The Pink Lab

Tiffany is the wonderful mother to her 5 year old son Kyler. She lives by her family in Idaho. Read her inspiring story about her amazing son. If you would like to contact Tiffany you can message her through her Facebook page here.
**Dreams DO come True**

Our Journey together!!!

From the beginning of my pregnancy things weren't going as planned. Due to my blood pressure, I was put on bed rest at 7.5 mo. My blood pressure would get so high that I would have to go to the hospital about once a week.

It was March 14, 2008, and I was just about to spend some much needed family time, I had a horrible migraine so we checked my BP and sure enough it was very high 183/108, so back to the hospital we went Thinking this was just gonna be a normal visit for me to get my blood pressure down enough so I could return home and continue my pregnancy, BOY I was completely wrong?

I started to get real dizzy and my migraine was getting worse. The doctor soon walked in and checked me to see if I was dilated (remember I was only 7.5 months) and of course I wasn't dilated :( so the Dr. Checked my BP and as he was looking at the BP he turned to my mom and said "Your daughters blood pressure is 218/198, we need to get this baby out or we could possibly loose them both" I saw tears running down my moms face trying to put a brave face on, she then came to the side of the bed and said " Sis they are gonna do a c-section tonight due to your blood pressure, but everything is going to be fine you are a "Ralph", I am gonna run call daddy and get him up here, We love you so much, I will be in there with you k". I knew everything would be alright if my mom said so, she always knew what to say to make me feel better.

At 12:47 am on March 15, 2008 a beautiful amazing baby boy **Kyler JayRalph** was born weighing in at 5 Ibs 6 oz. As soon as I heard this sweet boy cry I knew everything would be alright. He was put in an incubator and had to have oxygen for about two days. After two weeks of being in the NICU, we were finally able to bring him home. That was one of the most amazing moments In my life.

But as months and year passed Kyler was not hitting any milestones so we sought medical advice/treatment.

On July 7, 2009 we toke Kyler to Primary Children's hospital in Utah to get checked out by the best doctors around. They then did an MRI, Blood Test and Cat scan. Said that they would get back to us ASAP.

So on July 9, 2009 we received that call that would changed our lives forever. The Dr. Said "Kyler has a

1. Cyst on his pituitary gland

2. VERY VERY mild case of Cerebral Palsy (CP)

**Definition Site**

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy

3. Spasicty

4. And his installation around his brain was not fully developed

I burst into tears, thinking what are we to do :(

From that time on we as a family pulled together to get Ky in Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy etc.

At 18 months baby Kyler walked his first steps!! I was so proud. He worked so hard. CP effected his left side, so his left side is slower than his right, also due to his CP he was a tip toe walker, so at 19 mo. We then went and got his AFO (leg braces) to help him from Walking on his tip toes.

As months went he was not speaking yet, we decided to (He would mumble/hum his words) enrolled him in Speech therapy for a total of 2 times a week instead of once a week

At about 3.5 years of age Kyler started to say his first words (not understandable) but he wasn't humming them anymore. They then diagnosed him with Verbal Apraxia

**Definition Site**

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/apraxia.aspx

It has been a year and a half since he started to talk, AMAZING FEELING EVER to hear him say "mama"

He has progressed tremendously is doing amazing, you can't understand everything he says but progresses day after day, but he sure does know how to get his point across :)

The doctors have said he is about 3 toddlers into one. But that doesn't stop me nor him to strive to do better and grow out of it.

He is the most smartest kid I have ever met :)

He is starting STEPPING STONES (High functioning Autistic Kindergarden) on Tues. He is so EXCITED. everyday he comes to me and says "School now mum?" :)

He brightens my life more and more everyday. I couldn't be more proud. He has overcame so much and has never once wanted to give up. He inspires me DAILY, and he is VERY persistent in all he does.

I look up to him so much, he teaches me something new each day. He has taught me how to be strong

and courageous. I was blessed with a wonderful son of god whom I wouldn't change for anything in this world.

He goes through many strengths and weakness's daily but doesn't let the downs stop him, if anything they make him stronger. As time goes on all his weaknesses turn into STRENGTHS.

I couldn't be more proud of him. He is my prince and my whole life. The best thing is He looks and acts like a normal 5 year boy (sometimes a little to normal, I could learn from that LOL)

I want to thank my family/friends for all they have done for us, and a Special Thanks for supporting us in the amazing journey and more to come :). Having the gospel in our lives as well is the icing on top of the cake. I don't think i would've been able to do this if it weren't for my amazing parents Graig and Tami Ralph and of course my sons grandmother Ronna Anthony. Thanks so very much!! (And of course all my amazing support from my friends and my family :)

As parents, most of us have had the experience of suddenly realizing we have no idea where our child has gone. They were just beside you and now they are no where to be found. Red alert has set in and you're now asking everyone around you if they've seen your little one. Luckily, most children are found rather quickly. Even luckier, most children survive the reaction of their parents when found. ;) I've been raising two boys in possibly the biggest and busiest travel destination in the world for the last couple of years. During that time, I've learned a thing or two about keeping them safe and there are a few precautions that I take to help my peace of mind.

1. The most important thing to do before you get to your destination, is to talk to your kids about where you're going and what you'll be doing. Remind them what you've told them about strangers. Make sure you set some rules about keeping close to you and not running off. Talking about this before you get to a crowded place helps them to focus on your words and not everything else around them. 2. Find A Mom! During my big speech before we hit our destination I always remind my boys who to go to if they do get lost. I've always felt safest telling my boys to "Find a Mom". They know that if they get lost they should find a mom with kids and tell her they're lost. I feel like I can trust another mother to help keep my boys safe and help them find me or my husband. 3. Dress them in bright clothing, matching shirts, or wear family shirts. Obviously it's a lot easier to look for and spot a neon green shirt in a crowd. 4. Take a photo of your children in what they're wearing that day. As soon as we get out of our car and before we take anymore steps toward where we are headed, I line my boys up and take a clear photo of them. This way I have a 'just incase' updated photo of them with what they are wearing and it's easy to just pull out your phone and ask someone if they've seen your child and show them a current picture from that day. 5. Hands on rule. We have a rule with our boys when we are in a crowded area that they must always have a hand on Mom or Dad at all times, until we give them permission for hands off. They must be holding one of our hands, latching my bag(so I feel the weight of them and know they are still beside me), or holding one of our shirts. When we are in the a busy grocery store I usually have the hands on rule with the shopping cart. It has worked really well for us. I know every kid is different. Sometimes things get overwhelming. I still recommend the above tips and tricks and also suggest maybe getting a wrist or body leash. It sounds silly at first, but I do know parents that wouldn't have been able to travel without a child leash. It is better to be safe than sorry. ;) I'd love to hear your own tips and tricks! I hope you enjoyed this post! I love you all! :)

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