We have had a very exciting weekend in our household. Jordan and I are gearing up to head back to Chicago to build her next helper arm. She had the challenge this weekend to pick out the next design for her arm. The cool thing about the type of prosthetics she uses is we can find any fabric design and a chemical turns it into the cover of her arm. Last year she found a fun Disney Princess fabric that gave her the ultimate princess helper arm. This year she picked….

Hello Kitty! 

Jordan’s never been a crazy Hello Kitty fan, but she likes her and this pattern was just all kinds of fun. Look at all of the colors! I didn’t have any say in the pick, but I’m excited with this. I think Jordan will have fun with it.. Plus, it needs to last 18 months if we can help it. I think this fun pattern will be able to keep her interest for a while.

As we were shopping for matching ribbon for her helper arm, I got an email alert from Jordan’s birthday fundraiser. It told me someone donated $700 to her effort to send more kids to Camp No Limits. Seven. Hundred. Dollars!!! Jordan and I were both squealing in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby. We’re honored and touched. We have now raised enough money for four kids to attend camp and only $75 away from sending a fifth.

We’re so excited and Jordan wanted to do a quick video this afternoon… She  also gets to reveal her newest look (that matches her new helper arm)!

Jordan’s birthday is 46 days away! I know that sounds silly for us to start counting down so early… But Jordan and I were talking about her birthday and the many things we could do for it. She’s never had a real party at our house since we’re often out of town for the holidays when her birthday sneaks up on us on December 29th. Jordan tells me she wants to have a Winter the Dolphin birthday party. I figure we’ll watch the Dolphin Tale movie with her friends (it comes out on DVD on December 20th), color pictures of dolphins and maybe come up with some kind of craft project that involves dolphin necklaces or something like that. Jordan told me she wants to invite people from all across the country, but since that’s not really possible, we talked about raising money for our favorite non-profit: Camp No Limits.

The camp has been an incredible source of fun and learning about life as a limb different kid. Jordan has met fabulous limb different kids who have become her mentors. Jordan has also had a chance to see how to stay strong and healthy. The camp is awesome support for her brother Cameron because he has a place to talk about what it’s like to be a sibling to a limb different sister. He gets angry about it sometimes and it’s so great he has somewhere he can go where he feels safe and supported by other “all bits” siblings. Camp isn’t cheap. It takes a lot to operate the program. We attend the camp in Missouri while there are camps all over the place: Maine (the original location), Maryland, Idaho, California and Florida (where camp is underway later this week). I know there are efforts to expand the camp into other states as well. Here are posts from our first camp in 2009 and second camp in 2010.

Camp costs $350 per kid in 2011 and I’m guessing the price will go up again in 2012. Since we don’t know how much it will cost next year, Jordan and I are going to try to raise money for two kids at the $350 rate. We’re looking for your support to help raise $700 for the Missouri Camp No Limits through the No Limits Loss Foundation. This will help two more kids attend camp in June 2012. We’re raising money on Crowdrise - it’s considered one of the best non-profit fundraising sites in the country. Feel free to check out our fundraising page! (By the way – when you pay, it mentions an optional operation fee – you can click on it and change it to more or less based on what you can afford. Do not feel pressured to pay the extra few dollars if you don’t want to pay the extra cost.) Even better? It’s getting close to the end of the year where you need to make sure you donate enough money to help make up for your taxes. You’ll get a receipt that you can save when you work on your taxes next year. Not convinced yet? The Crowdrise folks have a bunch of really cool promotions you can participate in if you donate to our cause (or any cause on their website).

Visit http://bit.ly/jordan6thbirthday to contribute!

Thanks for your consideration and Jordan is really excited about this online birthday celebration. She and I plan to put together a video later this week or next week to talk more about Camp No Limits and why it’s so awesome.

In the meantime, enjoy this slideshow of pictures I put together at the end of camp this past summer:

Tonight is the last night of Camp No Limits-Missouri! We have talent show tonight and the kids are getting ready for the big event. In the meantime, I put together a slideshow of pictures I’ve taken so far… We have some really cute kids here! Enjoy the pictures and expect to see more and read more stories soon!

It’s about that time… Where I get a chance to take the kids to what has become one of their favorite parts of the summer: Camp No Limits. We’re so excited!! Camp starts on Sunday. I have to get packing… and quick!

This is our third year attending the Missouri camp – We’ve been to every year it’s come to our state and the experience is incredibly special to us. I can’t say enough about the wonderful things that happen when kids with all kinds of limb differences and their family have a chance to spend time together outside. Play is such a simple and wonderful thing.

So, after three straight weeks of swimming lessons, I’m taking the kids to camp and hope they can use those skills to the fullest. I’ve never put Jordan and her brother through intense lessons like this – they’re tired. But wow, they’ve made huge strides (or should I say swim strokes). I guess that makes it worth it, right? The down side is it’s kept me from having time to really post as much as I normally do here on Born Just Right. Summer is supposed to be for down time – but it just seems extra busy for me!

