Busy Bees

Sorry for the lack of cute photos recently - hopefully this one makes up for it!

Anna has stayed out of hospital for a couple of weeks and we took the opportunity to go away and celebrate Andy's 40th birthday in London. Many thanks to Katie for hosting us and making Andy's birthday do possible; to Ally and Howie for their hospitality and, last but not least, to Howard and La Smackie for making it to the do and putting a big smile on Andy's face.

Honourable mentions go to my brother who saved our bacon when our car broke down as we were leaving for London and Andy's sister Alison who gave us a lovely lunch on the way back up the country and also bought Andy a fab watch!

The latest health update on Anna is that the daily, 'continuous' antibiotics plus the steroid inhaler she's on seem to be doing the trick. We're starting to relax slightly...

Janie
x

A First for Ella and Andy

Ella went on the rollercoaster at Metroland today. Andy had never been on one before either and they both had a great time. It's a proper full on ride, so I was very impressed by Ella's bravery. You wouldn't get me on a rollercoaster - it's my idea of hell!

We've had a fabulous weekend. Yesterday we went to a lunchtime World Cup party with Vicky, Al, Ed and Sheena plus kids and got home at 9pm. The day was pretty idyllic with perfect weather, lots of splashing in the pool for the kids and a game of cricket and some chilled drinks for the grown ups.

Today, we went to welcome Verity - Maxine and Ray's new baby - to the world and Ella has also had a another session going down the garden slide into the paddling pool. Andy is doing a gig tonight to celebrate the summer solstice (their singer is a white witch!), so it's just me and my gorgeous girls this evening.

Janie
x

Trolley Dolly

Those of you who knew Ella at age one will know that she was very attached to her wooden trolley. Well, here's Anna in the garden yesterday taking her first steps with the same trolley. Cute as a very cute thing!

In and Out...Again!

Anna and I have had another stay in the RVI. We went in on Sunday and got out last night (Wed). She had the same breathing problems as before and is now being thoroughly investigated by the respiratory team. In the meantime, they have also put her on a preventative regime of continuous antibiotics and daily inhalers, so hopefully we can stay home for a while.

I hope that you like the shot of Anna during her hospital stay - she looks like she was in baby gaol.

We've decided to cancel our holiday to Italy in July. It would be far too stressful being miles from the nearest hospital and we can't take any chances with madam. If you fancy two weeks on an organic farm in Tuscany during the school holidays at a very reasonable rate I can give you the web address...

Other than frequent hospital admissions, life is great. We had a really lovely time at the BBC Springwatch stuff at Kielder on Saturday and it has been really hot for the rest of the week. We even had the paddling pool out this afternoon which is a big event in the normally frozen wastes of Northumberland!

Janie
x

Elizabeth's a Bloater!

For the first time in months and months Elizabeth's weight is above the second centile and she weighs almost 18Ibs. Woohoo! All that extra mature cheddar is doing its work.

Here's a shot of her leaning against the sofa and showing off her lovely, chubby thighs. Doesn't she look grown up all of a sudden?

I have also attached a shot of Chloe on our day out to a local 'children's farm'. She rode a donkey, bottle fed a lamb, cuddled a chick and saw traditional Northumbrian farm animals such a llamas, guinea pigs and wallabies... It was great fun.

J x

PS; If anyone saw ER tonight please feel free to call me to discuss the amazing end-of-season cliffhanger!

Good news on Gill

Mum went back to the hospital regarding her collarbone today and the great news is that she won't need an op. She is mending well and should be out of her sling in good time for her holiday to Spain. We went on a short visit yesterday (she still gets tired easily) and saw her very impressive bruising. She is looking tired but is much more her usual self.

Elizabeth is keeping us on our toes as usual and had me up at 5.30am this morning. She was breathing really rapidly and was very pale, but seems to have made a really good recovery and is now enjoying a lovely sleep. I don't want to go to the RVI any more this month!!!!!!

Not to be outdone, Chloe has become scared of insects and keeps getting up in the night (Elizabeth is waking up at about 4am for a feed at the moment as well), so it's 'Hello, Zombies!' for us unless we can take action. We are trying some 'poems' which teach Chloe how to respond to situations which worry her. This has already worked with cars. She used to hide when they went past in the street as she hated the noise, but now she just shouts, "Whee!" at them. We are trying "Buzz off!" with the insects tonight, so wish us luck.

Now the cute bit - today's photo shows Senorita Chloe twirling in her lovely new Monsoon skirt from Charon and Dr G. Girls, doesn't this make you wish you were six?

Janie
xxx

PS: Liz, if you are listening, A is really sorry he forgot your birthday. Items have been purchased and will be in the post ASAP.

