passkids.com » Ella Grace Pass http://www.passkids.com Frank, Robin, Anne Louise, Katy and Ella Grace Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:16:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Ella Grace in Kindergarten http://www.passkids.com/2009/09/11/ella-grace-in-kindergarten/ http://www.passkids.com/2009/09/11/ella-grace-in-kindergarten/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:01:21 +0000 Robin Pass http://www.passkids.com/?p=1113
Ella Grace came to us 4 years ago with no language. She understood Chinese, but had never heard English & didn’t speak at all because of her open cleft palate. She had surgery in Feb of the following year and started speech therapy.

Do you know how much is learned in the first 3 years of life? During those first 3 years, Ella Grace was abandoned, taken in to an orphange, fed the bare minimum…mind you we feel like they did the best they could but there are a lot of babies. In addition, the cleft set up perfect conditions for recurring ear infections that were probably never treated. Her first hearing tests indicated mild to moderate hearing loss due to obstructions.

Last week, she picked up a list of color words and READ them. I had no idea she could do that. This made me tear up. I smiled and told her how very proud I am of her. She’ll be reading before the end of this year. She has come so far.

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2009/09/11/ella-grace-in-kindergarten/feed/ 0 Ella Grace’s 6th Birthday Party http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/ella-graces-6th-birthday-party/ http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/ella-graces-6th-birthday-party/#comments Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:19:02 +0000 Robin Pass http://www.passkids.com/?p=643 Ella Grace went Pinkalicious for her 6th. Her fave book from Grandonna’s house provided the theme but Heidi Murphy provided the decor. Wow…what WOULD I have done without all that STUFF she had! Family and friends, cake and ice cream…and presents! This bike game she’s playing has been the HIT. Its the first thing she asks to do when she wakes up.

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/ella-graces-6th-birthday-party/feed/ 1 Katy Bell and Christmas Pageants http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/katy-bell/ http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/katy-bell/#comments Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:10:30 +0000 Robin Pass http://www.passkids.com/?p=611 We had an abundance of pagentry to attend this Christmas season! Katy sang with the Eaglaires in the Christmas pageant at school and then played a “jingleless bell” in the church children’s performance. This was an auditioned part and Katy had a solo and lines. She was very proud, as were her parents, grandparents, great-grandmother and friends all shown here in attendance. Ella Grace’s part of the program with the k/1st grade choir was really cute as well.

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2009/01/31/katy-bell/feed/ 0 Faith Radio Interview-AWAA Seminar http://www.passkids.com/2008/10/22/faith-radio-interview-awaa-seminar/ http://www.passkids.com/2008/10/22/faith-radio-interview-awaa-seminar/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:37:07 +0000 Jason Wohlford http://www.passkids.com/?p=540 Faith Radio Interview-AWAA Seminar

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2008/10/22/faith-radio-interview-awaa-seminar/feed/ 0 August 22, Gotcha Day-THREE years! http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/gotcha-day-three-years/ http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/gotcha-day-three-years/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:26:36 +0000 Robin Pass http://www.passkids.com/?p=508 ]]> http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/gotcha-day-three-years/feed/ 0 Kindergarten http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/kindergarten/ http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/kindergarten/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:23:30 +0000 Robin Pass http://www.passkids.com/?p=503 ]]> http://www.passkids.com/2008/09/02/kindergarten/feed/ 0 Ella Grace is 5! http://www.passkids.com/2007/12/19/ella-grace-is-5/ http://www.passkids.com/2007/12/19/ella-grace-is-5/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:51:12 +0000 Robin Pass http://passkids.com/2007/12/19/ella-grace-is-5/ That girl knows what it is to have a birthday party now! She had such fun with friends and family at a party last week at home. lala.jpg

Please see pics at passkids.com/gallery

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2007/12/19/ella-grace-is-5/feed/ 0 Happy Ella! http://www.passkids.com/2007/01/06/happy-ella/ http://www.passkids.com/2007/01/06/happy-ella/#comments Sat, 06 Jan 2007 09:42:41 +0000 Robin Pass http://passkids.com/2007/01/06/happy-ella/ On December 16, we celebrated what Ella Grace called “Happy Ella!” She turned 4, but this was her first real birthday party and all her favorite people were there. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon at our house and she had a wonderful time. You can see lots of pics at our Gallery.

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2007/01/06/happy-ella/feed/ 2 Little Pumpkin at the Patch with Grandonna http://www.passkids.com/2006/10/10/little-pumpkin-at-the-patch-with-grandonna/ http://www.passkids.com/2006/10/10/little-pumpkin-at-the-patch-with-grandonna/#comments Tue, 10 Oct 2006 14:40:18 +0000 Robin Pass http://passkids.com/2006/10/10/little-pumpkin-at-the-patch-with-grandonna/

Grandonna escorted Ella Grace on her very first school field trip!

A couple of dolls…

Gotta find just the right one!

…and it’s always important to have good sun protection.

]]> http://www.passkids.com/2006/10/10/little-pumpkin-at-the-patch-with-grandonna/feed/ 3 First Anniversary of “Gotcha Day” http://www.passkids.com/2006/08/23/first-anniversary-of-gotcha-day/ http://www.passkids.com/2006/08/23/first-anniversary-of-gotcha-day/#comments Wed, 23 Aug 2006 10:15:07 +0000 Robin Pass http://passkids.com/2006/08/23/first-anniversary-of-gotcha-day/ It was one year ago on Hainan Island in the South China Sea that Frank and I waited for a timid little girl in the Social Welfare Office. When she walked in, all I wanted was to grab her and hold her and tell her she was safe and I would always take care of her. But she was TERRIFIED. She wouldn’t let me touch her. I bribed her to come close to me with strawberry starburst. She fell for that for a minute, but then got wise. The ladies who brought her reminded her of the pictures they had been showing her of us, told her that I was her mommy, but what good did that do? She didn’t know what a mommy was anyway. I sang songs, talked sweetly and prayed earnestly for the next 30 minutes or so. In the end, they just had to go and leave me with my daughter-who yelled and screamed and cried and even tried to hit me. She finally allowed Frank to hold her in the cab on the way back to the hotel. With the new found calm I seized the opportunity to get close and stepped into the hotel bathtub fully clothed to bathe her and play in the water with her. It worked! Frank eased out and fell asleep-it was an exhausting day. For the next hour, my tiny Yuan Yuan/Ella Grace sat with me in the hotel room and played with my rings, wondered at the sticker that came off the baby powder bottle, and tried cheerios. She didn’t smile, she didn’t make a sound.

She didn’t know what had happened to her that day. She had no idea she had sisters. Her grandparents all waited for word, she didn’t even know they were there. She knew herself as Yuan Yuan-no last name, no parents. But that’s not who she was-she was Ella Grace all along, we just hadn’t gotten to her yet.
Today, she knows. Look…

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