The Anderson's: 2012

Ever since he was a little younger than 3 months, Brent and I have wondered about Riley's feet. They didn't point quite as straight as Noah's and he would turn them in funny angles. As he got older and put more weight on them, we grew more and more concerned. Every pediatrician visit (3 months, 6 months, and 9 months) we would ask her if they looked ok. She assured us they were fine and we didn't need to worry. By the 9 month check up and us asking her AGAIN she gave us a referral to a physical therapist just to ease our worries.

So off Riles and I went to the physical therapist. She told me that it could either be a hip problem or a foot problem. A hip problem is a lot more serious and would need to be corrected with surgery. Luckily, after doing a bunch of flexibility tests on Riley, it turned out to be a foot problem. When he stands and puts weight on his feet he pushes the inside part of his foot down. This caused his foot to point outward as he was trying to walk on the inner part of his ankle (it looked so awkward when he tried to walk).

So once we got the diagnosis we had three options. We could tape his feet and see if that would help. We could order pre-made shoes that could possibly correct the problem, or we could order custom made shoes fit specifically to Riley's feet that would definitely correct his issue. Brent and I agreed right away that we wanted to take care of the problem the best way for Riley and chose to get him the custom shoes. We also found out insurance doesn't cover anything until we met our $1500 deductible, so we would be paying for the $1,000 shoes.

As a girl I've always dreamed of owning ONE pair of designer shoes. I know it's such a silly thing to spend your money on. But Jimmy Choo's and Louboutin's are so pretty! Well, needless to say, my son got the first pair of designer shoes in our family. But it was even cooler than the other designer shoes because we got to be the designers (when I say we I mean me and Riley. And Riley just tried to chew on the samples while I picked them out). We picked out our design, Riley got casts made of his little feet so the shoes would fit perfectly, and off went the order.

Brent and Riley went to pick up the shoes since I was in Iceland when they came in. Riley was a little champ at his appointment (which was nothing new. That kid loves charming anyone in the room that will look at him) and his new shoes fit perfectly! He'll have to wear them for around 6 months. Right now he wears them twice a day for 2 hours at a time. Eventually he will work his way up to wearing them all waking hours. It's amazing how much they've helped already! He is standing on his own for 5-8 seconds at a time and he took a step the other day! I don't count that as his first step, though. It was just one quick step toward me then a fall. But it's amazing the progress he's made already. He doesn't mind them at all, and I'm so proud of how strong and resilient the little guy is.

As for the pediatrician, we're going to be getting another one. She's never been the friendliest person (you would think that someone that works with kids would like them). And after her telling us for 6 months he was fine when in reality we ended up spending a grand on Riley's "fine" feet, I think it's time to look for a doctor that knows what they're talking about. Our physical therapist (who we LOVE!) said she would give us some great recommendations and we can't wait to go to someone new!

Here are the pictures of Riley's designer kicks! And the best part is he'll wear them WAAAAY more than Kim Kardashian wears any of hers expensive shoes.