Lizzie is g-button free! Last Sunday night the button fell out and the stoma closed within an hour. She hasn't used it for feeding since January, so Stacy and I weren't too concerned. We took her to the doctor on Monday morning and he said he looked good. Cover it with gauze for a few days to make sure it's not leaking, and then let her OKC doctors know what happened. Woo-Hoo!

Lizzie talks all the time now. She doesn't use words, but chatters continuously. She still isn't sitting up, but we're still working on it. Lizzie really likes to eat the groceries now! And we have just discovered baby yogurt - she loves it! Her sisters are so proud of her. Katelyn told me she imagines what it would be like if Lizzie could walk and talk. Sometimes she pretends that Lizzie can run into the school and yell "K-K!" To think Katelyn's only nine years old, but has the same thoughts that I do, is amazing to me. Lizzie sure does have good sissie

Right now I'm home letting Stacy take care of me. This sickness stinks. I'm not sure if it's the flu or the junk I get every year at this time. Anyway, I think I'm on the mend now.

Lizzie turned over from her tummy to her back this morning! Yay Lizzie! She has been working on that for a while now. She has been able to roll from her back to her tummy for about a month now. She is enjoying her new stroller a little more each time we put her in it. She really enjoys it when Katelyn pushes her at full speed and then stops suddenly in the living room. The only people who do not like that activity are their parents!

Stacy's computer died. I thought about having a mock funeral for it to help him receive closure. He was so attached to his laptop that Sarah wrote a note once that said, "I love Daddy and Daddy loves Acer." Yeh, it was hard, but his dad stepped in with news of a great new laptop on sale! Disaster avoided:)

The girls are doing great in school. Katelyn and Lizzie have colds, but nothing severe. Katelyn has a birthday this month and so do I. We are both really excited:)

The girls and I just made the best supper ever! In fact, both Katelyn and Sarah told me I should be a cook when I grow up. Katelyn asked what kind of meat we were eating and Sarah responded with this: "When it's alive, we call it pig. When it's dead, we call it pork." Pork chops, mashed potatoes and squash pie. Then we had fruit salad and zucchini bread for dessert. I am so the favorite for a while. Lizzie ate some potatoes and squash pie. She kicked her feet and licked her face after the first bite. She's watching her daddy iron right now.

Lizzie and I had a great day today. She likes to be held, but there comes a point when she is ready to be put down and left alone. She voices that by a loud "Wah." No tears. No sobs. Just "Wah." I'm thinking that translated into grown-up speech means "Now." Sarah and Katelyn helped me today at Wal-Mart and while fixing supper. I am so proud of them. You know they are just regular kids. They fight. They get in trouble at school. They do things that embarrass their mother in public. They also try to lie and disobey. But when I stop and count my blessings concerning my children, I am reminded at how helpful, caring, funny, tender and loving they both are.

This week has started off busy! School is in full swing now. Daddy and LizBeth days are in full swing too. LizBeth has officially said her name is "Lizzie." Well, not said in so many words, but if you say LizBeth, Elizabeth or Liz - you get no response. However, if you say Lizzie, she whips her head around so fast. She probably thinks you might have a snack for her:)

We are so excited about finally getting Lizzie's stroller this Thursday. It's been 10 months since we ordered it, and it will be delivered to our house on Thursday. Someone will come with our PT to fit Lizzie to the chair and make any necessary adjustments. I can already tell you that Liz is not as excited as we are. Work = allergic reaction:)

My dad was able to come and visit with us for a bit last night. He has a job interview in Dalhart, so he flew in yesterday and was able to come to church with us last night. We went to Braums for supper and dessert. You can't go to Braums and just eat a hamburger:) When we came back to the house to visit, Katelyn and Sarah pounced on Poppy and showed him all their homework papers!Lizzie turned over by herself. She looks like she's ready to Army low crawl! That's part of Stacy's obstacle course for Private Liz.

Lizzie is having Crazy Hair Day!

My Classroom - Picture 1

My Classroom - Picture 2

My Classroom - Picture 3

My Classroom - Picture 4

Today was exhausting and exciting all at the same time. Poor Katelyn has two huge canker sores inside her upper lip. It looks like she's been smacked in the mouth. She can't hardly talk. I feel sorry for her. Lizzie says I'm the favorite. Not her Nanas. Not her Daddy. Not even her Kayla. Just me:) Since I am writing the blog, I can say that. She is so much more active - even more than last week. She kicks constantly and really likes to giggle. She can hear her sisters in another room and just roll with laughter.

Well, after reading my cousin A.J.'s blog, I feel rather out-blogged!:) She does a great job, and thankfully, posted a picture of me that looks decent! We went to visit her and her boys in July while driving through Arkansas. It was a lot of fun, but now I have a lot of pictures and blogging to do to catch up!