Toothsome

Here's Elizabeth showing off her first tooth and the new hat which was purchased today with Phil & Cath's birthday cheque.

Thanks for helping her look this cute , guys!

Invalid Gill

I'm sorry to report that my mum broke her collarbone at the party yesterday. She tripped over in the garden and felt unwell afterwards, but she thought she had just bruised her arm when she landed. After a very uncomfortable night my dad persuaded her to go to A&E and it's definitely a break which will take 4-6 weeks to mend. Poor mum.

J
x

Party Party Party

Well, the party went really, really well with the notable exception of the weather. We had a really beautiful morning here in Hexham and then literally half an hour before the party started the heavens opened and it is still raining heavily.

However, we had a great time with lots and lots of (damp) guests and, most importantly of all, we have now raised a total of £1,220 which is amazing. I will be sending letters out, but I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone for supporting the SCT so generously.

The raffle was drawn and the winners are:

1st prize
£100 M& S Voucher (sponsored by Sage employees)
Won by Thelma Russell (mum's very good friend from her nursing days)

2nd Prize
Two personal training sessions with Positive Lifestyle Training
Won by Debbie Linkleter (mum to one of Ella's school friends)

3rd Prize
Handmade jewelry set by Fifth Avenue Collection (donated by Charon's mum, Jan)
Won by Katy Warren (lovely friend)

4th Prize
Two tickets for Hexham Races
Won by Mrs Allender

5th Prize
£25 of Transcend hair and beauty vouchers
Won by Miranda, a neighbour

6th Prize
Family ticket to the Life Centre in Newcastle
Won by Jeremy, Andy's brother

7th Prize
Family ticket to the ice hockey or basketball at Metro Radio Arena
Won by Janice from Helping Hands

8th Prize
Eight very special cheeses from the Northumberland Cheese Company
Won by Charon and Gav, our fab friends in Dundee

9th Prize
Tickets for the Alnwick Garden
Won by Margaret Claydon, another of mum's nursing friends

10th Prize
Vintage Port
Won by Emma Roberts, my school friend

11th Prize
Mystery Prize - A Quiet Night In For Two
Won by Ally and Howie, who we don't like at the moment because they are in Thailand...

12th Prize
£10 M&S Voucher
Won by the incomparable but very, very naughty David Alcock

13th Prize
World Cup Football
Won by the fabulous Eileen Haw, my pretendy aunty

14th Prize
Crabtree & Evelyn Set
Won by Viv from my book club

I'll be in touch with all the winners as soon as possible.

J
x

A Perfect Day

Elizabeth loves being One, but not being prevented from grabbing her birthday candle (hence the stern 'cake face').

J x

One - the loveliest number in the world

Elizabeth is one today! She's already received lots of cards and presents (she's modelling a rather lovely dress from Aunty Alison and Tall Paul in this shot). She celebrated by learning to crawl last night (when I was at the cash and carry getting stuff for the party!) and cutting her first tooth.

We also received £135 in donations for the SCT which brings us up to £700 two days before the Garden Party.

More 'first birthday shots' to follow this evening.

J
x

Au revoir, RVI!

We're out! Elizabeth had pneumonia, but she seems really well now.

It's back to Garden Party organisation for me.

Janie xxx

Steady improvement

Hi All,

It really does look like Elizabeth will be home tomorrow (Monday); she's been looking so much better today, and has managed some normal-sized solids feeds. The staff just wanted the respiratory experts to have a good look at her tomorrow morning.

When Elizabeth's well she'll probably be referred to the Respiratory Clinic again; they'll decide whether she's just been unlucky with getting ill so frequently in the last few weeks, or if there's a physiological problem with her breathing apparatus.

Ax

Looking better

Hi All,

Elizabeth was looking loads better today. She managed a bottle earlier; and she's got her sense of fun back. That was the first time I'd seen her smile since Thursday... J took Chloe out for a lovely lunch and trip to a big soft play place in Newcastle. Chloe's been off-colour too and clearly misses her mum and little sis.

If A has a good night and manages to keep some more feeds down there's every chance that she'll be home tomorrow...

In the post this morning there was a letter from Mum, stuffed with cheques from various people -all for the Sick Children's Trust. They amount to £237.50 - all resulting from activities that mum's organised, or prompted others to organise by talking about Elizabeth and how the SCT helped us out last year. Just fantastic - thanks a million Mum! And thanks to everyone who's participated in the word quiz and soup lunch that have raised the money.

