School pics of Ellie and of William!

Although we got these a couple of months ago, better late than never (especially when they are this good)...

                                                     Ellie MingYun McCracken 2014-15

                                                     William Scott McCracken 2014-15

January 2015

Sorry I have been terribly negligent in maintaining this blog.  Here are a few pics from Kendra and Steve's visit in October, as well as Christmas in Portland and in Mobile with Scott's family, where we had a great time (the first Christmas with them in over 20 years)...

DISNEYLAND!

Due to some thoughtful and generous people, we were able to combine a trip to a special supporting church in California with a trip to Disneyland for our family.  Although we were not able to get very good photos, we WERE ABLE TO CREATE GREAT MEMORIES!   Ellie especially LOVED the wild and fast rides like Space Mountain, Radiator Springs Raceway, The Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, and others.  WILLIAM LOVED "It's A Small World"!  (just kidding).

                                            Relaxing in Greg and Lori Anderson's pool/spa

Brochure

Someone made a great suggestion about us making a brochure (from Ellie's point of view) for the purpose of introducing herself to people who may not be familiar with her or her needs (like Sunday School teachers, new therapists, etc.).  This is the result:

June and July 2014

Ellie visiting her brother Cody at the camp (Twin Rocks) where is working this summer

Practicing in her head-controlled chair donated by Shriners Hospital

We had a great time at our neighbors' Independence Day cookout!  Their friendly and beautiful dog Khalua kept bringing the ball to Ellie for Ellie to throw.  She loved it!

Updates since January!!!

I have had trouble accessing Ellie's blog since January so here are a smattering of photos and videos taken since then, including her new wheelchair from Shriner's hospital (thanks to a thoughtful and generous family who lost a little girl Ellie's age)...

Ellie's first time in new motorized wheelchair

 

                                             Ellie and Daddy at UCP Family Swim

                                              High school girls helping at UCP family swim

                                             High school girls helping at UCP family swim

                                                                    Uncle Phil Douce

                                                  Team photo, taken at Seaside, Oregon

                                                 Ellie loves her Mommy and...

                                                        ...she loves swimming pools too!

Wheelchair...Janaury 27, 2014...

Walk-About...January 27, 2014

 

 

 

 

  

BIG day--NO pics!!!!

Ellie's teacher usually sends a note home on most days to give a short summary of what and how Ellie did during the day.  Today's note said:  "...she got in the gait trainer today with the physical therapist.  She walked!  For about 25 minutes!..."

WE HAVE NEVER SEEN HER DO THIS BEFORE!  THE PT IN GREECE WAS TELLING US NOT TO EVEN BOTHER WITH THE GAIT TRAINER BECAUSE SHE WASN'T NEAR READY FOR IT.  

We are bummed we were not there to see it or take video BUT SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS PROGRESS and further affirmation about our move back to the States!!!

Thanks, everyone for your continued prayers!

Ellie's Movements

This post is primarily for doctors and therapists who want to get a sense of Ellie's common movement patterns.

A Most Encouraging Day at Shriners Hospital!

Today may have been one of the most, if not THE most, encouraging day regarding Ellie's potential since she came into our life over 6 1/2 years ago!

Among other things, we heard about a girl similar to Ellie who came to Shriners when she was 5.  Today that girl is a woman independently mobile in a wheelchair she controls with her head, she has a job, and is married!  (No promises or guarantees were being made about Ellie, just hope and encouragement).

They put Ellie in a similar chair (unfortunately it wasn't really charged enough to use more than a couple minutes) and she did better than I expected, and seemed to really understand the connection between what she did with her head and the movement of the chair!  They were very encouraged and believe that with a little practice she will do quite well in such a mobility device.

They also gave us a new (used) stander to take home today (see pic below), and they gave us hope about possible communication devices in the future.

We have many more appointments in the next couple of months, but we are really looking forward with expectation that we will see HELP in her progress.  Thank you for your continued prayers on her behalf!

Family in December 2013

We have had a number of guests in December, including our daughter Kendra and her husband Steve, from Scotland (and Steve's sister Becky from New Jersey)!  We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family in our life!
Here are a few pics from the month...