All dressed up...

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

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:

Some Pics

More fall pics here.

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 :)

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.

Camping

Well, we passed another milestone we never thought we would reach: camping with Ellie! Last week we went to Family Camp with our church. It was a great week for our family.

Camping is something I never thought would be possible with Ellie. She has so much equipment, we worried about what we would do in case of emergency, we worried about the weather, we thought she was just too much work to take along. But over the past years and months, Ellie has proven to be stronger that we ever thought she would be, and her care is much less of a burden than it ever was. So we took the plunge and went camping!

We were able to borrow a camper that had A/C and pretty deluxe accommodations. We camped near friends that loved us and helped us in many ways. And there were friends everywhere to keep the boys occupied and entertained.

Our first camping trip: a success! We can't wait to go again :)







More photos are hosted on Facebook (public)

Yup, it's July

Hey all, sorry for being so MIA. This summer has proven to be more difficult for me than the winter was. I guess the weather, the yearly activities, the dates on the calendar-they all remind me of last summer and all that took place.

I just don't have much to say. I am hurting. I am surviving. I am growing. I am relying on God's grace. I wish there was something deeper to say, but sometimes at the deepest of our suffering, we stop thinking in words and just... feel.

I do want to keep in touch with you all though. And I don't want my readers to go away. So here are some photos of summer activities for you to enjoy.

VI sports day: a special day for kids with vision problems. The boys were able to partake in the fun activities, and Ellie was able to watch and enjoy a special day.






Father/Son Camping Trip: The boys were able to go on a rustic camping experience with Adam and some friends.