Ax

No early release this time

Hi all,

Elizabeth's still in the RVI - she's doing OK - not brilliantly, but OK - without O2 but until earlier today was not able to keep any food or fluids down. That's led to some worries about dehydration and the possibility of a drip being needed; however this afternoon she did manage a couple of quite large milk drinks via the naso-gastric tube she's now got in.

So, another night in the RVI for Elizabeth and J. Last night J was visited by our great friend Susie from Worcester and they managed to get out for an hour or so. A welcome break for J who is starting to suffer from cabin fever already...

Ax

Here we go again...

Sad to report that Elizabeth's back in the RVI again - 3rd time in just over a month. Once again it's respiratory problems. Elizabeth and I had another ride in an ambulance yesterday evening (blues & twos on this time!) as she was really poorly. Turns out she has a lung infection again. Truth be told she's not been 100% since the bronchiolitis before Easter.

She's been on oxygen, antibiotics and a nebuliser (a sort of turbo-inhaler) although she's steadily improved. For most of today the staff have just been keeping a close eye on her and she's done pretty well without the O2.

We had a succession of 3rd year medical students through today, all being assessed while they examined Elizabeth and asked us lots of questions - helped pass the time and Anna seems to enjoy having an audience...

Anyway, we're hoping that she'll be discharged tomorrow - fingers crossed.

Ax

Scorchio!

We've raised £203.59 for the Garden Party and not a single scone has been eaten yet. People keep insisting on paying over the odds for their tickets or buying lots and lots of raffle tickets. We've also had more really nice prizes in from big businesses. Hooray! Andy's mum and dad have also been fundraising in Glamis, bless them.

It is absolutely beautiful here in Hexham. We've had days of beautiful cloudless skies and perfect weather. Please let it be like this on the 21st!

Elizabeth is recovering from her horrible chest problem and charming everyone she meets. Chloe is at the Splitz show this evening (being watched by her daddy in row J) and she will be modelling a rather lovely dress on loan from Monsoon and dancing to (oh, the shame of it) "It's Chicco Time".

J
xxxxx

Back in the RVI

Well,, we have another ward under our belts (we've done 1,3,4,5 &6 now!). Not sure what Anna has to do to get on 2...

Andy and Anna spent Thursday night on Ward 1. Anna is fine now, but she couldn't breathe very well on Thursday night and Andy took her down to Hexham A&E. They sent the pair of them to the RVI in an ambulance (Andy was quite thrilled having never been in one before!). She had x-rays etc, but nothing showed up on her lungs this time and we were discharged yesterday afternoon. Anna does like to keep us on our toes, but this was much less dramatic than the last time we were in and she didn't need to an IV drip or the oxygen box this time.

Things are moving on nicely with the charity Garden Party on May 21st. We have had some fab donations for prizes already including a gorgeous jewelry set from Charon's mum and days out at Hexham Racecourse. We've also sold plenty of tickets for the do itself and I have spent this week tracking down bunting, trestle tables, refreshments, gazebos etc. We're all really looking forward to the party and Ella is going to run her own little cake stall.

Janie
x

Happy Easter!

Hi,

We've managed to have a lovely Easter break despite having to cancel our London plans. We've made a couple of day trips instead and had a very good time. The sun shone all weekend.

On Friday we went up to Beadnell on the coast to meet my pretendy cousin Michael and his family. I also saw lots of folks from my teenage days which was lovely. Ella had a brilliant time sand sledging, paddling and playing with Elena and Lexi, Michael's gorgeous daughters. The weather was windy but gloriously sunny (see blurred photo for proof).

Saturday began very well as Ella was sent a huge bouquet of flowers by Katie in London. We were all thrilled.

Easter Sunday was spent at my mum and dad's in Hartlepool. We had a great day.

Janie
x

Stand and Deliver

Anna's health continues to improve and she has now amazed us by learning how to stand up holding on to the sofa for a few minutes at a time. Sylvia the physio will be very impressed methinks.

Ella is finally back. I set out with Anna to go and pick her up this morning, but realised that I was far too tired for safe motorway driving and had to come back home. Oh, the humiliation! Andy picked Ella up after work and I was so thrilled to see her. I know I am biased but she really is lovely to have around. She had a wonderful time in Hartlepool doing lots of Easter stuff with my mum and going to the theatre to see 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.

Thanks for all the good wishes. Janie x

Early Release Date

Oh, happy day! Once again Anna has confounded medical opinion and made it home only three days following admission. She still has a nasty cough, but she is almost back to her usual happy self. The RVI is a marvelous institution - I feel a great sense of calm come over me as soon as we get admitted!

We were planning to go to London this weekend to see Katie and little Edward Cruthers, but all that has been postponed. We know how lucky we are to be home so quickly, so won't sulk too much... Ella is in Hartlepool with my mum and dad as Anna needs some peace and quiet for a couple of days more.

