Friday, December 10, 2010

Hearing Therapy

Ellie has failed every hearing test and is labelled "legally deaf". She is on the registry of blind and deaf children in Michigan. We, of course, never bought that. We know that her brain does not always process stimuli correctly or quickly, but she can definitely see and hear.

In this video, Ellie surprises the audiologist. When she hears the noise she breaks into a huge smile. Who you calling legally deaf?

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Winter is here



The boys are thoroughly enjoying it.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

All dressed up...



For the church Christmas party. Her first princess dress, and she rocked it!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Ellie's Therapy

Ellie has been making "great" steps in therapy this fall. I put great in quotes because they are huge to us, but to the outside world may seem like nothing.

One thing that we are working on with her is using her hands to play and also to communicate. She has a "switch toy" that is a light-up toy operated by a switch that she touches. She is getting really good at it and also shows her joy and pride in her accomplishment.

This is important because if she can use a switch to play, it could move into using a switch to communicate and do even more sophisticated things. She could push a button for yes or no or even play computer games.

Here is the video:

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Updates

We have had a super busy fall around here. Lots of fun with friends and family. What a blessing to be able to do so many activities with Ellie. But it is also a blessing to be able to do some things without her, thanks to our nursing coverage. Adam and I have been able to go out as a couple; we enjoyed our first night away since Ellie was born. We have also been out with friends and on a few dates as well. It has really helped us feel more normal. Nursing coverage has opened up new experiences for the boys too. They are a part of a homeschool co-op this year, and Ellie is able to stay home with a nurse. The boys are learning a lot, and Ellie is able to do her PT and daily routine. It is really nice for all of us. I do not regret the years I took care of her with no help, as we bonded a lot and I felt very confident in her care. But I am also grateful that we decided to pursue nursing help, as it has helped us achieve new goals in our lives too :)



Saturday, September 18, 2010

Ellie is Three!

This past Sunday we celebrated Eleanor's third birthday! She is doing better than ever, and is a blessing to all who meet her. Her health is stable, she is interactive, growing, and still super cute ;) She has come farther than anyone expected. Thanks be to God.