Two Great Things

I have two great things to share with everyone! First, our friends Jason and Summer Cox are having a huge Garage Sale this weekend and all the proceeds are going to help bring their sweet baby girl home from Ethiopia! So exciting! So, if you live in the Fort Worth area and want to hit up a fantastic sale this weekend and help out the Cox's contact Summer at the email address below if you need directions to their home or more details. They also have other ways that you can help out too so check out their coffee fundraiser at www.justlovecoffee.com/CoxRagamuffins as well as their t-shirt sales at www.goseeklove.com!

Garage Sale Adoption Fundraiser for the Cox Family
All proceeds are to help bring our daughter home from Ethiopia
www.coxragamuffins.blogspot.com
Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th
At their home
Contact Summer for details at jlandskcox@yahoo.com
*also will be selling baked goods*

Ongoing coffee fundraiser: www.justlovecoffee.com/CoxRagamuffins : $5 from every bag purchased goes directly to our family - makes great Christmas or birthday presents!

For the month of October only: visit www.goseeklove.com to purchase t-shirts - 100% of the proceeds go directly to our family!

The other great news is that Derran, Ann, Brynn and Meg are back home in Texas from Thailand this month! Yippee! They got back a week and a half ago and it's been nonstop fun for all of us. We have had the best time just being together and letting the cousins play. I meant to post these pictures from the airport last week but got a little sidetracked. Too busy carting Ann around to Happy Hour at Sonic everyday, going to Target, etc. And I'm not kidding. :) Better late than never so here are some fun pics to enjoy!

Waiting for the big arrival

Waiting...

Waiting...

Still waiting...

More waiting...

FINALLY! The moment we've all waited for for the last year...to see their smiling faces and hug their necks!



Ella isn't quite sure yet about Uncle Derran

Brothers don't shake hands...brothers gotta hug! Yes, I'm still always looking for opportunities to throw in a Tommy Boy quote even at the age of 32.


The happy little cousins

Eva and Brynn were SO excited to see each other! They had to be together and holding hands at all times. Even on the ride home from the airport with my mom squished in between the carseats they were reaching their hands ACROSS her so they could be touching each other! Awwwww, so sweet!


Mama and her chicks, happy together again!

Well now, what does one do when you are fresh off the plane from Thailand? That's right, Sonic baby! Within the first hour Ann and Derran were here we went to Sonic, Chick-fil-a AND Taco Bueno! Yes, you read that right, I did say in the first hour. Doesn't that sound like a dream? Three of my favorite places. I wish everyday started out like this one right? :) How does one do that you ask? Simple. First stop was Sonic for drinks for us girls.


Then a stop at Chick-fil-a for nuggets for the kids



And the last stop was Taco Bueno to-go for the adults

Aaahhh, perfection isn't it? We are loving having them back for a little while and we're so proud of them and the work they are doing in Phayao. Welcome home Derran, Ann, Brynn and Meg!!

Things I Never Thought I Would Do, 20 lbs and Fun Pictures

Things I Never Thought I Would Do:

1) Purposefully pour Coke into a sippy cup...and not feel bad about it. I have let Ella drink my Cokes for awhile now but recently I have actually found myself pouring it INTO a sippy cup for her to drink. I don't know it's like Crazy Calorie Counting Mom takes over and I have no control over myself and I can't stop myself from pouring it in. It's so wrong and I feel like coke in a sippy cup just takes things to a whole other level. Does that stop me from doing it? No. Will I continue? Yes. Have I even done it in public? Yes. No one has given me the stink-eye about it yet but I'm sure that day is coming. Bring it.

2) Serve dessert after breakfast. Who said that we can't have dessert after breakfast? Ella routinely gets something sweet in the morning. It doesn't matter if it's 9:00 am, it is never too early for a package of gummies or some cookies in my opinion.

3) Serve lunch/dinner for breakfast. Lately one of Ella's favorite things to eat for breakfast is mac and cheese and chicken nuggets dipped in Ranch. I know, grrroosss. Eva walked out the other day and saw Ella eating mac and cheese and nuggets and kind of got this weird/grossed out look on her face and said, "Why Ella eat that?" She also looooooves Ranch and dips EVERYTHING in it, despite the fact that she has atopic dermatitis and her mouth and face turn red where ever the Ranch has touched. Awesome right? Note to self, remind her on her first date not to dip anything in Ranch...a blotchy, red mouth and face could make things a liiiittle awkward.

