Fund raisers, walking and tears

So we made the local rag & the cake sale & the community coffee morning fund raisers were a great success. Thanks in the main to all of my fab family & friends who baked and helped out. £307 raised!! Woooohooo!! It rounds off this whole 'meningitis episode' nicely for me. I feel like we have helped raise awareness and £'s for research & others.

It's so wonderful to be on this side of the illness but for so many this side never happens :(

I happened upon a programme on BBC 1 last week about a medical team and there was an 18 month old on there being admitted in a coma with meningitis. I sobbed the whole way through it...the emotions which on a daily basis seem so under control were suddenly unleashed and wild! I relived every moment with the parents of 'Freddie' and felt the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster on which they travelled, just as we had a few short weeks ago.

So what about Herbs, my little trooper, well once again my baby has learnt to walk, twice now in his short 16 months here on Earth. Heck some babies don't manage to do it once in that time. He amazes me every day with his recovery.

WALK WALK WALK!

As the title suggest this is top of Herbie's priorities at the moment. He has walked quite a long way now but often he stands, does 5 or 6 steps and collapses. He just wants to practise though. We often catch him just standing there and clapping too. I am a little sad at time though when I think that had he not caught meningitis he would have been a confident walker by now and more independent. Still he is not far off. A lovely day spent celebrating our nephew's 6th birthday & a visit from the newspaper photographer which was surprisingly calm! Roll on another week.

Newspapers and photographers

What a week! Elections, hung parliament, school closed for 2 days (bank holiday & a polling station). The most exciting thing has been the interest by the local newspaper in Herbie's story and the girlie's fund raising cake sale! We have the local press photographer arriving tomorrow to get a picture of all 4 kiddos to go alongside the article. Lily & Kitty are beside themselves with excitement and I am left wondering if Herbie & Ru will 'play ball' or go wild with independence! Time will tell.

First week of work over...

Went back to work this week. My class of 29 year 1's were so lovely and gave me a very warm welcome. The staff were great too. The normality felt refreshing but I did miss my Smallie and Ru as well as my big girls. Being a working mum is never easy but if you enjoy your job, get satisfaction from it and know your children are happy with those looking after them it makes it bearable and at times really enjoyable!

Herbie continues to make daily progress. More steps , more interaction, more food!! Less separation anxiety (finally this week we can put him to bed awake and leave him to go to sleep). Ru is now totally potty trained at 2 years and 4 months...he's a clever chap and has been really easy to train.

So we are now into a Bank Holiday Weekend and really looking forward to time with friends and family...rain or no rain!

Best birthday present ever

Today was my birthday and what a great day it was. We had Herbie's first hospital follow up appointment at the John Radcliffe Hospital since he left over 3 weeks ago. Meningitis is still so very much in our minds as are those three awful weeks when he was in hospital. It was odd returning and so many memories and emotions were stirred up. We talked about how Dan felt as he arrived in the ambulance with a lifeless Herbie and how frightened we were during the first few days. To look at him today you wouldn't begin to comprehend how ill he was. We saw his consultant Dr Shelly Segal. She was thrilled with his recovery. We honestly can't thank her and her team enough...what a fantastic Dr she is. She said she would see him in 6 months if needed!! Then he would be discharged. She also said it was NOT the HIB meningitis as originally thought but that they would now never actually know which strain it was...who cares, he's well again!

To top it all he took more unaided steps in the hospital waiting room.

Tonight we went out for a meal. The two of us just talked through the whole illness, hospital stay again...

To talk is to heal :) What a great day.

He took steps!

The title says it all! Herbie stopped walking on March 10th 2010...he took his first unaided steps today, over 45 days later! It was only a few steps, a few times but they were so significant! We are back to the hospital tomorrow to see his consultant and I am actually quite excited because he is such a different child to the one they last saw at the hospital 3 weeks ago! When he arrived home he had been in hospital for 17 days being treated for bacterial meningitis. He couldn't sit for long without support, he slept loads & he cried a lot too. Now he is back to his tricks, cheeky as ever and almost walking again! I'm not adding much more today...this is enough...it's what matters. Big smiles here all round :)

They grow up so fast...

My 7 year old twins have gone to their first sleepover birthday party tonight. I miss them and they are only just down the road :( When did they grow up? How did those 7 years go by so quickly? When you hold your first born in your arms for the first time you can't imagine them being a toddler, talking, going to school and suddenly they are doing it all! Suddenly , 7 years on, I am worrying about how quickly they will be driving, sleeping over at friends houses and oh so many other things that I can't bring myself to even type! Once a parent you are changed forever.

Rufus didn't like them being away either...he's a sensitive soul :)

We have had a great few days. Rufus is now potty trained at 2 years & 4 months, my little boy is also changing so rapidly. I see what all of the people who were parents before me meant when they told me to cherish every moment with them and NEVER to wish my own or their lives away. Immerse yourself in every stage of their development, however trying it may seem and most of all fill their days with happiness as they fill yours. A friend recently posted this on her Facebook status...

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; it empties today of its strength."

They are so right...