Dwarfism Awareness Month {Part 2}

Oct 22, 2014 /

This is post 2 in my dwarfism awareness series! If you missed post 1 you can find it HERE.

Today will be all about Katie.

She is a spunky little girl with lots of energy and a hilarious personality.

When you first meet her she will act shy – very shy – but once you crack open her shell you might have a hard time getting her to calm down.

40 Katie 4-26-06

She was born into a family of all girls and a dad. Her oldest sister is 16 years older than her, I am 14 years older, and Maddie is 10 years older than her. She has lots of ladies looking out for her, one protective older brother in-law, and a very loving dad.

If you asked her about her height she’d say something quick and to the point…

“God made me little”

“I’m a little person”

“It’s just how I am”

14 Katie in Katieroom 4-13-06

If you tell her she’s too little to do something her response is likely…

“I can do everything you can do, I just might do it a little differently”

31 Remodel with Katie 12-22-05

She can get up off the ground without using her hands and she is the best headstander I have ever known.

She loves gymnastics and is involved in girl scouts (who wants cookies??)

52 Katie&Chocolate 11-16-05

She loves PE and is better at the pacer test than I ever was.

It took her a little while longer to learn how to ride a bike because it’s hard to find a bike small enough for her shorter legs. She’s a master bike rider now though.

34 Katie 9-9-05

She has also spent a lot of time learning how to swim. A four – five year old can usually touch the bottom of the shallow end. Being able to touch the bottom of the pool is significant in learning how to swim. Katie is ten now and can brush her toes along the bottom of the pool, but can’t really rest from swimming until she gets to the steps. She takes swim lessons every summer to ensure that she remains a strong swimmer. And gosh she loves to swim.

She is the size of a 4 year old so sometimes people treat her that way. But she is ten and needs to be treated like a ten year old. She doesn’t like to be babied, but she doesn’t say no to a piggy back ride when we are walking really far.

Her support system and friends love her well and really look out for her, but she’s tough and can pretty much look out for herself.

KatieSoBigCloseup5-17-05

Sure, sometimes it’s not fun being littler than everyone else. But she takes it in stride and is always willing to catch up.

Again, if you have any questions about dwarfism, comment below!

Dwarfism Awareness Month {Part 1}

Oct 21, 2014 /

October is Dwarfism Awareness Month!

2013 LPA Dwarfism Awareness Flyer (Final)

This week I am spreading awareness with a three post series about dwarfism – mostly focusing on achondroplasia.

10 years ago a squishy little girl was born. Her name is Katherine Maxine, but she goes by Katie.

Feuille and Girls

She was diagnosed at two weeks old with Achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism.

We’ll start with the facts…

Little People of America (LPA) defines dwarfism as “a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4’10” or shorter, among both men and women, although in some cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller than that.”

As mentioned before, achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism, but there are more than 200 different types of dwarfism.

Achondroplasia is a genetic condition that results in disproportionately short arms and legs. There is typically a larger head with a prominent forehead and a low nasal bridge.

Kelsey and M and K

Intelligence is not affected in people with achondroplasia dwarfism.

The average height of a male with achondroplasia is 4’4″ and a female with achondroplasia is 4’1″.

There are some medical complications that come with achondroplasia, but not all achondroplasia cases experience them. For my little sister, she experienced sleep apnea as a baby, has had tubes put in her ears, and recently had her tonsils and adenoids removed – all of which can happen in average height kids too!

Achondroplasia is a genetic condition. Both of Katie’s parents (my parents) are average height and Katie could someday have an average height child of her own! Just because Katie is little does not mean her future lineage will also be little.

Ok, that’s the nitty gritty about achondroplasia (the abridged version because whoa – there is a lot to know about achondroplasia dwarfism) If you have other questions about dwarfism please ask and we (my mom and I) will try to answer.

You’re also welcome for these classic family photos!

Tomorrow I am focusing on Katie, her personality and how she feels about having dwarfism. And there are many more photos to come!

Happy Day!

We are Home and Happy

Aug 13, 2014 /

We are home! We have actually been home since Saturday evening//Sunday morning, but I didn’t feel that my mind was sane enough to blog until this evening. It also helps that Mike just brought home Good & Plenty and Milk Duds for me to enjoy. Candy is my brain food… I’m not lying.

Anyways, our time away from home was wonderful. It wasn’t a vacation of any sort, but it was so much fun doing ministry together. For those that don’t know, Mike’s parents are the executive directors of a family camp that gathers every year for two weeks in Green Lake, WI. Mike and I are the directors of the 4th-6th grade program, the Wilderness. We spent our two weeks away with little hilariously frustrating children. Every year we have a blast and thankfully every year that we direct the program it gets a little bit easier.

We are still tired though. Really tired.

Northern Pines is the bookend to our “year”. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good new years celebration, but I really feel like our “new year” begins when we get home from Pines. August is when the year begins at our house (and the house of those with school children ha). But anyways – where I’m going with this is that I feel like I have all these goals and ideas in my head and I’m so excited to be home to start implementing change – this is the time of year that feels like a fresh start. I’m so excited for Fall, for the weather to change, for the projects we have planned, and for a more consistent schedule.

Now, what you’re really here for… the pictures. I’ll try to explain all things “wilderness” the best that I can.

#carrideswithmike

And welcome to the White House. The house that Mike and I get to stay in with all our staff is called the White house – probably because it’s completely white on the outside, but they also themed the rooms on past presidents. It’s luxurious (as you can see) and we have not one complaint about it. After spending 13+ hours with kiddos everyday – this little sanctuary of a bedroom is just what we need.

The wilderness field has a large ship in the middle of it. Every morning Mike walks through and wakes up the kids and they come outside and do something called Ship Shape. It’s led by Mike and all the kids just follow along – no silly dance move is off limits. It’s a great way to start the day.

We end each day with Tabernacle. It’s worship and a message around a campfire. It’s one of my favorite times of day.