4) Spend the majority of my time during my weekly grocery shopping trip in the cookie aisle. Seriously, I don't know how much time I spend in the snack/cookie aisle comparing cookies to see which ones have the most calories. AND, instead of running in the opposite direction from the high calorie snack, I take great pride in my find and excitedly put it in my basket, eager to get home and show Rick what I've found to fatten Ella up.

BUT, had we NOT done these things would we be dropping this number on the scale??

Go on, take a closer look. That's right folks, 20 pounds! Finally!! So go ahead and give me the evil eye for putting Coke in sippy cups and giving my kids dessert after breakfast...all I see here are positives. :)

We are super excited in the Carder household for Miss Ella. We've been stuck at 19 pounds for months now and couldn't seem to break it. Who knows how long we'll stay at 20 but hopefully it will only go up from here. It's cool that this is what most 1 year olds weigh and Ella is just now barely there at the age of 2 but we couldn't be prouder. Thank you for all of your prayers for weight gain, please keep them coming!

Lastly, for the end of my random post here are just a few fun pictures from the Carders, enjoy!

Fun in the water after a rainy day!



One can NEVER have too many pacifiers! Can we say obsessed??

Eva started back to her preschool this past week. She loves her school!

What a sweet little girl!


Ella...one crazy cat. I turn my back for 5 seconds and this is what happens!

1 Year Ago Today

Just wanted to share my thankfulness today for how the Lord has blessed our sweet little Ella over the past year. August 19, 2009 may not mean much to most people, just another day, but for our family and for especially Ella it has huge significance. It has been one year ago today since Ella had her shoulder reconstruction surgery at Scottish Rite in Dallas. I know for most people not knowing specifically about all that this surgery entailed for Ella it is impossible to really appreciate what it has done for her and the impact it has had and will have on her life. But, we feel so blessed and thankful for what the Lord has done for her by providing amazing surgeons that He equipped to help Ella and others.

Last year on this day we woke up early to send our baby off into major surgery that we had been anticipating and waiting for since the day she was born. I remember having a sense of complete dread yet at the same time knowing that this surgery would change her life. None of us knew what to really expect since Ella's shoulder deformity was extremely rare and her surgeons had never done a shoulder reconstruction like this EVER. They admitted to us months before that they had ONLY seen or read something about Ella's deformity in literature but had never actually seen it for themselves. Awesome...You would think that would have made us nervous but it didn't because these surgeons at Scottish Rite are some of the best in the world in this area of orthopedics so I was confident we were in the best place for Ella. Plus, if these surgeons had never seen it or done this surgery then for sure no other doctors had either so what were really going to do? However, knowing that we were in the best hands and strongly believing that didn't make it any easier to let her go into a long, complicated surgery.

I knew her life would never be the same after this day. What her surgeons were able to do physically for her was incredible but even more, it gave her a chance to live a different life in this world that can be very cruel to those with differences or disabilities. I remember after she was born and we found out about her deformity I for one was an absolute wreck. I pretty much had a panic attack in my hospital room not only because of the shock of it all but also because of everything else she was facing and the fact that I was laying in my bed on a different floor while she was laying in her bed down in the NICU with her organs out of her body waiting for surgery. I have no idea why I had a panic attack. Weird...I know. :) Anyway, I kept thinking how will she survive in this world with this? What will people think? How are we going to deal with this? I CAN'T do this. She's never going to have a chance, you can't have something like this and survive in this world. The images running through my mind were of the beggars I would see everyday on the street in Bangkok, Thailand where I grew up. All of them were disabled in some way either blind, missing limbs, deformed, you name it. They didn't have a chance, were not accepted, and like in so many other countries you could say treated like dust of the earth. This is how I believed the world was going to view my precious baby girl...like dust of the earth, dirt. My heart was broken and I was a total mess.

