Shout Outs

What a busy, busy week and weekend! I haven't gotten to be very bloggy lately. Let's have a catch up day!

First, happy birthday to Robin Granny and Sgt. Uncle Grant! Ellis loves you both very much, and we do too!  It was great to have an extended visit from Uncle Grant and buddy Rachael. Ellis loved playing with you both and showing off some of her new signs. Come back soon! And Ellis hopes Robin Granny had a great celebration with lots of gifts and special treats. She worked very hard to make your present, which we hope Grant has delivered by now. We hope to see you again soon, too!

Next, happy actual BIRTHday to the newest member of our extended family, precious baby boy E.M.! We are sure he and Ellis are going to be fast friends, and we can't wait to spoil him in person. Baby Boy E will be making a debut on his own blog at the right time, so I'm not going to spoil the fun by leaking too many details. But we are so excited!!!!! Ellis did a happy dance when I told her she had a new friend.

And another big happy BIRTHday to the sweet baby Abel! Ellis's buddy Owen is a big brother! We are so happy for this amazing family and can't wait to squeeze his little cheeks. What a tremendous blessing!

So in other news, Ellis has been doing great with her trach cap, wearing it all day, every day. She's still not ready to sleep with it on, but all that hard work during the day will surely pay off by strengthening the muscles around her airway. She's also learning new things every day. It's such a fun age to watch. She knows lots of colors now, all her letters, and numbers from 1 to 10. She can't write them, of course, but she can find these things on a page (or the side of a truck, building, puzzle, etc.) when asked. And now we are working on the sign language signs for letters and numbers. She's got the color signs down. I am constantly amazed at how her little mind works.

We want to thank Rachael Sherman for taking these pictures this weekend and letting me share them here. Maybe soon you will be hearing her name listed among the best professional photographers out there, and we can say we knew her when. :)