This is where Ella spent most of the day.

I had 2 doctor appointments for myself, since we have not been home in nearly a year. So, I trained Grandma on how to hold her, use all the good toys to distract, increase oxygen when needed and it worked. My mom followed me to both appointments. Since I was a new patient, the appointments lasted 2 hours each.

For the second appointment, the doctor office was so close to the house that we walked! Ella was stylin’ in her hat and shades!

Needless to say, Grandma is a bit sore this evening from holding the Bun for so long. But the moments where she decided to calm down and get some beauty sleep…those were some precious moments for Grandma.

We have two appointments tomorrow: one for me and one for Ella. So, it will be another busy day. We’re already looking forward to Wednesday when there are no appointments scheduled.

I must take the time to mention: LoriAnn Kuhn mentioned placing Ella rear-facing but in the front seat. Pure genius! I know it is not the most safe, but we tried it for the first time on Sunday during leisure time and today for the doctor appointments. It works well…so much better than the back seat. She is so much calmer because she can see me. And lately, we had Daddy or Grandma riding in the back seat, so she could watch them too!

When she pulls out her binky or her cannulas, I can easily stick them back in to make her happy. When she begins to have a meltdown, the oxygen tank is easily within reach. And if I need to stop and pull over, at least I can comfort her without having to get out of my seat. That is much safer than pulling over and hanging out the back seat. So, I never thought of placing her in the front seat, but with the auto detect for disabling the airbag, it makes things way easier. I feel so much better about the idea of driving with Ella now.

Ella will be evaluated tomorrow as part of the Early Intervention program, which is a federal and state funded program. Depending on their evaluation, they will decide how much OT and PT Ella will need to overcome her setbacks. The good part is that this program is free and separate from insurance. We have not been able to locate a private OT or PT to come to our home, so we’re hoping that maybe we can find good therapists for Ella through this free program.

One last prayer request: we were unable to sell our home last year due to market conditions, but needed to downsize since we knew Ella was coming. We downsized into a townhome and just three days before we left for Florida, the house rented to a wonderful family.

As of last weekend, our amazing renters moved out of our house and moved back to Seattle. So now we need to search for new renters. Being on one income makes this even more of a necessity! Please pray that the right person/family is guided to our house. We were so blessed this past year to have renters that not only took care of our house, but loved our baby girl virtually.

Thanks for all the continued support and prayers, even since we have returned home to Denver.