The Cutest Kid in the Region!

This is of course aside from Kaela,Knoah,Ellie,Emma and Andrea of course! Oh, well, then there's the non blogging kids of course... Emily & Matthew. AND let's not forget the Average Height siblings.....Hannah, Jacob, Will, Rayme....Oh SHOOT! Let's just call it even! They are all stinking cute! Anyways, cuteness isn't the point! The point is what a blast we had in GR last weekend!

We attended our first regional LPA conference in Grand Rapids last Friday. It was different than we expected. We thought it to be a little more like National as far as organized LPA activites. You know, meetings, groups, seminars. There was more free time and it seemed more social in nature.

That was just fine by Dan and I! In fact, it was a very welcome surprise. We were able to relax and enjoy the company of our fellow LPA members. I was also able to figure out who was who within our chaper and region. As the Chapter Newsletter editor, I see a lot of names on paper and I was finally able to put faces to names. Nice!

Owen was extrordinarily good with the exception of a couple kids room meltdowns. For some reason he was just not interested in being left in the kids room while we attended the Parent's Meeting or the banquet. He's been pretty clingy lately. Even at daycare, which he's been attending since he was 3 months old and LOVES, he's been crying when we've been dropping him off.

My aunt and grandma live 10 minutes from the hotel the conference was held in so we stayed with them, not so much to avoid paying for a hotel room but just to visit with them. It was really nice to get to spend the weekend with them! Plus the homecooked meals were a great perk. I'm 30 years old. Will I ever grow out of sponging off my family?

Ok, so listen to this story...
I was walking by one of the banquet rooms and it was decked out with prom decorations. There were signs up that said "Kevhead High Prom 2009" and "Go Beavers!" I was kinda excited to see the kids dressed in their prom gear. Well, I walked by about an hour later and saw a Durex banner hanging over a table full of condums and lube. I was horrified! I'm thinking "OK, I went to Catholic school. It this what they are doing in the public schools now?" I mean I can appreciate trying to prevent teens from getting pregnant on prom night, but really?! Advertising condoms with a big banner and lube? Inappropriate!

Well, later on, I start noticing all these adults dressed in leisure suites and bad 80's dresses. It turns out that it was a radio station event with a prom theme! Duh! Go beavers? How'd I miss that? I sure felt a lot better. Anyway, after our Karoke party, our party crashed the prom and everyone had a great time!

Here's some pictures from the weekend

Isn't this kinda trippy? Owen was a karaoke master 7 year old Emma took this picture of my handsome husband Dan was a hit with the ladies! (Emily, Ellie and Emma)

Owen danced the night away. This is his happy fun face. Emma took this picture too. And this one....

And this one. I think we have a budding photographer in our midst.

Owen and his daddy

My favorite species of butterfly. Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue? Tuckered out after a weekend of fun!

Insert sad face here...

I'm very sad to say that it doesn't look like we are going to be able to pull off the New York LPA Convention this summer.

I'm really disappointed but it's a decision Dan and I made together. We would like to either move from our house or refinish our basement both of which would leave very little in the way of vacation funds.
We did vow to go to 2010's conference (Tennessee?) and we will probably be going to Grand Rapids for the Spring Regional in April (pending the Pistons playoff schedule). We figured if we had to opt out of one, it might as well be this year, when Owen really doesn't know what is going on.

I'm so bummed I won't get to meet Kim or Katie or see Mike and Cherylle again. I wish you could all see me right now. I have a really big sad face :(. Boo!

LPA National Conference 2008 Report (The conclusion)

I feel like I'm on the same track as "No, Seriously, I Really, Really, Know What You Did Last Summer." This post is meant to help the 2009 first time conference attendees. I'm not going to call them "tips" as it makes me sound like an expert which I by no means am. These are just things I learned and/or will do next time I go. So with out further adieu...

