I am just me..... e

Dear Mr Typepad....

It has been 8 days since my last post. *sounding a bit like an AA meeting for the blog addicted!*

Where is the time going. Since I last chat Kaitlyn has completed NCEA Maths, Spanish & English and Wednesday is the last exam...Science. I have eaten as much chocolate in sympathy as I can *and the hips know it* and she is pretty calm.

Joel is loving his new bike that we got from the boot sale....check this out. (sadly taken on my phone as my beloved camera is still not home....grrr* Oh aint he a doll. He really has been a diferent kiddie. The last 4 nights he has slept straight through without a break and we are just so happy. The retraining was a huge success although at the time it feels like torture. He is even getting that belly back faster and faster each day so back to huge in no time....

What else. Oh I have been scrapping a layout for a lovely chickie in Aussie by the name of Lisa Johnston. Sorry to out you Lisa...lol. Lisa won this a charity auction raising money for breast cancer and everyone knows I will do whatever I can to help these events. So finally *man I have been slow finishing with all that has been happening* I have her layout all but done. I have shared a very bad cellphone pic with her and once she has had a good look I will load. I actually enjoy doing layouts for others. There doesn't seem to be the huge personal pressure I put on myself. Anyhow....I hope she loves it as I have loved creating it.

I did a little minibook recently also. Finishing touches on that and then a share fest.

Camera blues. Yup....that is what I have. My beloved digi cam spat the dummy, threw the toys from the cot, died, ....well you get the picture *pardon the pun*. It kept giving me these funny errors which no-one could explain and then just shutting off. So off to Noel Leemings I went with my 5 yr warranty....thank goodness I did. It got sent away and they have only just (after being without my baby for 2 weeks already) informed me that the camera is at the repairer in AK and won't be even looked at for at least 2 weeks. Then if it needs parts it would be another 2 weeks waiting for them....well that is Xmas.....I am so lost! Nikita had her dance concert in the Richmond Town Hall last night and no pics....grrrrr.....Joel is growing fast and happy to stand for pics, and no camera....grrrr. I am lost! Almost tempted to go get one of the new ones from Noel Leemings and sell the old one when it is back.....dam I am lost without it!

Got a fabulous weekend coming....time spent with friends....ahhhh can't wait. Loving the new BG, Grungeboard, and bo bunny word books.......just need to get hands on all of the above.

ok....I am not sure I have more interesting stuff but hey....I am here and feeling dangerous * can you hear it?*

Hugs

e

My baby girl......then and now

How did that happen....cute little primary school girl and now big tough highschooler......wow....where does the time go? Good luck chick....you will be fine. Love yah.

Mum

Only happy thoughts.....

I have realised something. The last few posts have not only been sad but they are slowly getting very depressing to read so for today....we are only happy updates.

Fabulous weekend here even if I couldn't go play at CC with all the cool kids. Have had loads of times in the UV light with the kids, kicking the balls and just playing and laughing....we needed it.

We went to the great Brightwater Playcenter Boot Sale and what a great time. It was amazing. The stuff there was incredible. We came away with one of those little trikes with the tray and the parent handle on the back....Oh my it is divine. I loved it and we got home and Joel loves it too! It even has a bell! I will post pics of it when my camera comes home *** ah yes....the camera dies, but thank goodness for 5 year warranty I purchased....yay me***

Fiskars rocks. Thanks to this wonderful crew *you know who you are* who sorted my fiskars woes....MWAH! I love fiskars

Kaitlyn starts NCEA exams on Tuesday!!!! ARGH! I am nervous! I am just so needing to study right now....maybe this is why I can't scrap! It is like the biggest year of her education so far....10 years has culminated to this one week.....GOD GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO NOT EAT EVERY CHOCLATE BAR I SEE IN SYMPATHY FOR HER....PLEEEEASE*

My husband is my hero. He has been a tower of strength and has let me lean on him. I love you babe. Yes mushy but hey.....we have not had enough time to stop and thank eachother. This man is amazing.

