I decided to start blogging about Jordan from the moment I found out I was pregnant. Jordan was born with a little arm that didn't grow like most babies. Her left arm stopped just above the elbow. Now I'm committed to making sure Jordan gets everything out of life. We feel blessed to be the parents of a very special little girl.

1.19.2006

Three weeks old



It was a long day for a 3 week old baby. Jordan had 2 doctor appointments today. First, I tried to be a good Mommy and feed her right before we left. But she thought sleeping was more important. So I pumped a bottle so she could eat at the hospital even if we were in a situation where opening up my shirt was innapropriate.

First appointment: Ultrasound to make sure there weren't any problems with Jordan's hips. They click a little. But after the ultrasound, we can be confident in knowing there are no structural problems.

Second appointment: Pediatric orthopedic specialist to confirm her hips are okay and prepare for our next visit... After she's fitted with her first prosthetic. She'll have x-rays on her arm to start watching her bone structure. That's the doctor's main focus -- making sure her bone and muscle growth is steady.

So I started focusing on prosthetics for Jordan... And I've found a group that really works with the same beliefs I have: The sooner we get a myoelectric prosthetic, the more natural it will be for her to use. There's a group called Pediatric Prosthetics that thinks babies should get their first passive prosthetic at two or three months and the first myoelectric around 9 months. Thta is much earlier than what our orthopedic doctor told us... And I'm sure that I'll hear differently from the local company... But it does give me more reason to contact them soon.

But all this prosthetic thinking has me scared to learn about the costs. I read somewhere online that the average myoelectric costs $23,000. I hope our insurance plan will help more than the initial documents read. All I can say is... Wish us luck and pray the girl can earn a scholarship into college.

A wrap up of Jordan's third week of life is online now.

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