Thanks again to D&M for all their help.

Janie
xxx

The little monkey goes from strength to strength... like!

Hi all,

Always one to buck the trend, Anna has amazed us with how well she's done today. She's been off the oxygen since this morning, and off the IV line since this afternoon. She's had a couple of milk feeds and walloped down the best part of a jar of baby food this afternoon; and she's been full of fun doing her best to learn how to crawl and playing with her toys.

She's still a bit wheezy and sleeping more than usual but the doctors are saying that if she continues to improve and looks well enough on the morning round tomorrow, they'll think about discharging her.

Here's hoping.

Thanks to Gill & Ted who are looking after Ella for a few days !
Ax

So far so good

Hi all,

Anna has had a good day today. If anything she seems better than yesterday - respiratory rate and heartbeat have both slowed down and from time to time she's been sitting up and having a play (see pic). She's also had a little mik from time to time, to take the hunger pangs away - she's still getting glucose and fluids from her IV drip.

The doctors seem happy with Anna's progress so fingers crossed she'll shake this thing in a few days; as we know she's a little fighter!

Mum and Dad headed off today... bless them, it wasn't the visit we'd all hoped for but they really helped us out, and at least they got to see Anna more like her usual self today.

More news tomorrow. Thanks for the lovely comments everyone!

Ax

Back in the RVI

I'm afraid Elizabeth's back in the RVI again. It's 99% certain she's got bronchiolitis (a good definition can be found here). I say 99% certain because it'll only be after we get the results of some tests through that we'll know for sure. But the respiration specialist is as certain as he can be.

As generally happens with bronchiolitis, Elizabeth had a cold for a couple of days and then started having real difficulty breathing early this morning. J took her to our GP who advised her to take Elizabeth straight to the RVI. So in we went.

Bronchiolitis is viral rather than bacterial in origin, therefore can't be treated with antibiotics. So it's a case of making her as comfortable as possible and letting her body fight it. That means she's got an oxygen mask or sometimes a 'head box' (basically a transparent box that surrounds her head and into which warmed humidified oxygen is pumped), and a saline/glucose drip so she doesn't have to expend effort eating or drinking. She's having to fight to breathe as her lung capacity is severely reduced.

It's a bit like the calm before the storm; we've been told that Elizabeth will probably get worse for 5 days, plateau and then hopefully start to improve. 'Getting worse' might even mean that she needs to go on a ventilator - ie back to intensive care. Fingers crossed we don't have to face that. It's a real shock how quickly this has all happened.

Elizabeth's on a ward where all the respiratory paediatric cases stay, so she's in good hands. She has a 'cubicle' on the ward which is really a room; and it has a bed so J is able to stay with her. As it's the Easter holidays now, we're looking to send Chloe to her Gran & Grandpa's for a while. Luckily, my mum and dad are staying with us so they have really helped out, looking after Chloe while we've whizzed to and fro today; also being looked after by my mum has made me feel a whole lot better!

I'll keep the blog updated as I can!

Ax

She Moves In Mysterious Ways

Good news and bad news!
The good news is that Elizabeth has moved. She has learnt how to shuffle on her bum on the wooden floors. She only manages about 2cm in 15 minutes, but it's a start and seems to make her very happy indeed. We were also given a bouncer for her and, as you can see from the shot above, she loves it.

The bad news is that Elizabeth caught gastro-enteristis with vomiting and we all had a very unpleasant week with a baby who kept throwing up on us. As a result, she has lost weight again and is the weight of an average five-month-old. At least we are going to get extra wear out of last summer's outfits - she's the cheapest baby in town.

Still not getting any sleep, but Elizabeth's room has now been transformed into a gorgeous, pale pink paradise with a pale blue polka dot blind. It looks so beautiful and was inspired by the lovely painting my sister gave Elizabeth. We'll put a photo on the blog when we 'launch' it!

J
x

Thank you, everyone at Sage

A arrived home tonight with a box full of money! Sage raised over £1,500 for the Sick Children's Trust last Thursday. Each month the company lets everyone pay to go into work in casual clothes and this was the most they have EVER raised. We are really thrilled. With Gift Aid (we are going to send a cheque off from our account) this will be worth over £2,000 to the charity and that could pay for a family to stay for two and half months in Crawford House.

Calling all Northerners! Date for your diaries: To celebrate Elizabeth's first birthday, we are holding a garden party on May 21st in aid of the SCT.

