Pictures

Check out pictures from Thanksgiving on my sister's blog

Pictures

More photos here:

My Helpers

"What great helpers you have!" is a common comment I get when I am out alone with the kids. And it's true: I could not get much accomplished without the help of the boys, especially Noah.

Today I went out to Costco with the kids to do a major grocery trip. I pull up into the handicapped spot and Noah helps Seth out of his carseat. Then Noah pushes Ellie in her wheelchair, while I push the cart and keep an eye on Seth. We always have to look at the toys first. And then the movies. Finally, we get down to business and quickly fill up the cart, Noah pushing Ellie along, with frequent stops to kiss her. We have to stop for lots of free samples, but Noah has gotten good at eating while pushing Ellie's chair. As we reach the checkouts, I am panicked to hear that Seth has to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness for Noah! He brings Seth to the bathroom while Ellie and I check out the groceries. Now it's time to get our treat: lunch at the food court. I push the cart full of groceries to a table, where the boys sit down and keep an eye on things. Ellie and I go stand in line and order our lunch. After all the food is accumulated, I catch Noah's eye and wave him up to the counter to help me carry the food while I push Ellie back to the table. Now it is time to feed Ellie her lunch. Noah runs to get me some napkins while I push in Ellie's food. After lunch, we head back to the van, where I load up Ellie and Noah helps me load the groceries. Another successful shopping trip! I could not have done it alone!

Ellie's Diet

Here is the post I promised about Ellie's diet. Many of you have seen the green bottles of food we are feeding Ellie and have inquired about what she is eating.

When we were leaving the hospital, we asked them what we would feed Ellie after she was weaned off of breastmilk. (I couldn't envision pumping forever for Ellie!) They told us she would get a formula like pediasure for the rest of her life. I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I started researching different options. I found a group of people online who were giving their children a blenderized diet of whole foods, and I knew that was what I wanted to do too. Why couldn't Ellie eat a diet of whole foods like the rest of us?

Ellie was slowly introduced to solids at around a year with yogurt and bananas. After I got a dietician on board with my plan, we introduced more foods over the last 2-3 months to where she is now-at her goal diet. As far as I can tell, Ellie is one of the first children in Grand Rapids to eat a blenderized diet through her tube--we love being the guinea pig :) Ellie is doing great on her diet and growing like a weed. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Here is how I make her food:
[caption id="attachment_224" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The cast of characters"][/caption]

fresh ingredients:
1/2 cup yogurt
2 Tbsp left over oatmeal
1 Tbsp flax seed
2 Tbsp wheat germ
30 grams raw spinach
1 Tbsp baby prunes

frozen in ice cube trays:
1 Tbsp banana
2 Tbsp pear
2 Tbsp chicken
2 Tbsp sweet potato
1 Tbsp avocado

Place the above ingredients in blender along with 12 ounces water.


Blend on high.


Add a total of 12 ounces of milk. Ellie gets 50/50 whole milk and breastmilk.


I add two multidophilus capsules and some salt and a multivitamin.


Blend again, then divide into Ellie's 5 meals. Each meal she gets the same amount of food.


Our little organic baby :)


Additional Resources:
http://www.mealtimenotions.com/HomemadeBlendedFormulaHandbook.htm
http://www.blenderizeddiet.com/

Ellie Update

I am amazed to look back at the calendar and see that we made it through the entire month of November without any doctor appointments for Ellie! That has to be a record, and it is a blessing from God that she is doing so well.

We will more than make up for it the first weeks of December, though ;) Starting Dec 1, we will be seeing the Pulmonologist, a *new* Ear, Nose, Throat doctor, an Audiologist, a *new* neurologist, and the eye doctor over the course of two weeks. It will be exciting to meet the new doctors and catch up with old ones and see how Ellie is doing through their eyes.

I did receive word that Ellie's nerve biopsy was officially unsuccessful. The doctor had sent some tissue off to Mayo to see if by some chance he had gotten anything worthwhile, but no, there was nothing there to test.

Otherwise, Ellie is doing well. She is still dealing with her never-ending battle with congestion, but it is merely an inconvenience. She is growing like a weed, weighing nearly 23 lbs. I plan to do a post about her blenderized diet soon, as people often ask about it. I am always willing to talk about how well Ellie is eating! It is one way that I can take care of Ellie in a semi-normal way :)

We are excited for a holiday week. Thanksgiving day starts with Adam running the Turkey Trot at Calvin at 8 am! Then we will be off to my family for an early dinner. After that we will jump in the car and head to Chicago for a few days! Please pray for safety and health over the holidays. I will be praying for all of you as well.

resting in Christ,
Emily and family

Eyes Wide Open

Fall Pictures

Hi!

We are enjoying the nice autumn weather. There is no news to report regarding Ellie. I am trying to put the medical stuff aside for the time being. We are resting in God's sovereign arms and enjoying our beautiful princess.

Hope you are well!