It’s been a little awhile since I posted prayer requests and an update on how our little Elena is doing. Summer is flying by. I can hardly believe her second birthday is just a couple weeks away! I feel like I just finished planning her first birthday!
We’re looking forward to having a therapy free day each week in July. Her Mother’s Day Out program is out for the summer and she doesn’t begin her new therapy at the Jackson Center until early August. We plan on spending some time at the pool, the zoo and maybe some shopping with Gramma :). It will be so fun to not be planning every single day around nap schedules and therapy! We can’t wait!
While Elena is doing well, Mom and Dad admittedly have been a little frustrated. It has felt like we’ve been at a plateau for a few months now. We’re anxious to see a bump in progress. She is sooo close to sitting, but just can’t make the leap. She still struggles with keeping her little head up and maintaining her trunk control. She can sit typically for 10-20 seconds before she ends up tipping over. This is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE milestone for her and we’re just so anxious for her achieve it. I know it isn’t our timing but it feels like we’ve been on the cusp with this for months. Bless her heart, it is just so difficult for her.
As if sitting wasn’t frustrating enough, eating is even more frustrating. She isn’t eating nearly the volume she was back in December. Every time we sit for “bites”, it’s a battle. She usually wins, as it’s hard to wiggle a spoon in her mouth when it’s clamped shut! Some days are more encouraging than others, but it is SO slow. We remain committed to her eating, but it’s impossible sometimes to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Sitting and eating are such big milestones for Elena to inch towards independence. I can’t explain how difficult is to be continually working on these tasks and to see minimal improvement. If only we could will her to achieve these feats! We would be so grateful for prayers for these two things. I find myself saying a million little prayers throughout the day for her. Sometimes our list feels so long that I can only mentally focus on these two things.
Our days are usually frenzied and sometimes very long, but our girl is still so content. She provides me with infinite smiles and giggles, which are so darn cute with all her new teeth!
As always, thank you for your continued love and support of our family! No matter how much time goes by, I still tear up when people tell me they still pray for our girl. Our journey can be so daunting sometimes, but it is so, so comforting to know God still hears prayers every day for Elena’s continual healing. So thank you.
Prayer Requests:
-That Elena would SIT!!
-Improvement in eating
-Improvement in Elena’s muscle tightness/weakness
-Improved vision
-That we would see an increase in her ability to move her arms
-That Chad and I would continue to make the right decisions for Elena’s care
Last but not least…we promised the sweet Shaw family that we would post a picture of the adorable outfit they sent Elena this winter! She didn’t cooperate too well when trying to take a picture but let me tell you she rocked it and was so cute in it!! Thanks for thinking of us!
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