Life goes on

Early start this morning.

Took Jo’s Aztec Football pitch over to school with her for preschool club. The spikes are for the losing side’s heads she tells me.

Jumped in the car and took Ashley to Manchester Royal Infirmary for consult with the Endocrine peeps. No blood tests but further scans ordered.

Back to retrieve toddler daughter from a friend. Fab morning in town apparently.

Afternoon with my Mum putting up a wall mounted TV. She’d bought the wrong bracket and managed to pour a cup of hot tea all over me. Dad (84 today) had a skull cap on. He’d gone into the garden yesterday to feed the fish and slipped and split his head open. Mum got back to find the place full of police and ambulance paramedics fixing him up.

Home for a bath – my half an hour of peace.

Quick tea then all kids dressed for a spooks disco – pics below – younger two conked out so brought them home and left Gill and the girls boogying with our mates. The lady holding Ashley is a good friend and one of his Support Team.

Hope your day was good.

Birds n Bees

We’ve always been open about Sex Ed with Heather and Jo. We agreed when H was small that we’d answer their questions as they came and not lecture them or burden them with detail. My Mum sat me down and gave me the full graphic description. It took over half an hour and just served to confuse me.

School has just launched into the biology of the whole thing with line drawings and cartoon couplings.

She brought a worksheet home this evening which she got absolutely and very comically wrong.

Don’t get me wrong. She’s bright enough. She just doesn’t learn things like an arrow whizzing to its target. It’s more like a feather wafting in a zephyr.

Anyway, when we reordered the whole thing so that sperm doesn’t originate in the ovary (where it’s nice and warm) and doesn’t go on a swim to look for eggs in the vagina, she sat looking thoughtfully. Then she said, “so have you and Mummy done it?”. and then squealed “FOUR TIMES!” at my answer. For an embarrassed moment I almost said “we’ve done it morethan 4 times” but managed to suppress that one.

Homework done and book closed we went back to watching Modern Family (the earthquake one). Thank goodness I’d got through that one fairly unscathed.

She then turned to me and asked “How does it get in there then?”

Mid Life Crisis?

I’m 48 in a fortnight.

It’s a scary thought.

At 48 my Dad had served in the army on “mop-up” operations around the Med after the war, been married twice, emigrated with us in tow to Oz and been in a near fatal accident which has left him deaf and with some paralysis.

He still has his sense of humour though.

At 48 (nearly) I’ve been a teacher, charity worker, administrator, operations/service manager, and now do some hours in a supermarket. I’ve been married for 13 years this November and have fathered 4 children (that I know of lol).

A few weeks ago my younger brother had a heart attack and is now recovering slowly. This has reminded me of my own mortality. Something which has chilled me to the bone, especially with a young family to care for.

I know I’m ageing better than my peers, judging by their facebook profile pictures anyway. I give blood a few times a year and have never been refused in 30 years. Last year I had a lump removed from my throat which I’ve been told was a warty growth and not “sinister”.

Today Gill took me to a tattoo parlour to choose my birthday present. I’ve chosen to have portraits of my kids across my shoulders and back. I need to add Cerys to the list of scrolls on my left upper arm and am eyeing up a St George killing the dragon “born British but English by the Grace of God”.

I know it’s not a big motor bike as is the norm for MLC sufferers. But it is a big step.

I don’t wander around with my shirt off so Gill and the girls are the only ones who’ll see them.

So is it a mid life crisis?

Don’t know.

moved !

moved to WordPress at http://dderbydave.wordpress.com/ see you there!

It's an interesting life.

Well, it's all go here!
My day off (of course) and Ashley went to Nursery this morning all smiles. An hour later we got a call to say he has Chicken Pox. So he's home for a week. The baby's ok (she has her Mum's immunity for 6 months or so) and we've all had it.
Ten minutes ago we got a call to say Gill's Mum has been rushed to hospital for chest rays - suspected collapsed lung.
So I'm making tea tonite.
New rota starts tomorrow morning at 6. Wish me luck!

First steps

Ashley has Developmental Delay which means he is basically like a 38 pound one year old.

Because of this he has been Statemented which means when he starts
School Nursery in September he will have a Carer and equipment to help
him thrive in a mainstream school.

Today we met with the Head of Infants, his carer-to-be, our Portage
worker and the town’s Special Needs Coordinator to start the planning
for his induction later this term and his first few weeks in September.

I won’t bore you with the details but I will say that although the
meeting was very productive (the Head of Infants is a remarkable
woman!) it was also very difficult.

As parents we have always been fierce in protecting Ashley from
unnecessary treatment, rough handling, long days in hospital etc. Today
felt a little like we were delegating some of that responsibility to
these people. As such we have to be sure that everything is up to
scratch. So it was difficult.

However, one day in the long distant future Ashley will hopefully be
independent and we have to work towards that. September will be a step
on that path.

Lazy Sunday

It's been a good week with Ashley showing some real development and my job due to change.

Gill arrived to pick Ash up from the Nursery (he goes twice a week now) to be shown a video of the little guy standing at the sandpit. The significance may be lost to anyone who hasn't followed his progress over the last 33 months. We had an inkling that things were 'on the move' when he started pushing up from his 'commando crawl' into a hands and knees position a few weeks ago. He went to an upright kneeling position against the settee and now this.

To say we're glad is a little bit of an understatement. Although he's not talking yet and still eats mush, this is a crucial point in his development which can only indicate real progress and hope for the future.

Work is changing. A new job on the booze aisles will see me starting early each morning and finishing in time to pick the girls up from school. It will really enhance our family life and help lift some of the weight from Gill's shoulders.

The mobility car in September ( a Zafira 7 seater I think) will put the shine on things too.

Sorry these blogs are a bit sporadic but family and work life is a bit hectic at the moment and sleep at a premium with little lady only just settling to good nights after 11 weeks.

Trust you're all well and happy.

Talk soon.

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