Looking back on that day seems like it was only yesterday even though it was almost 2years ago. Now I can't believe it's actually been a year since her shoulder surgery and in a way I can't believe that any of that actually happened. I'm still processing things. The Lord has done mighty things for Ella and our family this year. Ella is healthy, she is eating and hasn't used her feeding tube in 2 months now. I know, can you believe that? Thank you Lord! She is using her left arm really well and continuing to gain strength in it. There are still some major limitations and she doesn't have full range of motion but there is hope that more can be done in the future to help that. I used to really worry about little things which is ridiculous like how she was gong to put her hair up in a ponytail, will she be able to swim, will kids make fun of her at recess because she can't do the monkey bars. I still wonder about how she will do those things but I refuse to be bound by worry. I'm not saying I've mastered that because I haven't but I know the Lord is faithful and is trustworthy so that is the path I want to choose everyday. I have learned to be so thankful for what she DOES have instead of what she DOESN'T have and she has A LOT. She is blessed beyond measure and it took me awhile to be able to say that because I was so overwhelmed with all of the problems and it felt like the black tunnel I was in was never ending, but the Lord has gently brought me along and revealed to me that He made her perfect for the purpose HE has for her and that is all that matters.


I am so thankful for the deliverance the Lord has provided and the love He continues to lavish on us. I know we are immensely blessed and I pray that I don't take that for granted. I write these feelings down not to shock people but to remind myself because I don't want to ever forget or be too far removed from the hurt and pain that I know so many others around me and around the world are going through. I want my eyes to be open to how I can use what the Lord taught me in my dark days to help others. I'm listening and trying to be obedient. He is so faithful and is so patient with me. I'm so so thankful and I know He has much more in store for all of us. I thank Him everyday for giving me sweet little Ella Hope, I love being her mommy! :)

Things I Love

I love spending time with my girls. We are having so much fun together and they make me laugh all the time. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. Eva's favorite new phrases to incorporate into conversation these days are "It happens" and "Bad news." For example, this is a real conversation I had with her out of the blue the other day.
Eva: Sometimes I get poo-poo on my hands.
Me: Wait...what? You got poo-poo on your hands? When?
Eva: It happens
Me: No response

Wowzers. What in the world?

2. One day last week I was trying to decide what to feed Ella for breakfast and was just kind of talking out loud to myself about what to give her and Eva pipes up, "Ella wants a cupcake." Fantastic I say and without hesitation I joyfully opened up the box of cupcakes and fed one to Ella for breakfast...and I didn't feel bad about it. All I see here are calories people, calories. Don't judge my mothering skills. :)

3. I love that to entice Ella to eat her chicken all I had to do at dinner the other night was squirt some Cheez-Whiz on each piece and we were in business. Everybody wins here...Ella wanted cheese, I wanted her to eat her chicken, the solution? Cheez-Whiz on the chicken. We all win.

4. Who needs hair gel when you can get this beautiful look with a dab of Cortizone cream lovingly applied by your big sister.
A nice greasy, yet firm and flexible look that will surely keep your hair in place throughout the entire day. Lovely. What are little kids thinking sometimes??

5. I love that Ella now loves cheeseburgers and fries from McDonalds. You know how much I love a good McDouble and fries and now it's even better because I don't need an excuse to go to McDonalds. I practically have medical necessity...the necessity being that Ella needs to gain weight and is there really a better place than the golden arches to help you pack on the pounds? I think not. Cheeseburger, small fries and a juice box is like 630 calories. This is what I'm talkin' about. We've been twice already this week. Medical necessity I tell you, keep that in mind. I love you McDonald's!

5. Eva and Ella's favorite new show to watch is my Denise Austin workout DVD. Not kidding. What's funny is they like to watch it as entertainment as if it's Dora or something. Seriously, Eva will sit on the couch and watch it like it's a cartoon. Uh..okay. Other times they watch it to try and copy the moves and it's hilarious watching them bounce around the living room trying to do lunges and jumping jacks. Priceless. Reminds me of when I was little and I would lay out my little beach towel for an exercise mat and do Jane Fonda with my mom. Aaah, blast from the past. Good ol' Jane.

6. Ella has started saying Eva's name and calling her by name. So precious! She pronounces it with a short e sound "Ehva" instead of a long e sound though. It's so cute to listen to her talk to Eva. They love each other so much and it just melts my heart.

