Makaton, Signing and Solids

Finally.....a bit of time and a clear head. I've been wanting to write a blog post for a while but just haven't had the chance. I recently made the decision to increase my working hours to give me a little more money and, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am now working 5 days a week for various amounts of time and it's taking me and my body a while to get used to the change. Things will settle down but, for now, it's all systems go.

It's Sunday lunchtime and I'm still in my dressing gown. I have hoovered, polished, dusted and fed the dogs so I haven't been completely idle. I have also been trying to free up some space on my phone by removing all the photos that are on it. I tried to install an update for my ipad which got stuck after about an hour so I cancelled that and then I tried to free up some space on this laptop. Lots of trying but not much success to be honest.

I try to not make all of these posts about my grandchildren but it is so difficult when I think about them so often and I love them so much. I also try not to make everything about Phoebe and Sam but that is equally hard because there is so much going on with them. For now, Phoebe is the grandchild that I think about the most because it's a very important time for her with lots of appointments and clinics to attend and lots of decisions looming about her future. I have no doubt that some people will think that is wrong in some way, that the fact that I worry about her more than the others is unfair but it's the truth. I don't love her any more than my other five darlings but I do worry about her more than them just at the moment.

I had a lovely video from my daughter the other day. My gorgeous Poppy had been singled out for praise because she has been helping a little boy in her class who has sight and hearing problems. Poppy has always loved to look after people and is a very caring little girl. She has apparently been wonderful with this little boy. She has also been learning British Sign Language and I was sent a video of her signing the alphabet. She's just 6 years old. What a sweetheart! I'm so proud of her.

Pops with her BSL cards

Phoebe has been invited to some Sign and Sing classes so that she can be aware of Makaton and the symbols and signs used in that form of sign language and so, as a consequence, we are all having a little go at learning to sign. I have some experience of Makaton but it is limited so I have been trying to learn a new sign every day. I have also been putting a video of a signed word up each day on my Facebook page and that seems to be appreciated by some people which is fabulous. Whether or not Phoebe eventually needs to use sign language, which is still in doubt, I think it's a great skill to have. Sam can learn alongside his sister and, hopefully, the whole of our family will be able to have a go at signing at some point.

I travelled to Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge last week with my daughter and the twins to attend the Stickler Syndrome Diagnostic Clinic and, apart from us managing to lose Sam's beloved Peter Rabbit cuddly, which has since been replaced I hasten to add, we had a positive experience all round. My daughter's eyes remain stable and unchanged which is wonderful. We were also able to have Sam's blood taken so that he can be tested for the syndrome despite not showing any of the traits. It is possible that he may have the faulty gene that causes Stickler Syndrome so his parents want to be absolutely certain that he can't pass the condition on. I stayed with Phoebe, who was content to suck the chocolate off of my Kit Kat bar, while Sam and Mummy went off for the blood test. Apparently, he was an absolute star and only cried when it was all over and a plaster was put on his arm. Results, and hopefully peace of mind, will be available in about 3 weeks. Sam and Phoebe were both supposed to be tested when they were born but only Phoebe's results ever came back so it was important for Mummy and Daddy that Sam was tested as soon as possible.

Super smiley Sam

I'm already thinking about what I can do as my next fundraising challenge (next year before you roll your eyes!) and who to do it for. We are spoiled for choice as Phoebe is under the care of quite a few different specialities at the moment. I have raised money for several charities and organisations over the years including Cancer Research, Chase Children's Hospice, Treloar School, various cancer charities, The Stickler Syndrome Diagnostic Clinic and SCBU at The Royal Surrey County Hospital to name a few. If anyone has any ideas either for the type of challenge or the charity that I can support please do let me know. I would prefer it to be personal or related to an organisation that supports any of my family, not just Phoebe of course. I look forward to hearing from you.

Finally, Phoebe is prone to be a bit of a diva...yes, really....and she is not particularly impressed or, indeed, keen, on taking solid food. Her Mummy sent me these the other day!!

Phoebe very grumpy and not happy with this at all but then.......

.......very happy to try toast for the first time!

Until next time friends xxxxxxx

P.S.

I've just made a recording of me practising Makaton. It's a start!