The girls went to the fair with a friend of theirs. They were so excited to go. In fact, they left without a hug, a kiss, or a goodbye:( Lizzie and I are supposed to be doing housework, and will get around to it eventually I'm sure. LizBeth is such a momma's girl. If you talk to Stacy, he will say otherwise, but I'm pretty sure he's just delusional!

Here are some pictures from the first day of school this year. As you can see, we were all very excited. However, by Day 2, Sarah was ready to stay home:)

Katelyn's First Day of Third Grade

Sarah's First Day of Second Grade

Katelyn and Sarah

My First Day of the Second Year of Teaching Preschool

All Three Rosses Headed to School
Daddy and LizBeth Days Are Back

The girls enjoyed another day at school. Katelyn's class got to go to the Texas County Fair this afternoon. She got "lots of free stuff to bring home." Sarah got her name on the board, so she isn't going back tomorrow:) I didn't tell her that her daddy got a spanking every year of school except third grade - so getting her name on the board was a good day in the Ross Family!

Lizzie was in a good mood until shortly after PT this afternoon. She did a great job while the therapists were here, but has pretty much fussed since then. Hopefully, she will be able to sleep well tonight. Of all the toys we have purchased for her b/c of her developmental delays, she wants to play with a camouflage doo-rag that belongs to Katelyn. How funny! That's what she's chewing on right now.

I will be teaching tomorrow, so I have to go to bed as early as possible. You know a room full little curious three year olds can wear a thiry year old flat out:)

Today was the first day of school. Katelyn was up at 6:30, followed by Sarah at 6:45, and Lizzie at 7:00. She never gets up at 7:00 anymore! I guess she was ready for school too. The girls had a great first day in their classes. I had a rather hectic, but rewarding day in my class. The first day of Preschool is a little traumatic for the young ones.

Lizzie is demanding some attention - right now! So I will tend to her and hopefully get a good night's rest.

School starts tomorrow! Katelyn will be in third grade; Sarah will be in second grade; and I will be teaching K-3. Daddy and LizBeth days will start again! We are all excited and a bit nervous.

We should find out something about LizBeth's adaptive stroller on Thursday when our PT comes for therapy. Lizzie has gained one pound! She's definitely getting longer; but now she's getting some meat on her bones. We are scheduled to go back to OKC on October 8th. I'm not sure what to expect with this visit. We are supposed to begin testing for a diagnosis. After her appointment, Stacy and Lizzie will go on down to Ada for the weekend. Stacy is performing his cousin's wedding on Saturday. I will come back home so the girls and I can finish the last days before Spring Break and then make the journey to Ada. School starts tomorrow and I already have plans for Spring Break?!

Just hangin' out at Corning with my family. Pictured above is my sister, Kayla and Mom and LizBeth.

This is my Uncle Jimmy and Grandma. (My Mom's youngest brother and her Mom.)

This is more family - Scott on the floor with his son Aaron; Derek laying over the edge of the couch, my sister and Trey.

Sarah and her favorite "new" family member, Uncle Derek. He's actually her cousin, but she likes to call him uncle. In fact, she has a room ready for Derek over here in Guymon. As you can see, Nana Diane held the Princess quiet a bit in Arkansas.

We have so many pictures and stories to tell that I will probably add a little every day, so as not to overwhelm the viewers at home:) We spent the first few days in Arkansas just hangin' out and catchin' up. Grandma looked good and seemed to feel pretty good too. Katelyn and Sarah had a blast.
I am really tired after today's adventure. We were ready to leave Wichita this morning when my van wouldn't start. After what seemed like 50 attempts, it started. We were staying at a hotel right next to the mall, so we were able to drive to Sears and have them look at it. While they were working on it, Stacy and Lizzie strolled around the mall and the girls and I got a long overdue haircut. After about an hour, we were able to leave. Nothing major was wrong - just some battery corrosion. When I tried to start the van, nothing happened. We called the mechanic back out and after much deliberation determined it was the starter. It seems to have a dead spot on it, so occasionally it won't start. We did not replace it today, for fear we would never get home if we did not leave right away! Not really - the man assured us we could make it home. Stacy and I were reflecting on this situation and decided God is amazing. He took care of us in every way - even down to having good attitudes with each other! And the girls took it all in stride, even the Princess!

Today we are finally going home. The girls and I have only been home for three weeks this summer. We have had a blast! We had to stay the night in Wichita last night because Lizzie was having some teeth and tummy trouble. By that I mean she was screaming and simply would not stop. We hated to get out into the Great Plains of Kansas and have to stop. There's not much out there:)

She is feeling much better this morning. Our plans are to journey home and meet with some missionaries who are coming to visit. Then, I plan on adding pictures of our summer vacations, and some very interesting details:)

VBS was a blast! It ended last night with a cookout for all the kids and their parents. Lizzie was such a trooper this week. She had perfect attendance along with Katelyn and Sarah:) Today she was lying on her tummy and, with some assistance from me, pulled her head up to see what was going on. At first she protested, but then as the girls and I kept shouting encouragement, she actually smiled. Smiles and work usually do not go together with Lizzie.

