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Minnesota mom pens kid’s book inspired by son with special needs
Taylor Hindermann of Montgomery is getting ready to release her first children’s book — inspired by her son who has special needs.
MONTGOMERY, Minnesota — At 19 months old, Kip Hindermann has found his footing. The toddler is always on the move inside his home in Montgomery, thanks to the braces he wears around his feet and legs.
“It’s been very difficult. A lot of people ask me… ‘How do you get through all of these things?’ And you know, he’s a blessing. He’s extremely tenacious. He absolutely loves life and has a great personality,” said Kip’s mom, Taylor Hindermann.
When Taylor was 18 weeks pregnant, Kip was diagnosed with fetal ascites. According to the National Institutes of Health, the condition causes an abnormal fluid collection in the fetal peritoneal cavity.
“They found an in utero bowel perforation or what they thought it was. That wasn’t confirmed until he had a surgery later. So we went through a lot of different testing when I was pregnant with him and he has a lot of gestational issues because of that in utero bowel perforation,” Taylor explained.
Kip was born premature at 34 weeks.
“He was diagnosed with hypotonia, which is the low muscle tone. Basically, from his chest down, he has a malformed abdomen. He does not have the second abdomen wall. So that is part of the reason why he wears braces,” Taylor said.
Since Kip was 2 months old, he’s undergone all sorts of therapies, including physical and occupational. He’s been walking with the help of his braces since he was about 16 months old. He also wears a helmet to protect the soft spot on his head which hasn’t closed.
“When he was getting his braces, there were so many people asking us questions and wanting to know more about him and kind of about the braces and why he had them,” Taylor said.
It inspired the mom of three to write her first children’s book called “Kip’s Funny Little Feet.” It will release on April 21. The book gives kids like Kip more representation in books while promoting special needs inclusion.
The book follows Kip as he overcomes obstacles and finds the strength to walk with the help of his special braces.
“For his age, the questions in public and with family don’t necessarily bother him that much,” Taylor said. “But I was thinking about older kids who are getting these braces, and there’s a lot of different questions that are being asked about that. I just wanted to introduce it and make it easier.”
The illustrator on the book, Lezanne Bianchina from South Africa, also has a son who wears braces and has special needs.
“She was like, ‘I absolutely love this and I want to be a part of this,'” Taylor recalled.
Taylor’s goal is to create a series of children’s books all related to special needs inclusion.
The book was made possible thanks to a Kickstarter, which raised more than $5,200. Backers had the option to donate a book, as well. Those books will be given to local organizations including Mayo Clinic and the Ronald McDonald House where Taylor’s family stayed.
Taylor also plans to go into classrooms and read the book to students. She already has plans to visit a classroom that has kids who also wear braces.
Taylor recalled the first time she saw a printed copy of “Kip’s Funny Little Feet,” saying, “Honestly, when I saw it and I got it, I cried. It’s just been so much work, and so much time, and love and effort that has been put into it. I was so excited to see it… It’s dedicated to him, kind of almost a love story to him to be like, I want more people to know about you and how special you are. So I was very happy when I saw it.”
“Kip’s Funny Little Feet” will be released on April 21, but it’s available for pre-order now on Taylor’s website.
A public book launch party will be held April 21 at 1 p.m. at Next Chapter Winery in New Prague.
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Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president’s home state of Delaware.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota.
The 82-year-old president welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles.
“It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That’s when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man that Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability.
Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president’s home state of Delaware.
“The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden’s right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters.
Biden introduced Peach as a bird who “lives by the motto, ‘Keep calm and gobble on.’” Blossom, the president said, has a different motto: “No fowl play. Just Minnesota nice.”
Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca. The center aims to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America.
Later Monday, First Lady Jill Biden will receive delivery of the official White House Christmas tree that will be on display in the Blue Room. Then the Bidens will travel to New York City for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island.
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s hard to say no when faced with adorable puppy dog eyes.
Pop star P!nk would agree, as she announced Wednesday that she is adopting her Minneapolis foster pup. P!nk got the puppy from local rescue The Bond Between in October and intended to keep him for a few weeks to raise awareness of fostering and have some company during her tour.
The dog, named Graham Cracker, won over the singer within a month. In an Instagram post Wednesday, P!nk thanked The Bond Between and promoted the rescue’s fundraising efforts for “Give to the Max Day.”
The U.S. Army says 19-year-old William E. Colby was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950. His remains were identified just this year using DNA technology.
MINNEAPOLIS — A young soldier from Minneapolis will finally be at rest, 74 years after his death while serving in Korea.
The U.S. Army says William E. Colby of Minneapolis will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Dec. 3, seven months after his remains were identified using DNA technology.
Colby was just 19 years old and serving in the Korean War when he was declared missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, after his unit was attacked by the Chinese People’s Army as they attempted to withdraw from the Chosin Reservoir. The young solider could not be recovered following the battle, and the U.S. Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953.
His fate was finally confirmed for family members by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on May 2, 2024, after Colby’s remains were identified from 55 boxes of remains returned to the U.S. by the North Korean government in 2018.
The Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division at Fort Knox, Ky., plays a key role in finding family members to identify missing Soldiers from WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The process begins with obtaining a DNA sample from the living person identified as next of kin and then using several forms of DNA analysis to match remains.
Survivors then receive access to the soldier’s military benefits and a burial with full military honors.
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