Life Lately

Thank you so much for your continued love for Ellie and our family. We are thankful that you have taken the time to read about Ellie. We are blessed and are so thankful for one another. This picture isn't perfect, but neither is our family. Still, we are grateful.

Thanksgiving was a great day filled with family, food and fun. We were so grateful that everyone was willing to come to our house AND help with so much of the food and clean up. Ellie still had ulcers which prevented her from eating much, but she was certainly in better spirits. Most of the food she ate was....white.

She did not want me taking her picture.

Then, she forced a side smile for me.

A marginally better smile, but still refusing to look at the camera.

We gave her whipped cream for dessert.
And to be honest, she didn't eat much of it.

We spent the weekend decorating for Christmas, and even ventured out for a picnic lunch and playtime at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa.

I spy Daniel Tiger!

Cuddled up on the couch watching a show.

Ellie was scheduled for chemo on Tuesday morning, so we were bold and went out to eat dinner at Chick-fil-A on Monday night. Inside the restaurant! NOT the drive through! It feels weird bringing Ellie to such a germ-y place, but we knew that she was slowly getting stronger. The risk felt safe, and the girls were so excited. Besides, it's not like they went in the play area. They may never go in one of those again. 

The next morning it was off to the hospital for Ellie's last round of chemo for Interim Maintenance 2. Once she makes it past this, we have been told that life finally starts to appear normal again. We will see. 

Sparkly headband and tights!

Again, there is no looking at the camera for pictures right now.

Last chemo for several weeks!

Now that Christmas season is in full swing at our house, it is all anyone can think about. Especially the girls. Specifically Ellie. It's all she talks about.

"Momma, can I open my presents? Is it Christmas yet? It it a holiday? When is the holiday? Can I open my presents? Is it Christmas today?  Can I open my gifts on Christmas?"

You get the idea.

In the pictures below, she is rocking back and forth looking at the presents. And then, stroking the presents.

Oh, to feel the excitement of a three year old!

I'm not gonna lie, the past few days have been rough. Ellie has not been napping and is generally irritable all the time. Let me back up. Over the weekend, she started eating, a lot! In one day, she ate as much as she had eaten the week prior! But once she got chemo on Tuesday, her appetite slowly dropped off again. Combine that with all of the other chemo side effects and, well, these past couple of days have been hard for her. Getting back into homeschooling for the older girls had its own challenges too. Needless to say, there have been many....disagreements. 

So, in an effort to erase those from my mind. Here are two sweet pictures of Ellie from today with each of her sisters.

Thank you for keeping Ellie in your thoughts and prayers. We have a goal of making it out of this stage without another unexpected hospital visit. We know Ellie can do it!