I have all the medical equipment stacked neatly in the garage ready to send back when the doctors discontinue it. I am amazed at how much stuff we needed to make sure Lizzie was going to be okay. So many machines that intimidated us at first; so many procedures that were a bit unnerving; and now nothing. Lizzie has been healed by God. We know it's going to be a long road ahead, but she is alive and well. When I seek her lack of physical improvement, it makes me sad. But then I remember how far she's come. God is so good!

Well, everyone is this house is awake, except Liz, so I need to help get these people in the bed!

Today at Lizzie's PT, the vision and hearing consultants came as well as her regular PT. Lizzie protested at first, but went on to show a few of her new tricks. The vision consultant said she thought Lizzie had a big brain, and had learned how to manipulate the adults in her life. (I think that was a very polite way of telling us to make her do more for herself:) At times I can push her and be the meanie, but other times, I just cave in and let her have her way. The therapists also pointed out how much Lizzie admired her Momma... and her Daddy. Right now the girls are singing/yelling the Veggie Tales theme song to Lizzie. She is dancing on the floor!

Last night was our first night of VBS. Lizzie went and had a great time. She napped for most of it. Katelyn and Sarah loved it too. It's called Wildwood Forest, so the church is decorated like a forest with Rangers as the leaders. I'm having fun too as "Old Story." I'm supposed to be an old adventurer, so Stacy and I tried to turn my hair gray with baby powder last night. It didn't work, so I just wore a camouflage do rag. The girls are still at the age where they thought I looked cool, not weird!

Stacy finally downloaded our recent pictures, so I'll post some today.

It was a great day here. Katelyn and Sarah went swimming while Lizzie and I visited with a friend. It was supposed to be 107 here today. I'm not sure if it made it, but it sure felt like it. The weather in the Panhandle is pretty extreme - very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. However, no matter the temperature on summer days, the nights are wonderful. At about 7:00 the sun goes down and the temperature drops dramatically. It's light out here until almost 9:30, so there's plenty of time for outdoor fun, or yard work:) When school starts, the girls complain that we are making them go to bed when the sun is still up!

We should hear something on Lizzie's stroller next week. I'm praying that we get it quickly. We are thankful for the loaner, but Lizzie will be fitted to her stroller. It will be made just for her. The lack of "her stroller" has definitely not slowed us down though. She loves to ride in her car seat now. Katelyn and Sarah sit on either side of her and they sing all the way to our destination, whether it's five minutes or five hours!

Today was another busy day here in the Ross house. Lizzie and I went to a Bible study this morning. We had a wonderful time talking and marveling about God's love for us. Lizzie contributed from time to time as well with an "oh" or "ah."

This afternoon LizBeth cried every time the PT even talked to her. She did enjoy the new toy for a little while, but it soon wore off when Liz realized she was having to work at it. The girls loved VBS again tonight. Sarah came home telling me she ate mouse meat! (It wasn't real. It was just pretend and it was yummy.)

We are all going to bed early tonight. Hopefully, it will be a peaceful night here in the Ross House. No babies crying to be held or little girls giggling and asking for one more drink or one more hug or one more kiss. Wait - aren't those the things we will miss most later on? Maybe just one more kiss or one more cuddle is not so bad:)

Well it's late Monday night and everyone is asleep. It's so quiet and peaceful. We have a had a pretty busy day. One of the churches here in town is having VBS this week, "Roam in Rome." The two older girls went and had an absolute blast! They were telling us how they were able to go to the Market Place and buy things or watch the potters make pots. Then they were able to meet Paul and a Roman soldier. (Katelyn told me the soldier's angry face looked just like mine!) Anyway, after meeting with Paul, they had to run away and hide in the cave church. They are excited about going back tomorrow night. Our VBS starts next week. I'm excited about that. Last year, we prayed for 35 children to attend and had like 75 on the first night! God is so good! This year we are praying for 100 to attend.

Lizzie crashed out before the fireworks went off Saturday night. We all sat in the front yard and watched the city's display. It was great. We spent that day at the park and eating snow cones. I love my family. God's blessings are so wonderful.

We did, however, oversleep this morning. Our PT rang the doorbell this morning at about 9:50, and it occurred to me that Lizzie might have an appointment today. So I jumped up and ran to the door. Sure enough, there was our PT complete with toys for Liz. Needless to say, she is coming tomorrow at 2:00... in the afternoon:)

Today is cloudy and windy. Lizzie prefers the clouds, but does not care for the wind one bit! We have a small chance for some rain later on this evening. We sure do need it.

We heard yesterday that Lizzie should be getting her adaptive stroller soon. We have a loaner for the time being. It helps LizBeth sit up straight by supporting her trunk. Most of the time, she likes it.

