Hurray!!

We arrived last night in Iowa City. We made good time and it took us about 8 hrs to get here. The kids were angels in the car (thank God for portable DVD players!) and we were checked into the RM house before dinner. We had our appt this morning and Ian does not need casts for now! Yahoo! They took impressions of his feet so we could get new shoes and he will be in the Mitchell bar/shoes for 14-16 hrs/night. So we figure we'll put them on by 6:30 pm, take them off by 9:00 am. We are all kind of stumped by the raw areas Ian gets because they haven't had problems with any of the other kids in the Mitchells, but they gave us something called DuoDerm to put on his feet...a patch kind of like a second skin. Also we are to keep the shoes set at 40 degrees and gradually turn them out 5 degrees every few weeks until we reach 60. We will come back in Aug. for a checkup. Although we were receiving treatment in Cincinnati too, Brad and I both feel they are much more thorough out here and so we think the trips are worth it despite the inconvienence. Ian's feet are still abnormal but for now we don't have to deal with the casts or tenotomies or anything like that and we are extremely grateful. So instead of dragging around a very heavy and sad Ian for the next 2-3 wks, he gets to run and jump and play just like his big sister. :)
We will head home tomorrow morning.

Once again the level of care and attention here at the U Iowa clinic was unbeatable. It was a busy place but it is obvious everyone is well cared for.
And as for the RM house...it is such an experience everytime we are here. You don't even realize the extent of services they provide if you haven't had to use them. We again met amazing families, and made lots of friends. There were tons of clubfoot kids again, and one in particular who we will stay close in contact with.
Some of these families here are suffering tremendously, and the RM gives them a safe place to come home to every day. You'd think it would be full of sadness here, but it's not. It's filled with hope and compassion and comfort and community. This house and the people we meet here will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Thanks everyone for your prayers as we came out here.
Please pray for Ian as you can over the next few weeks as he gets readjusted to the shoes. We expect lots of sleepless nights and many tears, but please pray with us for a smooth transition and intact skin!!
(We'll add pictures once we get home!)