Blogging for the week...one post at a time!

Ok, so I'm behind. But guess what?!? I did 5 posts today, and figured out how to schedule them to post every couple of days! You know what that means? You won't get stuck reading all the catching up info at one time! Just check back every couple of days, and you'll see new smiles and new info for a whole week! So here we go!

Briella spent a lot of time tagging along in theatre camps this summer, so she and I went out on a mommy daughter date all by ourselves! Ellie got to be the center of attention, and we both loved it! I have to admit, I did have another motive as well. For those of you who know us well, you know we have a secret code name for Briella. Helen. As in Helen Keller. For those of you who know Ellie well, you know exactly why! With as much as she has to say at home and around people she knows, this darling girl is very very VERY timid around strangers. She gets this glazed over look in her eyes, becomes totally devoid of any emotion, is nearly completely unresponsive and barely talks to us. And until recently, will absolutely NOT talk to anyone she doesn't know. The good news is, though, after 5 weeks of theatre camp, she has started to talk to a very few...which is way better than it was! So on our little date, I took Briella out to breakfast in hopes that we could have a little chat about how sometimes we DO need to talk to strangers, like when there is an emergency or when you order food at a restaurant! So after our chat, Briella picked out her breakfast and we practiced her talking to the waiter and ordering. Things were going well... until the waiter came. And then there was Helen. Blank stare. Completely unresponsive. So I ordered for her. And I took a deep breath. And we chatted again. This time we talked about using our words to show good manners and appreciation. We practiced saying thank you for when the waiter would bring our food back, and I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer. Well, friends, it worked! It wasn't perfect, there wasn't eye contact, and for a minute I didn't know if there would be any words, either, but Ellie murmered an unmistakable "thank you for my food" to the waiter! She was so proud of herself-- and so was I!

The chocolate milk was worth it!!! Great job, Briella!

After our breakfast victory, Ellie chose feeding the ducks as our activity! It was a lovely day, and I couldn't help but capture the memories!

And one with momma!

What a super fun outing with my super big girl! I'm grateful in so many ways for this darling, and love to see her blossom!

As much as we love this girl just as she is, "Helen" included, it is a joy to help and see her grow and develop the wonderful attributes God blessed her with! One day we won't even be able to remember her over the top shyness in public...and we probably won't even believe that she was ever "Helen" at all!