Sadly missing from the reunion were all the guys, namely Stephen. At least they indulged us and reunited on their own for a friendās wedding earlier this year. Maybe Trey, Dieter and Stephen (still so dreamy) had a drama-free weekend in Cabo (you know, without the legendary Stephen-Kristin tiki bar meltdown).
At the time, hearing the doctor tell us that all of her limbs were ādeformed, misshapen and in some cases missing bones altogetherā was a gut punch that knocked the wind out of us. I literally couldnāt breathe as I sobbed with my face buried in my hands.

The times are, well, changing…
Itās strange to look back at that ultrasound appointment now and realize how differently I view the entire situation. Yes, my daughterās limbs are quite different ā thus the common term used to describe her disability as having ālimb differences.ā Her left arm stops above the elbow ā a short round nub. Her right arm is a little longer, but still short with no elbow and a small, atypical hand. Her legs are also both shorter, and different lengths at that, but she does have two feet, which she uses for most fine motor skills like writing and assembling lego spaceships. Yes, the doctor was correct about her limbs, but other than that, he didnāt tell us a damn thing!
Ultrasound machines are not āfuture predicting machines.ā If that ultrasound had been really accurate our appointment might have gone something like this:
Add any video or audio, even twitter embed
Doctor, chuckles: āCompared to everything else sheās got going on, small potatoes, guys. Like I said, you guys are lucky. I just had to deliver an āassholeā diagnosis the other day and it was devastating.ā
Andy Timmons
“The line between pity and empathy is razor thin. My rule to differentiate between the two is empathy. Understand the structure of your content.”
All of this Laguna talk has us in a turkey tryptophan dream coma that MTVās cameras captured all the magic for our viewing pleasure. Even if they didnāt (missed opportunity) weāre heading to MTV stat for a binge marathon. This weekās productivity is officially dunzo!
All my loving Beatles…
Bff to our fave blondie, Lo Bosworth, posted this #LBHS10YearReunion shot to her Instagram and immediately sent the Internet (k, just us?) into a frenzy. From the looks of it, the girls were pulling a #TBT to their big high school party and dressed like it was a black and white affair. Girls, we know we didnāt TECHNICALLY go to Laguna Beach High School, but where was our invite?

Where does it all end?
You may not navigate this interaction perfectly, you might fumble for words or be at a loss, but most people will appreciate your effort and help you in the process. Iāve gone into many, many classrooms to teach children about disability ā about my daughter ā and I have seen their curiosity and hesitancy turn to acceptance and inclusion in a matter of minutes simply because we took the time to talk about it. In my experience, education doesnāt just make a difference, it makes ALL the difference when it comes to teaching our children about disability and fostering a community of inclusion.