The girls and I went up to the school to work today. I am making lesson plans now. It's always fun scheduling the school year in the summer, because it usually proves to turn out differently once school has started. Katelyn thinks she's ready for third grade because "I'm really smart." Sarah is ready for second grade, but she's napping right now so is unavailable for comment.

We pray everyone has a Happy Fourth of July tomorrow!

Oh my goodness! If there is anyone left still reading my blog, I sincerely apologize for not updating it sooner. So much has been happening in our family. We are so excited with Lizzie's progress. She is eating baby food with a spoon at least three times a day. She jabbers nonstop and said "Momma, Momma, O Momma" last Sunday! (Boy this post has a lot of exclamation points already!) Lizzie is growing so fast. She still has her wildly curly hair too.

Since school let out, we have been to Chillicothe, Missouri to see my family. We were able to see my 15 year old sister and my __ year old dad dance in the annual Father Daughter Dance in Kayla's recital. It was great! The girls really enjoyed it. The next week we all went to Church Camp here in Oklahoma. At the beginning of camp, Lizzie was trying to win the Crankiest Camper award. She was cutting six teeth at once! Poor baby. We spent Monday night from 12:30 to 1:30 in the car while Lizzie cried at the top of her lungs. Eventually she felt better and enjoyed camp. As soon as we got home, we headed back to Chillicothe, Missouri for the Relay For Life scheduled there. Unfortunately we were rained out, but I was able to walk the Survivor Lap with my sister. That is my favorite part of the whole thing. God is so good! We had one more week out and about in Ada with Stacy's parents. Then last weekend, Stacy and I went to Eureka Springs for our 11th anniversary and left all three Ross girls with their grandparents. Now we are home until the third week of July when we go to see my grandma and family in northeastern Arkansas. Whew.

Now we are home and playing catch up with house and yard work. Lizzie was so happy to be home. She squealed and laughed at our cats. Katelyn and Sarah are becoming even greater helpers. They take of their sister as much as they can. In fact, they trade off room cleaing for baby sitting!

My new goal is to update daily again. For most of our friends and family, this is the only way they get info from the Panhandle Family and Elizabeth's progress. We have a check up scheduled for some time in October, but other than that we are just hanging out and having fun. God has blessed us tremendously.

School is out! It's always a bittersweet day for me. You will never get this time back. Your children are growing up. Your students are growing up. It is the way things should be, but it makes me a bit melancholy. Katelyn and Sarah are reminding us constantly that they are now 2nd and3rd graders. We're going to start washing their mouths out with soap! They should not be that big! Lizzie is in the best mood. She is laughing and pushing her toy all over floor while shoving both hands in her mouth. Now Katelyn is beating her up with a princess bouncy ball. Poor Lizzie is just laughing and rolling.

Emergency! Lizzie pottied her britches while Katelyn was in charge. Kate is having a meltdown and Liz is loving it. (Sarah is taking a nap) I should probably run to the rescue before Katelyn goes into shock:)

Today has been a good day. Lizzie bawled all through PT this afternoon. However, as soon as the PT left, Lizzie was in a wonderful mood. Laughing at her daddy and talking to her sisters. I think the little stinker may be on to something:)

We are going to Missouri next week. The three Ross girls and their Momma are heading out Monday to meet Nana and Poppy in Wichita. Then we are going on up to their house for a week. My sister, Kayla is having her dance recital. She and my dad are doing another Father-Daughter dance. I'm so excited! My dad is quiet the dancer:) We're coming home next Sunday and leaving for Church Camp on Monday. Our summer proves to be busy. We will definitely be testing Lizzie's endurance.

We have been busy here at the Ross House. Let's see, the girls and I went on a field trip to Wonderland Park in Amarillo last Thursday. It was a lot of fun. Sarah rode the log ride about 15 times. Even the man running the ride commented on her enthusiasm for it! Katelyn was a bit more adventurous. Not much, but a little bit. Friday we went to a track meet in Keyes, Oklahoma. Sarah did the long jump and softball toss. She also ran in her class' shuttle relay. However, her goal for the meet was to eat snacks and talk to her friend, Kailey:) Katelyn won 3 of her 4 races. Her goal was to win; not just her but she wanted our school to beat all the other schools big time! Needless to say, we all took naps on Saturday.

Sunday was a wonderful Mother's Day. Last year, Mother's Day was the first time Lizzie and I went to church since coming home from the NICU. This year was so different. Katelyn and Sarah made breakfast for me before church. I had peanut butter toast with skittles and a butterfinger, two chocolate chip pop tarts with skittles and a banana. Yummy:) They also gave me a set of dishes and two bracelets made in Sunday School. Stacy fixed lunch and we took naps. It was a great Mother's Day. God has blessed me with a terrific husband and the greatest little girls, each unique and lovable in their own way.