Old Friends and New Friends

Well friends, I can't believe it but this past weekend marks ONE MONTH with no feeding tube for Ella!! Not once have we used it. This is huge! I can't believe it has been a month! She is doing so well and is eating pretty much anything we give her. Thank you Lord! Sorry about all the exclamation points...I feel like I'm yelling at everyone through the screen but it's just so exciting, I can't help it!
So, this OLD friend has not gotten much attention this month and no one is upset about it. Ella's feeding pump and tubes have just been sitting in the corner of her room and I hardly even notice it's there.

But, our NEW friends here are where the party's at, know what I'm sayin'? Our freezer is the picture of health isn't it? We will stop at nothing to keep our little Ella's weight up and if that means ice cream out the wazoo every night then so be it. Whatever it takes right?

This past month Ella has maintained her weight which is great news in my opinion. She has gained some and lost some but no real big gain, just maintaining. I don't know how everyone else, doctors etc. feel about that but I think it's great. She will be weighed tomorrow again and I think it's now time to discuss with her dietician and doctors what the expectations are for her with no feeding tube as far as growth, weight gain, etc. so that is my goal in the coming weeks. I am extremely pleased with how this month has gone and the fact that she has been able to maintain her weight. She is eating better than ever before and we do have to work at it still and be really diligent about making sure we stay on top of calories and everything but overall she is doing amazingly well. I just can't stop thanking the Lord for all He has done for Ella. He is Great! Another thing that has done amazingly well are my new running shoes! I know you were wondering about that. Take another look at the picture of my freezer...go ahead, go look. Aaaannnd that's why it's time to get moving, too much Blue Bell in the hiz-ouse. I'm telling you, if you are in the market for a new pair of kicks the Salomon Whispers are where.it's.at. I mean, you know I am such the running expert now since I've been running for what two weeks :), but I'm just saying, these shoes are great! No laces and I don't even wear socks because socks drive me cRaZy and make me feel claustrophobic so I just don't do it. No laces + no socks = AWESOME!

Anyway, I know in my last post I said that Ella's surgeon said that typically he would remove a G-button once a child hadn't used it in a month or so and now we are at that month but we are in no hurry at this point for Ella's to be taken out for several reasons. First, we have not communicated with her GI doctor about it all and I don't know what her opinions are on when she feels is the right time to remove it so we still need to get the okay from doctors. Second, we would like to wait until the summer is over and swim season is over because there is a chance that once her G-button is removed, the hole may not close up on it's own. Typically the hole should close up within a few days but in some cases and depending on how long you have had it, it may take a surgical procedure to go in and close things off on the inside as well. I am hoping this will not be the case for Ella when the time comes but who knows. Third, even though I look forward to the day when Ella will not have a G-button, I also dread the moment when it will be taken out. It's only for a few minutes, but it is painful and I don't know if my poor heart can stomach to watch her get it yanked out right now. Yeah, I'll spare you the details but basically the surgeon just counts to three and then yanks it out. We've had this done once when we had to get it replaced and I'm still traumatized. Horrible, just horrible. Anyway, at this point things are going so well that we would just rather enjoy our summer and we'll take care of the ol' G-button issue at a later date.

That's the big news, one month folks, one whole month! Unbelievable and I get a lump in my throat every time I think about it. Thank you for your continued prayers, please keep praying for Ella. Your prayers are such a blessing to our family.

In other news, we just took a little family road trip up to Kansas City to see Rick's family and we had THE best time. The girls had soooo much fun with their cousins and their CC and Dee. We went swimming, watched fireworks, ate lots of good food, went fishing, went to the movies, went shopping and just played and played. It was so fun! The last time we were there was at Thanksgiving and Ella was still using her feeding tube around the clock so it made it a little more stressful and difficult to travel or do much in between feedings but this time was a different story. We were so blessed by getting to spend almost a week with Rick's family and we're so thankful for the wonderful family we have. Thanks CC and Dee and Caire Family for a super fun week, we loved it and miss you so much already!! I don't have many pictures but here are a few. Enjoy!

Ella and CC

Bubble bath with cousin Emery

Eva and Dee

So sweet! I love this picture.




Ice cream on the porch for everyone!

Aunt Amy making sure Ella gets her daily dose of ice cream :)

See ya!