I love you

Mama and papa say this to me a lot. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they do, so i figured it must be a nice thing to say to someone, so i'm saying it back to them now! mama nearly cried when i said it to her the first time.

BBQ at dad's place

I stayed with dad and we had a bbq. I saw Tara and India for the first time in ages. They've been in Goa for 4 months, lucky things! It was great to see them, although pushed them a bit in the beginning, i don't mean to hurt anyone... it's just a silly phase i'm going through. By the end of the day we were getting along just fine though and we had fun! Lizzy brought some balloons around, she often brings me balloons and i love them, thank you Lizzy!

Had a ball with papa this weekend!

I don't know why i'm blogging papa as dad and also mama as mom? I call him papa and call mom mama so will be accurate from now on! Mama went away for the weekend to see a friend of hers. Papa came to stay and took care of me for the whole weekend and we had a lot of fun. He took me to Waterlow Park (mama's favourite park).

Not 100%

I've been ill on and off all week. Had a really bad night, had a temperature and didn't sleep much at all. I'm a bit better today but still coughing a lot. I'm going to hang with dad today so am excited about that!

Cool rider

The meaning of my index finger

I've finally figured it out! My index finger fits perfectly inside my nostril. That's what it's there for!!! .. it's too much of a coincidence don't you think? It also fits in mom's nostril with space to spare.

I'm poorly :-(

I'm not feeling great. Been fighting a temperature for the past couple of days and i have a runny nose. I haven't been ill for months, in the fact the whole of winter I was pretty much ok, big difference to last winter! I think my immunity's getting stronger now. I'm tired so i'm going to have a little ziz.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Gunter!

You would have been 68 years old today. I know I haven't met you but I hope all the angels are throwing a big party for you tonight. We'll be celebrating ourselves. Till we meet...

My fave TV programmes

Well i love footie the most, any game will do.

At the moment the shows i love and that really make me giggle are...

In the night garden... I like upsy daisy the most.



Brum... i love dancing with them all at the end.

IEP

It was my IEP at nursery today. I've reached all my goals except for one!!! I had to repeat words, well i'm now trying to construct sentences!!! I had to increase my attention span which i'm doing too... the only thing i'm not doing is taking my trousers off by myself. That's not my fault though, nursery, mom and dad haven't been pushing me to do this (tut). They are very pleased with my progress and have set new goals. I have no doubt i'll be able to meet those too.

Speech Therapy

Kristin came over today for a session of speech therapy. We played with a doll and some teddy's and i pretended to feed them a drink and some food. We played with puzzles as well... one of animals and the other one had an aeroplane. We blew bubbles, i didn't want Kristin to blow them, i wanted to do it myself... it went really well, i blow really good bubbles but need a little guidance with the stick. Mom get's me to blow bubbles in the bath through a straw as well, sometimes i drink the bathwater by mistake.. yeagh!!! She's really pleased with how my speech is coming along, she said it's developing nicely and she can see a massive difference from when she first started these sessions 6 weeks ago. I've got so much to say for myself so when my speech does develop i'm not gonna be able to shut up! :-)

Highgate Woods

Mom and i stayed the night with mel last night. She made a delicious chicken stirfry for us. I loved playing with Leila, she's only 4 months old though but i said 'hallo leila' to her in my baby voice. Today we went to Highgate Woods for a play. I met an 18 month old called Adrian. We had a right giggle together, we both went on the swings at the same time. Adrian's mom pushed him higher than mom pushed me. Mom's a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to things like that. I hugged lots of strangers today, i ooze love. We went to the coffee shop afterwards and mom got me a kiddies breakfast, i had egg, mushrooms and beans. yum!

I love Wednesday's :-)

Every Wednesday dad comes over and has dinner with me and mom. I love it, we all sit at the table and eat together. I have to sit on a couple of cushions though cos i'm still a bit small and can't reach the table top. We had pizza tonight, mom didn't feel like cooking. I like pizza, i eat mine really fast so i get to eat some of mom and dad's too.

Milan with dad

I went to Milan for the weekend with dad, to see nonno, nonna and elisa. I had so much fun.. it was a very busy time! They can't believe how much i've changed and how much more i'm doing now. I played with cicilia and tobia, we had a brilliant time jumping all over their sofa and throwing balls around. I missed mom a bit but it was nice to spend lots of time with dad. Dad doesn't live at home anymore but i get to see him as often as possible. He loves me very much and i love him too.

Snowing in Springtime?

I watched big snowflakes falling from the sky today. They made everything white. Mom took me for a walk in our local park, she tried to get me to touch the snow but i didn't want to. I don't really know what it is, i prefer to look at it rather than touch it.

Speech update

I'm slowly starting to talk :-)

I'm saying:
Eyes
No (for nose)
Mou (for mouth)
Ear
Up
I want out (When i'm done bathing)
I want ball (When i wanna watch footie on the telly ... this is what i say the most!)
I want book (When i want to be read to)
Dasta (Pasta)
Nana (Banana)
Apple
Yaya (yoghurt)
More

Mom and dad are going to start using more Makaton with me. They'll have to choose some signs that i don't speak the words for yet. I have 4 speech therapy sessions coming up soon, can't wait to show Kristin how far I've come!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Learnt a new tune

Most nights mom watches Eastenders on the telly (she's a bit of a fan.. yawn).. i like the beginning and the end the most, I sing along to the theme tune with incredible accuracy!

