Two weeks ago on a Saturday was a very special day for us.  Haylee got to meet a young girl that has also been affected by Amniotic Band Syndrome. Cadence’s Mom brought her down to meet with us.  We were supposed to have a Lincoln ABS meet up but Cadence’s family was the only family to RSVP.  But we liked it that way.  It was a nice time to get to know Cadence and her mom and brother.  Amniotic band syndrome effects people in different ways.  Sometimes people have very noticeable effects to ABS while others you can hardly tell.

Cadence’s effects were somewhat the same but different at the same time.  A few things the girls learned about each other was one that Cadence has had surgery and Haylee has not.  Cadence has partial fingers or full fingers and Haylee does not.  Cadence is very very shy and Haylee is not.

The girls (and Cadence’s brother) played together very well once they got past the shy part.  Jim helped open them up by giving tractor rides.  Although Cadence was not quite ready to do that yet.  It was still wonderful to see them together and interacting.  I also want to Thank Darin Sargent for spending us the book her wrote called, “Thank You Mr. Jenkins”, We were able to give Cadence a signed copy from Darin.

But at the end of the day both girls are true gifts from God that only a select few get blessed with.

Have you ever ran into someone that you wonder, Why did I meet them?  How are they going to effect my life?  I have to say that everyone that has come into our lives have effected us one way or another.  Some of them stay in our lives for a little bit while others travel the long journey with us.  To many times we meet someone just once but think of them often.  Then there are the online people that you only communicate with via, comments, emails, and maybe phone but they even become an important part of your life.

I have to say that Haylee and I have meet our fair share of people.  We have crossed paths with many different people both online and offline but one person we came acrossed has made a huge impact on Haylee’s life in just a short amount of time.  And for Haylee to really open up her heart to this person is just amazing.

Once night Haylee and I were out wondering the internet together like we often do.  Haylee is always looking for more people normal like her.  (little inside secret we may share with you someday).  We came acrossed a site called The Adventures of the i-Limb.  Haylee made me stop right away and she started reading.  She said, “Look Mom, God Made that Man Special just like me.”  I smiled and said yes he did. We spent the rest of the night watching his video’s reading about this man and learning about his adventures with his new bionic arm. Then Haylee asked me to leave a comment on one of his blog post.  I did and the friendship begain. Darin Sargent was born normal like Haylee (again with the normal).

Haylee and Darin have made fast friends and it is so amazing to see the friendship take off.  Darin is doing such amazing things in his life and is a very positive man.  Today Darin gave Haylee a shout out on his website and Haylee was jumping up and down as she listened to it.

You will want to keep a close eye on this site because I see videos in Haylee’s near future.  She says she wants to show everyone what she can do with just one hand.

Abby Jo

We were thrilled to find out we were pregnant again. It would be our third child. We already had two boys and really wanted a girl. Our ultrasound was normal and indicated it would be the girl we wanted so bad!

It was a very easy pregnancy and delivery. Our doctor simply said “She is missing some digits.” My mind swirled with what else was wrong. Our first born had a cleft palate, so I asumed something else was going on. Ya know I never cried the whole time I was in the hospital. . I know I was scared. I remember being so thankful that it was only her hand. I knew even then that we were blessed.

It took awhile before I was comfortable talking about it with just anyone,but evenually became easier. Abby Jo grew and hit all milestones on time.As we watched in amazement. We fell in love each day over and over with her .God has given her such a wonderful personality!

I mean, I am so proud she’s mine. I wouldn’t change anything.She simply lights up the room. My main concern from the beginning was her self esteem. I would hate for her to change or not fully love herself. I try not to focus on the negative, but parents have to think about the hard stuff.Abby recently said she wanted two big hands . It was the first time she had really said much about it.It was weird, I had thought about this moment for three years, I just said “Well, I want a little hand.” Afterward, of course I second guess myself, I believe God gave me the words she needed.

Abby Jo is four and doing great. We showed her Haylee’s pictures and she excited that Haylee had a little hand too!

Amanda Roberts

Keenan Is LHBH new found friend and we are so happy to have him here on the site with us. You can read more about Keenan at Below Elbow.