A Possible Diagnosis

Caden has been doing speech therapy for a couple of months now with very little progress. On a good day, he can make the "b" sound a couple of times and he might say "uh oh", but these are both rare. It was recently brought to our attention that he may have Verbal Apraxia. Needless to say, I am heartbroken. I have shed more than a few tears the last few weeks while reading and learning about Apraxia and discovering that Caden fits the description perfectly. The speech therapist said that they don't like to make an official diagnosis until 2 1/2 or 3 years old because so many kids under two have speech delays, but all signs point to Apraxia. As a mother, I feel responsible and I want to be able to fix everything and I am having a hard time not being able to and I am feeling very helpless. With early intervention and lots of therapy, the prognosis is good, but it is always hard to hear that there is something wrong with your child. Sign language has been a wonderful tool in helping us understand Caden's needs and wants. He can sign over 75 signs now and is getting pretty good at it. I am so grateful to have some form of communication with him. Between Caden and finals, I have been very overwhelmed lately and have not felt like myself. I guess I just needed to get this all out because I feel a little better now. Thanks for reading if you got this far.

A Quarter of a Century

On Saturday I turned 25. I feel much older than that though, having been a mother for over 10 years now. Mackenzie and Cierra were so sweet and they threw me a surprise birthday party. They planned it for weeks and bought everything with their own money. They even decorated the house. I am so lucky to have such great kids. Saturday night we went over to my Mom's house and had dinner. She made homemade meatballs, baked potatoes, and broccoli and it was so yummy! It was such a great day, by far one of the best birthdays I've had.

ENT and Audiology appointments today

Caden had an appointment with the ENT and Audiologist today up at Primary Children's. We saw the audiologist first to test his hearing and his hearing is almost normal now. There are still some tones that he's not hearing, but he said that it shouldn't affect his speech anymore. After that we saw the ENT and he said that the tubes are in place and open. I am so happy and relieved. Between the tubes and speech therapy, hopefully Caden will grace us with some words soon.

Weekend Getaway

Thursday afternoon Mackenzie left to New Mexico with Bruce and Vivienne to go to Roger's Wedding. Erick couldn't get work off, so we couldn't go, but Mackenzie really wanted to. There wasn't enough room for Cierra to go too and this caused a little tension. So Erick and I decided to spend the weekend in Salt Lake (the spontaneity of this trip was inspired by Shannon and Terrie and the location was inspired by Nicole). It had been a rough couple of weeks between having my gallbladder out and a huge math test that I had at school, so I was ready for a break. We booked the hotel Thursday night and Cierra, Caden and I headed downtown Friday afternoon to check into the Hampton Inn. Erick met us there after he got off work and we went out to dinner and then spent the evening swimming in the indoor pool. Erick had to work all day Saturday, but the kids and I slept in until 8:30 a.m.! I didn't even have to cook breakfast, as the hotel provided it for free. After breakfast, the kids and I went swimming again and then went back to the room to watch a movie. Caden passed out, so Cierra and I decided to order a pizza for lunch. She thought it was pretty neat to have a pizza delivered to hotel room. At about 1:30 p.m., someone knocked on the door and it was Erick! He got off work early and surprised us. We decided to go to the mall and headed out. We soon discovered that the mall did not exist anymore........we felt a little silly that we had no idea it had been torn down. So we went to Gateway instead. It was a little chilly, but we still had a good time. We even got to ride in a horse
drawn-carriage. Cierra loves horses, so she was smiling ear to ear, but of course I forgot my camera. We did a little shopping and went to the Clark Planetarium. After that, we went back to the hotel and then out to dinner again. We were going to go swimnming again, but the kids both fell asleep early, so Erick and I made some popcorn and watched a movie. Because of the early bedtime, Caden and Cierra both woke up around 6:00 a.m......ugh! We ate breakfast and then went swimming again before we had to check out. It was so nice and relaxing to be away from home for a couple of days. We all rested a lot and watched a lot movies. I can't wait to do it again.

Cierra loved the pool and wanted to stay in there all day

Mommy and Caden (yes, I have tattoos, I made a lot of great and wise decisions when I was younger)

Caden testing out the water

Erick was happy to have some down time

Caden worn out and sleeping after a busy day

Caden and Cierra watched quite a few movies on the portable DVD player....I'm so glad that we brought it with us.

Cierra talking to Kenzie on the phone, while Caden insists on invading her personal space....lol

Another new nephew!!!

Baby Elijah was born Thursday morning and weighed in at 6lbs even and is 20 1/2 inches. He came a few weeks early and is having a little trouble breathing, so he'll be in the hospital for at least another week or so. Erick and I are so excited to have another little nephew. We got to visit him today and he is so precious. Congrats Dave and Heather!!!

What a week!

Wow! Life sure is a challenge sometimes. The last 7 or 8 days have been really difficult for our family. It all started last Thursday when my Mom found out that she had to have another toe amputated. She had been trying to avoid having it amputated for several years, but it was time to let it go. Then Friday morning, she went into work and found out that her position had been cut and she no longer had a job. She had worked there for 7 years and was very sad to go. This also means no more health insurance for her and that is a really bad thing all in itself. Early Sunday morning, my brother Chad's good friend, passed away from an overdose. It has been a real eye-opener for him. Early Monday morning, I got a phone call from my best friend Brandi. Anytime the phone rings that early in the morning, it's not a good thing. Her little sister had gone into the hospital late Sunday night to deliver her baby, but sadly her baby girl did not make it. They are like family to us, so this was hard news to hear. Yesterday was little Natalie's funeral and also my Mom's surgery. My Mom's surgery went well, but on the way home they got in a car accident. Everyone is okay, just shaken up. The car however is not okay. Natalie's funeral was very sweet and she is a beautiful baby. Throughout all of this, I have been dealing with a spasmatic gallbladder. I am having it removed Monday morning and I am so excited to be rid of it! I'm hoping that Monday kind of wraps up this difficult time.......I'm defintitely ready for a break. One thing that I have been grateful for throughout all of this, is my faith in Christ. At the end of some especially hard days this last week, it was really nice to have Christ to give my burdens to. With Easter just around the corner, I am even more grateful for the Atonement and for all of the many things that Christ has done for us.

Happy Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Lily and Claire! It has been one year since you came into our lives and then returned so quickly back to our Father in Heaven. We love you both so much and think about you often. I have your picture in the living room and I look at it everyday and smile. You both look so sweet and peaceful. I will never forget March 8th of last year when I got to meet you and hold you. I am so grateful for the time that I had with both of you. We are so grateful to have you in heaven watching over all of us, especially your parents and your big brothers. Your Mom and Dad's faith and trust in Christ has been a continuing inspiration to Erick and I and has strengthened my tesitimony in so many ways. We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of your little brother, Eli, and I'm sure that you have told him just how amazing your parents are and how lucky he is to be going to them. They worked so hard to get you here and fought against all odds and because of their faith and determination, you both made it. You will always have a very special place in my heart and I can't wait for the day that we will meet again. Happy Birthday sweet girls.

Love,

Aunt Kristin and Uncle Erick