Recovering and Getting Stronger....Nov 9th, 2010

I really wanted to get this blog updated before Ger's sister Denise's 30th birthday, and I finally made it...bang on time. Happy birthday Denise. Hope you have a fantastic time at your 30th birthday party. Wish we could be there with you all. We love and miss you very much!

Well, things are much better here after a very rough couple of months. Ashling is finally pain-free and back to her old self. She has been pretty miserable since the surgeries and very uncomfortable, Over the last week we've seen a massive difference in her form and confidence. She was very nervous and needy for the last while and it took a LOT of patience to get through the last few weeks, but somehow our prayers were answered, as they always are, and we had the patience needed to get through it. Now she's a happy little camper again, with a very vivid imagination, constantly talking about her "other house!!!!" and her other family (who, funnily enough, all seem to have the same names as us, except Jamie is her baby, not her sister! Oh and she's got another baby called....."Mammy"- bet you weren't expecting that one! Ha Ha).

Anyway, back to the serious stuff. Ashling's legs are getting stronger but very slowly. Even though she's not in pain anymore and doesn't seem to feel the plates and screws in her legs, she has lost heaps of strength and flexibility. She can't pull herself into a supported stand again yet and she can't bend her legs much either (not much more than they are genetically bent). So we are doing a huge amount of rehabilition with her and it's working....slowly. I'm taking her to The Wilson Centre twice a week, a rehabilitation Centre in Devonport, where they do gym work with her and then exercises in the hydrotherapy pool. It's fantastic. We also have a girl called Renee coming twice a week to do exercises with her at home and then we do as much as we can, whenever we can fit them in. She has been a trooper. It's just amazing what the child will do....all for a sticker!!!

One problem that arose out of the surgeries was her tummy. The hole from her gastrostomy (the tube that we used to use to feed her) started leaking after the first surgery and then got infected and became extremely sore and problematic for Ashling. We had to go back to see the Surgeon who originally put the tube in. Unfortunatley, the news wasn't good. He said that it's extremely unusual that the hole hasn't closed by now (14 months) and if it hasn't done so by now, by itself, then it won't. He said that she will have to have surgery...yes, more surgery for our little monkey. It would break your heart! Anyway, they will have to sew the skin from the inside out (3 layers, like a mini c-section) and then it shouldn't cause anymore problems for her. We have been put on the waiting list so I assume it will be sometime in the new year. Don't want it before then anyway!

Ashling and Jamie get on extremely well. Jamie is a fabulous little girl, so placid and happy. You'd hardly know she was around the place, she's so independent, except for the mess! She wrecks the joint. She's so so active, can crawl faster than I can walk. And she's knock you over with the strength of one of her thunder thighs! Poor Ash spends more time in Jamie's playpen, trying to protect herself from Jamie, than Jamie spends in it!!!! The first time she asked me to go in Jamie's playpern, I thought I'd misheard her but then I looked over and saw that jamie had knocked over her lego castle, pulled all the assessories off her barbie, and wrecked her little play picnic......then I understood why she wanted to go in there. For peace! I thought to myself - "10 out of 10 for thinking outside the box, Ash"!!!

I have attached a few videos of the two girls. Hope you like them. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Lots of love, all the Collins gang xxxxx

The two girls playing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8vcM41xCTE

The girls having a cuddle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnY0mKcV4VI

The night of the wedding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsgqKHjwazQ

Ger messing with Jamie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q1bSdRM2Sk