Lizzie is going to get a new toy. It's a voice recorder for our family to record on. Right now we're listening to the Supremes. Lizzie is oohing and aahing. She really seems to like music and singing. She and I are working on a duet for Sunday;)

Our summer is looking to be very busy: a trip to Chillicothe Missouri, a trip to Vici, Oklahoma for church camp, a trip to Ada and an anniversary get-a-way, VBS and a trip to Arkansas. We are very excited and already tired.

We can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps. What a glorious Lord we serve. In teaching the Bible story of Jairus' daughter to my three year olds, I was reminded of how Jesus healed our daughter. In the passage in Mark, several people have met Jairus on the way home and said there was no need to bother Jesus anymore. The girl was dead. But Jesus ignored their reports, told Jairus to not be afraid and trust Him. Stacy and I read that passage over and over in the NICU, but have not been over it as much now that Liz is doing better. Reading that story this week really brought it home again. On several occasions, the doctors told us that Liz would die with a terrible disease. But each time, we would read this passage, and remember that Jesus was really in control. Her life was in His hands, not theirs. It still is - we all are. What a great Savior we have.

Under orders from my husband, I am updating the blog:) Life is speeding by here at the Ross House. Lizzie had a check up with Neurology last week. The verdict is: We still don't know. The blood test that was run six months ago was normal. Our new Neurologist is planning to run some tests in October. Otherwise, Lizzie is doing well. She had a touch of Pink Eye earlier this week, but is all better now.

The kids went to Wonderland Park in Amarillo today. It was so much fun. The children were so well behaved, and soaking wet from the water rides. I was too! Stacy and Lizzie went to City Hall for the National Day of Prayer at noon. Tomorrow we are all going to the track meet in Felt with the school. I'm sure it will just as much fun!

Today was LizBeth's yearly assessment. She has completed two goals we set in beginning!
1. She can turn her head to both sides to follow a toy. With the trach in, she would not look to the left at all. Now she can turn her body to the left and the right.
2. She eats orally all the time now! We had set her goal as "taking 4 ounces every 2-4 hours" and we have accomplished that!
We are continuing to work on her physical development and communication. She makes lots of sounds and is trying to blow raspberries. We are using a loaner stroller. I have no idea how to collapse it to a portable size, so today I crammed it in the van and slammed the door. After several attempts, I managed to get it in, without injury even! She had a great day... we did too.
Katelyn is in a Land Run tomorrow. Our school is hosting our first Land Run. I'm sure it will be fun. Sarah will have to participate next year. She's a little bummed, but glad she doesn't have to run!

We are so ready for summer weather! We tried to plant "seeds" Saturday, but it rained on us here in the Panhandle, so the girls and Stacy finished planting this afternoon.
Lizzie has an adaptive stroller on loan from our PT. Everything about her stroller is being appealed, so we should hear something soon. She likes sitting it for about 20 minutes, then she gets very demanding. "Out. Out. Out" She doesn't really say that, but that's what it makes me think of. Lizzie sings quiet often. The Ross Trio (Katelyn, Sarah and me) sing to LizBeth and she hums right along. Of course, we never to think to charge the video camera until after everything cool is over. Lizzie has an appointment in the City April 30th with the Neurologist. I'm pretty sure it's just a check up.
Katelyn and Sarah are training for a track meet in May. Katelyn is very fast and likes to run. Sarah is very fast and prefers to sit and eat snacks with her best friend. Their teachers assigned them to different races: Katelyn - Relay, 50 yd dash, and 75 yd. dash She was ecstatic! She came in first in all three. She was one of the fastest children, boys and girls in the class! Sarah - Softball throw, Long jump and Relay She was so put out that she had to run the relay. She told her teacher she couldn't run all day. It would make her too tired. They are so different. It just cracks me up.

The Ross Family (LizBeth was ready to go home by this time)

Stacy, Jacob, Kevin, Kayla, Katelyn, Sarah, Diane and LizBeth after Easter service.

The McCullough Family

Here we are again!

Just the girls:)

Kayla and her Momma

All four Ross Girls

Kelly and her Momma

Kelly and Kayla

Kayla and the Ross Girls

Mom and Dad came to visit for Easter and made it home safely. We had a great time together. Katelyn had an expander put in her mouth last week and it has made her very sore. Lizzie has a "bucket chair" to ride around in. It is a bucket attached to a scooter complete with red duct tape! She was able to sit in it today for the first time. She seemed to like it. We are still waiting for her adaptive stroller to come in. Right now LizBeth is telling me something very important. I can't quiet make it out, but I'm sure it's something like - "Momma is the best!"

Well, Stacy has made it safely to Clinton, and is at the Revival now. Please pray for him to do and say what God would lead him to do. Sarah has already shed several tears for her "funny, sweet daddy." Katelyn and LizBeth seem to be okay with just Mom, although we did have Chicken Helper tonight.

