I’m so happy we had a visit with three families during Born Just Right’s first Google+ hangout. I’m planning to do this often so more of us can meet in person. Along with just meeting, I’m thinking about having some topic-specific meetings so we can ask questions and look to each other for possible answers.

I really feel that meeting each other in person is powerful… and if technology can help us a bit to make it happen, let’s give it a try!

I learned how to explain what it takes to join a G+ hangout and I think it was cool to introduce the technology to a couple of people. I’m happy to help you along the way if you want to join in! In the meantime, be sure to circle Born Just Right on Google+ and it can’t hurt to add me in a circle as well.

Jordan wanted to show off her picture day pose.

A friend of mine told me I needed to blog about a moment I learned about at school from our principal.

Jordan was at the lunch table when he walked up and offered to open her milk container. She looked up at him like he was crazy to ask. Then every other kid at the table said they’d love to have him open their milk. That’s the life of a child who stubbornly wants to do everything on her own.

That makes me a super proud mom.

Our second day at the conference was less session focused and more social-focused. Jordan is one of the youngest attendees and the only little girl of the limb different kids. So that means she’s gotten to know some of the grown ups pretty well. She got to swim, meet new people and have lunch with new friends.

The one thing I think I’ve learned by attending this conference is how there are a number of wonderful groups out there that are encouraging kids and adults to live life to the fullest no matter the challenges they face. It’s really cool. I’ll certainly write more about them when I don’t have Miss Jordan at foot at all times.

The most special thing was how the Hanger company is handing out Winter the dolphin stuffed animals to kids. Winter lost her tail when she got tangled in ropes in a Florida lagoon. She was a few months old. According to the book we scored (thanks again to Hanger), Winter’s accident happened 19 days before Jordan was born. That seemed special to Jordan (I thought it was cool too). Jordan loved sleeping with her new friend and made sure they bumped tail to little arm before going to bed. It’s the little things… It’s always the little things.

I’d love to write huge details about our first day of the conference, but I was so exhausted last night! Now Jordan’s begging to play so I’ll do a short summary now and write more later.

First, taking a five year old to a conference is challenging! Thank goodness technology (and $4 of new iPad apps) kept her attention.

Second, I love hanging out in an environment where there are questions like: “By looking at her arm, she’s congenital, right?” Most adults wear upper limb prosthetics. I know that interested Jordan since she wears hers mainly when she needs it, not all the time.

It was interesting to learn about the current state of upper limb prosthetics: there’s money being spent, but no one has really found the ultimate answer. U learned the coveted iLimb hand has a loose grip and breaks easily… And actually most “hands” on adult myoelectric prosthetics do not have a strong grip. There’s a new hand coming out that claims to have two grip settings with a realistic looking hand. But I guess we’ll wait and see. The DARPA Luke project (where Dean Kamen was helping invent a new upper limb prosthetic) looks like it may end soon. The government money is running out and the folks working in the project hope to commercialize it. The one research element that really caught my attention was how the Luke arm researchers learned how creating extra pressure on the existing limb allows the arm to tolerate more weight with a prosthetic. I have more notes and I promise I’ll write more.

Jordan was a trooper. In between paying attention to the presentations, she colored and played on the iPad. Thank goodness for technology!

For the last two years we’ve been very fortunate to work with an organization in our county that focuses on family resources. Basically, it is a county program that helps fund therapies, activities and grants for people with challenges to help them reach their full potential.

When Jordan aged out of our state’s 0-3 developmental program (ours is called First Steps), she did not qualify as “disabled” under the school district’s definition of disabled. It was awesome to hear but disappointing since we were getting help paying for Jordan’s occupational and physical therapy back then. After the school district didn’t qualify Jordan, we couldn’t get the financial assistance for therapy. Luckily our insurance pays a certain percentage of Jordan’s occupational therapy.

The county program did afford us the chance to get grant money to help pay the hefty 20% our insurance doesn’t pay on Jordan’s prosthetics. It also gave us funding to go to equestrian therapy and Camp No Limits. But after today’s evaluation, I’m pretty sure we’re going to lose the support. You see, the county program evaluates kids at ages three, five and 18. Today’s evaluation was in honor of Jordan’s fifth birthday. I’m bummed but happy at the same time. We have worked incredibly hard the last few years to build Jordan’s strength and abilities. Losing the county program is another example of what happens when you make sure your kid gets everything it takes to be on an even playing field.

Two years ago, the school district told me I had worked so hard with Jordan that we didn’t qualify. I’m pretty certain that’s what is going to happen with the county program. When I told the support coordinator how Jordan had even figured out how to use scissors, she told me it will probably be tough to keep Jordan in the program.

