pregnancy!!!

>

> Shook

> Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

> Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

> 2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

> Vienna, VA 22182

> x374

> x374

> fax

>

>