Freedom!!

When we let the dog off of the leash we yell, "Freeeeedoooom!" as she runs down the street to our house. That's what I felt like yelling today when the doctor told us we can start weaning out of the harness!! We start with two hours of freedom a day and increase that time by two hours each week until we get to 12 hours a day. She will have another ultrasound done in 6 weeks, and hopefully then she'll just have to wear it at night for a while. Her right hip has improved from 40% coverage to 65%, and her left hip improved from 30% to 55%. That is great improvement and it's right on track for what the doctor expected to see at 6 weeks. Normal is between 65 and 70%, so we aren't far from normal at this point. We also got a brand new harness because when he adjusted the old one he decided we needed a bigger one. It's amazing to think the old one was ever as sparkling white as this one. :) We'll start dirtying it up right away, though I will leave the socks in this one for a while since the weather will start getting cooler soon. Oh, and in case you are wondering, I did keep the old one for posterity. It's in her keep box (that's the box of randomness that I'll be keeping all her life). I'm so excited because bath time is back!

We had a bridal shower at our house yesterday for a friend of ours, and Ella was so good. I had been telling her all weekend that we were having a girl party (or a panty party, as Dave calls it), and she was taking it all in. She sat in her chair in the kitchen and watched and watched as we all buzzed around her getting ready and then cleaning up afterward. She did great with a house full of strange women in her face, cooing over her. Here are some pictures of the occasion.In this one she looks like she wants to eat my cake. She did watch in wonderment while I iced it on Saturday.