I have felt pretty bad the past two days. It seems this awful cough has been passed from Sarah to LizBeth to me. Stacy bought me a day time cough medicine and a night time cough medicine before he left this afternoon. Lizzie stayed at her first baby sitter's all day long. She did good. I was told she was a little cranky. I was hoping it was because she missed her momma, but I'm pretty sure it's the new teeth trying to come in. So tomorrow will be just Liz and me. She has PT at 2:00 tomorrow, but otherwise, we should have a rather unexciting week!

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. But now - let it stop! Thankfully it has. I'm not sure how many inches we received, only that the snow drifts are incredible. Katelyn and Sarah practically disappear in them. Stacy and two friends shoveled the driveway, and managed to flag down a man on a tractor to help them clear the snow. We have friends who cannot open their front door. They have to go out the back door, walk to the front and shovel in to the front door! Yesterday, the girls went out in the backyard to play, and upon trying to reenter the house, could not get the door open. They had only been out like 15 minutes, but the snow had already accumulated that much! We drank lots of hot chocolate yesterday.

Stacy is going to Clinton on Monday to preach a revival. The girls and I are planning to rent movies and order a lot of pizza since our cook will be gone:)

LizBeth still has her junky cough, but is otherwise doing very well. She's napping right now. Katelyn and Sarah are soon to follow her. They, however, do not take naps nicely. Upon threat of toy confiscation, they usually relent and take a nap without too much mayhem. Staying up until late and getting up at the first ray of sunlight is rather tiring on them... and me:)

Lizzie did not sleep so well last night. However, she is feeling much better this morning. She's napping in the living room right now. Stacy and the youth group are prayer walking in Guymon toady. They stopped by earlier for a break and seemed to be having a good time. We're having pizza later.

This week I have been Spring Cleaning. When I went into Lizzie and Stacy's room, I took out all her medical equipment that we are no longer using. I put in the garage until our doctor discontinues it. After the room was cleaned out, I almost cried. It looks just like a normal baby's room now. (No oxygen humidifier, portable oxygen tanks, feeding pump or IV pole.) As I've said before, we have a long way to go with Lizzie. But, oh my, we have come so far already! When I look at Lizzie - I see a miracle. A prayed for and answered miracle. Thank you for your continued prayers for LizBeth and our family. God is so good.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

LizBeth had a check up and 4 shots today! (It was time for her immunizations.) Her doctor is not really concerned about her weight loss, but wants us to keep supplementing Pedia Sure. She is now 28 1/2" long and weighs 15.14 lbs. She has been taking quiet a long nap since we came home at noon.

It's a nice day here again. The girls are out playing. Tomorrow our youth group, along with Stacy and our youth pastor are going to walk from Goodwell to Guymon. That's 12 1/2 miles! I'm still not sure if I will be participating or not. All the proceeds are going to help missionaries.

The girls and I are still spring cleaning. Well, they are basically just trying to keep an eye on the trash to make sure I'm not throwing away any treasures. Sonic toys, yo-yos without strings and even stickers that are no longer sticky are deemed worthy by the Ross girls! I usually don't care, but when the toy box is overflowing, I think it's time to let go. I have this talk with Stacy periodically too. Let go...let go...It's a shirt with a hole in the sleeve; Have you used it in six years; Do you remember what it's used for?

It's time for Sarah to write this blog. Let's go, Sarah!

Katelyn and me are going to exercise for a long time. We exercised for two hours. LizBeth was being so silly today and she smiled at me for a while. When I went to the dentist, I got two green bracelets and one yellow bracelet. And then I was doing my homework and Dad helped me so I got finished with my homework. Dad and I went over to the store and Dad got me something to eat. And then Dad wanted me to go home, but I wanted to go to school, so Dad said "Okay!" When we got almost to Guymon, it did stink really bad. A while ago Arminius was sniffing the teddy bear under the lamp in the living room. Bye. I will be playing with my sisters!

Lizzie has had a good day today. She went running around with me today. Yesterday, Stacy brought her up to the school for me to watch. She loved it! While my afternoon class was singing, Lizzie was "dancing." My class was so interested in her. LizBeth tried to sing with them and talked a lot. The funniest part was after Stacy dropped LizBeth off with me, one of my little boys wanted to know if "my daddy was coming back?" I had to rub that in with Stacy.

LizBeth did very well in PT yesterday. She rolled from front to back and back again with only a little help. Her PT said her strength was improving even more. She also said she liked the way Lizzie is reaching out to touch toys and faces. We like that too!

Katelyn is going to write this blog. Well, she is going to tell me what to type!

I hit Elizabeth's nose real gently, and she smiled and giggled. Dad's been real sick. LizBeth likes jingling her jingle bells. Sarah likes taking a lot of naps during the day. Mom always looks beautiful. Dad always looks handsome in front of Mom. Papa and Nana came March 9th and stayed four days. Our cats are scared of Buster. Buster is Nana and Papa's dog. Elizabeth has been awake during the day and is very smiley! School was good. I learned something hard, but I can't remember it now. My Bible story was about David taking food to his brothers. My favorite part about school was helping the teacher to clean up the floor in the afternoon. We are going to do Spring Cleaning this weekend and maybe plant flower seeds. My favorite flowers are roses and buttercups. I have a cough so I went to the doctor and he told me to only eat warm soup. That is all I have to say.

