This n' That

Oh girls. Accept my apology for my serious lack of communication lately. Things have been busy, and for some reason, my posting motivation has been really low. I have a hundred things to say, both to you and on my personal blog, but regurgitation from head to screen is sometimes overwhelming and unattractive. So, basically, I have no good excuse for my absence. But, I've been reading and loving, I promise!

I'm not really sure there's much to update with Ellie/us. Things have been pretty status quo for Ellie in the mobility department lately (maybe that's one of the reasons I feel unmotivated to post anything). It's, of course, frustrating. But, she's happy, and hopefully honing the skills she HAS learned, so these "down times" aren't completely useless. Right?!

On a positive note, Ellie's speech has been improving daily it seems. She's still well behind for her age, but she seems to add a word every day, and she's copying our sounds a lot better. I love seeing the wheels turn!

I thought of you girls the other night, because I wanted to rush to the computer to vent, knowing you were the only ones who could REALLY understand. Here's what happened:

DH and I help lead our senior high youth group at church. We've been very open with the "kids" as to what's going on with Ellie, and they have really grown to love her. The other night, we had a bonfire at our place for the kids. We also invited the "newbies" who will be freshmen in the fall. Of course, they were new faces to me, and vice versa.

It was time for me to put Ellie to bed, so I was making "the rounds", saying goodnight to all the kids. When I got to a group of new, unfamiliar freshmen, I told Ellie to "say night-night". One of the boys replied to her with, "Good Night, Golden Retriever!"

At first, I thought he was referring to the color of her hair. I thought it was a little odd, but a LOT of odd things seems to come out of the mouths of 14-year-old boys! BUT, the boy continued,

"I once had a Golden Retriever dog who drooled a lot too. She reminds me of that dog."

GULP.

I was so taken aback that I didn't know what to say. The ironic thing is that I had just been thinking that Ellie's drooling was improving! Of course, she ALWAYS drools more when she's tired, because it becomes difficult for her to keep her tongue in her mouth. Since she had already been up two hours past her bedtime, she was REALLY tired by this time. So, yes, she was drooling.

I didn't want to make a scene (and I wasn't sure how to respond to this boy), so I just gave him a disgusted look, and went into the house to put Ellie down. I really *do* think it was just a 14-year-old boy who didn't realize what he was saying. Because he is unfamiliar with us and our family, he didn't realize that there was anything "different" with Ellie. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt...for now.

Of course, it made me think about the future and how many stupid comments Ellie would have to field in her lifetime. SIGH. It makes me want to envelope sweet Ellie in my protective arms forever. It brings tears to my eyes to think of how tough our kids' skin will have to be.

I've also been thinking about my reaction to this comment, and I wish I could go back in time and change it. I wish I would have said something to the boy. Unfortunately, I have a sneaky suspicion that I will have more opportunities to respond to rude comments (from other people) in my lifetime, so hopefully this will prepare me for a good comeback. People need to realize that they can't go shooting off their mouths.

Anyway, this has become a novel! All this to say "hey!" to you girls!!

Chrystie (Ellie 3-15-05, SDCP)