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Showing posts from 2010

THE END OF THE OLD YEAR AND THE START OF A NEW YEAR

New Year's Eve 2010:   This has been an eventful year for you Em.  You started crawling in January and by July you started walking - in spite of a fracture to your right tibia in May.  You also started signing at the start of the year and once you got the hang of it you learned a new sign nearly every week!  Please, thank you, cheese, ice-cream, apple, drink, dog, cat etc etc etc. You have been for regular Pamidronate treatments every two months but from next year it will be every three months. I think the treatment is really helping and although its a bit traumatic for you and your parents, it is wonderful that there is something to help make your bones stronger. In April you started going to the Shongololo Day School with your Mom and you loved it right from the start.  Unfortunately you had your 3rd fracture in May but it wasn't long before you were back at school and then you started standing, and walking, and my hair started turning white! You had a tibia fracture

CHRISTMAS 2010

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What a Christmas season you've had Em! Dad's friend Kevin and his girlfriend Jacqui were supposed to arrive in South Africa last week but there has been a big freeze in Europe with major airports closed and their flight cancelled.  So, earlier in the week Mom and Dad took you to the Emdodeni Lodge and Cat Rehab Centre in Zululand, close to Umfolozi-Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Their aim is to care for wild Cheetahs, Cerval Cats, African Wildcats and Caracal (Lynx), which have been orphaned or injured in the wild and are in need of care and rehabilitation.  Some of the cheetahs have been reared at the centre from young and visitors get to interact with them.  You were able to touch a grown cheetah!  You were afraid at first but eventually you plucked up courage and touched one when it lay down.  On the way home you travelled through the Umfolozi Game Reserve and saw nearly all the animals there excepting for the cats. On Christmas Eve we all went to Patty's. You were in

YOUNG LOVE!

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On Sunday we were all invited to Dennis and Rita's 40th wedding anniversary lunch in Kloof.  Dennis's sister Dawn, and her son and daughter-in-law were there with their little boy, Connor.  They had told him that you would be there and that you were a special little girl and that he must be very gentle with you because if you fell you could break your bones. Connor was smitten by you!  He held your hand and walked you around the garden (with an adult hanging onto the back of your shirt, of course!)  He shared all his toys with you and was quite happy to oblige with a hug and a kiss when asked to do so.  It was very sweet!       You didn't object!  You played 'hide and seek' with him and played with all his 'boys toys' - cars, trucks, Buzz from Toy Story. Sharon sent us this email from Connor's mother: "Hi Last night we were chatting before going to sleep with Connor. We were just telling him again how proud we were about how nice

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

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You are two years and one month and this Christmas is going to be very special.  You understand about presents and parties.  On Saturday your Mom and Dad invited me to the children's Christmas Tree party at Derivco (where Dad works).  I was a bit worried about you being afraid of Santa because when I took you into Checkers at the Pavilion about a month ago you screamed hysterically when you saw a mechanical Santa playing music and saying 'Merry Christmas... ho. ho, ho!"  I had to rush you away from him and calm you down.  When I went back to the shop I saw that the Santa had been moved!  Maybe you weren't the only child terrified by the large man in a red suit waving his arms about ringing a bell and shouting out Christmas ho, ho, ho!? At the Christmas Tree party Santa arrived in a little train engine.  You didn't mind the fairies but you weren't too keen to get close to him.  Inside, there were displays of food - snacks, sandwiches, mince tarts,

LAST PAM TREATMENT IN 2010

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Hello my beautiful child, You had your last Pamidronate treatment this past weekend.  From now on you only have to go in every three months so the next one will be in February. Mom managed to persuade the Medical Aid that treatment at Parklands was cheaper and easier for all concerned to you went into Parklands on Friday.  When Mom and Dad brought you here afterwards I met you at the door.  You had a bandage and a pretty pink, floral bandana on your head.  "What's this?" I asked, touching the bandana.  "My hat, Ganny" you, replied.  Looking at me as though I was a bit dim!  How could I not know that it was your hat? On Saturday I releived Mom and Dad at the hospital for a while so that they could get a cup of coffee in the hospital cafetaria.  You sat on my lap and we read books, played 'hammer the ball into a box' game and watched Micky Mouse and friends on the portable DVD player.  Mom and Dad came to us after your treament and you were soon walk

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY!!!

