Ellie can walk!

OK, I tried and tried to upload a video of Ellie walking, but it must be too long.  I will try to video her again soon, and then share her skills!

She can take up to 4 maybe 6 steps.  She is doing so good.  This all started Monday night!!!  Memorial day is memoriable for more than the people we have lost.  Ellie's life and her remarkable abilities and strengths are a special memory for us and a great blessing!

Thanks to all of you and your prayers!!!  We can never repay all of you for the miracle girl we have! We are so indebt to our Eternal Father (God).  I need to also thank all those nurses, midwives, Doctors (of all kinds) Therapists, and social workers and Kaiser Permanente staff that help us.  Ellie's core temperature being cooled right after birth for three days is also why she is doing so well, and ending up pretty normal!  Her brain swelling calmed down quickly and didn't have the ability to cause more damage, after the initial shock of the lack of oxygen.  OK, happy Thursday everyone!  Say a prayer and thank our Heavenly Father for all we have.  :)

Tilden Park's Little Farm!

California has great regional parks.  This farm is at Tilden Park. 

It is called Little Farm at Tilden Park.

Here is a Big Pig, I can't help but think they are cute.  Dirty but cute.

Hank had a great time feeding the cows lettuce and celery.

This adventure was in April, just now posting it though, :).

Thanks to my friend Carolyn who arrange this activity and brought loads of celery.  We brought a tiny bit of lettuce, next time we will bring loads too.  :)

The brids liked the lettuce best!

So this slug was enormous, gross, don't you think!

Ellie had so much fun.  Except when I put her too close to the cows, she is not a fan of animals.

This was the group of kids we had on our adventure.  Plus Ellie, she was in her stroller.

Photos make me happy!

Especially when Ellie is it/them. 

Check out her hair-do.

Her hair had been in two ponies, pony tails.

Here is Mark!

Cheese!  Aren't they so cute, silly and so much fun.

My Camera

So our camera, which really is mine, broke somehow.  It turns off when the picture snap button is pushed.  So that is a bummer.  We have been using the video camera picture funtion, which the photo quality is so so.  I need to send the camera off to get it fixed.  Wish me luck with that!

Here Hank was "helping Ellie walk", pretty scary if you can't tell.

Playing with Grandma!

 Ellies new trick is to kneel up tall, then bound down into the crawl possition.  She laughs!!  She is getting so big!  She has new fishy flip flops.  So cute!

Too cute to be naughty!

"Caught you red handed."  Or should I say tissue handed.  He he he!

While I wasn't watching, this is what Ellie was doing.  Well, Hank actually came and told me what she was doing. 

So how can I get mad at this little girl, she is just so sweet, even when she isn't choosing the right.

What a cutie!! 

There's a first time for everything!

April was full of firsts.

1.  I jabbed myself in the mouth/ throat with my toothbrush.  It hurt so much.  It sure did bleed.
The short story is while I was holding my toothbrush in my mouth I walked into the door frame hitting my knee and jamming my toothbrush to the back of my throat.  Some advice- stand or sit while brushing your teeth, it is worth your safety! :) 

2.  I cancelled plane tickets. 

3.  I unpacked for a trip I never went on.

4.  Had a week where I made all my planned meals!

5.  Ellie started hands and knees crawling!  She has been arming crawling for ever so long, and just after Easter she figured it out!

6.  I bought Mark razors the very day I said I would!  Ta da!!!  That is a miracle, for sure.  :)  It usually takes me a week or two to remember.

7.  Ellie is starting to say audible words, we've heard, "hi", "Da-da", "ouw" for out.  She said "ma-ma" in March for the first time.  She is very selective when she says it, we heard it again in April. 

8.  Took my kids to an Easter Egg hunt at a community park!  Which my husband was in charge of.  (Awesome job, Mark!)  Easter always gets me thinking about the movie Steel Magnolias, anyone else have that happen at Easter?  That is such a great movie.

9.  I have been running on the treadmill, wowee!  My endurance is up!  Which I have done before, but never repeatedly over a months time.  Wahoo for me!

10.  I prepared Catfish for dinner.  I ate it, but I think I will stick with Salmon!  Anyone have a recommendation for great tasting fish!

Well, there might be some things I am forgetting, but that is OK!!  Make May your month of firsts!!!  :)

A quick post