I realize we aren’t any more deserving for support. The bummer is without the county, we will not return to equestrian therapy and funding for camp will be more challenging. The prosthetic grant money was a life saver. I think that’s what stings the most.

Of course I’m lamenting early. We aren’t kicked out of the program yet.

I love and hate that I’m the proactive mom. I love that Jordan is rocking her world. I’m sad we lose out on support for keeping her so up to speed.

Sure Jordan is a little young to party all the time… but she did get a chance to go to two different birthday parties over the weekend. She had a blast… But in one of the parties I watched a little girl staring at Jordan and clearly wanted to reach out and touch her arm without permission. I guess I just happened to look over at her and she had this look like she was in trouble… Her mom must have caught the interaction because she went over to her daughter and started whispering to her. I felt the need to interrupt and introduce her to Jordan (they had never met before). We talked about how Jordan was born with one hand and she can do everything she wants to do. Jordan just nodded her head. We talked about her helper arm and Jordan actually added in the conversation about her bike hand and how it helps her ride a bike. (I was so thrilled she joined in on the conversation)

So there was just one little thing that made me think that maybe I shouldn’t have interrupted the whispering mom and daughter. Every time I said something to explain what’s going on with Jordan the mom would interrupt me by saying, “That’s what I told her.” I wasn’t sure if it was to tell me how I should leave the conversation… so I just kept talking.

I’ve recently noticed Jordan taking a stand in public areas and asking people not to touch her arm. If it’s a child I know I’ll ask him or her to be sure to ask permission before touching Jordan. When a child asks, Jordan usually says no. And she has every right to say no. I can only imagine how annoying that can be for her.

Jordan had her four year old check up — And she was a trooper. Three vaccinations and all kinds of fun showing off what a big girl she is (once she got over the shots).

The result? She’s 30th percentile in weight and 65th percentile in height. I wish I could say that about myself!!

As I get back into a new semester in our newsroom, I’m not updating any of my blog often enough! Jordan is growing so dang fast, I really should document it more.

Yesterday was an interesting one… Jordan apparently had a hard time at school. She didn’t want to listen. She’s more hard headed right now than I’ve seen in a long time. She’s in four-year-old mode WAY ahead of her late December birthday. She also had a chance to take part in a cognition lab experiment on campus. She got to talk about numbers. But the funny thing is how Jordan isn’t very interested in numbers. She’ll count when she wants to count. So it was interesting to watch her work with the tester — later after I stopped shooting video, Jordan was less interested in completing the task.

Jordan has to hang out a lot on the football field these days while her brother plays touch football. It’s a time intensive process… Learning how to play football takes a lot of work! Jordan is dealing with the time on the fields playing and meeting so many people. She is NOT shy!! I think it’s amazing to watch.

I’d love to go on and on about developments in Jordan’s world. But the most stand out meeting was yesterday when I took Jordan to meet with an upper extremity expert from Hanger Prosthetics. I explained why were using the kind of arm Jordan is wearing these days… And the group meeting with us made it sound clear that we are doing a good job and Jordan is using a prosthetic the way they’d want a kids to wear at this age! She’s so cool. They didn’t recommend any changes at this point (and I agree). I’m pretty excited to work with an arm that leaves Jordan happy… and she’s still wearing it! (I don’t take enough pictures of her wearing it, but I swear she wears it – especially that bike arm!! She’s an amazing biker when she uses her bike hand. She’s really figuring out ways to use bouncy hand!

I’m famous for not sleeping (I’m up too late at night right now)… But lately I’ve totally fallen off the strict bedtime bandwagon. Jordan used to need to go to sleep by 7pm… Now we’re lucky if she’s down by 9. She has a tendency to delay bed time 30 or 45 minutes. She has to “go to the bathroom” two or three extra times. What stinks about it is when Jordan goes to sleep late, I get to Cameron even later. So he ends up going to between 9:00 and 9:30 – when his bedtime should be 8pm.

Terrible.

Why does this happen? I keep taking the kids out. We go to the gym… We go to events… We go to the park… I just can’t stop myself when it’s bright out, it’s nice out… I am being greedy about their time. My mom says I shouldn’t feel bad unless the kids get sick. So… I guess I’ll keep my fingers crossed and their hands washed!

I follow a bunch of bloggers… And one mom, Heidi, who writes at God’s Grace in Practice brought up a wonderful thing. She talked about how she . In that blog post she offered a link from BabyCenter about how to talk about differences with children between the ages of 2-4 and 5-8. I have no idea how I missed that! Thanks Heidi. This is wonderful.