Life Expressions

Hurry up and wait! What is CAS?

Kara — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:09:58 +0000

As some of you may already know, we have been keeping an eye on my youngest, Miss P, and her speech development. This blog and the ones to follow regarding CAS are the experiences we will go through. I am in no way a doctor, but I am her mom. Us mom’s have a perspective that doctors do not. When we were given this possible diagnosis, it was a little scary and I of course went through every scenario including the “did I do something” during my pregnancy to cause this? Of course not, but I over-analize EVERYTHING. I thought about keeping it quiet because I was a tiny bit embarrassed that my beautiful baby girl wasn’t keeping up with everyone else’s kids their age. I slept on it and after trying to find more information about CAS with very little out there, I want to share my story so other mothers will know what to expect. If it helps one mother, I have helped and that is all I want. If no one does, we will have a detailed story for Miss P to tell when she goes on to be something wonderful! I know this could be a lot worse. I am very fortunate to have 4 very healthy children. The worst thing we have had to deal with up to this point is our son L is dyslexic and we have a teenager! I am not asking for sympathy in any way, I just want to share this experience with anyone that wants or needs to hear it!

12/12 Miss P is 2 yrs 2 mo.

We have been seeing a speech therapist and we believe we have found what it could possibly be. The reason I say “possibly” is because the process to actually determine that is her diagnosis takes anywhere from 4-8 months to get into the Children’s Hospital here in KC for a Developmental Evaluation and for that to be completed.

When I called to set up the consultation, they told me that 2 months after you leave your initial phone call to start the process, they will call you back to do a phone interview.

Those results will then be shared and reviewed by the doctors.

They will determine if it is Apraxia or something else where they will need to send you to a neurologist. If it does prove to be Apraxia then it will be another 6 months before they are ready to start treating her. If its something like the neurologist, it would only be about 2 months.

During that time, since her “symptoms” are very similar to that of CAS, we will move forward with that type of treatment as it won’t change anything on the back end of the therapy.

What causes childhood apraxia of speech?

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. There is something in the child’s brain that is not allowing messages to get to the mouth muscles to produce speech correctly. In most cases, the cause is unknown. However, some possible causes include:

Genetic disorders or syndromes
Stroke or brain injury

It is important to note that while CAS may be referred to as “developmental apraxia,” it is not a disorder that children simply “outgrow.” For many developmental speech disorders, children learn sounds in a typical order, just at a slower pace. In CAS, children do not follow typical patterns and will not make progress without treatment. There is no cure, but with appropriate, intensive intervention, significant progress can be made.

How common is childhood apraxia of speech?

There is little data available about how many children have CAS. The number of children diagnosed with CAS appears to be on the rise, but it is hard to know how the incidence has changed over time. Some factors influencing this rise include:

Increased awareness of CAS by professionals and families
Increased availability of research on CAS
Earlier-age evaluation and identification

At this time, we are seeing a speech therapist once a week. She is really great and patient with Miss P. With the lack of communication, she has a tendency to over-react to situations that would normally be settled if she could talk. It is like trying to communicate with a 12 month old (that is where her vocabulary level is now). Trying to understand if she is hungry or thirsty or she has an owie and trying to tell me where it is, can take a while. With these fits, I just chalked it up to her being a very independent toddler. Our therapist told me that it is her showing her frustration for not being able to communicate. No matter her situation, we have to show her who is in charge, so always requesting “one more” if she is throwing a fit, then let her be done. This goes for pages while reading books or toys or anything of the kind. Its interesting how her mind and body are changing but she cannot communicate it to me. We are however learning to sign more and more. She does have some words that she is saying and those are so much sweeter now. We are all learning the basics to be able to understand what she is saying and its proving to be very fun and satisfying to see her use sign language!

Another thing that we were finally able to pinpoint is why she always makes horrible messes with her food when she eats and she likes to spit out liquids into, on, or around any surface she can play in. We buy wipes in bulk! They tell us that will get better too as she learns the coordination stuff along the way. They apparently have a fixation with their mouths just like babies do but instead of putting everything in her mouth, she spits it out. She is very picky about what texture she eats and drinks. We have learned to give her a small taste of anything new and to let her see it, or touch it herself, but if it messes with her tongue at all, she is done!

Our next obstacle is potty training. She is starting to show interest but should I continue to encourage it or should I allow her to get more communication under her belt? I think…we are going to wing it! Right now we will stick with the “ewww, yuck” when she is dirty and she understands “lay down so we can change your diaper”. She came up with the “ewww yuck” on her own after she decided to take off her diaper one day and make a mess. I repeated it to her several times while I was Cloroxing down her room. Now when she is dirty, she tells me. She has ZERO interest in using the potty that Santa brought her after the diaper incident.