I thought I could add it to this but it seems not. Frustration. It's on my Facebook and Twitter page anyway and if I can add it to this I will. Xxx

Grandchildren, Beach Hut Visits and Glasses!

Hello my friends, hello!

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....

We paddled and then swam in the sea. We went to the funfair. We had ice cream. We toasted marshmallows. We went on the train. Young Noah fell asleep on the sunlounger and was later transported via his car seat in my car back to my house and into bed without waking up at all! I think it's safe to say that we were all exhausted but elated by our day. Memories are made of days like those and I loved every single minute of it. It was the happiest day that I have had in a very long time and to spend it with some of my grandchildren and one of my girls at my beloved hut made it even more special. The children want to go to the hut every single time that they come to our house regardless of the weather and I am delighted by that.

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

A Very Special Time

Well, hello again people.

I'm sitting in my bedroom with the evening sun streaming through the windows, the sky is blue and there is a wonderful sense of calm. I wonder how long that will last! The sun or the sense of calm to be honest.

I wanted to take a little time to blog about the last two weeks. My eldest daughter came to stay at our house for 2 whole weeks with her 6 month old twins as a temporary stop gap while waiting for their new flat to become available. The little family had to vacate their previous home as their tenancy was up. My son in law (and Daddy of the twins) still had to work and so the decision was made that babies and Mummy spend some time with us and I have to say that the whole experience was totally joyful for me. To be able to spend so much quality time with the babies and really get to know them was a wonderful experience and one that I never expected to have.

I was able to help out when asked and, to be honest, when I wanted to. I was able to give both babies their bottles, change nappies, dress them, bath them, cuddle them and even read them bedtime stories.

In the two weeks that they were with us, Phoebe had her fringe cut at the hairdressers, learned how to roll over at will and became more vocal than I have ever heard her. She laughed and smiled. She learned how to clamp her mouth shut when she didn't want anymore of her bottle, she tried solids (strawberry and banana smoothie was her favourite) with little, if any, coming down her nose as it often does in babies with a cleft palate. She holds her head up when she is laying on her tummy which is brilliant as she was diagnosed as being a little bit floppy just a few months ago. She has a real determined streak which I loved to see and which I am sure will stand her in good stead for the future.

                                                     Loving the lights

Rolling over

                                                     Long hair!

Fringe cut

Rusks. Not sure.

Wonderful head control

Sam also had an exciting two weeks. He learned how to shriek loudly with excitement, he perfected his gorgeous smile and he is desperate to sit up on his own. He has grown a huge amount and a lot of that will be due to the solids that he is taking with no problem. He eats whatever he is given and really loves Farley's rusks in particular. Mummy decided that it was a good time for the dummy to go so he hasn't had that for ages and he has also got his first tooth!

Playtime

Feeling for that first tooth

Loving his rusk at breakfast time

Still smiling despite a sore gum

Getting so big

The twins were able to enjoy being outside in the garden and we even got them into a paddling pool for the first time. We had already brought Phoebe a swimming costume and Sam a pair of trunks in matching colours just in case the opportunity for a swim arose.

First paddling pool

First swimwear

 Mummy and Daddy also purchased some bath 'seats' so that both babies can now sit in the bath without needing holding all of the time which is brilliant and which means that they can go in the bath together. Sam loved it straight away. Phoebe was a little wary initially but ended up loving the experience so hopefully bath times will now be a bit easier for Mum and Dad...especially as bad backs knees are a bit of a problem for them both!

As I mentioned earlier, this has been a joyful and wonderful time for me and a privilege that I never expected to have. I doubt that I will ever have such an amount of time with the twins and their Mummy (and Daddy when he could get here) again and I cherished every minute. I loved the early mornings...if you call 6 am early. (Both babies sleep through the night and going in to see them first thing with their smiley faces and rosy cheeks was lovely). The twins had their own cots here from the 2nd day and they settled very happily in them in our spare room downstairs which became their bedroom. It was reassuring for their Mummy and Daddy to know that they would sleep happily as, up until that point, all four of them had to share one bedroom. Their new home has two bedrooms so the twins have their own room now which is great.

