Eli's Journey

Today, hundreds of people arrived at the Little Light House in Tulsa, OK, to see 64 students walk around a small race track. Each student is under the age of 6 and is dealing with an extraordinary situation like our little Elijah. The crowd cheered for the kids as they made their way around the track, the cheered for the staff who helped them accomplish so much, and they cheered themselves for raising the largest fundraising amount the school will receive all year. Big sister Sophia was on-hand to pull Elijah around the track in his big wagon, and you can see he thrived on the attention of the crowd. Rumors were flying that Elijah would walk across the finish line, but no one knew what to expect from our big boy until it happened. Just like the rest of the week, he exceeded those expectations. Take a look! THANK YOU to everyone who shared their prayers and tears with us this week. We'll see you again soon! Love, Dad

It's 10 p.m. central, and Elijah spent the last half-hour speaking quietly and sweetly to me as I held him in my arms, wrapped in a blanket in the dark. At one point, he asked, "Where's Granna?" I reminded him that his grandmother had to go home, but we'd see her again soon. Guess she made an impression. My mom, Anna Ramirez, made the 10-hour drive from Atlanta, GA, to be with Elijah during his historic week in Shreveport. She made everything easier, and she also kept things light and fun. We couldn't have succeeded like we did without her there. Not only did she effortlessly resume her role as one of the only people on the planet who knows how to tube-feed Elijah and mix his formula correctly, she also mastered the updated Eli-Speak in just a few short minutes. With the TV blaring Playhouse Disney and the motorized Thomas engines criss-crossing the hotel room floor, she kept her dignity and her sanity for five long days. Most importantly to everyone reading t...

HOME! Thank you Lord Jesus. We arrived in Sapulpa just in time to greet Grandma and Grandpa Groves at the door. They're staying with us so they can attend Mini-Laps in the morning. Then we ate dinner, came home and WALKED for Momma, Sophia and a big crowd including Grammie and Grandpa Ken. 1. OPENING NIGHT (MORNING): Elijah arrived at Shriners and immediately got to work. Watch him take steps as Leslie does little more than steer the walker from behind. You'll also see him chattering about what he's looking forward to this morning. He was just in such a good mood, until we put him in the walker. We were all as tired as he was. BUT HE DID IT. (He also says hello to all our family members, with a little help from his Dad.) 2. TRANSITIONS: We meet a new friend in the therapy room, we say goodbye to our awesome therapy team, and we say HELLO to Sophia and our very own living room. 3. THE MAIN EVENT: Elijah takes his first steps for Momma and Sophia. Then, we invite some friends...

A special THANK YOU to everyone who followed Elijah this week on Blogspot and Facebook. I know many of you wonder why we spend so much time posting our child's face all over the Internet, and these are the three reasons I always give. First, we want you to PRAY FOR ELI. All we've ever wanted from the legion of Elijah Fans is prayer that he will be happy, pain-free and well cared-for by our medical teams. Second, we want to connect with other families who are dealing with the same ordeals we are. We have learned a lot, but we also have a lot to learn. Third, we want to tell the world about the kindness and generosity of Eli's school, The Little Light House in Tulsa, and Eli's surgical team, The Shriner's Hospital in Shreveport, LA. Please consider a financial gift to either of these fine organizations. Tomorrow is our final day on the road. Be sure to tune in Saturday for footage from Friday, as well as Elijah's amazing appearance at Mini-Laps! 1. WE ARE THE CHAM...

It all comes down to this. You're about to see Elijah move his own feet as he walks across the Shriners play area from start to finish. 1. AMAZING STRETCHES: Eli does some fabulous leg lifts, then says hi to Rose the Dog again. 2. GOING THE DISTANCE (Parts 1 and 2): Time to bring the thunder! Cheer for Eli as you watch these videos. In case you're wondering, Eli and Dad and Granna are exhausted. But we're not giving up! Not when Elijah is "getting it" so well. Can you believe how much he's participating? We'll return to therapy this afternoon for more walking a few more brace adjustments. Dad

Almost an hour of footage tonight! My mother, Anna Ramirez, known to Eli as "Granna," did the filming today, and she decided EVERY moment was worth preserving for posterity. She was right, of course. 1. PLAY TIME: Elijah gets the day started with a puzzle. Super cute. 2. STRETCHES: We have a lot of work to get the tendons on the outside of Elijah's legs limbered up. Right now, whenever he tries to bring his legs together, these tight tendons naturally pull outward and resist him. But we'll get there. Meanwhile, look at what a great attitude he has. 3. DOGS AND STRETCHES: Before we finished our morning stretches, we got a visit from Rose, a rescued puppy who came to the Shriners Hospital to spread some cheer. She had no idea what a great dog owner Elijah already is, and she was in for a treat. Rose would come back later for another visit... 4. ELI'S WALKER: It's all smiles as Elijah works to master his newest walking tool. We are bursting with pride at this poi...

The moment you've all been waiting for: Elijah takes his first steps. Pray for Elijah tonight. He's working harder than Congress this week. Dad

Elijah arrived at the Shriners Hospital and immediately asked to play on the floor. We found a big plastic train, and we made a Lego tunnel for it to go under. Look at those new legs! He's really learned how to move around on them. Drumroll please... THE NEW LEG BRACES! They look great, people. We'll start learning how to walk on them tomorrow. TOMORROW. Elijah was screaming because he didn't want to go back to the room, not because he's being hurt. It wasn't long after I turned off the video recorder that he started laughing and joking around. More video on day two! -- Dad

IN THIS POST: = Upcoming events (Rehab and Videos) = Elijah Stories = Pictures Galore! SHREVEPORT AND MINI-LAPS (Videos all week long!) Next week, Elijah will be in Shreveport for five days. He'll have his splints removed from his legs, and we'll proceed to teach him how to WALK in his first ever set of prosthetic feet. The rehabilitation will be a lot of work, more work than a 3-yr-old should ever be expected to perform, but the rewards are immeasurable. Eli's grandmother Granna will be with us to provide shift relief for the dad and moral support for the boy. Pray for us all week long. And come back to the site EVERY DAY for new video from throughout the week. We'll conclude the week with video from the Mini-Laps event on Saturday morning. Don't forget, it's not too late to donate to Mini-Laps on Eli's behalf: http://littlelighthouse.donordepot.com/civicrm/contribute/pcp/info?reset=1&id=52 STORIES (or, Can your 3-yr-old do this?): I ran across Sabrina,...

Elijah has become comfortable showing his legs off. When I walked in from work and his splints were off he emphatically said "See my new legs!" I, of course, gushed with my approval and love for his new legs. He gleamed with pride. I can only imagine how he is making sense of all this...my legs were fine, but now everyone loves them... Just 10 days and ELi will begin a very important part of this remarkable journey. He will learn to walk. The thought of seeing him walk brightens my spirit to blinding. I know you are all cheering for him just as we are. If you are able, please consider giving to Elijah's Mini Lap to support his amazing school. Be sure to actually list Elijah's name in the "honor or memorial" section so your donation gets credited to his lap. http://littlelighthouse.donordepot.com/civicrm/contribute/pcp/info?reset=1&id=52 . Eli will walk! With love, Melissa

Eli's enjoying his evening playing with Thomas the Train and gang.