We are going to give it till her 6 month review from First Steps to determine if we need to move her up to 2-3 times a week. That should be coming up in May or June. In the mean time we are also taking her to Kindermusic once a week. Interacting with the kids is good for her and boy, does she LOVE music! Our instructor at Kindermusic also holds degree’s in music therapy! She is very excited to work with Miss P and wants to know everything about her case so she can get extra things from her to help along the way! What a support team to help us through this! Now I just need to find a play group that we will feel welcomed in and where we both feel comfortable. That will give her 3 days of speech interaction and with us doing our part here at home, we are hoping she will be in full swing with no delays by the time she is ready for kindergarden.

Current words:

Dada
Mama
Baaaa (ball)
Doe (door)
Shoooo (shoe)
Nana (banana)
Ewww Yuck (anything dirty or things she doesn’t like, like snow)
kkkkk (drink)
Bop (popping when we do bubbles)
Hi!
Hey!
Ah -ee-ooo (I get you)

Current signs:

Eat
Movie
Horsey
Fish
More
bye

Well that is the update to this point. I will post any new words or signs as we go along so you can see her progress. We have a long road ahead of us, but I am happy I have such a happy and smart baby girl to take on this challenge. Feel free to ask me any questions, I am happy to share any information I gather on this subject and I may learn stuff along the way from your posts too!

*mean or hateful comments will not be posted or tolerated*

Pecan Bars – No, I did not get this from the Debil!

Kara — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:03:51 +0000

I am a cheater on my pie crusts from time to time and for this recipe, it works better than the crust I made. I buy the pre-made ones for this because it makes these taste more like Pecan Tassies!

So cover your pan in parchment paper (trust me, you will thank me later). Make sure it covers the edges as that is where it will stick the most.

Then lay out your pie crusts and cut them so that they do not overlap and so that they cover the bottom of the pan. No need to pre-bake.

Next mix up the filling:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups pecans. I tend to put more on and do a combination of chopped and whole pieces. Its easier to add them afterwards before you put them in the oven.

Mix well and pour over pie crust.

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 min or until top is golden brown!

I only make these around the holidays because they are so addictive. Be careful! You have been warned!!!

YUMMMMM!

88 Dinner conversations!

Kara — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:33:37 +0000

One of the things my mother was adamant about growing up was everyone sitting at the dinner table when it was time to eat. I knew once I had a family of my own, I would continue the tradition and was a great way to stay connected to my family. With a family of 7 there is not a night that conversation is not going on, but sometimes it needs to take a bit of a detour to keep it “dinner table friendly”. ;P I hope the following list helps create some conversations for your family and who knows, you might even learn something new!

Enjoy!

