Hello again

Hello again

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Wed, 19th August, 09

Just a few videos and recent photos of Ash, showing off her shiner! She had a nasty fall off her bike and got a black eye and a bruised forehead. Didn't bother her in the least though - think I was more upset about it than she was!

The videos aren't anything too exciting but they'll give you an idea where she's at right now. Cheers x

1. Getting a kiss off her on her bike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uOaFvB9TNc

2. Dad reading to her while she tries to wear tiny glasses belonging to Mr PotatoHead! Our studious little girl....not!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXJ6SNXjjgE

3. Ash being serenaded by her cousin Katie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKuKbh6oTHQ

4. Watching Barney while chilling out on my rocking horse - a bit boring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPzyxzewg-0

5. Ash getting ready for bed...NOT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEGDARsC3uU

6. Ash and Ger messing in her room before bedtime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpPymkiW_HU

Cheers,
Lots of love, Car and Ger x

Monday, August 10, 2009

A lovely story...

People have often asked me what it's like having a child with a disability. Someone sent me this story recently and it describes perfectly what it's like. Have a read below:

Emily Kingsley said, “ I’m often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability and to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it and to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this: When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. You’re going to see the coliseum, the Sistine chapel, the gondolas. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian and it’s very exciting. After several months of preparation and anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go to Italy. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess says, ‘Welcome to Holland.’ ‘Holland?’ you say, ‘I signed up for Italy. I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I have dreamed of going to Italy.’ But there’s been a change in flight plans and they’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing to remember is they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place filled with pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guidebooks and you must learn a whole new language and you must meet a whole new group of people that you would never have met before. It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy and it’s less flashy than Italy. But after you have been there for a while and you catch your breath, you begin to look around and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills. And Holland has tulips. And Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy and bragging about what a wonderful time they’ve had there. And for the rest of your life you’ll say, ‘Yes, that is where I was supposed to go. At least that is what I had planned.’ And the pain of that experience will never, ever, go away. The loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But, if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy those very special, very lovely things about Holland. “

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Well recovered.....

Ashling has fully recovered from her bug and her oxygen levels are back to normal. She is also eating and drinking the same as before (if not a little better!). We are absolutely thrilled with her and thoroughly enjoying every day with her and her roguish ways!

The other news is that she is going to have a baby sister or brother around Christmas time. Yes, I'm pregnant and due on Dec 21st. We had intended on doing IVF so that the chances of having a baby with Escobar syndrome could be minimised but then we decided to just go for it and pray LOTS! Anyway, the wonderful news is that we have had tests done and the baby does not carry the gene for escobar syndrome. So hopefully we will have a healthy baby for Christmas. Woo Hoo. To say that we are over the moon is an understatement!

As always, thanks a million for taking the time and interest in reading this.
Lots of love, Car, Ger and ash x0x0x0