“I really do love seeing the world through their eyes.”
Emmy Russell and Taylor Ward are opening up about their daughter’s recent diagnosis.
Russell, who came in fourth place on season 22 of “American Idol,” and Ward, a singer-songwriter in his own right, welcomed their baby girl Taylor Ray on Jan. 31 after tying the knot in 2024.
On July 20, they took to Instagram to ask for prayers and answers after taking Taylor Ray to the hospital.
RELATED: Kailyn Lowry issues warning to parents after she assumed son’s bump was a hernia: 'Mom guilt'
“Taylor has been fussy & crying for the last few days and we assumed it was teething... but this morning Tyler noticed small spasms,” Russell wrote in the caption.
They went on to reveal that Taylor Ray was undergoing an EEG, or electroencephalogram, and was required to stay at the hospital overnight.
“It's a different kind of hard right now. We're asking for your prayers, we truly believe they could make all the difference tonight,” Russell added in the post.
On July 22, the couple returned to Instagram and confirmed that Taylor Ray was diagnosed with “infantile spasms.”
According to the Child Neurology Foundation, infantile spasms are a “kind of epilepsy” characterized by “clusters of short seizures.”
"We learned yesterday that she has infantile spasms, which after doing research it’s 0.02% of conditions," Ward said in the July 22 update — adding that it’s a “very, very rare” condition.
He went on to confirm that Taylor Ray seems “more herself” and hadn’t spasmed yet that day.
The next step for Ward and Russell was to wait for the results of their daughter’s MRI — which came the following day.
Ward and Russell share good news about Taylor Ray’s diagnosis
On July 23, the couple posted a video update that included a clip of their doctor saying that they’ve taken a look at the MRI and haven’t found anything “scary” on it.
Three hours later, the radiologist informed the couple that “everything looks normal.”
While the doctors did have “one concern” with Taylor Ray, she was able to return home with her parents with two weeks of medication and a follow-up scheduled after that.
“It’s actually a miracle,” Russell said in the clip. “With infantile spasms, it’s very severe and scary. So the fact that she has no problems with her brain is a miracle. Might be a couple delays.”
Ward thanked everyone for their prayers and described the support as a “game changer.”
“What if there was something wrong and like a prayer did change things? To know that, it makes me cry, like thousands and thousands of prayers is really, it means so much," Russell added.
On July 24, Russell posted an “update back at home” and opened up about how hard it has been on her since learning of Taylor Ray’s diagnosis.
“It’s really hard not to get angry scrolling online and seeing happy faces while it feels like my little girl is fighting battles that she didn’t ask for,” Russell said in the clip.
“As a parent, all you want to do is protect. And it feels like right now all I can do is pray,” she added.
Russell and Ward announced their daughter’s birth in a Feb. 2 Instagram post.
At the time, the newly-minted parents were still at the hospital due to Russell needing a blood transfusion after losing 1.6 liters of blood during birth.
ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: Jason Aldean’s wife provides update on son Memphis after ‘long night in the ER’
The couple returned home on Feb. 4 and released their first song together, “London Bridges,” on Feb. 28, per Spotify, which was inspired by the newborn girl.
