It was a great Thanksgiving. I went a bit crazy with pies – I actually made apple, chocolate pecan and 4 pumpkin pies with 2 different recipes (each yielded 2 pies). We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yam casserole with pecans and marshmallows on top, and a special lime jello mold that is a family tradition.

The house was a bit crazy since Grandpa brought his 2 dachshunds. So we had 3 dogs running around the house and a cat trying to be on the DL, so she wouldn’t be bothered. Finally, the dogs settled in on the couch with Grandpa, so we asked him to stay put and let us stay in the kitchen.

Ella had reached 2 weeks of using her new medicine, Nasonex, prescribed by her ENT. Unfortunately, it caused a really bad cough that was continuing into the night time too. If you didn’t know better, she sounded real sick. So I called the doc and she told me to discontinue the Nasonex and see if the cough worsened. Time will tell.

I went ahead and decorated the Christmas tree since the holiday season seems so short this year. I want to enjoy it as much as possible. Lola posed for me in front of the tree…so nice of her.


It’s hard to think just 2 years ago on Thanksgiving, we were in the NICU and Ella had just come out of another surgery. She was intubated from surgery but was also still on CPAP. We had already been in the NICU for 4 months, but did not have any end in sight to her hospital stay. Sometimes it feels like another lifetime and most of the time, it seems like it was just yesterday.


Ella last year at Thanksgiving

Ella this year at Thanksgiving

We’re so thankful for all He has provided and how He has sustained us on this journey.