Joels new toy is a phillips light projector. Yes partly designed to creat a distraction for him in the wee hours while we are re-training the nights but hey....you do what you have to right. This little gadget is cool! pics to come when camera home.

Nikita and Liam are awesome. They have been very tolerant of the grumpy mummy and daddy that have inhabited their house, and so having some fun this weekend was way way over-due. Nikita is temporarily displaced from her room as she shares with Joel, and is the best thing while he is getting a does of tough love *which really is just torture for us but has to be done*

No complaints. We are smiling. Starting to feel like we can turn a corner. Joel is eating anything and everything that moves, and even has a little belly starting to appear again. Yay!

Thanks for all of the amazing messages we have recieved. Your posts and emails are such a great dose of medicine for us.

Ok....late....must sleep. hugs all, and I hope all you who attended CC 07 had a blast! sHARE SOME PICS HUH!

e

(another gloomy update)

After we knew he had contracted a rather nasty virus from his time at the hospital....poor little Joel goes fro bad to worse. He started vomitting and worse at the other end, and has wasted away over the last week since posting.

It has been the most devastating thing to watch. He has nibbled food this morning and has not been sick for a little while now (some 10 hours or so) so finger crossed we are over the hump. He has lost well over 1.5kg (lucky he had it to start with right. The lab called yesterday to warn me of the results of some tests we did....he has contracted the Rota Virus. Funnily enough this is the virus closing wards to visitors and making people very very unwell. Not the sort of thing you think you would get from visiting the hospital...DAMMIT i SHOULD HAVE GONE PRIVATE. It is contracted my fecal matter. Lack of hand washing basically and contamitating anything from toys to handles to any dam thing......grrrrr.....so annoyed.

Anyhow....we are trying to stay upbeat. Just trying to take care of Joel. Poor kids needs a break so if you find one......flick it our way.

Follow-up with the ENT on the 23rd to find out if we have 2 grommets or not ( a whole other story....one Dr we saw this week reckons they are both present and accounted for....don't even start me on this one)

ok.....phew....I need a holiday. save hugs cause we might need a whole pile of them all at once to build us up after this last 2 weeks.

e

{another update with no good stuff}

Do you ever get the feeling that there is a message in all that we experience? I am suddenly wondering for us what it is. I mean watching your child who is obviously in a substanitial amount of pain...where is the lesson in that?

So....I felt something was not right after Joel's ear started to ooze on Sun. It was quite weepy but you know what he was awesome. Happiest we have seen him. Slept right through Sund, Mond night, but as a precaution I shot him through to the dr to have a quick check. It had been nearly 2 weeks since the op and I thought it would pay before we start letting the area get wet etc. This was to be one of the darest visits I have had. As I was saying 'o at least the grommet is doing its job'(while the dr is looking in his left ea'r)....the comes back with...'actually it is more serious than that.....this gromet is actually blown out. All that is left is the surgical hole in the ear drum and it is quite a sizeable one ' he says......I thought I was hearing things. Blown out? How? Why? This explained the leakage and the sudden change in temperament, but why? I was so annoyed and upset. After all we put him through.....to fall out after 1.5 weeks.....argh.

Specialist says that due to the virus he contracted soon after the op, the congestion that gathered behind the grommet put too much pressure on a raw wound and just blew it out....gggggrrr. So where to from here. Well the specialist says we have to use the antibug drops to clear any infection and let the hole mend. Then we wait and see (which I am less optimistic about) wether he contracts another infection (of course he will....man I am so negative but this has been a reality) and if he does they re-do that ear.

someone pinch awake from this. I know I sound like a right moaner but it has ben the longest 11 mths since the first infection. We have had 12 treated infections since June leading up to the op, and now this. Today......of course there is more.....he is poking and pulling at the right ear and now we are worried something is not right with that one. His sleep last night and the previous was broken again.....what do you do? When you feel like you have done all you can do. I will probably end up getting very very annoyed with a GP or Specialist soon and loosing my rag, and maybe then we will know what to do to make life better for him. Imagine living with this pain for this long...it breaks my heart.

ok....all gloom from me sorry.

Hope your worlds are better.

e