1. Give yourself time to register and explore. We registered right before we attended a workshop and didn't feel like we had time to catch our breath and figure out what was where.
2. If they offer a tour of the facility - TAKE IT! Dan and I wasted hours, yes hours, navigating the maze they call the Renaissance Center. We had to go down a floor to go up and up to go down. It was exhausting! I'm sure the tour would have helped us get our bearings.
3. Take advantage of the workshops. They are free! We attended the Family Reception, the Newcomers Reception, the Orthepedic II medical workshop, the Diagnosis Specific: Achondroplasia and Hypochondroplasia workshop, the Parent Meeting. Dan attened the Guys Only meeting in which a panel discussed issues relating to gender and dwarfism (they had a female only also). I wish I would have attended the General Meeting because they go over some specific Conference Information.
4. Go to the fun stuff! My mom and I went to the talent show which was a blast. I wish I would have gone to the Casino and another dance. As I mentioned in my last post, the banquet was great too!
5. Spend some time at the DAAA games. It was the highlight of the week for us. Despite working at the arena that houses the Pistons and Shock, I haven't seen a live basketball game for, like, a year. It was fun to watch everyone compete and I met a ton of parents. I can't wait until Owen can start. My only regret is that we didn't make an entire day of it and were only there for a few hours.
6. First timers - apply for the Kitchen Scholarship! Yeah, you can get money to go to conference! I completely missed it and I was SO BUMMED when Catie, Sarah and Tonya all walked away with checks. Aarrrggg...
7. Prepare questions for the workshops ahead of time, especially the medical workshops. Dan and I didn't write down specific questions (even though we had some) and ended up forgetting to ask some important things.
8. If you go to the banquet, sign up for a table before going to the dinner. We registered for the banquet, but didn't realize you had to sign up to sit at a specific table. We ended up getting a table, but it would have been nice to sit with some of the families we became familiar with throughout the week.
9. Make "business cards". My husband actually said to me before we left, "You should make cards with your blog address on it." In hindsight, that would have been a brilliant idea! Next year I will make a card with all my "stats" on it (name, location, Owen's age & diagnosis, blog address, email address, picture) and people could contact me.
10. If every single person who's going to conference doesn't read this and take the above suggestion (which I highly suspect is what will happen), bring a small notebook and pen so you can write down other's information. There are so many people I met whose info I didn't get simply because I had no means of organizing it. Thre are some people I would have loved to stay in contact with.

That's all I've got. Tonya, Catie and Sarah if you get a minute, you should share your suggestions too. I'm sure you all have different tips to help. I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to be a Conference Know-it-all! Hopefully, the next year attendees can benefit from our experience!

NEW!!! LPA National Conference 2008 Report (part 2)

Do you like how I've divided my posts up into parts? I feel that it really builds the anticipation for what is coming next. Kinda like the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. It also gives me a small sence of self importance the way a roman numeral at the end of my name would. Anywho...

Before I really get into more LPA stuff, I want to throw the spotlight on my fellow blogger Katie. Has anyone noticed that her blog list now keeps track of the last time you posted? I think this is her subtle way of calling out all the blog slackers (you know who you are!). I'm kinda jealous I didn't think of it first. although I may still shamelessly copy the format. It's kinda like a competetive sport! It's totally kicked my butt into posting more because I don't want to see How Life is Measured 7 weeks ago on her blog. I used to just go down my list of blogs in order to catch up but I now go to Katie's first and go down her list so I can see who's posted most recently! Kudos for the time saver and the motivation!

Well Tonya beat me to it, but I was defintely going to mention all the faces I recognized at conference. I too saw Marty Klebba and actually met his sister. They are from the Metro Detroit area (Troy)which I didn't know, but may have been able to guess had I seen the Detroit Tigers tats on his arm (nothing gets by me!). I also saw the Foos who had a couple Discovery Channel specials and briefly spoke to Kenadie who has primorial dwarfism and her father. I too saw the Roloffs and got to watch Zach play ball at the DAAA games. Throughout the week there were quite a few faces that I recongnized and couldn't place only to realize later that they had been the subject of one of the many dwarfism segments I've seen. Owen was definitely humbled. It was good for him, with his small potatoes local news story, to get knocked down a peg or two. I will say though, I was totally taken aback to be approached by a few people who read the blog. I'm not going to lie - it was awesome!

We attended the banquet on Thursday night and Dan and I felt it was well worth it. The Mariott had a great dinner prepared and the awards ceremony was great to see. It gave us a heads up as to which scholarships we need to push, ahem...I mean encourage Owen to win. It also gave us a little more insight as to who's who within the LPA and how much work is involved in putting the Conference together. But if I'm really being honest, there was wine involved and it was the first time we've been able to sit down and take a load off with our fellow LPA members. The dance afterwards was a blast and Owen, in his Sunday best, was a dapper debonair ready to shake his tailfeather!

YES! There is a part 3 coming! Of course you all should have known based on the way that I went on and on about the Florida trip. The next post will try and give some tips as to what I learned as a first time Conference attendee. Hopefully I can help the first timers going to NYC!

Owen loved the scooters. All week he followed anyone with a scooter. I can't believe he didn't get run over
My two handsome boys. Aren't I a lucky girl?
John Travolta ain't got nothing on me!
Even Mom and Dad had fun!
This is my friend Charlene who took great care of me in Kid's Camp.