Elisa visits!

It was brilliant seeing her again. Mel came around for lunch and i played with Leila for a bit. I love babies, the whole tone of my voice changes when i talk to them.

Things i like to do III

i like to walk around with a bucket on my head with my arms outstretched, feeling my way in the dark.



i like to use my sponge in the bath to clean all the bath toys, the bath and the walls. I also like blowing bubbles with a straw, but sometimes i drink the bath water instead of blowing it.

i like football .. a lot! every time i get home i yell 'ball' at the telly, but don't always get my own way :-(

i like to look at photos, especially of hannah because i can say her name.

i like to eat everyone's food, even after i've eaten myself. I'll move from person to person getting what i want. When one plate's finished, i move to the next.

Speech therapy

Kristin came around to my house today. I usually see her at nursery so it was a nice surprise. She chatted to mom mainly... about my speech. Mom has to make me work harder. I understand a lot and i gesture really well so mom knows what i want when i need it... but from now on mom has to make me 'speak' for my needs. Make more effort. tut. I'm quite happy the way i am. Mom must also repeat words more, it's all about repetition. She does that already quite a bit, but not enough. Things are going to be more challenging for me, but it's for my own good, apparently. :-(

Oh the games people play now!

After every bath time, when mom is drying me.. i do a runner! I run away screaming with excitement before she can catch me. Sometimes she's really quick and gets me before i reach the lounge... other times I'm way quicker than her. It's great being naked, if the heating's on of course! :-)

Dragon dance at nursery

Today we did a dragon dance for chinese new year, mom came and watched. The nursery kids made a beautiful, bright dragon, all us toddlers held the 'fire' and made music with instruments. I wasn't very happy though... soon as i saw mom i just wanted to hang with her. It was really cold outside as well which didn't help. Will upload some pics soon.

My latest obsession is straws. There's a box of them in the cupboard, i love pulling them all out and scattering them over the kitchen floor. When mom asks me to help put them back in their box i say 'noooo'. i prefer them on the floor, brightens the place up a bit.

Today is congenital heart defect awareness day

I'm one of the lucky ones. My broken heart was fixed. There are many children out there who will always have broken hearts, they will always have to take medication and they will always have to have more and more surgeries. Some are waiting for a transplant. Please spare a thought for them all today, and especially for all the CHD angels who are no longer with us.

Have the tune, just gotta get the words... oh, and cuddles!

I'm singing 'wheels on the bus', 'jingle bells' (so last season) and 'twinkle, twinkle little star' really well. I have the tunes down to a 'T'. the words are there, but they're not coming out.. they will, in time. When mom sings 'old macdonald' to me i sing the 'eee iiii eeee iiii oooooh' bits, all at the right time too.

i'm really into my cuddling these days. Only now, when i cuddle.. i pat the person i'm cuddling on the back.. just like the biggies do. Our cleaner came today, when mom took me off to nursery i ran to her and cuddled her (patted her on the back of course), then ran back and gave her another one before i walked out. You can't have too many cuddles i say.

vroooom!

I've figured out how to ride my little bike. I could only move backwards before but have worked out how to push myself forwards, much better... can see where i'm going now! i guess next thing to learn is a bicycle, but i'm a tad young for that.

Testes

Went to GOSH to have my testes checked. We waited over an hour. they called me but we missed it because i was too busy exploring all the rooms and corridors. all ok, have to go back in a year for another check-up.

india and tara went to india today for 3 months. aren't they lucky? i'm jealous. maybe we'll visit them!

Occupational Therapy

Laura came to see how i'm doing. Mom was embarrassed because when she got here i was trying to turn the tv on to watch football (my new obsession!). We played with building blocks, she's really impressed with how i stack them... now i can go one step further and copy shapes that mom builds. i have to work on my pincer grip, the grip is good but i need to strengthen it a bit. i'm to push coins into play dough or putty. Aunty kir suggested i open and close a clothes peg which is a pretty nifty idea. i also have to work on threading beads. i have a threader but it's lost in my toy box somewhere, mom has to dig it out for me. I must also work on shape recognition. Got some busy days ahead but it's all fun stuff so that's ok.

Mad about footie!

If there's footy on the telly i go mad. I run on the spot with excitement. I watch quite a bit of italian football so have all the dramatics down to a 'T'. I throw my arms up in the air and shout 'yaaaaay' when a goal is scored. I also fall to the ground shouting 'oh no'. Maybe i'll be a footballer? but mom's choosing my wife apparently, i'm not allowed a WAG.

I'm back!

Happy New Year! I have a feeling 2008 is going to be good.

