Little People Conference

This past weekend we went to the Little People of Alberta conference. This was the first event of its kind. There were over 200 registrants and little people came from all over Alberta as well as Saskatchewan and British Columbia. There were even a few people there from Ontario. The conference was held at the Calgary Sheraton Cavalier hotel. The hotel has a pool with waterslides as well as conference rooms and banquet services. The conference went Friday night and Saturday. On Friday there was a family pool party. On Saturday three doctors who are on the LPA medical advisory board were there and gave presentations. They were also available for individual appointments. Saturday afternoon there were sessions for parents, and for teens. There was also a session on adaptive equipment and a session where they organized the Dwarf Athletic Association of Canada. Later they took a group photo of all the little people. On Saturday evening there was a banquet and a dance. In addition to all that, there was a clothing exchange and a raffle.  

Our family went down Friday afternoon and stayed two nights at the hotel. We went to the pool party and visited there with a few people we knew and met some new people. There Austin made friends with two boys, Max and Ethan who both have achondroplasia like Austin. They are both from the lower mainland in BC. Max is 14 and Ethan is 11. The three were pretty much inseparable at the pool on Friday night. On Saturday when Rob and I were at sessions, we gave Austin a room key and he was free to roam around with his new friends. They went swimming some more on Saturday, too. Alyssa and Preston had a half-way good time too. Alyssa was Preston's babysitter on Saturday. They watched tv in the hotel room most of the morning and then went to the pool in the afternoon.

I went to one session (not quite necessary yet) on family planning and pregnancies for little people. It was really interesting. I also went to a session on skeletal dysplasias in life's phases. I enjoyed the session for parents and the session on adaptive equipment was taught by the tiniest little lady, about 2 1/2 ' tall. She has her house all adapted to her size. She loves it when her 6'2" brother comes to her house and has to use her bathroom or kitchen. She thinks it is poetic justice! 

The banquet and the dance were pretty fun. The little kids were so cute dancing!

Max, Austin and Ethan. Notice who's tallest!

With Alyssa. Alyssa thinks Ethan is a super good-looking little person!

Some kids dancing.

These two kids were soooooo cute! They are seriously about 15" tall. I'd guess about 3 or 4 years old. The girl and the boy have the same type of dwarfism, I think. They were dancing together quite a bit.  I watched this little boy's parents. They are young, good-looking, fit, and presumably well-educated. I imagined that they never thought they would have a child like this. It seemed he was their only child. But, they were so loving and mindful of him. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

This is Austin, partying down!