Jxxx

Absentee Parent

Well, we girls survived the weekend without A who was in Derby getting his ying and his yang aligned. Despite the challenging weather, we had fun visiting Chris, Ben and Aimee yesterday and going out for lunch today. Chloe's catching up on "What? Why? Where?" with a vengeance and today's challenge was explaining the different theories on how stars were created. I think I did an even worse job than last week when we talked about who the first man and woman on Earth may have been. I'm sure Chloe would much rather have a mother who replied, "Adam and Eve, darling", but that would be far too simple!

Chloe had her first stroke of a guinea pig at Aimee's house, but amazingly there have been no demands for small, furry animals as her pets. When WILL she learn the power of the pester?!

A has come back much refreshed and ready to take on the world, so mission accomplished.

J
x

Cute pic alert

Here's Elizabeth having a lovely time with her little musical box today. Full of the joys of spring!

More Health professionals

We had a nice time celebrating my mum's 69th this weekend. Lunch at The Dyvels in Corbridge (Ted Parkinson's review, "The best Sunday lunch I've had out for years.") followed by a birthday tea with Ed, Ruby and Ted.

On the subject of Elizabeth, she has expanded her roster of health professionals even further and in the past week we have seen the physio; the speech therapist; the dietician and and, last but not least, the gastro consultant. Elizabeth isn't really putting on weight which is why the NHS has sprung into action.

Lovely Dr Bunn confirmed what we have suspected for ages which is that Elizabeth has a very small tummy. It's great to have that confirmed rather than it being just my pet theory! Dr Bunn's experience of exomph babies is that they are "little and often" eaters as a result of anatomical differences.

I popped into foetal medicine today to introduce Elizabeth to Dr Sturgis and Donna who were both wonderful prior to her birth. Sadly neither of them were around, but it was quite emotional going back there with my lovely girl. The last time I was there the future was looking very uncertain.

J
xxx

We're back (boo hoo)

We had a wonderful time in Holland.

Suzanne and Sijbolt were great hosts as always and we spent a lovely couple of days in the Hague. Chloe, Hugo and Georgie ran wild together.

Centerparcs was also good and we managed to get there using the trains and buses. It was fantastic being able to study the countryside and architecture rather than worry about car crashes, motorway exits and driving through unknown cities.

We had a relaxed time feeding ducks, visiting a children's farm and hiring bikes. Chloe (who was towed around in a 'bike carriage' by her dad) claimed to be exhausted by all the cycling! She transformed into a water baby and went swimming seven times going on lots of slides and rapids. The sauna in the villa was a hit with A and I once the girls had gone to bed - bliss!.

So we are all chilled out and happy - long may it continue.

J
x

Leaving On A Jet Plane

We're off to Holland tomorrow for our first trip abroad since Provence in June 2004. Three days in the Hague with my sister and her family will be followed by five days at Centerparcs. We have our own private sauna in our 'VIP' villa, so we should come back feeling very relaxed indeed (and we'll have beautifully clean pores).

We are all still diseased and look forward to spreading this pestilence across Europe.

J
x

Love

We bought Chloe this cool balloon and left it at the bottom of her bed. She was thrilled when she woke up and said, "It is the kind of balloon that a child would get if his or her parents really loved him or her!". Sums it up nicely, really.

As a Brucie Bonus her little sister has spent an hour playing with the Balloon of Love and I have managed to get the house half tidy for the arrival of my pretendy Auntie Margaret and my lovely in every way but pretendy cousin Michael (the London milk tycoon) later today.

Happy Valentines!

J
x


PS: I suddenly have a social life and have enjoyed lovely girly afternoons and night sout this week. Following my cinema visit last night I must say that you must all go and see 'Brokeback Mountain'. It is wonderful. I didn't cry as I have a heart of stone!

An Exciting Day

Elizabeth put on 5oz this week - all that butter and cream is working...

Today's new experiences included eating naan bread and playing the drums - looks like she may take after her dad.

J x

The Joys of Motherhood

Still not getting any sleep. I am considering joining a nunnery, but I suspect A would want to come too. That might appear to be unworkable, but he's got great legs and 'Mother Angelica' would look fine dragged up.

Wibble wibble.

J
x

PS: A belated thank you to Charon and Dr G who came to stay over the weekend from Bonny Scotland with Grace the Gorgeous.

Welcome to the world, Edward Cruthers!

Our great friends Ally and Howie (who have been an enormous support over the past few months) saw the arrival of child number three yesterday - Edward Joshua Cruthers! Mother and baby doing fine as they say. Congratulations to all the family!

We have received complaints about the lack of fresh photos of Elizabeth from A's colleague Lucy who checks the Blog daily. Lucy is having an op tomorrow so these shots are for her. The one on the left is Elizabeth's very cool passport photo - it was hard to get a photo of her without a smile!

