A Story of a Little Girl

the world's best mom

Tue, Mar 29 2011, 2:36 pm

A Story of a Little Girl

This is the story of my little girl,
A small sweet child with big blue eyes,
And how she brightened up my world;
Each milestone was a big surprise.

This is the story of how I heard,
Before my girl was even born,
That her little feet looked quite absurd.
Upon hearing this news, my heart felt torn.

This is the story of my daughter’s birth,
A beautiful girl with a face so sweet.
My heart was filled with only mirth,
Despite the oddness of her feet.

This is the story of an exhausting trip
To the orthopedist in the heat of June.
My girl got casts up to the hip,
We had to come back to change them soon.

This is the story of appointments each week,
Changing the casts again and again.
Always a smile on my little girl’s cheeks,
As difficult as things seemed then.

This is the story of tremendous growth,
Of feet that straightened part by part.
I looked at one, I looked at both,
I felt such joy fill up my heart.

This is the story of a girl who learned
To roll and sit and crawl and stand.
The joy for which my heart had yearned
Was there in amounts so very grand.

This is the story of her learning to move,
Step by step, she tried so hard.
With so much effort, we saw her improve
Until she could run across the yard.

This is the story of a mother’s dreams;
Of how one’s heart fills with delight;
Of just how major each milestone seems;
How I just want to hug her with all my might.

cuties' mom

Wed, Mar 30 2011, 9:50 am

I wrote something about that little girl last year when she turned 4. I told you about it but never showed it to you. Here it is:
My Hero
Everyone has people that they admire. Most people admire specific traits in different people. Who I admire most can change on a day to day basis, but at the moment, the person I admire most is 4-years-old.
You were always full of suprises. First, you surpirsed your parents on an ultrasound by displaying your clubbed feet. Your parents researched club feet and one of the things they learned was that most babies born with clubbed feet are boys. You surprised them by being a girl. You surprised everyone when you started crawling early, despite the bar you had to keep your feet straight. You surprised everyone by learning to walk at a normal age. And after having normal feet for 2 years, you surprised everyone with your clubbed feet returning. You now have casts on both legs from your toes to your thighs. And you continue to surprise everyone. You figured out how to crawl from day one and after a week, you realized you could walk holding on in a squat position. You figured out how to pump a swing and climb all playground equipment. You surprised everyone by doing so well in school despite not being able to walk normally. And you surprised everyone by still being your usual happy self.
You're now in your fifth week of casts. You don't know it, but I love watching you play in the park and have been watching you over the past few weeks. Officially, I'm watching my own kids, but they don't have your courage, determination and positive outlook on life's challenges. Once you set your mind to do something, you do it, even if its hard. While my 3-year-old complains that the slide is too high, you easily climb up despite your casts. And when he sees you could do it, it motivates him to try.
A lesser person in your situation would simply sit in a stroller all day and be bitter about the casts. But not you! You even walked the block to Bubby's house using a push toy for support. Your parents offered to carry you, but you insisted you could do it, and you did. Others may have thought you looked funny with your pink and orange casts squat walking down the street, but you don't let stares bother you. You just do what needs to be done.There are really no words to describe how I admire your determination. They say Hashem doesn't give a person a test that he can't handle and watching you climb with your casts shows me that Hashem knew who to give this test to.
Happy 4th birthday! I feel priveleged to have you as a niece.

the world's best mom

Wed, Mar 30 2011, 10:48 am

Hey, thanks, Cuties' mom! I love it! It describes my daughter very well and I feel privileged to have her as my daughter.

You were not the only one who enjoyed watching her play in the park with her full leg casts. I got many comments, including one from a women who didn't know I was her mother. This woman said to me, "This girl is amazing! Who is she?" I was beaming as I answered proudly, "That's my daughter."

You say Hashem knows who to give these Nisyonos to. I think Hashem gives everyone the personality they need to overcome their Nisyonos. She has always been a fighter who doesn't let these things get her down.

One of my most cherished memories of that time was her 4th birthday party in school. The teachers always have the birthday girl give out the cupcakes, so they asked her if she wanted to give out hers. Of course, she said yes. The teacher held the cupcakes while dd crawled to each kid. Then the teacher would hand her a cupcake for the kid, and after giving it, she would pull herself to standing, with her knees bent as always, and she would pass a cupcake to whoever was sitting across the table from there. Then she would crawl on to the next kid. Her PT came for the party- she surprised us- and she videoed the whole thing.

B"H, she walks normally again and does everything her peers can do- except wear Shabbos shoes all day. (She's allowed 2 hours a day without her braces.) I'm so proud to have a daughter who is such a trooper!