20 questions…think of an object, animal, or thing and have your family guess what it is…they can only ask yes/no questions.
A cockroach can live how long with its head cut off? Several weeks
A cow produces how much more gas a day than a person. 200 times
A dime has how many ridges around the edge. 118
Camels have how many eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand? 3
Can you describe the most beautiful place you have ever visited?
Do you ever have a dream that comes back over and over? If so, what is it like?
Do you feel close to any of your grandparents, aunts, or uncles? If so, to whom do you feel closest.
Do you feel you are as intelligent as most of your friends? Why or why not?
Do you have many friends? If you were to be reborn who would you want to be born as?
Do you like to sing in the shower?
Do you think “honesty is always the best policy”? Why or why not?
Do you think girls look better with or without makeup? Why?
Do you think you live in a dangerous neighborhood? Why or why not?
During your lifetime, you’ll eat about how many pounds of food? 60,000lbs…that’s the weight of about 6 elephants.
Einstein couldn’t speak fluently until he was how old? Nine! His parents thought he might be retarded
Fingernails grow nearly how many times faster than toenails. 4 times!
Has anyone ever tried to sell you drugs? If so, what did you say to that person?
Have you ever gotten really lost? If so, tell me about it. How did you feel?
Have you ever had a dream that really scared you? What was it about?
How do you think you would feel if you thought you were going to be the first person to meet someone from outer space? What would you say or ask?
How long does it take for a red blood cell to circle the whole body? 20 sec
How long does it take the average person to fall asleep? 7 minutes.
How many pounds of poop does an elephant poop in one day? 80lbs
How many steps to the top of the eiffel tower? 1792
How many times do adults laugh in a day? 15-100 times
How many times in a day do six-year-olds laugh? 300 times per day
How much tv a day do you think a kid should watch?
Human teeth are almost as hard as what? Rocks
Human thigh bones are stronger than? Concrete
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If you could have one of the following two things which would it be and why? Trust or love.
If you could tell me never to serve two vegetables again, which two would you choose?
If you could trade lives with somebody you know, who would it be?
If you knew a friend of yours had stolen something, what would you do about it?
In the white house, how many knives, forks and spoons are there? 13,092 how many do we have?
Is there anybody in history that you have read about that you would like to be?
Is there anything you pretend you understand, but you really don’t? What is it?
Ok, so what’s the speed of dark?
On a scale of one to nine – one being not at all and nine being totally – how strict do you think i am? Where on the scale would you like me to be?
Only one insect can turn its head, what is it? The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head
T/f a company in taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate.T
T/f dolphins sleep with one eye open. T
T/f every person has a unique tongue print. T
T/f every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die. T
T/f hershey’s kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it’s kissing the conveyor belt. T
T/f honeybees have hair on their eyes. T
T/f roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks. T
T/f the world population of chickens is about equal to the number of people. T
T/f tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. T
T/f when you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red
Tell me three things you remember about kindergarten.
The average person has over how many dreams a year? 1460
The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood how many feet? 30 feet!!
The oldest known goldfish lived how long? 41 years of age his name was Fred.
The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is how old? 9000 years old.
What can happen to kids under 15 years of age in Bangladesh for cheating on their finals? Go to jail!
What color has a calming effect? The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.
What do you think is the right age for marriage? Why?
What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up on?
What have you done in school, sports or anywhere, that you are especially proud of?
What is the nicest thing a friend has ever done for you?
What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen? Why?
What is your very earliest memory as a very little kid?
What kids are popular in your grade? What do you think makes a person popular?
What kinds of things get you angriest? Why?
What kinds of things on tv and in movies make you laugh?
What sport (that you haven’t tried) do you think you would be good at? Why?
What sports do you like best?
What was the first novel ever written on a typewriter? Tom sawyer
What was your ‘high’ for today? What was your ‘low’ for today?
What’s your favorite season?
When and how was the last time you told someone honestly how you felt?
When hippos are upset, what color does their sweat turn? Red
Which creature has the largest eyes in the world? Giant squid 22.
Which day has more collect calls than any other day of the year? Father’s day
Which is your color that best describes you or stands for your personality?
Which of your friends are you proudest of? Why?
Which way do bats always turn when exiting a cave? Left
Who do you think you are most like in our family? Why?
Why are builders afraid to have a 13th floor, but book publishers aren’t afraid to have a chapter 11?
Why are sports so important to kids?
Why do they report power outages on tv?
Why do you think some people don’t like animals?
Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
Why is there braille on a drive up atm machine?
Why isn’t there a mouse-flavored cat food?
You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a cat drowning in the canal on the side of the street. If you stop you will be late, but your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

…and baby makes 7! This is my story.

Kara — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:35:25 +0000

As I sit down and start this new journey, I wanted to share it with you. I am excited to share with you the ups and downs of a family of 7, running a photography business and just being, well us! I will be posting many things about our family life and hope that you will find humor, encouragement, ideas, or just the knowledge that you are not alone in the battles you face. Since my passion is photography and I make it a priority to learn as much as I can about it so that I can be a better photographer, I will share what knowledge I learn. I follow in the footsteps of my mother who wrote a monthly article and was getting quite the following until she passed. I went back to school and found that my teachers were impressed with my writing ability and said I should do something with it. So here it is! Feel free to comment, discuss and debate the things that I post, but please keep it mature. As I tell my kids, I don’t expect you to like or agree with everything that I say, however if you come to me with an educated response and not an argument for the sake of arguing, I do not consider it disrespectful. There will be the occasional cuss word because sometimes “gosh darn it” isn’t enough for me. I am not a Bible thumper, but do discuss the topic of religion from time to time. I am a mother hen to everyone I know. I offer advice with the knowledge that people will make their own choices, but I feel better knowing I have tried to help by arming them with another point of view. Some call it being bossy or controlling or even being nosy. This is my life. I love it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Now, on to explain…and baby makes 7! As perfect as my marriage is today, I can say that this was not always the case. There was even a time where I was a single mom of my 3 year old (A is now 13) and struggling to keep my electricity on each month. (lots of lessons there!) After a couple of years of dating, I found my Prince Charming (T). He was already someone that I knew but had no idea what would come of our friendship after he too went through a divorce! He came as packaged deal with his twins (L and E now 10) at 8 months old. We gained primary custody of them at 2 years old. We got a dog. We then moved into our first home and about a year later we were married. Yes, we did everything backwards Everything was pretty quiet until my parents separated after 39 years of marriage and my mother moved in with us. About 6 months later she was diagnosed with cancer. She was my best friend and I would not have had it any other way than to have her in my home the last year of her life after that. She lost the battle to cancer and she passed on May 15th of 2009. There was a couple of months in there that were quiet until the following October when my father was diagnosed with cancer as well as the side effects from diabetes complications. He passed on February 23rd 2010. After taking care of my mom, my brother (J) and I decided that he would take care of our dad since I was out of FMLA and our savings had been knocked out. J moved in with our dad at the farm until he passed and later we had to sell it. I miss the farm, but know it was for the best. J moved in with us about the time our new arrival (P) was born. He is finishing his college degree and bonding (helping) with us on a whole new level! Our family was completed with “yours, mine, and ours” in October of 2010.

