Update on Baby Hope

It's Ellie's mom.....filling in for a bit. I wanted to give you an update on Baby Hope again. We really need your prayers. Hope was taken off the vent on Sat. and she did quite well. She has never made it off the vent on her own for more than 40 minutes without needing to be put back on due to her struggle for air. Well, as of Monday around 2:30 pm...she was still doing well off the vent. It had almost been 48 hours off! What a fighter she is. Around 4:00 pm on Monday, she could not fight any longer. She needed to be put back on the vent for help with breathing. Tomorrow, Wed., Aug. 1, Hope's parents will meet with a team of doctors who have been working with Hope during this battle. They will look at Hope's well being and decide where to go from here. Originally, Hope's parents said that this would be the final time to allow her to be put back on the vent. I don't know if this still stands or not. This family has a lot on their plates right now...and not to mention, their older son turns 3 this Friday. I just pray that you will help me pray for them, and for Hope. I don't quite know what to pray for, to be honest. Just for wisdom from the doctors, an open heart for the family, and peace for Hope. I will update you when I know more...and again, thank you and God bless......

Amy the Clown came to my house!!!!

WOW! I am a lucky girl. Clown Amy came to visit my house! She dropped by and did all kinds of cool things for us. She made balloon shapes for all of us and even had some great tricks to show us. It was so neat. I had my friends over to meet Clown Amy, too. Thanks, Clown Amy for all your hard work and time. And thanks for the presents you gave to us. You are amazing, and I am so glad you could spend the morning with us. I love you!

These are my friends who came to see the clown!

Wow!!! I feel so lucky to have such great friends!!! We had a little summer get together with Amy the Clown dropping in to make us some balloons! WOW!!! Thanks, Clown Amy! I had Brailee, Jillian, Isaac, Tristan, Ryne, Thatcher, Sophia, Candace, Shane, and Caylin come over for fun and lunch. It was fantastic. Thank you all so much for coming. I am so lucky to have such great friends. Now, I am beat...time to take a nap! Come back again soon!!!!

Baking with Mommy

Mommy needed a little helper the other day while in the kitchen...so I was glad I was available to help out! Whew! We made Rice Krispie Squares...and I did a lot for Mommy. I was a big helper and I was very proud of my hard work. Thanks mom for letting me lick the spoon when we were done!!! Yummy!

Only in Orrville

So, I was outside the other day playing and minding my own business...when this came down the street. Some of my friends in the bigger cities wouldn't believe me...but it's true.....tractors are common to see in our neighborhood (even though we live in town). Just thought it was a cool site to see, and my mom grabbed her camera to snap a few pics. Fun!

Prayers for Baby Hope

Hi, everyone....it's Ellie's mom....filling in for Ellie while she naps (well, she is singing BINGO right now....but hopefully she will be down soon!). Just a prayer request if you don't mind. Baby Hope, our neighbor who is 2 months old, has always known life in the hospital. She remains on a vent and is not able to move her lower portion of her body at all. The doctors think this is brain related. The family has decided that they are going to try to take her off the vent one more time, this Sat. July 28. If she can not breathe on her own, they will put her back on, but this will be the final time. Then, the family will make arrangements when they are ready to take Hope off the vent and let her go with God. Hope's mom explained to me today that the doctors have only given her 1-2 months max. of life to live even if remaining on the vent. The pnemonia or infections she could receive would be far worse and much more painful for Hope than just allowing her to go peacefully. Hope's mom sounded good on the phone today....but I know that these next few weeks are really going to be tough. They are an amazing family that is faith driven and humble. I just ask for your prayers for this whole family. They need your support now more than ever. Thank you so much in advance....I will update you all when anything new develops. Much love and thanks....

Myrtle Beach

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So here is our condo we stayed at in Myrtle Beach. It was so much fun!

Here I am catching up on some zzzz's after a rough day in Myrtle!

The Atlantic......awesome!

View of the beach from our condo.

The new van name is now....."THE MAN VAN". Daddy gave it that name after the trip we made. From a guy who said, "I'll never drive a mini van...." I think we would have been lost without it!

And I have no idea why it posted that gobbley-gook under the one pic. Oh, well...too much other things to do than worry about that. I'll try to sort that out later! Tah- Tah for now!

