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Maxwell H. Elliott - Elliott Family News .jpg)
Welcome to Max's Web Page. Mom and Dad have done this to help keep people updated about Max and our family.
Journal
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 1:59 PM CST Wow! A whole year since our last update! I guess we’ve been focused on a few other things….and for us, that’s good!!! (it means we are not focusing on cancer!)
As you can see by the photo, we have increased our family by 1 in 2009. Teddy arrived on April 29th, just after we celebrated Max’s one year off of chemo! We are so blessed!
Life has been crazy, wonderful and still with a few speed bumps (of course, I don’t think we’d know how to function without speed bumps in the Elliott household).
Our family didn’t know how much we needed Teddy in our lives until he arrived…he has brought us all nothing but pure joy! Max was 9 years-old and Abbie was 6 years-old when he was born, thus, a HUGE help. They are absolutely crazy about the little guy, and a WONDERFUL big brother and sister. Teddy will never have a shortage of hugs and kisses in this house. Matt and I are still getting our brains around the fact that we are now a family of five, but we couldn’t be happier!
THE CUTE AND QUIRKY 4th GRADER- Max is a hooooot! He has this strange, 4th grade boy sense of humor these days, and actually laughs at himself all the time. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand just how completely goofy he and his buddies are, but it is very endearing, indeed. He’s always up for throwing a football, playing virtually any video game with expertise, or burying his head in a great book. I think he is finally able to discover what being a “normal’ kid feels like…and he’s enjoying every minute of it. We still have blood draws every other month and lots of physical therapy & follow-up tests, but he seems to be thriving and always has a grin and hug to share. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his excellent grades, and terrific football season (see photo on photo page). He’s currently playing basketball and looks forward to lacrosse and maybe even baseball this spring.
SHE’S A SPITFIRE, AND LOVES IT! – Abbie is thrilled to be a 1st grader and “big kid” at school. She is still a social butterfly and would have “play dates” every day if we’d let her. She is just as happy to play with the boys as with the girls. She has become a hula hoop champion and can wiggle that hoop standing, sitting, running, etc. Abbie’s penchant for arts and crafts is evident around our home with projects decorating every room…she can turn any piece of paper into a fort or bed for one of her stuffed animals in a flash!! Her signature smile has changed a bit this year, and is now a big, toothless grin! Matt loves to tease her by asking her to say “sassafrass” and tickling her! She still brings joy to everything she does and is growing faster than lightening. She loves her brothers with a protective passion and likes to carry Teddy around like one of her dolls. She continued to fuel her passion for soccer this fall and now has decided to play tennis (indoors) for the winter. She loves the social aspect of being involved in sports, and seems to excel despite her motivation for being there!
OUR BIG LITTLE MAN - Teddy is an amazingly happy little boy! He is a chubby little bundle of happiness, and is very content being “along for the ride” wherever the family goes. He is an unbelievable welcome distraction from everything that stresses us - - his little smile melts hearts everywhere we go. Teddy gave us a scare this month being admitted to Columbus Children’s Hospital for four days to treat A-Typical or Incomplete Kawasaki disease (an affliction which affects the blood vessels, specifically those around the heart). He was treated and like a true champ, is on the mend and rebounding quickly. We will have many follow-up appts with the cardiologists for EKGs and echos, but hopefully no long-term consequences. In the meantime, we continue to delight in his squeals and giggles and chubby little smiles!
THE BIG GUY - no, not Santa - - Matt, of course! Matt loves being a dad to three, and doesn’t hesitate to whip out the blackberry to show off pictures of his kids to everyone from the grocery store clerk to the nurse giving him his H1N1 vaccination! He is a very proud papa. He is still burning the candle at both ends working hard for Zimmer Ohio, and coaching Max at football and tagging along to all of Abbie’s Indian Princess outings as Chief Fire Water. He seems to thrive on midwestern suburban family life. Matt’s knees continue to deteriorate, and each Dr. who looks at the x-rays winces at the sight, but all are in agreement, “he’s just too darn young to get a total knee replacements at 40 years old.” Thus, we wait and find other ways to manage the pain, limping, etc. Namely, Matt is on a mission to lose 50 pounds this year, and he is having surgery on December 18th where the surgeon will do a somewhat experimental treatment attempting to grow bone and prolong the life of his natural knees. We are praying for GREAT things!
SHE’s GOT SOME GREY CIRCLES - - Although I knew lack of sleep was part of being a new mom again, I must have blocked it out! (By the way, I have found some great under eye concealer to disguise those weeks of limited sleep.) Actually, having a newborn has been incredible…Teddy is a wonderful baby with the sweetest disposition. One of life’s speed bumps this year resulted in an unexpected surgery the 1st of September to repair torn tendons in my ankle…with 6 weeks of non-weight bearing afterward - - UUUGH! Thank goodness my Mom came out and lived with us and took care of the family during my recovery (along with wonderful other friends and family). I am thankful for the amazing people in my life. As I approach 40 (on Feb 7th, 2010) , I am surprisingly calm…and happy. It’s a good thing, and I look forward to at least 40 more!
The Elliott clan is looking forward to a very UNEVENTFUL holiday season, with low-key plans to simply enjoy family, friends and the reason for the season, Christ’s birth!
As usual, we are thankful for all our blessings and wish peace, love and happiness to everyone this holiday season and throughout 2010!
PLEASE take a moment and click and leave your email and a message on this site!
Check out our album of family photos at http://theelliott5.shutterfly.com/#
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Columbus Nationwide Children's Hospital
Links: http://www.jeffgordonfoundation.org Max's friend
http://rileychildrenshospital.com The people who make Max feel better
http://www.lls.org The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
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