Who am I?

This is my very first post, so it's time to introduce myself.  Hello, my name is Tiffany.  I am a thirty year old woman who lives in Arizona with my husband Brian and my two sons.  I have two full time jobs, but only one job that pays. :-) Besides being a mom, I work as a med/surg nurse in a large hospital.  I've been a nurse there for three years and before that I was a nurse's aide for a very long time. 

My husband and I met 8 years ago and were married 3 years ago.  Our first child, a boy named Bentley, is almost six years old and just started kindergarten.  Bentley was a surprise, but he was an absolute joy and a blessing.  He is perfect in every way and was the best thing that could have ever happen to us.

Well, so far I sound pretty boring, right? Just another mom out there doing everyday things. So why am I writing this blog?

This blog is about our own little family miracle.  That miracle is our new little one-month old baby named Brodie.  Why is Brodie a miracle?  Well, Brodie only has two fingers on his right hand. But more than that, both of his feet and his right leg are severely malformed.  When I was only 23 weeks pregnant with him, we were given the news that Brodie would have to have a double leg amputation before his first birthday.

 Did I do drugs during my pregnancy?  Thanks for asking but No, my new baby boy has been diagnosed with a rare condition called Ectrodactyly.  Ectrodactyly is a hereditary genetic condition also known by the nickname of "lobster-claw" syndrome.  This condition causes limb deformities, most commonly missing fingers or toes. 

Why would I want to blog about this?  Well, when I first found out about my baby's condition I was devastated, scared, and anxious.  My first reaction was to scour the web for information.  I found lots of technical and medical information, a few support groups, and a lot of charity groups for children with limb differences and amputations, but still there was a void.  I wanted to know what it be like, what it would feel like, to mother a child with limb differences and physical handicaps.

This is when I found a blog that really helped me.  The blog follows the mom of a little boy who has a limb difference, a missing left hand.  I read the whole thing, from the first to the last post, and I really related to her and her experiences.  It helped me begin to accept my child's condition and see his future more optimistically.

That is the purpose of this blog. I want to be there for other parents whose children have physical handicaps of whatever nature. I want to put my own experiences with this out there and tell of all of the ups and downs that come with this journey so that other people who feel the need can share and relate.

Thank you for reading this and spending some time with me in my world.  Up next, a post about how my little miracle came to pass.