What’s been really neat about this summer for me is the many opportunities I have to meet dozens (if not more) moms and dads who use the Internet to connect through websites and blog. I’m attending the Brands and Bloggers Summit in Chicago this weekend and the BlogHer conference in San Diego next month. I’m really looking forward to continuing to expand the message of this site and seeing where we can go!

This summer also has seen some awesome conferences that focus on abilities. Jordan and I continue to talk about the great experience we had at the Amputee Coalition conference last month. Not long ago, the No Barriers Summit introduced all kinds of people with special needs ways to enjoy nature. I wish I could have been there but I follow a mom on Facebook who has shared her experience. She told me about an adaptive sports guy who has her daughter kayaking! (Jordan has already told me she wants to start kayaking when we visit Maine next year.) I learned about Vitality in Action while I was at the Amputee Coalition meeting. They have some really great events in Denver – if you’re in the area, I highly recommend learning about the organization. They’re using ice skating as a way to motivate and teach self confidence no matter what kind of abilities you have.

Get out there and find the services and organizations that can help you kids feel supported and in our community – where you live and in the special needs world. There are so many kids who can back each other up thanks to the simplicity of parents making contact with other parents. I am so lucky to have this site and so many of you to back me up – Please know I’m there to do the same for you when and if you need it!

When I started this site, it was really a way to share stories with families and friends. It was also therapeutic. I had a space to express how I felt as I juggled with the feelings of joy for having a sweet newborn baby and the sadness for knowing how my culture reacts to a child born “different.” But one of the best things I did with the help of this site and a couple of online groups was find opportunities to meet families. In 2006, the best ways I had to meet people was through I-CAN (International Child Amputee Network) and Sammy’s Friends.

There are so many more places to network and talk since then, but Sammy’s Friends has been a core group for me. There’s so much support and kindness there. Thanks to my relationships online, I was able to meet people in person during the summer of 2006. We met a little girl (who is much taller these days) who has a little arm above the elbow like Jordan. She lives in a county not too far away from us and her dad made sure we could meet up. The most powerful moment of that visit during lunch was watching her color at the table. She held the paper with her little arm with such ease. It was so great to have that little ‘aha’ moment knowing that Jordan would figure it all out. Jordan proved that to me as she accomplished every milestone… often in her own way. But it was comforting to know there are other kids and they’re doing great by just watching them in person.

That’s why in the summer of 2007, we attended the Helping Hands summer meetup. We spent two days playing and talking and enjoying each other’s company while Jordan was only 18 months old. She was cute, she was so comfortable around everyone and we had so much fun. It was eye opening for her brother as well to recognize how there are all kinds of other kids just like his sister (he was 5 years old at the time).

In 2009 we started attending Camp No Limits. The camp opened up a session in Missouri. There are also camps in California, Idaho, Florida, Maryland and the big camp is in Maine. It’s been one of the best experiences for the kids and I (unfortunately Randy has had to work the last couple of years). It’s so wonderful for families to spend time together to play, talk and learn. The limb different kids learn the importance of pilates - the reasoning behind it. (When you may be physically off balance, you are a much stronger and healthier person if your core is strong.)

Thanks to this website, I’ve had additional opportunities to meet up with families across the country. It seems everywhere we go, there’s a wonderful family that wants to meet and chat. It’s wonderful. I feel blessed. I’m not kidding when I think everyone gets a lot out of our meetups except Jordan. She is so accustomed to seeing kids and adults with limb differences. It’s just a way of life.

I’m not complaining. I just think it’s fascinating.

If you haven’t had a chance to meet limb difference families in person. I highly recommend finding a camp or organize a meetup in your area through on of the many groups online. I’m amazed by the growing number of pages on Facebook where people are connecting and sharing. Every time I find one, I add it to the Born Just Right Facebook page’s favorites link. If you think you can’t afford it, don’t be shy asking to see if there are scholarship opportunities. I use a county program that helps pay for our time at camp. It’s worth asking for help to give the amazing experience to my family.

Here are some other summer camps/events you might want to check out:
Helping Hands – They have a summer event in July
Hands to Love Hand Camp
I-CAN annual conference – This year it’s in Cleveland, Ohio
Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp
Amputee Coalition of America National Conference – It’s in June and I’m planning on attending with Jordan
Colorado UnLimbited – BJR fan Ria Hurst wanted to share this group. You can keep up with meetups here.
Pikes Peak Amputee Connection – Another tip from Ria. Click here to check out the meetup page.

Other groups worth checking out:

Challenged Athletes Foundation – They have amazing events. If there’s one near you, you should check it out.
DASA – Disabled Athlete Sports Association – This is a group based in St. Louis and they’re holding a day-long sports event for special needs kids in my town next month. We’re totally checking that out.
Empowering Amputees - This is an online group and there is a limb difference group for families.

