Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Through The Looking Glass

I've often contemplated archiving the ups and downs of this journey that we are on with Cruz. This journey is taking us through a world that we knew nothing of. Like most first time parents we have had our moments of pure joy and pride for the accomplishments of our first born. However, we have also had a multitude of difficulties as well. We first realized that there was a problem shortly after his first birthday. We couldn't put our finger on it exactly but we grimaced when he didn't reach the appropriate milestones and hoped that he would catch up. A few months ago we finally had him evaluated. He was diagnosed with Apraxia. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder. For reasons not yet fully understood, children with apraxia of speech have great difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that are necessary for intelligible speech. He has decreased sensitivity in his mouth and therefore has problems eating, talking, etc. In addition, he has other sensory disorders as well: vestibular dysfunction, and proprioception. These are words that a couple of months ago I had never heard and even now I still mispronounce them. Since this realization we have gone through a roller coaster of emotion. We are very blessed to be in the First Steps program which provides both speech and occupational therapy for him at home. We are still watching him closely to see if he may have autism but as of now it is difficult to tell. This initial blog could go on for pages into the details of the the disorders. But for now, it is a simple introduction into this wild adventure that Cruz is taking us on. Some days are good and some days are awful. But we are believing God for healing and trying to do everything possible to provide the best resources and opportunities to this funny quirky little guy. This blog will tell the story of the wonders we encounter as we grow, learn, and navigate Through The Looking Glass into Cruz's world.

"I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. "
Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

6 comments:

  1. Hang in there momma! Cruz is going to do amazing things and teach you about a side of you you never knew existed. Isn't God good? I look forward to reading your posts and walking through this journey with your family. Love you.

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  2. Thanks for sharing. There is no question in my mind the profound impact sharing your story will have for others as well as for you. There is joy in the midst of sorrow. I know you know that. Love you.

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  3. Love this...you are amazing..all of you.

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  4. Thanks for sharing Linds. Praying for this journey you're on.

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  5. WE ARE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU ALL IN THIS JOURNEY. EVEN THOUGH WE ARE HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY WE WILL BE CLOSE TO YOU IN PRAYER. WE LOVE YOU!

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  6. I'll never forget finding out you were pregnant with Cruz. What a journey you had already been on up to that point. He is such answered prayer and I know God created him because Cruz is a miracle and miracles come from God. God has some amazing things in store for all of you but I truly believe Cruz has such an extravagant life ahead. We will be lifting each of you up every day, especially asking for healing. I know we are in Hawaii but if there's anything we could ever do please let us know.

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