I had the most amazing time in South Africa with all my cousins. It was so nice to roll on the grass, feel the sand in my toes and to swim in salty water. I slept really well because i was running around more. I tried new foods like biltong and sadza, loved both of those. The best part was playing with my cousins... loved chasing hannah around the house when she was on her rollerblades... erin made me giggle a LOT... kai and i bonded really well (we speak the same language)... maja and i had a lot of fun too playing catches in the garden. I was very gentle with Gemima, i spoke to her in baby language.

I met Santa, he arrived by boat at the yacht club. He gave me a packet of sweets, I'm not allowed sweets so i gave my share to my cousins.

I would love to move there some day, we will see.

Here are some pics.

Unblocked tear duct

Went to Great Ormond Street for opthalmology appointment. my tear duct was blocked, when i had a general anaesthetic they couldn't unblock it themselves... today i was going to be referred to another department for more surgery. BUT GUESS WHAT?? it's fixed itself! yay! i've been discharged... :-)

I'm off to langebaan tomorrow for 3 weeks. I'm going to be hanging out with all my cousins on the beach. Can't wait! Will blog when i'm back.

Buon Natale!

'Bringer of light'

... that's what my name means. how apt.. :-)

Thank you Charlie, Daisy, Cheryl and Jon

I've never met you, you live all the way in New Zealand. I received a parcel from you today. What a great t-shirt! I know mum's really gonna enjoy the mud pack too. The beautiful angel has pride of place in our entrance, watching over us when we leave the home and welcoming us when we return.

Charlie you have done so well. Mum tells me your mic-key has been taken out? wow!!! i know you went to Austria, like me. Isn't that place amazing??? i really hope we meet some day. Here's to eating food, enjoying the new flavours and textures. Onwards and upwards Charlie!!! Big hug! x Thanks so much for the presents. Tell your mum to send some pics of you tucking into food!

I love books

Early christmas present

We're going to south africa for christmas so i got one of my presents early.. who's complaining? I've still got all of santa's presents to look forward to anyway...

I've got a hobby horse. I love it, beats walking around with mom's rain stick between my legs, or the broom. I've also got a motorbike! it's red and looks rather snazzy. I can push myself backwards but haven't worked out how to push myself forwards. I just shout 'oi' and mom or dad will push me at great speed down the passage. it's great fun.

I'm sneaky

Mom was washing the dishes and i sneaked into the kitchen and took the milk out the fridge, unscrewed the lid and poured the entire contents on the floor. It was great fun, sploshed around in it, drew in it... then mom had to come and ruin my fun by cleaning it all up.. :-(

Understanding and speech

My understanding is incredible. I understand everything mom says. I've been a bit of a snot bucket lately, mom told me to go and get some toilet paper to wipe my nose, which is what i did. I couldn't decide how much i needed though... i figured a lot of snot = a lot of loo paper!




My speech is coming along too. I now say 'up' everytime i want to be lifted up, which is often! I can point at photos and say 'mama' and 'dada', i say 'hallo' to everyone i see, also wave and say 'bye'. I say 'nanana' for banana. When i do things that are naughty and mom catches me i say 'oh no'! I say 'yeah' and 'no' with meaning too.

I love talking on the phone 'chatter, chatter, chatter... hahahahahah, chatter, chatter, chatter.. hahahahaha!'

Cough cough splutter

I've been sick for over a week now. Mom was ill first and she gave it to me, thanks Mom! I haven't been to nursery school for over a week.. hope to go tomorrow. I'm getting cabin fever.

Aunty Elisa came to stay

It was wonderful to see her again. She loves me a lot and i love her too. I was still quite sick though but i had my moments of feeling ok. She's given me a christmas present, can't wait to see what it is.. mom said i have to wait until christams day. boo!

Parents Day

Mom organised a parents day today. 18 families came to meet the professor. Their children were all tube fed. Unfortunately I got there late because i was at nursery so didn't get a chance to meet everyone. It was a good day though and i think there'll be another one in March. All the families came because they're struggling to wean their children off the tube or they wanted some advice. Everyone left with a smile on their face and with hope and good advice, what more could you ask?

Here's a picture of the professor on the left, and the lovely Jean from the Palace who let mom have the whole place for free. Thank you Jean!

The professor lectures at Great Ormond Street

I saw the professor today, she's the one who helped me eat orally. I also saw all my old therapists and paediatricians, right from birth up until now. They all said i was looking really well (which i am). I spent most of the time out of the lecture theatre, it was really quiet in there and i was talking all the time so dad had to take me out.

Someone told my story, about how i was tube fed and then went to Austria and started eating orally. Then the professor talked, she didn't have much time but what she said made an impact.. the top surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital is going to do a trial, he's going to send 3 children from here to Graz, Austria to be weaned. If it's successful (which it will be), they will hopefully work in collaboration with the professor. Wouldn't that be good?!

gawd

I'm sitting at nursery minding my own business, drinking some milk through a straw.. from those little cartons we get... mom comes to collect me and starts jumping up and down with excitement. what's all the fuss about? i've been drinking through a straw for a while now but mom didn't know.. geees. the funny thing is i drink more now... wonder why that is? mom's now on a straw mission to find healthy drinks for me to enjoy. she's had some great suggestions from her friends at heartline.. can't wait to try them out.