J
xxx

Fatty

Elizabeth is a porker - it's official! Another 5oz on today and she's back on the second centile. here's a cute photo to celebrate.

J
x

Hooray

Well, things are starting to look up after our shaky start to the year. Elizabeth lost weight this week but has today had her weigh in and put on an a fantastic 9oz! The health visitor and I concluded that last week's weight loss was caused by dodgy scales and that she has actually put on a respectable 3oz per week over the last couple of weeks. Also the physio, the lovely Sylvia, came to see Elizabeth and is very pleased with how she is doing - Elizabeth is definitely catching up now that her bump has gone.

I have an appointment with the dietician at the RVI next Monday to see whether we can get Elizabeth's weight up. It's still low and as she gets more and more active the danger is that she'll lose the gains she HAS made. Frankly, if we could just stretch that little tummy so that she could sleep for more than 2 1/2 hours without a feed I would be a very happy woman!

So, I am still a busy bee and now know half the health professionals in the North East (and they're all lovely and wonderful without exception).

J
xxx

Curses!

Well, we went to see Mr Jaffray and the news is mixed.

The good news is that Elizabeth's scar is looking good and he expects it to heal nicely and lose its redness over the next few months. The bad news is that it doesn't matter how well that scar does as Mr Jaffray will need to operate again before Elizabeth goes to school. Here's the science bit: The muscles joined together during the op were not very good quality after all. As she gets older the extrusion (bulgey bit) will get bigger and more prominent and there is no chance (as we had hoped) that it will fix itself as sometimes happens with normal hernias. When she is four or so she will need to go back to the RVI for another op to fix that and her 'disappointing' bellybutton.

Mr Jaffray was concerned about her current failure to put on weight and has referred her to Mrs Bunn (gastro-enterology consultant). No-one could ever accuse the NHS of neglecting our child!

So, not the "Everything is wonderful, go away and never come back!" we might have hoped for, but at least Anna Elizabethwon't be operated on again until she is really strong. After the appointment I got very moist eyed in Marksies in Newcastle which was a tad embarrassing, but I've recovered now.

J
xxxxxxx

Party Fears Two

Chloe's second birthday party was great and we were all thoroughly entertained by Charlie the Magician. Here's a shot of Cinderella and La-La!

Recovery

Well, we are all 'well' again although I still feel like I have been run over by a 10-tonne truck!

We go the the RVI on Monday to see Mr Jaffray for Elizabeth's post-op check. We've been trying to come up with a gift idea for him, but nothing seems quite good enough. A card and a box of chocs doesn't seem to quite cut it in these circumstances. We could offer him a liver if he ever needs one or pledge Elizabeth's first-born child to him!

J
xxxxxxxxx

A finally succumbs

It's taken me nearly a week but I've finally managed to infect A with this very nasty bug. He is having to stay off work which is the last thing he needs, frankly.

I have added a new level of disgustingness to the tummy upset with revolting 'eggy' burps and, for some unknown reason, very red eyes. What a gorgeous creature I am!

Luckily, Chloe and Elizabeth seem really well again and Chloe's school reopens today so we have just the one child to cope with until 3pm.

Yours in despair,

J
x

Chloe is six

Well, Chloe is six. It's unbelievable!

Unfortunately we have been hit by a nasty tummy bug and Elizabeth and I have been really unwell, so this morning we had to make the decision to scale down Chloe's birthday party from 17 children to a more modest 2 (cousins who had already been exposed to the dreaded lurgy). Chloe was very sweet and grown up about it.

We have rescheduled her big party for the 15th. She received lots of lovely presents today and enjoyed her "teeny weeny" party with Hugo and Georgie.

J
x

PS: Later addition - Chloe spent the evening of her birthday in A&E as she developed a horrible weird-looking rash and felt awful. We were told to take her in 'just in case' and it turned out to be an allergic reaction to a throat bug she had been harbouring!

Happy New Year!

Well, we scooted down to Hartlepool yesterday to see Marg and Trev. We were sorry not to stay for the party (I do love a good party!), but it was a very sensible decision as Elizabeth did not settle in the evening. We did however try her purely on breast milk last night and she slept wonderfully well and is very happy today. So, it looks like formula milk is the culprit as opposed to solids. Hopefully, we will all get a bit more rest now.

Happy New Year to all of you. We drank a bottle of champagne, watched a great film and cuddled our youngest daughter, so it was a good evening.

As you can see from the shot of Elizabeth, she found her first New Year's Eve very thrilling. That's A's hairy chest in the shot not mine, by the way!

J
xxx

Party pooper!

