Hi everyone--
We have had a really hectic past few weeks, but we continue to have MUCH to praise God for in our lives, especially the fact that we were able to travel and get Ellie-Kate BEFORE this whole swine flu mess. I feel so sorry for the poor folks who have now been delayed b/c of new travel restrictions due to the flu outbreak, and I am incredibly grateful that we were able to bring Ellie-Kate into our lives exactly when we did. Anyway, in this post, I'll bring you up to speed as well as share some recent photos.
First and foremost, Ellie-Kate is doing GREAT!! Her new words include "nighty night" and "hi." Moreover, she's definitely showing signs that she's attaching strongly to us-- imitating us, looking for us and at us directly in the eyes, looking at us to see if others are "okay" (or refusing to go to them at all), etc. Beyond this important emotional and psychological issue, she's physically doing much better as well. She's getting stronger everyday, and she's crawling as well as pulling herself to a standing position and walking as she holds on to furniture. Her record on standing free of holding on to something is 15 seconds!! Yes, she's still a bit behind, but she's certainly come a long way since we first held her in our arms in Kunming!! On Thursday, April 23, we met with a pediatric ophthamalogist, and he said that she's a bit far-sighted but that she doesn't need glasses right now.
We also met with a pediatric orthopedic specialist that day as well. Although the April 3 x-rays still showed a difference between her right and left legs, the one on April 23 revealed that both hips are right where they need to be!! Praise God!! However, we still see a difference in the way that she's handling her legs, and our case worker with Help Me Grow (a program in Athens) observed the problem as well. Thus, we're likely going to get a referral for physical therapy to help with conditioning her muscles so that she can use them as she begins to walk. Otherwise, though, we're not going to have to have any surgery for her spinal biffida occulta or hips so we're definitely celebrating!!
Beyond meeting with doctors and the Help Me Grow staff, Ellie-Kate has been getting a crash course in "Little Sister of Busy Older Sisters 101." She got to attend her very first play performance last Saturday (April 25) when she went to the high school to watch Chelsea as the Queen in Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. On Sunday, her 15 month birthday, she had her very first babysitter, Lindsey, when the rest of the family went to the final performance of the play. (See pic of Ellie-Kate and Lindsey on her 15 month birthday above.) Although Ellie-Kate was good when she went to the show, it was nice to watch the last one without chasing Cheerios!
During this past week, the older girls have been in rehearsals for the dance recital so we've been driving back and forth from Athens to Nelsonville multiple times a day. Ellie-Kate has been a trooper, but we're all glad that the driving is over!! On the plus side, Chelsea and Emmy both did a terrific job as dancers, and Brittany choreographed two delightful tap pieces. Roger and I went to the show by ourselves last night, and Ellie-Kate got to go today. (She did super during the first act, but she had to be walked around during the second half of the show.)
I'm posting a couple of pictures from Cinderella and the dance recital as well as a few candid photos from around the house. I'm starting to feel a bit more caught up, and I'm going to strive to take even more candids during our "home time" this week. Also, we're excited about our baby shower tomorrow, and I'll try to post some pics from that event ASAP too.
Again, thanks so much for caring about our family and, especially, Ellie-Kate. As of tomorrow, we'll have been home for four weeks, and we have had her with us physically for six weeks as of Monday. Although time has passed quickly, we praise God for every day with her and the other girls. What an incredible blessing that she has been to our lives, and we will never, never take these beautiful girls for granted.
Take care, and we'll post again soon.
Christie