My "wedding" dress

Well, here I am. The big wedding day! My cousin, Megan, in SC got married on July 14. I was the flower girl, and scared to death! I did pretty well, though. I made it all the way down the aisle, then realized what I was doing. I looked around, shouted for my mommy, and ran to where she was sitting. My mommy and daddy were proud of me for trying, though! Here I am with my mommy before the big ceremony. See my baby sister or brother in her tummy??? Then, there are some random pics of me at the ceremony and reception. The DJ was really nice, and let me request the CHICKEN DANCE!!!! YES!!!!! So, there I am dancing to it. I loved that part! Also, I loved dancing with my daddy. We had a great time. Thanks, Megan for so much fun. I love you. Say hi to everyone for me. Oh, and my Dora tote that you got me, doesn't leave my side!!!! Love you all!!!!!

Baby Hope

This is just a real quick update on Baby Hope, my neighbor. Thannks for all your prayers. Many of you have asked me how she is doing, and I thank you so much for your prayers. You are all so wonderful. She is actually 2 months old today, July 22. She remains at Rainbow Babies Hospital in Cleveland. She does not have movement in her legs. She has had many specialists look at her, and it seems to be that as of now, things are just a day to day process. The non-movement in the legs may be a neurological issue because the orthopedic specialists do not think this is an orthopedic issue. She remains on the ventilator due to her lungs not being strong enough to sustain her on her own at this time. She is gaining weight, which is great. Brittany told me yesterday that she weighs about 4 lbs. 13 ozs. The doctors would like to see some weight gain before they try to take Hope off the vent. Please continue to pray for this dear family. We love them so much...and want Hope to come home soon. Thanks for your prayers in advance.......

I'm Back!

Hey, guys! I have been on vacation at the Beach for the past week and a half....but now I am home. I will get my pictures downloaded and organized and show you my vacation! I was also a flower girl in my cousin's wedding in North Carolina, and my mom and dad said I did great. I will show you how I did real soon!!! For now, I am off to bed and I will post more later! Love to you all!

Keep those names comin'

Just a quick thank you to those of you who are replying to my names game!!!!! I love it!!!! Getting your ideas are great!!! I have to say...no one has said the name that we are thinking for a boy, yet. Maybe that is good....a unique name, perhaps????? Keep those ideas coming, though...and thanks to those of you who are helping us out with your ideas!!!!

Carnival Fun

So...here I am...being a big girl at the Orrville Carnival. Wow...what a fun time I had. Daddy and Grandma took me on lots of rides. The slide was my favorite. It was not Daddy's though! You'll have to ask him about it! Then, I saw my buddy, Thatcher, and we went on lots of rides together, too. He was brave and helped me go on the Scrambler. Thanks, Thatch! I had such a great time at the Carnival. Can we go again tonight???? : )

Who needs pants?

So....the big news is....I AM POTTY TRAINED!!!!! YESSSSS! Now, my mom and dad are very excited about this whole adventure and got me Dora panties and all. But, who needs them? I just thought I would share my new look with you all. Free and feeling fabulous. It's much easier to get to the potty without the bottom layer completely. Getting my parents to go for this is another story. Oh, well....it's worth a shot at home, anyway!!!!

Baby Names, Please

Ok.....so the hunt is on. Now, yes...we have some time left to completely decide on baby names, but this time around, Brian and I are having more difficulty. Ellie would like to name the baby College or Veta. Ok...no clue where either of those names came from....and I don't think we will be using them. Granted, we don't know...well, let me rephrase that...I don't know, what the baby's gender is....so we need some help! Can you please leave some suggestions. What a fun game for us, then to look through the list!!!! I think we have semi- decided on a girl name....Brian likes Faith Elizabeth....and that is fine by me. Boys names....STRUGGLE! Could it be that after teaching for 10 years, my supply on names has grown slim???? heheh....But, if you have a boy's name that you really like and would like to share with us...please do so!!!! We'd love to hear your suggestions! We have a few on our list that we like....but I am not going to say anything yet....I want to hear your suggestions, first!!!! Thanks, everyone....let the name game begin!!!!!!