Well, we have finally given in and accepted that we can't go to a party for New Year's Eve! We had planned to stay at my mum and dad's and see their many friends who have been such a support to us, but Elizabeth has other ideas. She is being a challenge at night to say the least (she seems to have digestive problems and Gaviscon - our last hope - did no good last night). It's clear that for now our social life (together) needs to be confined to the hours of daylight and we should stop being over-ambitious.

Luckily we have all been invited to daytime parties over the next couple of days, which will be lovely. We also have Chloe's fancy dress birthday party on the 3rd to organise. Lack of sleep forced us to give in yesterday and hire a children's magician out of sheer desperation!

The great news on Elizabeth is that she has rolled over for the first time and the attached photo is of her looking a little bit shocked at her own abilities. What a little (daytime) star. Also, the doctor has referred Elizabeth to the lovely Dr Turmer (consultant pediatrician) to keep an eye on her development. Elizabeth seems to be doing brilliantly and is as bright as a button, but it will be wonderful to have someone to keep an eye on her and make sure that the impact of her bad start is minimised.

This evening I think we will enjoy a glass of champagne and think how lucky we are to have two gorgeous little girls with us.

J
xxx

PS: BREAKING NEWS - Nev the Potter and the lovely Mel are expecting a baby in June. Bless!!
Also, we think that Les's partner, Michelle, gave birth to a baby boy yesterday, but the text message was garbled so we're waiting for confirmation!

There's no business like snow business

As you can see, Elizabeth really enjoyed her first time in the snow!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Day in Hartlepool. Last year was somewhat overshadowed by our wait for test results showing whether Number 2 (as Elizabeth was then known) was suffering from a chromosomal disorder called Edwards Syndrome.

It was wonderful to be able to finally introduce Elizabeth to her Uncle Sijbolt and cousins Hugo and Georgie who live in Holland. My sister, Suzanne, last saw Elizabeth when she was four days old and in Intensive Care, so I think she especially enjoyed seeing her niece looking so happy and healthy. Elizabeth was unimpressed by the festive fare on offer and stuck to fromage frais, porridge and breast milk.

Today was spent with Ed, Sheena, Ruby and Ted also and it was great to have the whole family together.
********************************************************************************

Our thoughts tonight are with all of those who lost loved ones in the tsunami.
J
xxxx

Weight issues

Well, Elizabeth was in big trouble this morning. I took her to the baby clinic to discover that she had gained...Absolutely nothing. That's a very low return on my investment of night feeds as far as I can see. We have now put her on the Fatkins Diet, so it's extra cream with everything and she enjoyed Heinz Chocolate Pudding for her tea. As I was strictly an 'organic, no added sugar, Guardian reader type of mother' with Chloe it will be interesting to see how this nightmare regime impacts on Elizabeth's future tastes.

She sat up for the first time yesterday for about five minutes without keeling over. Her tummy control has come on really beautifully this week.

PS: Some of you (sorry anyone abroad) are yet to receive a Christmas card. They are on their way, but you can see above what it will look like when it arrives!

In the swim

We enjoyed a family trip to Slaley Hall this afternoon and Elizabeth had her first 'swim'. Slaley Hall is a local (very plush) hotel with a lovely pool and we were given some vouchers for entry by our lovely family friends Marg and Trev who often put comments on the Blog.

Elizabeth seemed to enjoy herself wearing her baby wet suit and Chloe had a grand time too. We rushed back to see ourselves on the news, but it looks like we won't be on until tomorrow.

Jx

Media domination!

There was a lovely article and photo about Elizabeth in our local paper today which resulted in my having rather a strange Friday to say the least...

A news agency picked up the story and I returned from the Baby Clinic and a coffee at my friend's house to be greeted by a journalist. We had a chat and he said that lots of magazines had been in touch. As they would donate a few hundred pounds for the story to the Sick Children's Trust I heard him out, but unfortunately they were all of the ilk of 'Chat' and 'Closer', so I said no to him. He called back later to say that the Daily Mail and Express wanted the story, but I again said no as I'm not a big fan of tabloids - you never know what kind of spin they're going to put on a story. They cheekily sent a photographer (just as Elizabeth was about to have an injection), but I sent him packing (politely, honest!). We'd much rather raise the money through other means.

We are, however, going to be on the local news tomorrow as a heart-warming Christmassy story for the end of the bulletin. All we want is the chance to get some positive publicity for the SCT and to say thank you to all those who have helped us, so hopefully we won't be bothered by the nasty nationals again!

J
x

PS: We'll scan the photo into the Blog ASAP. It's sweet!
PPS: Elizabeth only put on 2oz this week. Had lovely chat with the lady at the Baby Clinic, so hopefully we'll do better next week.