Please let me know if I missed anything. If there’s a group or a meet up that you attend and would like more families to join in, please let me know!

Ever since I started taking Jordan to Camp No Limits in 2009, I’ve heard stories about Nick. He’s a boy from Maine who does not have hands or forearms and is missing a portion of one of his legs. Nick met Occupational Therapist Mary Leighton when he was little. She helped create the camp to help focus on the needs of Nick and other kids with limb differences in mind. (The picture to the left is a picture of Nick from a camp years ago.) He was two and a half when he started working with Mary. Now he’s a fifth grader and continues to amaze so many people.

Yesterday, a television station and a newspaper in Maine did a story about Nick Maxim and how he won an award in the National Handwriting Contest. A hand writing contest? Yup. You have to watch him write in the online video to believe it. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a person without hands write or eat or hit with a baseball bat or text on a phone without hands. But it still is awesome to watch. Nick is another wonderful example of the strength and determination kids and adults have with limb differences. As the Kennebec Journal writes, Nick isn’t looking to be inspirational. He just is.

The company that runs the handwriting contest not only gave him an award, they named a yearly award in his honor to celebrate other kids with disabilities who turn in their handwriting samples for the competition. I think that’s pretty great.

This summer, the kids and I got to take part in our second year at Camp No Limits. We met many new kids, families and friends. One of those friends is a fantastic person named Josh Kennison. Josh was born without hands or feet and he hasn’t let that stop him one bit. He’s one of the fastest runners I’ve ever met. He won THREE gold medals at this year’s Extremity Games. He speaks to all kinds of groups about his incredible abilities even when at first sight, you might think differently. Jordan quickly fell madly in love with Josh. I’m a huge fan too. Ever since we met him, it’s been awesome to follow him on Facebook and the many different times he’s interviewed in the media.

The most recent article is about Josh and a speech he gave to middle schoolers. I just swell with pride with each article because Josh is encouraging so many kids – with or without limb differences. My favorite story about Josh was an incredible bike ride he took this summer. He got a brand new bike that lets him go as far as he wants to go… So his goal was to ride from his town in Paris, Maine to the largest of the camps in Rome, Maine. It’s pretty awesome and one of the Maine TV stations reported on the ride.

Somehow I haven’t boasted about my pride about Josh before on this blog… and I think he deserves all kinds of applause. My favorite part of camp this summer was watching him become a mentor to a young boy who also does not have hands or feet. Josh’s encouragement helped this little boy (who is Jordan’s age) try things he had never been willing to try before – including ride a bike at camp. It was the highlight of my camp experience.

Jordan, Cameron and I had a really great time this year at camp. First, there were SO many more kids this year. Second, there were SO many more parents. AND there were many more activities.

Jordan came away from the experience with a firm ability to zip zippers!! And she’s better at working on buttons and shoe tying. I’m sure she’ll have shoe tying down by next year. The kind of pride that comes from those kind of life skills are awesome.

Cameron was the only sibling… so hopefully we’ll have more next year. He still had all kinds of fun with the campers – there were many more boys than girls. Jordan was the youngest of three girl campers – and by the end of camp, she really wanted more little girls. Luckily one of the volunteers brought her daughter over two evenings in a row. Jordan won’t stop talking about her new friend. We’ll certainly have to get them together to play soon. Jordan really did love her older girl friends and they were SO awesome with her.

The camp started out really hot. Luckily a rainstorm cooled things off and it stayed awesome the rest of the time. There were a ton of activities, catapult, golf, baseball, swimming, biking, arts and crafts and even archery. The kids with upper limb differences got to learn archery with their mouth! How cool is that? Jordan was a little small for it all but the folks who put on the clinic helped her feel like she participated.

I’d like to share a big thanks to everyone who put the camp together. Especially the Ridder family who made sure this camp came to Missouri last year and made sure it continued this year. I really think this camp has a chance to continue for many years. The next challenge? To help raise enough money for the camp so all kids with limb differences can attend. It would be incredible if the many kids I know could participate with their families. It is really a meaningful experience. Especially when you can watch your child share what he or she knows with peers… And those peers can share as well. I really think the parents learn a ton as well. Expect to hear me planning fundraisers later in the year!!

We just got back from camp and we had a lot of fun. Cameron and Jordan had great experiences, enjoyed a lot of outdoor time AND made a bunch of new friends. I have a zillion photos and videos to share, but since we’re headed out of town tomorrow for our yearly trip to Maine, I can’t work on that until I’m packed. In the meantime, you can check out an article about camp in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You can also watch this video:

I should be packing. I really should.

We’re very excited to head off to Camp No Limits this weekend. It’s in the woods and offline. If I can get away for a moment or two, I’ll share a photo from my phone.

If you’re curious about the camp, please spread the word about my Helpers 4 Haiti project. We’re trying to give a hand… or a foot for Haiti! I hope we can keep it going past our camp this week!