Today would be Ellie's First Birthday

Happy First Birthday to our precious baby girl, Ellie.
There are no words to convey how much we miss you. Many times a day we remember you. And we love you forever.
We know you were on Loan to us from God, even though it is hard to understand why so short of a time. You touched so many people with your journey. With so many challenges you continued to have a great attitude for life...teaching us all we can deal with whatever comes our way in life.
You brought together new friendships in the yorkie community. And you even touched a certain couple named Wendy and Adam Furrow. They so graciously blessed us with sweet Maleah grace. She has been the one constant- helping us cope with grief thru her beautiful yorkie comforting personality. Even in pain- we have been so blessed.
Ellie- I hope some day I can rest in knowing we did everything we could for you. I still ask myself everyday what I could have done differently. I just pray you did not hurt in the end. I am sorry we never saw you in the hospital before you crashed. Just to tell you we loved you one more time. I hope in the end you knew we were there.
I still remember all of the things about you in our lives, as recorded here in this blog. What is still hardest for us is laying down and you not sitting on our necks! Either in cast or out of cast you always propped across our necks and slept, or ate your treats on our neck! We still hear that special little persistent cry you had esp to go outside. We still see you running up and down the hallway. And I still see you playing with your best friend Liza, at home. 
Daycare is so different now. Cooper loves Maleah. And they are getting more used to each other. But you can tell Cooper misses his feisty Ellie. You two were so entertaining together. Cooper was extremely sad when you left Ellie. I wonder if he still isn't looking for you. I am glad Maleah is there to keep him company now...he is just such a puppy- and misses his puppy sissy. 
Since you have left there have been two other AAI puppies on the group that have had surgeries. One almost immediately after you. Both yorkies survived surgery and doing very well. I didn't understand why God chose them- but not you. I just have to turn that over to Him- and slowly the healing has begun. 
Ellie- I am forever going to be involved in the diagnosis of AAI- will forever keep your journey alive. I want people to know how serious this is- identify the signs- learn how to treat it and live with it. It is important to me to keep your name as a memory with AAI battles and also inspirations.
As Cathie Cyr once said to me "Ellie is going to teach you what you didn't know about yourself" - What i didn't know is how you would totally change my life...giving me understanding when mothers of puppies and humans are faced with challenges with their children. I have a new appreciation for mother's with special needs children. It brings something out of us that we will fight for our kids no matter the difficulty. We also champion them on, protect them, defend them, turn our world completely upside down for them. You know we did for you...because you mattered the most to us. May we never forget what you taught us about what is important.
Today I wish you were here to put on a birthday hat- and make you a special cake make of your favorite treats. I wish I could take dozens of birthday photos- and share them with all of my friends. Instead- I have read your entire blog again. I have looked at every photo and video in my archive again. And i have relived our journey together. Today I remember you, I both cry and smile. You were definitely my first yorkie love and you will always be honored by me.
My vision of you now is running and walking freely and with a whole new neck and spine. I hope you have many great fur-friends to play with - and somehow getting lots of hugs, kisses, and belly rubs. 
We love you and we miss you our little shrimpy girl.