Stacy is not feeling well... again. He has a sore throat and achy body. Katelyn, Sarah and I have coughing fits. Lizzie is fit as a fiddle. Every once in a while she has a sissy cough. I think she's just making fun of us! She has her one year check up and immunizations next week.

It's another beautiful day here in the Panhandle! And I am so sleepy. The girls wore me out last night, LizBeth included. Once the bigger girls went to bed at like 12:15, Liz thought she could wake up at 4:00 and chat with me. She hollered and cooed and ga-gaed and hollered and ooohed for about 30 minutes. I tried to ignore her, but she could sense my presence:) So I told her to hush which only made her louder. Finally, she took a bottle and went to sleep. Whew.

She has lost about a pound since we've taken her off the g-tube feedings. She looks great, complete with chubby cheeks, but we've started supplementing PediaSure in one of her bottles. That stuff is like sweetened condensed milk. Lizzie loves it! She also ate a tater tot today. Her problem seems to be squishy baby food. She likes it through a feeder bottle, but not with a spoon. She likes biter biscuits, but only if someone else holds them for her.

This last week, we have had some beautiful days. We've gone to the park several times. We still haven't heard anything about Lizzie's adaptive stroller. Please pray that we will hear something quickly. The stroller will be great for outside activities, but it also has a chest harness to help Liz sit up straight. Without a chest harness, she arches her neck back when sitting. Her stroller also has a tray that we can use when feeding her or playing. And, the seat comes off the stroller and can be used as a chair when we're at home.

Sarah will turn 7 on Tuesday the 10th! She is so excited. Her Nana and Papa are coming down on Monday and we're having cake and ice cream on Tuesday afternoon. This afternoon, while Sarah's friend was leaving, there came a horrible scream from outside. When my friend and I went out to see what was going on, we noticed Sarah lying facedown on the sidewalk. Katelyn was yelling that it was all Sarah's fault. Sarah was yelling the opposite. Needless to say, Sarah is okay and they are BOTH in the bed for a nice long nap! Stacy and I are planning on taking one too. LizBeth doesn't look so sure. She's playing with a dish rag and looking out the window. All the toys we buy and the baby wants a dish rag. Go figure!

With 2 1/2 months of school left, we are planning our summer vacations. One trip to Arkansas and one to Church Camp. I'm sure there will be many trips to the Hooker Pool as well. We are also hoping my brother and sister will get to come stay for a while too.

Well, hello everyone (Uncle Jon:)! LizBeth said "Ra-ra" yesterday! We were pretending to look for Sarah yesterday afternoon and she said it. She is rolling from side to side all the time now. I will post more in a bit. Sarah is having a sleepover tonight and we have a few things to do.

No PT today for LizBeth. I called our PT to let her know that Stacy was recovering from a sinus/respiratory infection, and Sarah was at home today with a tummy virus. She opted to come next week:)

Lizzie is making one sound over and over. "ah-ah" We're not sure if it's "da-da", "ma-ma", or "sa-ra". So, we all three claim to be the one she is calling. Katelyn wants Liz to call her "Kay-Kay" like her cousins do, so she's holding out.

So far Lizzie likes to eat almost everything. She really likes Tapioca pudding with Cool Whip!

Keep the chocolate coming!

Yummy:)

More chocolate, or Sarah's gonna get hurt.

Stacy is feeling a little bit better. By a little bit, I mean he can walk to the couch and sit down for a few hours. Then he goes back to bed for several more hours. The rest of us are doing okay.

We just realized we need to take more pictures of LizBeth! Poor girl. I bet she's not feeling quiet as spoiled. The family is just hangin' out around the house today. Lizzie ate pudding at Mazzio's last night and enjoyed it very much. Today, she's had some peaches. Mmmmmm.

She is still wiggling and jabbering. Her sisters are her preferred company, and their room is the greatest place in the world. (Next to Mazzio's where she can eat pudding!)

Stacy is not feeling well today. He's piled up in the bed with a sore throat and body aches. Please pray that he will get well. It seems so many are sick right now. My school children and many in our church are not feeling well. Katelyn adds that she has a runny nose. Sarah is perfectly fine. LizBeth and I are healthy too.

It's another picture of the happiest couple ever. Well, at least ONE of us is happy!

Katelyn and Isabelle are eating their baked goods.

Sarah and Kailey are baking.

Ready for adventure?!

Here we go!

What's all the excitement about?

It's a rotten duck egg. Ewwww!