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You just LOVE it when we sing Happy Birthday to you!  We started singing it to you about three weeks before your birthday and you started to join in - pursing your lips, "...tooo-yooooouuu.  Happy buffda toooooo... yoou!"  And, as soon as we get to the HIP HIP HOORAY you throw your arms up in the air and shout HOORAYY!!!!  Every day, for a couple of weeks, we spoke about your 'Par-tee!'  "What are you going to have for your party Em?  Balloons! YAY!  Fweeties, chips, joos - YAY! bistits, tate, ice teem, YAY!"   Your birthday party was lovely.  It rained on Saturday (the day of your birthday) but was bright and sunny on Sunday when we had the party.  Mom chose a barn-yard party theme so the paper cups, serviettes and cake decorations on your number two cake she baked were farm animals.  She bought you a gorgeous new outfit - denim dungarees and a checked blouse.  There were coloured helium balloons with long coloured ribbons hanging from the ceili

BREAK NUMBER FOUR

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Hello my noo-noo, I am so sorry that you have had another fracture baby. On Tuesday night you slipped in the kitchen at about 6:45pm and sustained a hairline fracture on your right tibia.  We didn't know about it until your Dad phoned us at 9:15pm to say that you were in a cast again.  They had taken you to Entabeni, had the x-rays and you were home already.  It took me back to the days when I did that with Mark. I didn't tell anyone when he broke until after he had been treated and brought home.  It was so much easier and less traumatic to do it that way.  Tammy put the old gutter splint from your last fracture onto your leg and Dr Stead agreed that it would be fine not to apply a new cast.  Patty and I popped in to see you on Wednesday night and you were quite subdued.  When I asked you what that was on your leg you said, "Emmy boom. Ouch!"  By Thursday when you visited me wearing a gorgeous polka dot dress and matching cerise pink cast bandage, you wanted to

Your first visit to a Game Reserve

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Hello Em, Last weekend we all went to the Umfolozi Game Reserve.  Gumpi and me, you and your Mom and Dad, Greg and Sharon and Sharon's parents Rita and Dennis.  Its the first time we have all been away together and it was great fun!  The Umfolozi Game reserve is the oldest game park Africa and it used to be the favourite hunting ground of the Zulu kings, especially Shaka.  The Hluhluwe/Umfolozi park was established in 1895, mainly to protect the rhinoceros which had become endangered. 280km is a long way for a little one like you to sit still in a car so Mom and Dad left very early, straight after you woke up. They attached the portable dvd player to the back of the driver's seat and you were able to watch Barney - your favourite dvd - on the road. We left at about 6h30 and finally caught up to you at the Petro-port where you had stopped for a nappy change and something to eat.  We drove north to the Memorial Gate at the Hluhluwe entrance and drove slowly south towards

MOMMY'S GIRL

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Hello my darling Em. You are now 22 months old, have a vocabulary of about 50 words, understand at least another 100 words, can still sign at least 20 words.  And sometimes you sound just like your Mom!  When you see something wonderful you say, "Oh WOW!"  (Just as she does).  When we say thank you to you, you say, "No problem" and when something disappoints you, you say, "Oh no!" And, you have become a Mommy's girl.  You don't like to let her out of your sight and if I play with you, you take your Mom's hand and say "Come mommy, come."  You wave your little fingers as though calling a dog! On Saturday I babysat while your Dad drove your Mom to the airport. (She was going away for her friend's hen party).  You woke up while he was gone and when I went into your room you were rubbing your eyes and calling, 'mummy-daddy, momma-dadda!'  As soon as you saw me your face dropped and you said, "Oh no!"  I couldn

A Real little Toddler!!

