What happened 6 years ago today?

Elliott Richard turned 6 years old this morning. I know that many of you are new to my blog so I thought I would introduce you to Elliott and share with you something about him. 🙂

Elliott Richard (ER) is our 6 year old miracle child. He survived a VERY complicated pregnancy and was born premature, 6 years ago today. Shortly after birth his left lung burst followed by his right lung. He then battled pneumonia. It was honestly the most helpless I have ever felt in my life. We were told to prepare for the “worst”, At one point he was almost life flighted to the Cleveland Clinic. He spent about 2 weeks in the NICU but fought through it and came out the other side. He is now, ironically, the healthiest of all the kids. Elliott Richard is extremely advanced for his age.

He loves animals and anything his big brother Gavin likes. He likes playing his Nintendo 3DS and drawing in bed. He is a gentle soul and a very sweet and compassionate little boy. He struggles with anxiety and may have a touch of ADHD as well. Elliott Richard went through the Akron Children’s Hospital Autism Clinic in order for us to become more “Autism Aware” of him. We got a better idea of what makes him tick and how we can help him with his struggles. Elliott Richard is a “big little” brother. Meaning he is a big brother to both Emmett John and Gavin.

He was diagnosed as having Aspergers and is on the very high end of the spectrum. Elliott Richard is our “lady killing” social butterfly. He is in kindergarten this year and is doing very well. We are struggling with anxiety issues but academically he’s doing great.

He is always looking out for his brothers but takes a lot of abuse physically from Gavin and physically from Emmett John. We do everything in our power to help Elliott Richard along his journey and we are truly BLESSED to have him in our lives.

This video is a something I put together 5 years ago to celebrate Elliott making it to the 1 year mark. This was a tribute to the NICU that saved his life. I cry every single time……still. It often helps me keep perspective. I have made it a point to share this on his birthday every year. I reminds me just how preciously fragile life can be….

[youtube width=”720″ height=”480″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SAtOEsH87Y[/youtube]