Lizzie and I are hanging out in our pj's this morning. She has taken up this new habit of grinding her teeth together. It drives us crazy! She loves drinking yogurt juice now. She seems to like the taste of baby food, but can't always swallow it. She just pushes it out with her tongue. We are hoping that since she is beginning to put toys in her mouth to chew on, it will help her do better with eating. Let me be sure to point out that Liz is getting plenty of nourishment. You can tell that by her cheeks!

We haven't used the tube in a little over three weeks. She goes to bed about 9:00 and wakes up about 6:00. I like those hours! Her adaptive stroller should be coming soon. There was a problem at the vendor's office, but we're on the right track now. I am excited for it to be here. Of course, we can take her outside this summer, but it will serve as her high chair too. She really needs a chest strap to help her sit up. In her new stroller, she can sit fully upright, without any homemade props:)

LizBeth is moving a lot more. She's always had the ability for movement, but has started to kick her legs and move her arms around when she's playing. She is also holding her hands together and chewing on them. She is still not as strong as she should be, but these little motions are encouraging.

Oh my, I have really been a slacker here! I do, however, have wonderful news: We got a great check up last week. LizBeth's fundo is still intact. She showed a teensy bit of reflux during the upper GI, but nothing like what it would be if the fundo had come undone. And Lizzie acted like the world's happiest baby all throughout the hospital. She sat up (propped on either side) in her stroller and looked at everyone we passed. She had lots of laughs and smiles for the nurses. We're not sure what caused the episodes, but it could have possibly been a tummy virus, complete with abdominal pain and retching. Right now she is sitting on the couch talking to herself! She ate about 1/4 cup mashed potatoes today for her daddy. We have figured out that if we wait until she is screaming for a bottle, it's useless to try and feed her food. But if we feed her when she's only "griping", she eats great!

We were able to take a mini vacation last week after Liz's appointment. After her doctor visit on Monday, freezing rain began to fall mixed with some good ole sleet. We slowly made it to Ada and stayed at Nana and Papa's until Thursday waiting for the roads to clear up. I had to miss two days of school so our Principal explained to my students why I wasn't there to teach them, and they took "stuck in the snow" literally They thought I had my hand stuck in the snow and couldn't come back because of that! Keep in mind, they are 3-4 years old. Isn't that precious! )

What a rough three days!!! Lizzie went to the doctor on Friday with a temperature of 102. She was having a little trouble keeping her sats up, but nothing major. Turns out she has mild pneumonia and a very red throat. The doctor took a throat swab and sent us to the lab to draw blood for a culture. Ya know, why don't kiddos get sick at 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon instead of the weekend? Anyway, LizBeth was pretty sick with a high fever that would NOT stay down and no interest in eating. She did not want us to hold her or jostle her around. She was just plain pitiful. Last night we took a teeny cake with a candle on it to her bed and sang "Happy Birthday LizBeth" and tied a Princess balloon to her bed. She barely woke up for it. However, this morning the Princess woke up with a huge smile. She raised her arms up for Stacy to pick her up. She laughed at the girls and let me cuddle her for a full 15 minutes. Then she was trying to stand up! Stacy and I are pretty sure that LizBeth wanted us to remember her birth by sending us to the City for two months. Now she wants us to remember her birthday by being scary sick for three days. Please continue to pray that she will continue to get better and better.

By the way, Sarah told me yesterday - "If you have another baby, I will just scream my head off! But if you had a boy, I might smile... a little." Katelyn responded with "Three babies is enough! Four is just too many." Their daddy agreed:)

We have an appointment scheduled January 26th with the Pediatric Surgeon in OKC. He is going to perform a Swallow Study to check the fundoplication. We will have to plan our next course of action after that.

Katelyn is home sick with a sore throat and fever. She said "Well, Sarah should've stayed away from me. She gave this to me!" Her tone was rather accusatory.

Well, many of you have heard about our ER visit last night. LizBeth had a "blue spell" last night around 5:30. We are pretty sure it's due to acid reflux. We have no proof of that yet, but she has other symptoms that support that theory. During her ER stay, LizBeth napped peacefully. She was a little put out when the doctor listened to her lungs and belly, but other than that, she made us look like we were making things up! Today was a great day. We have her back on her pulse ox (O2 % monitor) and she hasn't dropped out of the 90s. Occasionally after a feeding, she will drop to the low 90s, but never any further. We have her on two kinds of meds, Reglan and Zantac. Her feeds have been decreased to two ounces at a time. She can take the two ounces and wait 15 minutes, then we give her two more ounces. We repeat this pattern until she's finished. She doesn't really appreciate this method! We are going to meet with her pediatrician on Monday, and then decide the next course of action. I'm thinking a trip to the City is in our future!

Other than the excitement last night, our house has been pretty normal. My brother and sister arrived home safely. Katelyn and Sarah are ready for school to be out. We have started counting down the days until summer break. (I think it's like 83 days left!) Stacy and I are planning a surprise party for LizBeth after church next Sunday. (Please don't tell Liz. She has no idea.) She will be one year old! Isn't that amazing! God is so good.