My Little Barney

Meet Barney. 10 little fingers, 10 little toes. Deep blue eyes. A smile that melts me. And the tightest grip on my finger.

Barney was born at the beginning of June 2016, completing our family and making our daughter, Poppy, the proudest big sister ever.

However, Barney was born with a condition called Congenital Talipes Equinovarus.....or Clubfoot to those of us without a medical degree. Fixed Talipes in his left foot and Positional Talipes in his right.

I've not really told many people about his feet, and I'm not too sure why. But today, as he screams for the 24th hour in a row (well not quite but it's not far off!), I feel the need to embrace my baby's feet for all the glorious imperfections there are as they're shackled in corrective boots far too tight for comfort. This is my outlet. My way of saying 'It's OK, It's only feet' and giving myself a big kick up the arse because it's not my fault. It's not his fault either. (It's slightly Dad's fault seeing as it's his genes but we'll try to forget about that!).

It's a journey, it really is. One that started at our 20 week scan and will finish who knows when. But it's not a straight forward journey. It plays with emotions, with family dynamics, with bonding, as well as being just medical. And I hope you can follow our journey too. I don't have all the answers and I am far from perfect but I hope that maybe our journey could help someone else's journey...not necessarily with Clubfoot but with the complex life that is parenting.