Ella had a great time with Kelly today.

The highlight of the day was apples. The OT advised to have feeding sessions each day (back in Florida, apples were her favorite). So, Kelly got out the jar and started working away. Ella was tolerating the spoon, but Kelly picked up on her lack of enthusiasm, so she switched to using fingers. Ella doesn’t quite have the coordination to use her hands with food, but Kelly placed her fingers in Ella’s mouth…and it worked! Ella responded well, so much that the small jar of apples is nearly gone this evening.

It is so exciting to hear about Ella having a positive experience with food again. I’m sure it won’t be long before she is taking the apples like she used to months ago.

Also, the head trick to prevent retching does seem to be working. That is really cool considering that Ella retches several times each day. It is handy to have a non-invasive trick that seems to be helping. It is rare when something so basic and straight-forward actually works with Ella because she loves to break the rules and be different!

Josh’s company had a Christmas party this evening. It was fun to go downtown and meet many of his co-workers as well as see some of the familiar faces from years past. But before I showed up at the Christmas party, I found it necessary to go and view a puppy.

Yes, I know that I am crazy. It is so quick. We miss Joslin terribly and Manny has spent more time looking for her. But I found a little female, black and tan dachshund that is just too adorable to pass up. So, my Dad is getting a new puppy for Christmas. We will likely be picking her up over the coming days and I will be excited to share her with all of you.

I think I surprised my Dad a little bit with the news. But he also knows that he gave me full permission to go get another dog, sooner versus later. He also made sure to tell me that it must be a little girl. I hope that this new family member will help to distract from the loss of Joslin and that Dad and Manny can have another friend to keep them company. I know that she did a lot for me just when I met her this evening. She was playful and loving…I’m excited.

As I end tonight, I am refreshed and am looking forward to Christmas next week. I’m not ready for the holiday but it is always such a magical time of year. And I’m just so thankful that Ella Renae is in our lives to share it with us.