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FACTS:

• The word, 'Arthrogryposis,' means, 'curved joint,' which implies the joint is fixed in a curved position. Arthrogryposis Mulitplex Congenita (AMC) means, 'curved joints,' in a number of areas of a person's body at the time of their birth. 
• Anything that prevents the common movements of a baby while they are in the womb may lead to contracture, where their joints do not have the opportunity to move with full range.
• Extra connective tissue fixes a person's joint in place, limiting the joint's movement, leading to tendons around the affected joint and an an inability to stretch to their common length; something that makes joint movement after the child is born even harder. When limitation of movement happens over a period of several months there tends to be a lack of growth in the child's limb as well, something that can make the severity of the contracture they experience more intense.
• Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/health/orthopedics/arthrogryposis.php#ixzz1XHvEQffE

Makeup...

I don't wear makeup that often, my husband tells me i don't need it...hes so sweet. There are some days though that i want to play with my eyes though and add a little kick to them. Makeup can be a little difficult sometimes. To put it on i just use a wall or counter and push my arm to my face and proceed to apply lotion and powder to my face. Next is eye shadow and eye liner...eye liner is the tricky part. Since my right arm can't reach any higher than my belly button, i cant hold my eye still while trying to draw on the liner. So i just do it the best i can, but when im done putting it on i kinda look like a raccoon so i take some tissue and wipe towards my eye until there's a thin line of liner. Then i finish with mascara and lip gloss.

Showers...

I love taking showers, but its a bit hard to wash my hair if its long. Right now its short thank god, it makes it so much easier to wash myself. To wash my hair myself i have to put the shampoo on my head and then rub my head on the wall, kind of like a cat rubbing on your leg for attention. Im sure it looks pretty silly but it works good enough, not so well for long hair though. If i really want my hair to be really clean then somebody has to wash my hair for me, so most of the time my husband and i just take a shower together.

Shaving...

My armpits and legs aren't impossible to do, it just takes forever and i don't do the best job. When i started growing hair in those areas my mom shaved for me. When i got older and my little sister Ashley started shaving too she started helping me...she really did a lot for me and i know she hated it but she did it anyways. When she did get older i tried not to ask her so much anymore, instead i started asking my stepmom. I didn't really want to ask her like every other day to do it so i would just wear short or long sleeves that didn't show my hair. I remember on hot days not being able to wear a tank top or go swimming, it sucked but it couldn't really be helped. My family used to call me Chewbacca, but i didn't mind because they didn't mean to be mean and i knew that and would just play along with it. Now a days my husband or my friend Lisa will help shave me, and after im done shaving it looks like we shaved a cat, gross i know but true. I want you guys to know everything, even if it's embarrassing im still me and always will be.

Brushing My Teeth...

This is pretty simple, i just put my arm on a wall or counter and push until the toothbrush is in my mouth. I tend not to do it right away in the morning unless i have to, because i am very stiff in the mornings. Sometimes in the morning if i try to do it my left arm will lock up and i just have to keep pushing until it pops, and its a loud pop and a bit painful.

My Hair...

My hair took a while to figure out, brushing it is pretty easy for the most part. To brush it i have to flip my head upside down and throw my arm up as far as i can until there are no knots, then i flip my head back up and push my arm on a table or wall and move my head until i think it looks ok. I can't put my hair up or anything, just a headband is about it. If you ever saw me with my hair up or anything besides a headband then somebody else did my hair. Like my parents (yes even my dad), grandparents, friends or even my husband. There are times when i wish i could put up my hair, but what can you do...no use crying over spilled milk right.
Using a hair dryer is a bit tricky at times...i used to have this blow dryer that had a built in brush and boy that was a great invention. One day i left it on the floor, stepped on it and it broke so i had to get a new one. Then i got one called a Princess, that one has a stand and a thing that went on top of it to push the air where you needed it. So like i could set in on the counter and point it towards me and i could brush my hair with a hand free. But again the piece that points the air broke when i was pulling off of the hair dryer, so now its just a normal hair dryer with a stand. So now i have to hold the hair dryer between my legs, flip my head like i do to brush it and brush while i try to dry my hair. Its pretty much impossible to dry the back of my hair so i just have to let that air dry.
Straitening my hair is hard, i don't know how many times i have burned my forehead or clamped down on my ears. Can you say HOT! I have to do it pretty much like brushing, i lean on the counter, flip my head to the side and then try and catch some hair in between the hot plates. I know its a talent, and if i want my hair curled i just take a shower and have my friend Lisa put my hair in a messy bun, and later when i take it out its curled. Yep thats how i do my hair, no products either...well besides hairspray sometimes. If you try to do any of the things i talk about you should comment or write a message to me telling me how it worked for you.