Happy First Butt Day!

Yes, you read that right. Today is Callista's butt day. What is a butt day, you ask? It's the celebration of the first day that Callie's little bottom first entered the world. One year ago today we were in Tennessee at the wonderful Vanderbilt children's hospital prepping for surgery. One year ago today my baby girl was 22 weeks along and had her very first surgery. One year ago today this mommy was a huge mess but found the strength to go through with something that had the possibility of changing our lives for the best or for the worst. And I don't regret a moment of it.

I can't say it was easy. It was by far the scariest day of my life. But was it worth it? Hell yes it was! Our little girl has an L1 lesion with no normal spine anywhere below that. Should she be able to move her legs? Wiggle her toes? Probably not. But she does, and we are so thankful.

None of this would be possible without my amazing doctor, Dr. Mingeone. Without him, we'd have probably found out about fetal surgery on our own, but his encouragement really led to the decision to do it. His faith in Callista before she was even born was just astounding. The staff at his office were so supportive and I can't say anything but praise for the positive attitudes. I was so thankful to be able to come home after the surgery thanks to this awesome team being here to take care of us! I also want to thank Mary from Vanderbilt. She was so honest with us, and so informative even over the phone just talking us through the initial steps. She put up with my endless calls, endless questions, and endless breakdowns while on bed rest afterward even! Of course, everyone on the Vanderbilt fetal surgery team has my never ending gratefulness (if that's a word!) for doing such a fantastic job.

So happy butt day my darling daughter! You sure are loved!