Summer is almost here!

Field Day at school- Friday, May 21st



Deanna is 10 1/2 months old

I wanted to give an update about "Lil Miss". She was seen by a Special Care doctor at Children's Hospital almost 2 weeks ago. The Dr. gave a diagnosis of Arthrogryposis. Here is a link to find more information: http://amcsupport.org/ This diagnosis doesn't have anything to do with Deanna's feeding issues-that is caused by some fluid on her brain stem. We saw pictures of her brain from one month old and are in the process to have another MRI done to see what it looks like currently. I will post again soon when I know more information and can share more pictures. The important thing is she is happy, healthy (sort of :)) and so much fun. She gives our family such joy with her very expressive face-her eyes "smile" a lot! Her brothers can't get enough time with her and love on her too much, if that is possible.
We've got Casey's 8th birthday coming up and the last days of school to occur-then lots more pictures.

Deanna is 6 months

Here is an update of our daughter...

She is so much fun!! Her eyes and whole face move when she smiles and somehow her eyebrows have become first impression sensor...when she is curious, they raise w/ expressive eyes, when she is sad, they frump down and her eyes go shut and mouth gets tight, etc.

She is 15 lbs, 1 1/2 ounces and is growing well and is mostly healthy. We don't know why she doesn't eat by her mouth still and we may just skip the bottle feedings this round. In a week or so, we will attempt some cereal or applesauce or somthing of substance, but we are waiting for her to be sitting up w/ better head control...she still resembles a bobble head doll, but way cuter!! She is beginning to reach for things and really enjoys musical toys, dolls, and things that light up. She still sleeps between every feeding and is on oxygen at night. She is soooo easy going and a great baby-we are so blessed by her.
Oh yeah, she started sucking her thumbs-we are encouraged at her new habit even though we don't approve of it for very long. At this point, any oral sensory things are good and hope to ease the strategy into eating.

Happy New Year!!

Here is a copy of our New Year's letter in case you didn't receive one in the mail because...
a. You live close enough and see us often enough YOU could of wrote it
or
b. I don't know what happened, but let me know if you want to receive a copy next year. :)

Happy 2010!!
As I write this annual letter catching you up on my family this past year, let me first say that we are extremely blessed and grateful for the simple things in life that we have endured, experienced, and have been given. My heart has been moved and refined and my eyes well up with tears of gratitude when reflecting on 2009. It was a year of highs and lows and everything in between so here it goes…

January-As a family, we enjoyed the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO and witnessed Casey finish his mutton bustin’ career with his personal best ride and taking a close 2nd to the overall winner.

February-Walt Disney World- Here we come! We enjoyed 8 days in Florida for our first family vacation. It was wonderful and exciting. The boys love rollercoasters! It was the most magical time of our lives and we can’t wait to go back. The boys don’t understand why we haven’t returned yet? 

March- We welcome Duke, our Australian Shepherd puppy, to live with us. We quickly learned that having a puppy takes a lot of work even when we don’t feel like it.

April- We found out that a daughter will be our addition in July. Casey enjoys playing flag football and Adam continues playing soccer under mom’s coaching every Saturday.

May- I joined my mom and sister for our annual vacation. This year we spent a long weekend in Las Vegas enjoying the sun by poolside and seeing Jimmy Buffet in concert.

June- Casey turns 7 years old and Colorado Rockies fans were born. We took Brian to the Rockies game for Father’s Day and the boys loved it, even when there was a tornado delay of game. Both boys played baseball in the recreation program in Wellington and had a “Sandlot” game in our yard the other days of the summer.

July- On the 5th, we welcomed lil miss Deanna Nicole to our family. We have learned many lessons from Deanna in her life so far and can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. My favorite part of having her is to see her brothers become gentle, affectionate, and smitten by their sister; they both are great helpers. Also joining our family is Russ Anderson as our new brother-in-law as aunt Heidi was married on July 25th.

August- The biggest highlight of the year was bringing Deanna home from the hospital on the 11th. Both boys began school on the 19th with Casey in 1st grade and Adam in kindergarten.

September-This month was the beginning of many, many appointments for Deanna. She is visted by an OT, PT, and nurse on a weekly basis. Brian began corn harvest with great yields and the boys played soccer on the same team each Saturday.

October- Adams turns 6 and we get our first snow days from school-yay! The boys don their Colorado Rockies uniforms for Halloween and Casey begins wrestling for the fall.

November- Deanna weighs in at 12 lbs and 13 oz and is 22” for her four month checkup. Casey takes 2nd in the G.R.I.T. wrestling tournament for the 2nd year in a row. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs with the Kraft family. Brian has been enjoying the Broncos games this season as a 1st time season ticket holder.

December- It seems like each day of this month we did something to prepare for or celebrate Christmas. The truth is, we should be celebrating Christmas everyday—more of Christ within us. Living with peace in our hearts, treating each other with kindness, love, and respect, giving more and receiving less, and being grateful to the One that gave us life.

My prayer for 2010 is that the Saviour that created you, lives in your heart and you feel the comfort of His peace, His love, and His acceptance throughout the year.

Love, Brian, Jamilyn, Casey, Adam, and Deanna Kraft


Jami=sonshine4@hotmail.com OR Brian=bkrafty@lpbroadband.net