Feet, Schmeet

I know there are some of you out there who are thinking to yourselves, "Geez, what's up with Linda and her husband? Are they blind or dumb or both? How could they have missed this condition in their daughter's feet?" Or maybe you're not thinking that at all. Instead, you may be wondering under what rock Ben Affleck has been hiding lately, or why Christina Aguillera went back to her slutty-clothes ways after having her baby, or whether Brittney has grown all of her hair back by now or is she still relying on extensions. I don't know the answer to those intoxicating questions, but I can address the issue of the Tingster's feet.

Exhibits 1-3: Pictures of the Tingster's bare feet. Granted, she looks somewhat flat-footed in the second picture, but otherwise, all appear to be fairly normal. Her feet definitely do not take on that "rocker bottom" appearance so prevalent in newborns with congenital vertical talus. In other words, her feet look normal, not deformed. So we were never really concerned, thinking that she will just outgrow the flat feet condition when she's older. Little did we know ... (Hint: To view larger images, just click on the pictures.)

Check out this picture - her feet look just like her sister's feet, and her sister does not have this condition at all (we also dragged her to see the orthopaedic surgeon, just in case):

Exhibit 4: No feet in this picture, but I just love it. It really highlights the Tingster's personality.

Okay, now it's time for Exhibits 5-8. This is apparently what we missed all along. Close-up shots of the Tingster's feet. Check out how her feet tilt inward in the instep. That's the talus pushing straight down into the feet, apparently, since it's not angled correct. And notice the lack of an arch even when she's on tippy toes. Her feet are already quite stiff, according to the doctor, and she can't push off while on tippy toes very well. The weight distribution when standing on her two feet is also completely off, due to the misplacement of the talus.