What a hectic few weeks I have just experienced....fabulous but hectic....and I don't really think I would have it any other way if truth be told.
The weather has, for the most part, been really nice although the last few morning dog walks have felt decidedly autumnal with my shorts being replaced by jeans and my flipflops by trainers. Yes, I admit to occasionally walking the hounds in flipflops.
The mornings have seen dew on the grass and the house has seen an influx of spiders, the plum tree has shed its fruit and blackberries are appearing everywhere. My daughter assures me that there is an Indian summer forecast for late next week and if anyone should know my weather geek is the one! Hopefully the shorts will make one more appearance before they are packed away for the winter.
Tomorrow sees me return to a job that I left over a year ago. The break has done me good and the timing was fortuitous for many reasons but I can't be a lady of leisure forever so it's back to shiftwork of sorts for a term at least and we will see how it goes. I'm looking forward to the challenge. There have been a lot of changes since I was last at work and I feel that I am almost a different person to the one who left there...certainly I am mentally stronger and I am definitely almost 2 stone lighter.
The last two weeks have seen me revelling in my role of Nanny. Oh, goodness me have I had fun!!
The 3 eldest grandchildren came to visit and stayed for two nights which was wonderful. We had a blissful day in glorious sunshine at my beach hut. My daughter joined us and we truly had the best day as you can probably tell from these photos....
Two days later I was back at the hut but this time the weather was less glorious and I was alone. I absolutely love being there on my own. That probably sounds selfish but it's my place to be me. I can listen to music, drink tea, read the paper and eat rubbish if I want to and that's exactly what I did and I loved it!
Earlier in the same week I was asked to look after youngest grandson while his Mum and Dad took his sister to Great Ormond Street where she had an appointment at the eye clinic. It was an early start as the appointment was at 9 am so it was a bleary eyed Nanny that drove to pick up Sam and drop the rest of his family at the station.
The appointment was always going to be an important one as we were hopeful of getting an accurate diagnosis of Phoebe's visual impairment. The hospital obviously is the best in the world when it comes to children's health and the family were sent there as the local hospital didn't have the specialist equipment needed to assess the eye health of a 7 month old baby.
Quite incredibly, within a couple of hours Mum, Dad and Phoebe were on their way home with a much better idea of Phoebe's sight issues and, more importantly, with a pair of glasses ordered and to be delivered within 6 weeks!
Back in the day when my eldest girls, both born with same condition as Phoebe, had to have glasses it was a real problem trying to find an optician that could make glasses that the girls were able to wear. Due to the facial appearance of people with Stickler Syndrome...the face appears flat and there is often little or no bridge to the nose to hold glasses in place...my girls had to endure wearing glasses that were specially made. The glasses were cumbersome and looked different and many times I was told that my girls were wearing their glasses upside down when, in fact, they glasses were made that way because it was the only way that they would stay on my girls noses. Some people!
The fact that Mum and Dad had been able to pick out a frame for their daughter that didn't need to be specially made was such a relief to me. I was dreading Phoebe having to try to wear glasses that were heavy and uncomfortable. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be as a parent to battle with your young child to get them to wear glasses and/or hearing aids when they really don't want to and Phoebe had been prescribed glasses at a younger age than her Mummy was. Her visual impairment is such that she needs to wear her glasses all the time. Keeping glasses on a cheeky 7 month old girl might be quite a challenge methinks. She has already managed to take them off umpteen times when no one's looking...especially when she is in her car seat!
Anyway, fast forward a week or so and I am visiting my daughter and the twins. Above their letterbox is a package that my daughter didn't know was there. In the package was a the dinkiest pair of glasses I have seen. Yes, Phoebe's glasses had arrived much quicker than expected and I was going to be able to see her put them on for the first time. What a privilege and how exciting!
Of course, young Phoebe decided that she wanted an extra long sleep so we had to wait for what seemed like ages for her to wake up but eventually we heard her chatting away so Mummy went and picked her up and put the glasses on her.
And what a difference. Straight away Phoebe was still. She stared at everything. She didn't make a sound. She was completely absorbed in what, to her, were her new surroundings. It was wonderful to see her. It was obvious that she was already seeing things that she had never seen before. Of course, this soppy Nanny got a bit tearful again but it's such a huge, huge thing for Phoebe and her family and I can absolutely understand the enormity of that moment because I have been through it with two of my girls and their eyesight is not as affected as Phoebe's.
So, there we are. Another momentous moment for Phoebe and for her family. Another batch of wonderful memories made for me as a Mum and a Nanny. We have also had Poppy's 6th birthday, I've got tickets to see Frank Turner in December, my daughter has got another job and has been making wedding invitations and there is another birthday tomorrow when my eldest girly will be celebrating her 33rd birthday and her first as a Mummy. My goodness, time flies and aren't I just the luckiest person?
Much love
xxxx
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