July Flies By...

Eli got to wear a band-aid for the first time.  (Well, for the first time that it wasn't because his blood was drawn or shots were given!)  He scratched his heal with his toenail.  His little legs never stop....and he's sock-less most of the summer...so it was bound to happen, I guess.
He wore it all of 10 minutes before it fell off because he's such a wild man...but you know me!  I had to take pictures!

We went for a family picnic up the Yakima River Canyon - and Eli took a nap amongst nature:

Then we went to the Yakima Folklife Festival.  It was HOT!  We tried shading Eli with his stroller, and were wiping him down with wet wipes, but he got a little overheated so we left.

We visited the Yakama Nation Museum in Toppenish:

I went on an overnight camping trip with my girlfriends from work.

Eli saw his GI doc in Seattle to discuss feeding issues.  His formula change over is NOT going well.  The manufacturer of Neocate One+ decided to quit making it!  Eli is not tolerating anything else well.  Doc came up with a plan....we'll see how it goes.  Here is Eli hanging out while we eat lunch at the hospital cafeteria:

Then, we visited the Central Washington Agricultural Museum in Union Gap.  We rode on a large wagon pulled by a tractor and got a guided tour of the place:

I had a Pampered Chef party on the last Friday in July

...and have decided to become a consultant in September!

The next day, I had a yard sale with a friend.  Exhausting!

Then, on Sunday evening we hosted a BBQ for our Life Group from church...

and they played a game of Wiffle Ball:

And one day while driving to town, Eli was in a very awesome mood!

Man, I LOVE this kid...and his laugh!  :)

Beyond Blessed

Tonight I am feeling so blessed.  Great things have been happening for me and Eli, and I don't want it to go by without thanking God for His amazing gifts.

Because of the book Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day....and the fact that we are cartoon characters in it....we have been blessed with a little local publicity.   Our newspaper did a phone interview and printed an article about it.  A local TV station came to our house and did a feature piece on us. It was so cool!  (You can watch the video here)

My heart's desire has always been to have Eli known by others.  And it's happening for us and I couldn't be more excited!  He's been the cover boy for our local Playdate magazine.  I wrote an article for Playdate, also, telling Eli's story.  In two weeks, I'll be the guest speaker at a MOPS meeting, sharing our story with others and trying to give hope to moms who may feel overwhelmed, isolated, or exhausted.

Raising Eli has had it's fair share of challenges, that's for sure.  But, being his mom and seeing what a happy child he is, even though he has so many challenges, has been the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.  I can't believe some of the amazing moms of special needs kids I've met along the way.  Moms who inspire me, educate me, listen to me, and simply "get" me!

The last two years with Eli have been the best so far.  We've finally figured his feedings out....and he's actually weighing in at 25 lbs!  There was a time I thought he was withering away before our eyes!  He is so easy to take places.  He's tolerant and content.  He loves looking around and absorbing the world, all the while cracking up as Elmo plays on his iPod.

I can't imagine life without Eli's laugh in it!  Here's a little glimpse into my world....my favorite sounds: 

Eli's chatter and his laughter.

(He's learned to squeal like a little pig!  It's adorable to us.)

This is Eli having a very good time:

To all my new readers....WELCOME!  

To all the rest of you....Thank You for continuing to come back!

I have big plans for my blog....so stay tuned...  :)

Rocket Man

Eli's been a little off lately.  He's not loving much of his music....and not laughing much.  This makes us sad.  We feel his laughter lets us know all is right in his world.

He seems a little less excited about his Bronco riding this summer.......until yesterday!

He had a blast!  Check out our little Rocket Man:

It's a short video because I had to go stop him from running into the fence.  :)

(Disclaimer:  video is best viewed with your sound OFF!)

Eli's Elusive Laugh - VIDEO

I FINALLY GOT IT ON VIDEO!!!!!

It's my absolute favorite sound in the whole wide world!

(The ocean has been moved to second place.)

VIDEO - Eli's Bronco Ridin'

Finally got myself an account at Vimeo and uploaded some video.  Watch out!  I might overload you!  LOL!

Here is a video of Eli riding his Bronco.  He's practically "running" in it these days! :)

Eli's Bronco Run from Amy Berkheimer on Vimeo.


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Here is more Bronco riding....and lots of laughter!  The "song of the day" was Polly Wolly Doodle!

Eli loves to Bronco Ride from Amy Berkheimer on Vimeo.

Tool Time with Eli

"Stop! Hammer time!"

Christmas is a weird time of year for us. Eli doesn't understand the concept of "holidays" and "presents" - so there are no stories of Santa around here.
If Eli needs something we buy it for him. Pretty simple.

I went Christmas shopping for him the other day....because Toys R Us had an awesome sale. I knew I wanted to get my THREE YEAR OLD BOY a toolbox for Christmas. It was on sale for $4.99 on Wednesday only.

Well, when I got to looking at what they had...there was a step stool workbench - which is just what I wanted! You see, all the big boy workbenches are for kids to stand at...which just wouldn't work well for Eli. He needs to be able to sit on the floor in my lap to play.

When I saw this I just had to have it! And of course I COULDN'T wait for Christmas to give it to him! So, on what would have been his Grandma Twila's 66th Birthday - we played with his new toys! We spent about 10 minutes playing. It was getting close to bedtime, and when he's sleepy he's usually pretty easy going....


Checking out the vice......


...holding a T-Square!

Eli is doing really well holding onto objects for extended periods of time.
The day after these pics were taken, we were playing and he held his wrench for almost 4 minutes! 4 minutes people! This is HUGE in our world! It's very big acheivement for him. :)
His teachers and therapist will be so proud when I get to brag to them! It's actually one of his goals at preschool! :)



Hmm...what tool shall I reach for next?

How about a saw!

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....and finallly - it was just too much work to keep going....
how does Bob the Builder do it? LOL!

My boy was down for the count! Nigh' Night...Sweet Dreams my baby bug...

Horse Therapy!

We are very lucky to have a horse therapy program here in Yakima. The Tumbleweed Ranch and Pegasus Project provide "Hippotherapy" for children with special needs. And riding therapy for older kids.

Cowboy Eli did GREAT! His body was so relaxed on Tumbleweed, the POA seen in the picture. Karla, his PT is in white. The other two work at the Ranch or are volunteers. He rode side saddle, laying on his back, laying on his tummy, and sitting up!

The greatest part of all, is when we got him home....he was in such a good mood! He just laughed and laughed and laughed for about an hour. Lonnie and I were beside ourselves.....with JOY! He was such a hoot. We are very thankful for this experience, and cannot wait to see him next time. The session lasts 8 weeks....so, you'll see a lot on the blog in weeks to come.

Riding Side Saddle

More video..... :-)~

Eli slept so well last night! AND he slept in this morning!

Woo Hoo!!!!

VIDEO - Playtime in the Pool

Eli and Laura were playing with a ball. It was fun to watch!

VIDEO - Swimming w/ Laura

Eli does so well in the heated therapy pool at Children's Village. Someday, we hope to have one at home for him.

As you can see in this video, his body is really relaxed. Laura is able to get great stretches out of him, and also movements that he doesn't make "on land". Like here, swaying side to side. That stretches his sides by lengthening them. Good stuff!

More Bronco Riding!

HE JUST GETS BETTER & FASTER!

Bronco Riding

(video taken today)

Eli has learned to move in his Bronco! If we put him in the dining room on the hardwood floors.

He LOVES it! Freedom found!

Now Lonnie wants to tear up the rest of the carpet in the living room to expose the hardwood underneath.....so Eli has more room to cruise...