The Hip Dysplasia Saga Continues..........

As most of you know, Erica has already been through 3 separate procedures/surgeries to try and correct the severe dysplasia in her left hip. This condition was found at her 4 month well check up. She then spent one month in a harness at 4 months, followed by 16 weeks in a full hip spica cast (pictured) from 5-9 months of age.

Since her last cast was removed in November of 2006, she has been wearing a brace holding her legs in this same abducted position as when she was casted. For two months she had to wear it full time, with it only being removed for baths and clothing changes. Since then, she has only had to wear the brace while sleeping at night....which has been such a treat!

In the last 6 months we, along with Erica, have been enjoying every minute of her new found mobility! She has made tremendous strides, and is so very close to walking finally. Through all of this, I promised myself that I would never curse her mobility, or wish her to "slow down"--and so far I have stayed remarkably true to that promise. We just continue to be thankful for this time she has had to catch up developmentally in the gross motor skills department.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.......right? Ugh......................

At her last two follow up appointments with her Orthopedic Surgeon at Gillette Children's--we have been aware that her left hip wasn't looking great on x-ray. We also knew that there was a strong possibility that she might need another surgery if her left hip continued to look underdeveloped when compared to the right side.

Needless to say, at her appointment last week, we did receive the confirmatory sad news. Erica will be undergoing major reconstructive surgery on her left hip on October 8, 2007. The procedure that she will be having is called a Pelvic and Femoral Osteotomy. It is hopefully the last step toward correcting the deficit in her left hip.....for good. I hesitate to say that, but I pray it will be true.

She will be staying at Gillette for up to 5 days inpatient, and I will be off of work taking care of her for up to 8 weeks following surgery. She will have another hip spica cast for 6 weeks, and will then start Physical Therapy.

We know that she will need one more outpatient surgery one year later to remove the hardware (screws and plate) in her femur and pelvis, but know that this will be much less invasive/painful.

I will continue to keep you updated as her surgery date approaches either via a Caring Bridge page and/or on our blog.

Please keep Erica in your thoughts and prayers.....she (and we) will be needing it in the very near future.

Morning Swim on Lake Minnetonka

We started out the weekend with a trip out to Lake Minnetonka with Papa Sharpe. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and the water felt great!! Hayden is doing so well with learning to swim, and made amazing strides on this outing. We couldn't be more proud of him. Now if we could just get him to put his face in the water! :)


Erica was happiest just sitting on the swim platform behind the boat--splashing her feet in the water. She won't ever go too far from her mommy, as she is just at that stage right now. I call her my little leech, or sea lamprey--depending on the day. She was just about at her wits end needing a nap when we got her to lay down under the steering column on the boat. This didn't last for long, but was so cute!!


Jon is not pictured, but was most definitely there. He did some wake-boarding and swimming, but apparently was the photographer on this trip out!!

Isle O Dreams 2007

Once again we headed up to Isle O' Dreams resort in Park Rapids, MN for our yearly vacation with the Sharpe family. It was, as always, a much needed week of R&R. We enjoyed lots of time in the lake and pool, which both of the kids loved, as well as some time fishing, kayaking, boating, sleeping in, and just spending quality time with family.

The weather was amazing, as it only rained on the first day. Otherwise, the sun was shining, and sunscreen was a must!

Hayden's favorite activity this year was probably fishing, although he enjoyed throwing the worms into the lake to "feed the fish" almost as much as catching them. We caught so many perch and sun fish that we had a fish fry almost every night as part of our dinner. Both Hayden and Erica really loved eating them, as well, which really surprised us--but was great, because we are trying to teach Hayden that a good sportsman eats what he catches. Tubing behind the boat was also a big hit for Hayden....and everyone else that got to ride with him!

Erica probably enjoyed the pool the most, as it was about bath water temp. She also enjoyed the beach and throwing the sand/mud. Only a few handfuls got put in her mouth! Erica took one slow tube ride, as well--much to mom's chagrin.

The week flew by for all of us, and we were bummed to be heading home to get back to reality, work, etc. We are already looking forward to next year!!

The Sharpes enter the Blogging world!

Hello and welcome to our Blog spot. I thought this would be a fun way to keep family and friends updated with the goings-on of the Sharpe family. Life, as always, is busy and fun-filled, so I hope to keep this up to date on what we are all up to. I hope to frequently update photos of the kiddo's, as they are growing and changing so quickly!! We hope you enjoy.