Can you believe

that this is Anna?

JUMPING!

My little baby with spina bifida can actually clear the ground when she jumps. She continues to amaze us with her physical progress. Her lower body is not as strong as her sisters' and she'll tire much faster than Em or Allie when it comes to physical activities, such as walking around a park, BUT she has come so far from that first ultrasound where we were told that she would most likely need assistance to walk.

I just want her to be healthy and happy. We knew that she might have issues with walking and running and climbing but that was never going to change our love for her. As horrible as it might sound, when a high risk specialty doctor tells you that one of your babies has a birth defect, your mind starts running through different scenarios. A missing limb. A heart defect. Organs outside the body.

When I heard "spina bifida," I slowly released the air I had been holding in my lungs. Spina bifida? Spina bifida! And then when the doctor told us that only the lowest portion of her spine had been affected, I knew that we could handle it. We still had many hurdles to overcome but if we could get past those, we could handle it.

I hate to use the word "luck" when describing Anna as it implies that others are not so lucky and that just doesn't seem fair or right. We all have our challenges and our good days and bad. I try to look at the bright side of life.

We have now reached the point where Anna and her sisters know that there is a difference between them. Going to the bathroom is a difference. I'll have to write a separate post about that. We still have many more hurdles to get through. Anna's shunt can sometimes feel like a time bomb. I try to take it day by day.

That's all anyone can do.