The two weeks flew by. It was lovely to spend time with my daughter too. She is a super mum but having twins is not easy...especially when one of them has extra needs. There have been difficult times but my daughter is stronger than ever. Yes, she gets weary, often feels that she hasn't achieved anything when, in reality, she has got through another day with two babies. I can tell you that the days just roll into each other! So many planned trips were not made because we simply ran out of time between feeds and nappy changes. It was nice to be able to look after my daughter for a while as in making sure that she was eating, doing the washing etc etc. It doesn't sound like much but I think it helped her to feel that she had had a bit of a break.

Today our house has seemed very quiet as you can imagine. All of the baby paraphernalia has gone along with the twins and their Mummy to their new home and I couldn't be happier for them all. Their new home is a new build with so much more space than they had before. There is plenty of daylight which is so important for Phoebe with her sight problems. She still loves bright lights and sunshine! There is space for the babies to roll around on the floor, there is room for all of the furniture and Mummy and Daddy are getting a new bed. Happy days!

Until next time...

xxxxx

Sorry....Not Sorry!

Hi folks,

I was all set up to sit in the conservatory on my newly acquired conservatory furniture (a work in progress and awaiting a new cushion and several replacement covers!) when I decided to let my laptop/ipad update and do their thing. Well....nearly 2 hours...and 3 glasses of prosecco later...here I am. Why do these updates always take so flipping long to complete? I know that I probably have too much stuff on both of said devices but, even so, 2 hours is toooooo long in my opinion.

Anyway, I hope that you are well and enjoying the summer wherever you may be. We, in the UK, well...England...have been blessed with some glorious weather over the last week and most people seem more smiley and happy even if they are sweating like pigs and unable to sleep at nights. We do love our sunshine us Brits.

I have had a bit of time to think about my life at the moment and thought that I might share some my thoughts with you. I know it's a little self indulgent but this is my blog and it's about my life so I can't think of a more suitable place to be honest.

I have always been a people pleaser regardless of who the people might be. People might be my work colleagues, people in the shops that I talk to, my family, my friends, my bank manager! Whoever it may be, I just want whoever it is that I am dealing with to have a good opinion of me. I want them to think that I am a nice person. I want them to think that I am nice, kind, thoughtful, appreciative, understanding etc etc. I think that I am all of those things.

However, when you want to be thought of in such a way it makes you vulnerable to being taken advantage of. In an effort to keep everybody happy it is easy to put yourself last on the list of priorities.

Let's look at my life...

I'm a wife - I'm far from perfect in that role - but I do my best. I like to keep my house in some sort of order, I like people to feel comfortable in my home and I want my husband to be happy with his lot. However, because of this, things that aren't quite right or that are broken and need fixing drive me mad while hubby doesn't really worry about it. This can cause tension because I am often seen to be nagging if I mention anything that needs attention more than once. Also, because DIY is not our thing I know that getting someone that we don't know in to fix little bits and pieces leaves us open to being taken advantage of and so, rather than that happen, we put things off and gradually things get worse and cost more to fix.

I'm a daughter - both of my parents are dead. I have a step dad and a step mum that I rarely see or have any contact with. I feel guilty about this but yet I know that it's just life and how things are. We all have our own lives and we get on with them the best we can. My affection is not affected by how often I see people.

I'm a sister - I have brothers and sisters who I rarely see or speak to and this bothers me a lot and yet I STILL don't pick up the phone to ask how they are doing. Why? I love them all and I'd die for them. I think about them all the time and I'd be there in a flash if they needed be but, again, they all have their own lives and families and, goodness knows, I know how time consuming that can be. I feel guilty about this.

I'm a mum - I have four children and six grandchildren. That means that there are 10 humans who are a result of me being alive, 10 humans who, I hope, see me as an important person in their lives, 10 humans that I love beyond measure. Trying to split myself into pieces so that I can be all things to all of those 10 humans is becoming more and more difficult as I struggle to keep all of them happy. I do really try but I often don't get it right.

I know that I will always be feeling guilty about something no matter how much I am told that I shouldn't and that I should put myself first. I have been putting everyone before me for my whole life so I don't think that's going to change very much but what I must do more often is think about how things affect ME, how my expectations of myself can make me feel guilty. I have written before about saying 'no' more often but it's difficult when all you want to do is make someone happy or make their day easier. People don't think any less of you for saying 'no' or, if they do, they don't deserve you in their lives to be honest.