The joy of fromage frais

Elizabeth continues to do really well. Our lovely physio, Sylvia, came to see her yesterday and reckons that she is only a month behind average as far as sitting up and so on is concerned - I think that's very encouraging considering the circumstances. Elizabeth tends to curve over very easily when she's sitting, so she needs her back muscles building up. We'll pop her onto her front as much as possible over the next few weeks on her gorgeous flat tummy.

Another piece of good news is that I have discovered that Elizabeth loves fromage frais and that has a knock-on effect on her sleeping, so I get a nice four-hour block every night. Bliss!

By the way, Elizabeth will be a media star on Friday as her story is going to be featured in our local paper. I wrote the piece to get some publicity for the Sick Children's Trust. Keep an eye out for the Hexham Courant if you can - we will scan the article into the Blog for those whose lives are lived without the 'Rant.

J
x

Santa and scars!

As it's nearly Christmas, here are two festive shots - one of Elizabeth's tummy and one of Chloe with Father Christmas. Both make us feel very happy!

We had a lovely family weekend visiting Hexham Christmas Market and going to see Father Christmas at a local National Trust property followed by a nice walk in the unseasonably warm weather. Chloe also enjoyed a bonus second trip to see the Happy Gang with her friend Alex as she was brought in as a last-minute reserve.

A and I both felt a bit down at times this weekend. I think we are still reeling from the shock and relief of Elizabeth's surgery going so well. I guess it will take a while for us to get over 2005 and we are still very tired out. It seems very ungrateful to have even a shred of unhappiness left when I think how things could have turned out.

We need to go sky diving to finally release that tension - I am booking now!

J
xxx

Elizabeth's progress

Well, this morning Elizabeth seems to be almost back to her old self (minus the bump, of course!).

She has been very subdued over the past few days and in need of constant cuddles. This morning she is full of fun and smiles and that's without any pain relief of any kind so far today.

Elizabeth spent a couple of days exploring her tummy, trying to find her bump. but seems to have given up hope of finding it now!

J
xx

Home again, home again, jiggety jig...

Well, it's just 2 days after the op and we're all home again. We're all a bit incredulous but absolutely thrilled as you can imagine !! The marvellous Gillian, my mother-in-law, has looked after me and Ella wonderfully over the last few days, and is headed off home today. Huge thanks to Gill.

I'm off work for the next few days so Elizabeth can take it easy at home without having to go out. But right now J can hopefully have a well-deserved sleep, and I'm going to get the champagne (well, Cava) on ice for later !!

Ax

You've come a long way, baby

Day eight in PICU after birth

Day before op at 5.5 months














.Day after op


Anna has a transparent dressing under which you can see a bit of blood that's been there since she came out of Theatre yesterday. The dressing should be coming off tonight! Anyway, just LOOK at that flat stomach !!

Friday

Thanks for everyone's lovely comments over the past couple of days - I am logged in at the hospital and this was my first chance to read them.

Elizabeth did really well last night and even woke up at 3am for a play! She is now happily in her cot without oxygen or any morphine. Amazing! She still hasn't had a feed, but she doesn't seem hungry and is, understandably, sleeping far more than usual.

Mr Jaffray popped in to see her last night in his scrubs (it was past 8pm and he had been in theatre from 9am as far as I know) and seemed very pleased with her progress. A is waiting for Mr Jaffray back on the ward - he hasn't seen Elizabeth yet today as he is carrying out an emergency operation.

She looks so wonderful minus her bump - I can't quite believe how well she is and I couldn't sleep last night I felt so excited and happy.

J
xxx

Post-op and relaxed

Elizabeth's Op - update

Hi all,

Greetings from the library at the hospital. Elizabeth's op went really well. She got back from Theatre to her room at about 12pm. It's amazing - she has a flat stomach !! There's a transparent dressing over the wound so you can see exactly what it's like. She's morphined up and other than the odd jitter - a side-effect of morphine - is very comfortable. She just has a whiff of oxygen from a mask put at the side of her head. Other than that she's got a saline drip to keep her going and a sensor to monitor her oxygen saturation... and that's it. She's got great colour in her cheeks, and looks really well.

Mr Jaffray was very happy with how the op went; he did get muscle closure and he did create Elizabeth a belly button of sorts. He mentioned that there might be a hernia of some sort just below Anna's ribcage, but that he wasn't worried about it. We haven't spoken to him about what, if anything, he would do about it. I guess it'll probably wait until Elizabeth's older.

Anyway, I'm off to get chocolate and then back to the ward!

Ax