The Wonderfully Made Life : A Few of My Favorite Things

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Ellie Kate! Today, we will celebrate Ellie's birthday - that precious day that she was born. Because of your generosity, we will head up to OU Children's this afternoon and hand-deliver gifts to children who are currently inpatient. We will end the day with a little family party at home, where we will talk about all of our favorite things about Miss EKM.

I've found myself quite grief-sick as of late, and today it felt hard to even move. It truly is a grief that hurts deep into your bones. I'm so grateful that my parents live close by. After taking the kids to school today, I headed over there and my emotions overcame me. I sat in bed with my Momma as she held me while I cried. It was a sweet time. So many hard things running through my head . . . but my mom encouraged me to stop thinking about all of those hard, messy things and to start thinking on the good things.

So tonight, I'm going to focus on the precious, fun, happy, memorable, heart-warming things about My Daughter, and I want to share these things with you (warning: there WILL be a lot of pictures!). These Are a Few of My Favorite Things . . .

Ellie Kate loved the hospital. Now, she may not have liked all that took place there, but she loved going there. She spent so much time at the hospital and it truly was her second home. She would smile when we rolled into her room after being admitted. She really liked being there and that made our many frequent and lengthy stays so much easier!
At the hospital, EK loved having her hair washed in the silly little hospital caps. They are warm and cozy, and she would keep them on her head as long we would let her.
When I saw Ellie Kate for the first time, I fell in love. She looked like me! Her hair and skin were dark. I didn't ever let her go to the nursery at the hospital but instead, kept her in my arms the entire time. I was thrilled to have a little daughter!
As we know, Ellie was a fiery little girl and when she was six weeks old, she extubated herself, literally pulling the ventilator out of her mouth, on her own!
Ellie was so strong. It would take several nurses to hold her down for a procedure. If she tackled or kicked you, you were in trouble!
Ellie LOVED to dance - whether at church, in the car or at school. Anytime there was music, she was dancing - and on beat, I might add.
Ellie Kate was a ballerina. She danced in a recital at her school, and she was so proud of herself. They had costume changes and everything! I loved being able to pack up her little tights, leotards, ballet slippers, and tap shoes. It was a precious thing for me and for her.
She was a Daddy's girl. From the beginning, EK favored her Daddy. It was Mike who could put her to sleep, not me. She loved to be held by Daddy, to wrestle with him, to be rocked by him. They were pals. Ellie adored her Daddy.
Ellie loved other kids. She didn't know she was different, and I'm so grateful for that. Ellie just felt like a part of the group wherever she went. And when others included her, that was even better!
Ellie's infectious laugh would make us giggle until we cried. Her deep giggles would light up a room. And though they may not have happened often, her giggles always brought joy to everyone around her.
Big stuffed animals were Ellie's favorite toys. She would wrestle them, kick them and cuddle them, sometimes until the stuffing started coming out! We still have all of those big animals and they stay on top of the boys bunk beds, with easy access to us all.
When she was younger, Ellie Kate hated baths. Because of sensory issues, the water literally hurt her and we would rush through bath time as fast as possible. The older Ellie got, the more she like water. Her last summer on earth, we spent many afternoons at the public pool where Ellie would spend time splashing in the water. She would sit on the edge of the pool, with her cute swimsuit and sunglasses, and she looked just like a typical little girl. It brought joy to my heart to see Ellie Kate move so freely in the water.
Even though she didn't always like her therapies, she always worked hard. Whether it was PT, OT or speech, Ellie Kate let us push her to the limit, and sometimes beyond. She was a tough cookie and was in therapy from age 6 months to 7 years!
Ellie adored Conner. She flirted with him and would sit and listen to every word that he would say. She absolutely loved being with him all of the time.
When Henry was born, Ellie Kate wouldn't even look at him. This was a purposeful thing. EK was jealous of the new baby, and it took a good week before she would look at Henry and let us help her hold him.
Having a baby sister made Ellie so happy! She LOVED Lucy so much, even when she was crying. When Lucy was still in the bassinet in our room, EK would hop-hop over to her many times a day. When I was breastfeeding or holding Lucy in my bed, Ellie would hop to my side and pull on the covers. Her first purposeful kiss was to her little sister, and I cannot wait to see them play and love on each other in Heaven!
Ellie really liked animals. She loved our dog Jack, and my parents dogs and Mike's parent's dogs. We would take her to see and pet horses, which she absolutely loved. She acted very peaceful around animals. I think she was a farmer-girl at heart, like her Aunt DeDe and her Grammie.
My Mom has made up special songs for the girls, and she would sing Ellie's song many times to her over the years. Ellie found so much comfort in that little song. She was proud when she heard it. She got excited when the rest of the family would join in or sing it out at random times.
Every time Mike got home from work, Ellie would hop-hop over to him. I told you - she adored her daddy!
Whenever a guest would leave, Ellie Kate would hop them out the door, instead of walking them out the door. It was the sweetest thing. She had the gift of hospitality! She even hopped out her special teachers and therapists who visited her the few days before she passed away.
Ellie would de-pant people quite often and would follow that with her little grin and her deep giggle. This would usually happen in the kitchen, where she loved to hang out. She knew a lot of things went on in there and that people like to be in there together. She loved the kitchen and pulling down those pants!!
"Ellie the Explorer" should have been one of her nick-names, as EK loved to move around the house, checking things out all on her own. I found her in my closet many times, as well as in my shower. She would also often go into the boys room as if she was looking for them. When they weren't home, she would sit and hang out in their room for a while. She was such an independent little spirit!
Our Sweet Girl was so feminine, crossing her legs all the time. She loved her hair bows and loved dressing up. But she could also wrestle with the best of them!

Oh, I could go on forever! And how happy my weary heart is in thinking of all of these precious things. Thank you, Father for the gift of Ellie Kate. Thank you for letting me be her mother - I am so unworthy, God. Thank you for opening up my heart and mind to the happy things, the good memories of Ellie Kate, even during this hard time. You are so good, and you DO turn beauty into ashes. I trust you to continue to do these things in our hearts, minds and bodies, Father-God. Please give Ellie Kate a kiss from her Mommy, Lord. And will you remind her how much I love her and how glad I am that she was born to me?

Ryan