House of Krause

I’m very excited to share with you Luke’s most recent Lucid video. This was taken a little over a month ago, and even since then he has had quite an explosion of words!  Can’t wait to show you more of what’s been transpiring with my little angel.

Wow Luke! You have come so far… I am so proud of you. Keep talkin’ my little preacher boy.  Love, Mommy

Megan McCann at Lucid speech and Language, Murrieta, Ca. is Luke’s therapist. She is doing treatment in this video. It is very easy to ask her questions regarding your child or treatment options.  Just click here - Ask Megan

At the end of every year, my children’s school does an open mic nite. I can’t tell you how excited I was this year when both Preston and Lily decided to perform! I have been thrilled that Preston has taken an interest in playing  guitar.  I started playing the drums when I was 10. My dad played the guitar and needed a drummer. He went out and bought me a fine bright red Ludwig drum set, with deep cherry wood toms. I will never forget that drum set. We would drive everyone in the house crazy.  Early weekend mornings were always filled with LOUD Rolling Stones songs! Music, playing drums is my passion! Now how exciting, Preston is getting to the point where we can actually play together. The neighborhood kids come over. I always tell them let’s get a band going. We have enough musical instruments in this house for everyone. Our living room has now been converted into a music room. They asked me if we start a band what will we call it??  Preston’s best friend Mason came up with “The kids and the old lady.” I love it, I am now the old lady! Anyhow, I was so happy to watch Preston’s first guitar solo. It takes alot of nerve to stand on that stage all by yourself.  Lily and her friends were the  “Hooping Hula Girls.” They had a very cute hula hooping routine.  The guy who runs the open mic nite has 6th graders so this was his last year heading it up. I went right up and volunteered to take over next year. I have big plans. I was laughing at my big ideas of borrowing my Dad’s DJ equipment for next year. Light show, fog machines, disco balls! Watch out elementary school, Jen’s on the job! I’ll give them an open mic nite they won’t ever forget!

I love Preston's style. It's always his own!

Hula Hoopin' Girls

Down by the garden where the butterflies fly

One little lady bug about to cry

Over on the left way up high

One little rose sittin’ all alone

Over on the right way down low

Two big tulips are slow to grow

Over in the alley way in the corner

Three Lilies shine while Mrs. Gorner

Walks by and sees a bird fly.

Over in the meadow where the sun shines bright

Four medium hibiscuses just right

Five flowers all in a different place

They all stand out and make the world a better place

Poem by Lily Krause

Spring

By Lily Krause

Spring is like a flower

It is as cool as a little drop of rain

It looks like one sunny,

nice day

It feels like one flower in the middle of the field

Spring is wonderful!

If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!

Being a mother is for sure the hardest job I have ever had. Sometimes I just look at Paul, we laugh and say, How did this happen? Where did  all these kids come from?? It’s usually times like when I’m cleaning up throw up on the first floor, that was projected from the second! I don’t think I was laughing then, but a true story for another time. Then there are those great moments when I am just watching my kids, watching them play or peacefully sleep. It’s like my heart is so full, it’s just going to burst. The job of a mother never ends, day or night. And they say it doesn’t go away when they move out. You just worry even more! You always hear, “One day when your a mom, you’ll understand!” And then suddenly one day you do….

So this is a Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mother’s and Grandmother’s, or any woman who has ever loved and raised a child. And to every child who has ever loved a mother. This day is for you! Celebrate!

With Love, Jen

I was very excited when I came back from a bike ride to find Dad helping Lily with her home work, and Luke with his. This is my favorite oral motor toy. A green crocodile that has big yellow eyes. You blow and the eyes pop out. Luke loves this one. O.K. So I know it was kind’a dirty to be doing oral motor toys on the drive way. But what can I say. Sometimes things like this happen when my husband is left with the kids. I’m a firm believer in dirt anyhow, so what the heck!