LPA National Conference 2008 Report (part 1)

For Owen's 1st Birthday, his family and friends contributed to a fund that allowed him lifetime membership to the LPA. In my thank you cards, I expressed my gratitude for providing Owen with a means to life long support and friendship. At the time, my word were only theoretical. This week truly allowed me to see what a blessing the Little People of America organization is to our family.

Every year, the LPA hosts a national conference in a different major city. It is a week long opportunity for little people and their families to catch up with friends, attend workshops, see medical specialists and compete in sports. This year the conference was in Detroit which means we were lucky enough to attend. If it wouldn't have been in our own backyard, I doubt we would have gone. Our thoughts were that Owen was really too young to understand what was going on anyway. Obviously we didn't even occur to us that the conference would benefit us as well.

Conferences seem to be a family affair. The average height people (or AP's which is apparently what all the kids are calling us these days), seemed just as integrated into the LPA life as the little people. It makes sense when you think about it. Statistically 80% of dwarfs have average size parents. But it wasn't just parents. Siblings, friends and grandparents were all in on the fun. It was a huge relief to see. It was a relief to know that Owen's dwarfism won't keep me from relating to this aspect of his life.

There were a lot of 1st time parents with kids under 2, the youngest I met being 11 months old. There were also parents who waited a bit to bring their LP children. I talked to a woman who attended conference for the first time with her 6 year old and an older LP (I wasn't rude enough to ask his age) who had just recently started attending. Either way, from a social aspect it didn't appear to make a difference if you had been attending your whole life or if you were a newbie at 40. Everyone seems to find their place.

It was very refreshing to find myself in the company of parents who really, truly know what it's like to be a parent in our situation. Conversation flowed without having to go through the "dwarfism rhetoric" that I'm becoming an expert at. Mine goes something like this - "Owen is a little person. He has a condition called achondroplasia which is the most common form of dwarfism. We are not sure how tall he will be but the average height of a dwarf with his condition is about 4 feet. There are some things that medically, we will have to keep an eye on, but otherwise he will just be short." - Pretty good huh?! Anyway, with other parents of little people you can skip this whole thing and just give "the stats". Age, type of dwarfism, where you were from, how many conferences you've been to and how you found out your child had dwarfism. I talked to different parents about so many things. How do the other kids react? How to their siblings handle all the attention an LP gets? How did dating go? How's school? It was so nice to not only share my experiences, but to hear other people stories.

It was really nice to talk to other little people. I've never known anyone with dwarfism and it was exciting (yes, exciting) to be able to spend days in the company of so many great people. At first it is a little jarring to be surrounded by people who are physically different from yourself. After a bit however, you realize that the difference is of no more importance than hair color. For me to go through that was important because I know that other people will do the same around Owen.

I can't even begin to discribe how much we got out of this conference. I am whole-heartedly looking forward to them in the future. If I wasn't the parent of a little person, I would for sure try to weasle my way into conference every year. Most importantly I think that this week has facilitated an existential shift in my thinking. Instead of living the best life possible despite Owen's condition, we are living the best life possible because of it.

Owen's used a stool for the first time at conference!
Dan and Owen at the Newcomer's Reception
Networking...
The Mallinson's from California with their beautiful daughter Caitlin(achondroplaisa, 11 months)
Family shot!
Owen's new friend Patrick
Uhh...Hey bro, I thought we were in this dwarfism thing together!
Julie from Arkansas reads my blog! Poor girl...
New District 5 Mascot
Double fisting muffins after the medical workshop in which Dr. Pauli told us that Owen should be eating 2/3rds of what average height babies eat. Hmmm...Is he thinking that an AH baby would eat 3 muffins?
Taking a dip before the festivities
Bundled up with Grandma and Grandpa who came down to see me! They went to the Grandparents meeting too!
Playing in the water at the Riverwalk
The Roloffs spoke and did an question and answer. Owen asked Zach about what it was like to date.
This is at the DAAA games (Dwarf Athletic Association of America). They were taping for "Little People, Big World".
More DAAA games
Just watching these guys makes me tired!
Blowing kisses to dad
Mommy and me
Finally! Mom, Dad - you can leave now, I found the boys.
Owen and his buddy Knoah
Gabe from New Mexico and Sandy from California introduced themselves. They read my blog too! I introduced them to Julie so they could form a support group.
Me, Owen, Sue and Aiden (from Perrysburg, OH) Grandma's giving me snacks at the talent show.
Mind if I take a load off?

LPA National Conference 2008

We are headed to Detroit this weekend for the LPA convention! Detroit's only an hour from us which usually is nothing to brag about unless there is a major national conference in town.
I'm so excited to finally meet some of the people I have been corresponding with over the year. We leave tomorrow and are staying through until Monday. I will be back and forth all week but I will give updates!