Santa's Almost Here.

Ellie's first Christmas is almost here. Where did December go?  We've had unseasonably warm weather here, which reminds me of California Christmases and makes me smile.

I know I've been talking about self-feeding a lot, but I feel like Ellie's willingness to self-feed is her Christmas gift to us.  Plus, she's teaching us new techniques for when the spoon is too much work.



Ellie has also been trying to convince Santa to keep her on the "Nice" list, although her three hours of wakefulness in the middle of last night may give Santa pause. Ellie claims she was just practicing her "waiting for Santa Claus" gig.  We're trying to break that habit.

I am eagerly awaiting a visit with friends and their two little boys, church services on Christmas Eve, some family time, and watching Ellie tear into her gifts on Christmas Day.  She's convinced that the paper is the best part, which is awesome.  She'll be happy to know that the paper contains boxes, which are a close second place for best gift ever.  (And toys are pretty awesome, too.)

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

****

PS.  I was going to post something about the ABLE Act, and I will.... another time.  But I know there's a lot of readers who are praying people, and I'd rather request your prayers.  The Kelly family has no connection to the Down syndrome community as far as I know, and I've only met Patrick a handful of times.  This is not something I'd normally blog about, but it's THAT important.

His family is praying for a miracle, and preparing for a hard goodbye at Christmas.

His story is here.