The scoop plus a little disclaimer

We wanted to have a place where we could reach out to the wonderful people of our lives who want to know what’s going on with Otto. Originally the point was to serve as a way to communicate to our people about the status of Otto’s surgery. It may evolve into something bigger than that and if it does- here is a message:

If you’ve found this blog and you don’t happen to know us- hello!
Perhaps you’re in the shoes we once wore and you’ve just come to learn that there is a thing called achondroplasia in regard to your new baby. And perhaps you, like us, are desperately trying to wrap your mind around what it all means and what you life may be like. If this is you, I truly hope that you find some peace in the words and information you glean from this blog.

If you’re looking at this blog and you know us, we are so grateful for you. There aren’t enough words to express what your support means.

This isn’t a blog only about achondroplasia- this is a blog about your most precious little boy. Our hope is that a medical condition doesn’t define him, that is it a part of his story. He’s our first kiddo so he is the baseline for us, we don’t know any different. Leave any pity you may feel at the door because he and we are lucky, blessed and though we can’t speak for him yet- grateful.

Otto was born with achondroplasia. 
A spontaneous genetic mutation to two above average height parents. Eighty percent of the time it’s true that one born with achondroplasia has average height parents and families.

There are special considerations that are tied to his dwarfism, special precautions that we take. As he is just a young guy at this moment- born on October 3rd, 2013. These early years mean special handling, different growth charts, different timelines for motor development and some medical things that can knock ya down/take you out/eat your PTO. There is a saying in the community “I’m just small, that’s all” and though I understand where that is coming from, I feel its not totally accurate. There are things beyond just being small but the thing is- that is totally okay.

The hope is that through exposure and education the world will become more and more open to accepting place our differences, because we all have them. Not just for LPs (little people- like Otto).
Perhaps this blog can serve in that way.

Disclaimer-
I’m not a professional writer so there are bound to be copy editing issues, poor use of grammar and all that jazz- sorry.
I’m not a doctor and we are learning as we go. Hopefully we’re not blatantly wrong about anything we mention on here but we have found that sometimes when news is delivered to us that isn’t great- we sometimes capture the details a little incorrectly or misinterpret.
Processing bad news or news you aren’t expecting can take time.

We’re starting off at age 8 months- days away from his first big surgery so there may be some catch-up posts along the way to capture details that we’ve already been through.

We hope you enjoy a peek into the life of this amazing kiddo. He’s absolutely the best thing to ever happen on planet earth or any other planet in any universe ever.

-Katy (and Nick & Ottopantalones)