Keep the Beat and Team Linus

I am attaching a slew of pics from the Keep the Beat Walk. It was a success, despite the pouring rain and periodic thunder. We are grateful to have had so many supporters and walkers join Elliott's Entourage! Also, the t-shirt sales were a super success! For those of you that are out of towners, I will be mailing them out this week. Mark is going to deposit donations when he returns to Lubbock and we will make a donation to the It's My Heart Foundation of over 560.00! There are still a few shirt donations coming in and we still have a few shirts remaining to sell, so send in your shirt donation as soon as you can!
Elliott's friend, Linus is having another open heart surgery tomorrow. Please keep Linus and his amazing family in your thoughts and prayers. We are planning to drop off a care package early next week. Hospital stays are not only stressful and viscerally frightening, they are also expensive. If you would like to contribute (gift cards for med center restaurants- Salata, Cliff's, Chipotle, Subway, Starbucks; med center parking tokens; etc), let me know as soon as possible.





















































































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Keep the Beat, and owl-dorable tees

Today, is my wonderful husband's birthday. We love him dearly and miss him terribly. I know it is difficult for him to be away from Elliott and me, as it is difficult for me to be without my best friend and teammate. We are making these sacrifices so that we can provide he best possible life for our family in the future. We repeat that mantra often.

The Keep the Beat walk is less than two weeks away! Yet, we are still far from our rather modest goal. I really appreciate all of the donations, both those made directly via www.ktbwalks.org/team/Elliott as well as those made through the purchase of an Elliott's Entourage t-shirt. Please don't be shy, go on over to www.ktbwalks.org/team/Elliott to sign up and join us for the walk (it's free!) on Saturday, February 18 at 9am at Sam Houston Park (off Allen Parkway)!

We have a few t-shirts that have not been spoke for yet. Yeaterday, i received an email stating that the design included a copyrighted heart design and could not be printed. So, I drew my own mended heart and scanned it in! I received the final proof for printing today. I have to admit, they turned out quite owl-dorable. You are missing out, if you don't nab one!

I also included a couple of pics of our little man sitting all by himself at his Physical Therapy appointment on Tuesday!

Blisters, shirts, and PT update

Poor little E. He had blisters on his sweet head yesterday. So, we have been helmet-less for the last 24 hours. His helmet was revamped today, and we will start the acclimation process from 2 hours on/ 1 hour off again tomorrow. He is such a trooper.

We ordered the shirts for the Keep the Beat Walk today! I will post a picture of the design. We had 71 orders and I ordered 90 to get a better price and have a few on hand in case someone missed out. If you ordered a shirt, please send check or PayPal when you can. Mark and I paid for the shirts up front, so the sooner we can be reimbursed, the better. I have a spreadsheet to keep track of orders and payments. Once we are reimbursed, I will begin making transfers to the It's My Heart Foundation. It is my intention to be certain that each person is recognized for their support. I will email/ text you when your payment is received, your donation has been transferred, and when your shirt is being mailed/delivered (if applicable). I an so excited about the walk! If you are itching to put your walking shoes and come out for a splendid morning stroll, please register here (it's free!) by midnight 2/17:

www.ktbwalks.org/team/Elliott

Remember to choose to join existing team - Elliott's Entourage. i will puck up registration materials, so please select the Lake Woodlands Drive Academy. Also, I should note that there is an official KEEP THE BEAT (KTB) t shirt, it is free with a 25.00 donation. This is completely separate from the Elliott's Entourage t shirt. The EE t shirt was our way of getting more people involved and raising money for the walk. Please don't hesitate to call, text, email, Facebook me with any questions!

Here are the mock ups of the shirts-- there are still a few tweaks before printing... I think they are going to be so awesome!

Physical Therapy. Oh how Elliott detests his exercises. Yet, he loves his physical therapist. She is so good with him. She noted good progress today, so we felt our heartache with making him cry was worthwhile. Again, such a trooper!

Keep the Beat!

If you haven't already heard, the Keep the Beat Walk, benefitting the It's My Heart Foundation, is going to be a blast! We have assembled a fantastic team of friends and family and are seeking more members and donors!

To join our team (the walk is free!) or donate, go to www.ktbwalks.org/teams/Elliott

Also, we are ordering Elliott's Entourage t-shirts. The design can be seen here:

http://www.ooshirts.com/d/48005293

The shirts are 15.00, and nearly 50% of the cost goes to the It's My Heart Foundation. I had planned to place the order tonight, but I missed the window. I will be placing the order tomorrow. If you would like a t-shirt, please comment, text, or email me your size. We are paying for the shirts up front, so we will be taking cash, checks or paypal for payment. Unfortunately, I could not afford to get youth or infant sizes, as there would be little room for donation. I am ordering one for Elliott, and cutting out the design to appliqué on an infant onesie.

Helmet day 2

Helmet Installed.

Elliott had his helmet fitted today. He tolerated it at the orthotist's office. There is a 5 day acclimation process. Today is day 1. One hour on, one hour off. Repeat. The first cycle, he wore it for 40 minutes screaming bloody murder most of the time. I couldn't stomach longer. I am going to have to toughen up. I tried distracting him with all of his favorite activities plus some new ones. There was no consoling my sweet boy. So we took a much needed break. We ate dinner and played and then tried another interval. The second time, he was much more tolerant.