Why all the information you ask? Experience! We have been through a lot of things in our life and I couldn’t have done it without trial and error and lots of research on the internet. Are we perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination! That is part of this journey as we start the teenage years and the toddler years at the same time as well as sports, photography, college, family, life and being a stay at home momma!

Mini Session Sept 10th and Sept 11th

Kara — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:42:29 +0000

Still have some openings for photos for the mini session in Bucklin on Sept 10th and Sept 11th! You can use this opportunity for family photos, senior pictures or even individual photos! Send me an email so we can get you scheduled!

Baby Uziel

Kara — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:29:36 +0000

Baby “B” decided first that she didn’t want her picture taken in mommy’s belly and decided to come on the day that we had planned the maternity shoot. Four months later, we try again and she did not have the same plans as we did. We still managed to capture some great moments and baby “B” is just cute as can be!!! Password: Uziel
http://www.lifeexpressionsonline.com/uziel

Monthly Photo Session Giveaway!

Kara — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:43:22 +0000

Not only are we having our very first “Mini Session” but we will be starting our very first “Photo session giveaway” in October and will do one every month based on a new theme! You and your friends and family will be the judges so spread the word! Details will be announced September 30th for the October contest! Can you guess what October is going to be about?

Country Mini Session for only $50

Kara — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:41:00 +0000

As much as we hate to sell the farm, unfortunately, the time is coming sooner than later. We knew it wouldn’t take long once word got out since it is such a beautiful farm. Before it leaves my family, I thought a great way to say good-bye was to have this Mini Session to capture the pure beauty of the land. We invite you to join us September 10th and 11th, either for individual photos or with your family for your 30 min session. Email me to book your session!

Website links for Brides

Kara — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:28:05 +0000

I wanted to pass along a couple of websites that I thought might help with planning your big day. For the record I am not affiliated with any of these companies. I used Favor Warehouse as well as Roses Only for my own wedding and have nothing but good things to say about them.

Wedding favors and gifts:

http://www.favorwarehouse.com/

Want fresh flowers for your wedding? These guys are amazing:

http://www.rosesonlykc.com/

This one is good as a reference and for ideas:

http://www.the-wedding-information-site.com/

Want some money saving tips? This website has a lot more to offer for information:

http://www.ourdreamwedding.com/index.cfm?page=wedding_budget_1&crid=9

Hope these help someone. If I think of anymore or come across anymore, I will pass on the information for you! On the other hand, if there is one place I would avoid, it would have to be David’s Bridal and After Hours Formal Wear. Davids Bridal has a lot of variety, but would recommend going any place but there. Find the dress you want and then find it someplace else! They originally sent me home with the wrong size dress after trying on a couple of different sizes, then they managed to lose my dress TWICE and never got the repairs done to the dress they promised on the beading. One of my bridesmaids dresses split all the way down the back where the zipper was sewn in while we were taking photos. I went all the way to corporate complaining about the service and all they could tell me was…”We didn’t lose it. It was in the store, it was just misplaced.” and “She must have gotten it too small” (which was not the case). As for After Hours…the majority of the tuxes did not fit correctly and had to safety pin the vests in the back to make them look right. There were pants too short and some too long. They are owned by the same company and corporate made it very clear to me that I was one of millions of brides and they could care less. If you do end up using them, make sure to triple check all of your information and check on them constantly that they are doing what they said they would. Lots of stress that we didn’t need on our big day. In the end it was still a gorgeous wedding and ultimately I married the best man in the whole world and couldn’t be happier. Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Jessie and Shay revealed!

Kara — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:42:12 +0000

So many GREAT photos it was really hard to pick just a few! However I got it narrowed down to give you a sneak peek till this weekend when I update the Life Expressions website. Enjoy! Click to view slideshow.