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Hello Em my darling.  I am baby-sitting this morning while Mom helps out for a couple of hours at Derivco.  Because I'm still nervous of you walking, I plonked you in the pram and took you for a nice long walk after Mom left.  We usually go eastward up Anthony drive all the way to High Ridge (about 2km) looking at birds, flowers, dogs, cats, other walkers, aeroplanes etc along the way. There is one verge along the way that has a long hedge made up of different coloured bougnvillas. You know the word Bouganvilla and I always show you the flowers on our plant at home. Here are some of the colours we see. When we walk along Anthony, we look out for the bouganvilla and I pick a few flowers of each colour for you to Oooh-and-aaah over. You also like the Hibiscus hedge at the corner of High Ridge and Anthony becuase the branches with flowers on are low enough for you to reach. It is so sweet when you take on and hold it to your nose to smell! This morning we saw

WALKING, WALKING, WALKING

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Hello my noo-noo!        Mark has taken a couple of weeks leave and said that he has had a 'baptism of fire' with you walking everywhere.  You have started letting go and taking off - sometimes lurching, sometimes stumbling.  Its really scary!  I don't allow you to walk alone when I'm around so I hold onto the back of your shirt and onto one hand and walk behind you, doubled over, all over the house!  Sometimes you take us by surprise.  You'll be standing next to a table or chair and the next minute you've let go - it freaks me out!  We all said that it doesn't matter if you only learn to walk when you are two but now that you are 21 months old and are starting to take steps, we are all holding our breath!!  I really, really hope that you do learn to walk without any falls, accidents or fractures but every time you fall we nearly die - like today in the lounge you tumbled side-ways onto your hip and poor Mark went white!  I think you are going

Thursday 8th July 2010

Whoo-wheee!!!!  Mom sent a message to say you had taken your first steps!!  You stood up, in the middle of the lounge and took four steps unaided!  If I had been there, I would probably have rushed forward and grabbed you as you took the first step!  We are baby sitting tomorrow night and but I don't think you'll be doing much walking on my shift!!

While I was gone

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I went away for two weeks Em.  I accompanied Patty on her dream trip to Russia.  Patty has wanted to go to Russia for a long time but her health has deteriorated so much that she thought she would never get there.  So, on 22nd June we left for St Petersburg for a river cruise on the Neva, Svir, Volga and Moscow canal system to Moscow.  It was wonderful but I missed you while we were away.  Last weekend you had to go into Parklands for your PAM treatment.  Mom said that Dr\Roos was away so Dr Jonathan Egner did your treatment.  I've known Jonathan for a long time - since the early days of SAIDA.  Did I ever tell you about SAIDA?  It stands for South African Inherited Disorders Association and in the '70a and 80's it was really a big, busy, active organisation with about 16 affiliated genetic disorder self-help groups.  Jonathan was involved with the CF (Cystic Fibrosis) group - I think he still is but his prime interest is paediatrics and that is how you had him to help you

The Cast if OFF

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On Monday Mom took the cast off - just three and a bit weeks this time.  You are giving me the heeby-jeebies crawling around and trying to stand again!  Yesterday I baby-sat while Mom had an appointment.  That is actually a bit of a misnomer, because when I 'baby-sit' I never actually sit! I push you in your pram - usually along Anthony Road all the way to High Ridge (about 45 minutes) and back, past your home to Wedgewood Crescent.  Yesterday we walked around Wedgewood and stopped to look at a lovely grey cat sunning itself behind a fence.  I called the cat and it came over.  You looked over the side of your pram and said, "Heyyo woo-woo!"  I told you that it was a Kitty and twirled my fingers next to my cheeks - the sign for kitty.  I picked the cat up to let you stroke it.  You are afraid of animals and pulled away but you touched it and pulled your hand away.  It stretched, rolled on its back and started cleaning and preening.  You were fascinated and wanted to to

3RD FRACTURE

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Oh dear, Em, just when we thought you were doing so well, you fractured the right tibia. It was almost mid shaft and the fracture stopped where the Pamidronate lines are.  Its interesting to see the white lines on the x-rays, like the growth rings on a tree. (This is not a picture of your bones but it does show the Pamidronate lines). Dr Stead has put a half cast on - a back slab - which should only be on for about 4 weeks.  The cast is held on with a crepe bandage and Mom bought a whole lot of different colour self-stick bandages to put on top. Patty gave Mom money to buy you a little scooter and you loved being pushed around the garden path.  You can see your yellow bandage on this photograph. After a few days you started leopard crawling around the house, dragging your casted leg behind you!  And then, after just a week, you started trying to stand. Last Thursday - 2 1/2 weeks after the fracture - you went for a check up and an exray and it showed that the callus was well forme