The 90 Second Achievement

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I am proud to announce that Mr. Elijah Ramirez successfully sat on his own for 90 seconds. I know, I know, 90 seconds doesn’t seem like very long, but for Elijah it is a huge accomplishment showing his bright future.

Elijah has many obstacles to overcome in a successful sitting experience as his legs are so short he has to really concentrate on balancing. I am SO proud...if that wasn’t obvious.

We are working diligently on getting him to eat by mouth. He still struggles with this, but we’ve come a long way because he doesn’t gag anymore, he just spits it out of his mouth in disinterest. We’re trying to introduce new textures and tastes to find the combination that will tempt his taste buds. He is exactly 12.93 pounds and if you were to ask my dear husband he’d probably go ahead and round that up to 13. Elijah had originally reached the 13 pound mark right before his skull surgery in January. We are just thrilled to be back!

We are still on track for Elijah’s next surgery to be in Shreveport early September to centralize one or both wrists. This will give Elijah greater control of his hands.

Elijah loves toys. He loves to explore something new that is just his size. Elijah also has some favorite words: go, daddy (of course), Sophia, upstairs and outside. He flares with joy when he hears his favorite words.

Elijah’s Sooner Start team (Oklahoma’s early intervention program) is searching for a mobility solution for Elijah to give him some freedom. I see it in his eyes – he wants to go! We are excited about the possibility. I’ll keep you posted on this front.

David and I are exploring the idea of taking Sophia on another vacation before Elijah is old enough to really despise the idea of being left behind. David and I truly cherish our time with Sophia and know it is very important as we near a season of surgeries for our precious son.

Please keep praying for Elijah!

  • Pray we keep getting great reports on the vision and hearing fronts.
    Pray that Elijah’s elbows will reach full extension (he’s made progress since my last request for prayer here).
  • Pray that Elijah’s arms and legs will grow.
  • Pray that Elijah will grow in weight and height.
  • Pray that Elijah will begin to communicate with us more fully.
  • Pray for Elijah a mobility solution both short term and long term.
  • Pray for Elijah's development catch up.
  • Pray for Elijah’s bright future!

With love and great appreciation,
Melissa Ramirez
melramirez22@yahoo.com

Comments

Stacie said…
Wonderful news!!! What a trooper that little guy is!

Stacie
July 14, 2008 at 2:22 AM
Amberghini said…
Big boy! I'm so proud! I got some good lovin' from his big sis today at VBS! Can't wait till tomorrow!
July 14, 2008 at 6:03 PM
Diane Davies said…
Woo hoo - way to go Elijah! I just read about the new support group you are involved in "Extraodinary Connections". I think that is so exciting.
July 15, 2008 at 8:20 PM
Emily said…
A gift....that's what I call it. I couldn't wait to get back to tell Ellen that I saw Eli sit...it's such an accomplishment...and it just made me cry..and it makes me cry thinking about it! I am SO proud of him. I don't know what I'm going to do when he turns 3.

I want to get a picture of him sitting next..... I might have to come visit and bring my camera with me!
July 16, 2008 at 9:44 AM
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