Among other things, we have train whistles, kazoos, vibrating star, teething ring, bumpy rings that are really great for dipping in sour stuff. Pucker -up!

Ready, set, blow!

Meeee!

So happy to post that the results of Luke’s EEG came back NORMAL!!! His brain is firing and functioning in normal range. What wonderful news! I’m not sure where we go from here. Unfortunately it still does not rule out seizures. We will see the doctor again in a couple weeks. The call finally came in yesterday afternoon. As I listened to the doctor I just said, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus! This is great news, we are so blessed. But you know what I’ve come to realize, that no matter what the doctor would have said, I am still blessed! I always used to say I am so blessed with three healthy children. In the past year I have rethought that statement many times. Are parents of unhealthy children not blessed?? I don’t think so! I am blessed because God has entrusted me with three precious gifts. No matter how they come packaged, they are gifts! I also believe the only reason any of us are blessed is because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Good times and bad, healthy, unhealthy, happy or sad, God has set us free- and this is the only true gift that no one can ever take away!  If news had been bad, I would still be praising the Lord! He has given me a son who is truly amazing. He is bright and shines like Gold. He laughs at my stupid jokes, and tells me he loves me with his hands. He reminds me to pray and has shown me God in a way I have never seen Him before! I am thankful and I am blessed. God is faithful and has answered our prayers!

We still haven’t heard from the Doctor regarding the results of the EEG. Hopefully tomorrow. What we’ve learned from Paul’s skin cancer is NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS! I hope it holds true in Luke’s case. And speaking of Paul, he is doing good! Everything has come back clean from his most recent surgeries. He has to go into the Doctor every three months for the next five years. The bummer is every time an area comes back bad, the five years start all over again. Actually I guess that is a good thing. He will always have to check in with the Doctor and stay on top of things.

On a lighter note…. I think I may have a chance this year on the tomato race against my dad. Here’s how we’ re looking….

Thick stalk, growing well

But does it count if he gave me the plant already potted?

And Penny, she's growing well too!

Preston is now nine and Lily just turned seven. We have made it through the big birthday season. I am so glad. I don’t think I could watch Luke try to sing one more round of Happy Birthday to You. He always wants to be right up front so he can help blow out birthday candles. His little mouth opens big and wide. He pretends to sing the song with everyone, but no sound comes out. Bless his heart. One day Luke, one day!

Labels are just labels. Why does it matter if it’s called speech delay or Apraxia? Top two reasons. Number one, getting your child in the right type of speech therapy is crucial.  Speech therapy for Apraxia is different.  Think of it as “training your brain”. It involves visual cues and prompting over and over again. Some one once told me with Apraxia you might have to repeat a word a hundred times to get your child to say it once. I think it’s more like a thousand! Seeking treatment with a therapist that is not familiar with speech Apraxia is a bad choice. Why take the side streets, when you can jump on the freeway! I’m sure there are techniques that  work for a child with Apraxia, but there is one method that is tried and proven -The Kaufman speech praxis treatment approach.(Nancy Kaufman)

The Kaufman speech praxis treatment approach helps the child produce words with their best approximations through shaping, cueing, fading, and reinforcement techniques, employing the principles of operant conditioning/shaping (Skinner, 1959)-there’s that brain training. True Apraxia does not go away, it is life long. If left untreated it will not resolve on it’s own.

And number two, so you can be reassured you are not losing your mind! It can be very confusing and frustrating journey to discovering Apraxia in your child.  We were told speech delay (he will talk when he’s ready) several times.  I would just leave appointments scratching my head because that just didn’t add up.  It left to many questions unanswered.   We thought maybe Luke was Autistic, some parts fit, but then still that didn’t really add up either. We finally heard the word Apraxia from a wonderful Occupational therapist. She went back and reviewed with us Luke’s language from the very beginning.  After researching and learning about it, all the pieces  fit. It finally made sense!

Click here- speech delay vs. Apraxia??