Haylee is beginning to get her own personalality and really just finally becoming her own person. So as she put her hand up I had to snap a picture and wonder what is she thinking.  Does she wonder if animals are also born with little paws?  Does she even really think about her little hand or is it just so normal and natural now that she does not even really remember half the time.

A little bit after this picture was taken we were walking and a little girl noticed her hand and ran over to her Dad and started asking questions.  The Dad tried to pull the little girl away.  And I watched as Haylee’s face went from a frown to a smile as she stode up straight and tall and walked over to the little girl and her Dad and said to the Dad. “It is ok.  I was born this way and if she wants to ask questions I would rather her do that than stare.”  My jaw hit the floor.  The Dad said. “I am so sorry.”  Haylee said, “Don’t be sorry, next time just let her ask.”  Haylee then went on to tell the little girl all about her little hand. It made me one proud Mama.

Sometimes we have to explain and other times we just have to be silent.

But please remember if your child sees something different on someone don’t let them stare.  We would rather you ask than stare.

And here we are 10 years later and Haylee’s first day of 5th grade.  And Haylee is doing everything all the other kids in her class were doing.   Everything except Monkey Bars.  That one really still bothers her.  She wants to bad to be a monkey like all the other kids but with only five fingers to hold on it just is not happening.

Fifth grade is just the be beginning for us.  She is about to be a tween and that is when the fun begins.  But you know the awesome thing about her becoming a tween.  She is going to be an amazing tween that does anything the other kids do but with one hand instead of two.

Fifth grade is when we start worrying more about our hair and outfit.  Firth grade is the year before we get into middle school.  Fifth grade is someone what of a mile stone.  It is when you little princess turns into a tween and begins to really shed her wings and grow into something amazing.

So here is to our first day of 5th grade.

“They can do everything everyone else can do… Except Monkey Bars!”

We think about those things. We do a lot of trial and error in our house. We think about everything we do first with two hands and then we figure out how we can do this with just one hand. If we can’t figure it out then we go to the internet or our wonderful friend Darin to see if there are other ways to do it. Have you ever sat down and really thought cutting up your meat with just one hand?

Today Haylee and I were making a cake and it required eggs. So I assigned Haylee getting the eggs out of the fridge. I watched carefully just to see how she was going to handle holding eggs and climbing back out of the fridge. (We own a fridge that has the freezer on the bottom so many times you will find Haylee in the fridge literally) Haylee pulled the egg out of the carton and cradled it in the nook of her elbow of her little hand. It was the cutest thing and brought tears to my eyes.

I thought my daughter is going to be perfect. She is going to do anything anyone else in the world does but with one hand. She will cook and clean and work and get married and have children. That is a dream every mom has for her kids. And it is the same dream I have for my little hand big heart daughter.

We are setting up a store for Little Hand Big Heart.  Here is a sneak peek of what we have so far.  http://www.cafepress.com/lhbh .  Haylee decided that half of everything she is going to make is going to go to Shriners.  I mean seriously, this little one of mine is 7 years old and she is donating half of everything she makes back to a wonderful resource.  So I asked her what she was going to do with the other half.  Well that lead to a great call with a wonderful person who suggested a vision board.

Haylee and I created the vision board and are only about half done with it but everything on her vision board is about giving back.  She wants to Meet Darin (Darin, You were top of her list), she wants to take her uncle Dave snorkeling, she wants to write a book, she wants to make gift baskets and send them to any moms that are pregnant or have newborns that were effected with Amniotic Band Syndrome, she wants to travel the world and speak to people about living with a little hand.  And this is only half of all the things she wants to do.

Can you believe a little girl can have such a big heart?