However, I am fully aware of how lucky I am and how fortunate I am to have my life and my health. I am blessed with a wonderful family, loyal friends and a very patient husband! My issues are for me to sort out and for me to overcome or live with.

I just typed 'I apologise for the emo diatribe'... but actually I don't apologise for any of what I have just typed. It's me, they are my words and it's how I feel! This is my blog and I can really put anything I feel like in it.

Until next time you lovely lot.

xxxx

Scary Times. Family Times. Happy Times.

Where does the time go? I had no idea that I last blogged here when we were still on holiday. The hols and the sunshine seem very far off as I sit here in the gloom of 6.30pm in not so sunny Hampshire. I have a cardi on....and socks too as my feet have got so cold. I kid you not.

I need to get my horror of the events last night in Nice out of the way. I cannot comprehend how anyone would think it was a remotely just or right thing to do to drive a large lorry at speed in a congested pedestrianised area after a large celebration where families were enjoying fireworks and fun. To then deliberately target innocent adults and children by swerving along in the lorry in an attempt to cause as much death and destruction as possible for more than a mile is abhorrent.
No-one will ever be able to explain to me how this is acceptable. I can't imagine that anyone would ever try. I just feel scared for us all - for the world and for our children. Who knows where it will end? If, indeed, there ever will be an end to it which seems unlikely any time soon from where I am sitting.
I remember the Dunblane massacre. I had young children at the time. I remember trying to explain to them what had happened as they saw snippets of the tragedy on the news headlines. I felt the same after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was impossible to explain to my children then why anyone would want to hurt and kill so many innocent people. I am glad that I don't have to try to do the same thing today. My children are grown, some with children of their own who will ask questions and want answers.

Then, of course, there has been the fallout from the referendum and the decision to leave the EU. British politics is in a state of turmoil that is for sure. A new (female) prime minister, the Labour party bickering amongst themselves, Boris J going to ground after leading the exit campaign and then emerging as a key player in Mrs. May's new government, MP's putting themselves forward in various leadership campaigns only to withdraw due to misconstrued comments, George Osborne being sacked. The world is a scarey place just now.

On a personal note though, and what this blog is all about really, I have had a busy week again.
Last Saturday youngest daughter and I took part in a 5km Pretty Muddy event organised by Cancer Research. I usually do a Race For Life event each year and this year encouraged my newly slimmed down and much more confident girl to try it with me.
I have always wanted to do one of the obstacle course/muddy runs for some reason. Mad, I know.
We both completed the event and had a good time. Well, I did! It was fun and a challenge and I loved it.

That evening two of our granddaughters came to stay for the night and then the next day we had a family barbecue. The weather was dodgy but came good in the afternoon and a good time was had by all, even by my middle daughter who started her Sunday by running a 10km in London raising funds for CLAPA (cleft lip and palate association) in less than an hour. Brilliant!
It was also only the second time that all of the grandchildren have been together so it was a very special time. I have more pics but can't locate them at the moment but when I do I will add them.

Monday morning saw a trip to the eye clinic with the twins as Phoebe had an eye test. As predicted, short sight was diagnosed but I don't think any of us needed a visit to the hospital to tell us that. A referral has been made to Great Ormond Street children's hospital where they, apparently, have much more sophisticated equipment to give a more accurate diagnosis and where Phoebe's health issues can be monitored.

On Tuesday, Phoebe came to stay overnight which was lovely. She was as good as gold. Now that there is no feeding tube to deal with and now she is taking a bottle so well (most of the time anyway!) everything is so much easier. As hubby was away she even had to come with me on the dog walks which was interesting.

All this and so much more besides including sore throats for lots of us, possible chicken pox about, work woes, Pokemon Go, Phoebs being signed off by the community nurses as she is doing well without the tube, the offer of a housing association flat and wedding dress shopping. Never a dull moment. Oh, and both Phoebe and Sam have rolled over too!

I'll leave with you with a few pics of the week.

Take care and see you soon.

xxxxx