Letters to my Grandchild

Hello my darling Em, You have gone to 'In-ga-lund' for a three week holiday with your Mom and Dad!  For months we have been preparing you with stories about flying in aeroplanes, sleeping on the plane, visiting Kevin and Jacks, and Graham and Geroge (Georgina). On Saturday afternoon we needed two cars to transport you, Mom, Dad, the pram, and an assortment of backpacks and kitbags to the airport.  I really admire your Mom for taking this on!  She had a real battle trying to find someone to rpovide insurance for you and Mark as most don't cover pre-existing conditions.  In the end she did find someone - at a premium - but at least they will have some cover should either of you have an accident while you are away. At the airport I told you that I was going to miss you terribly and wished I was going with you.  "You can come too, Danny," you said.  I told you that I was also going on an aeroplane - to Spain.  "I go with you to Spain, Danny" you sa...

You love water!  On Sunday at Patty's we sat outside on her lawn and I filled an old cat litter box with water for you to play with. You had such fun with the hosepipe and the water!!  Love you baby Em!

Happy Birthday Emily,  You had a wonderful party at our house.  Mom bought a Winnie the Pooh table cloth for the diningroom table and made all sorts of snacks - quiche, sandwiches, sausage rolls, cheese rolls, pizza squares: I ordered cup-cakes and cheese cakes and Granny Laura brought a gorgeous No1 birthday cake with Winnie the Pooh characters on it. We had two birthday banners and pink and white balloons.   You gave lots of kisses - got lots of hugs - and enjoyed being the centre of attraction.  About 25 people came and you got quite shy when we sang happy birthday to you.  You got lots of presents and with Mom sitting on the floor in the TV room you had fun ripping off the wrapping paper and opening the boxes and presents.  You didn't let the spica cast bother you and even spent some time rolling on the carpet, playing with some of your presents.  Altogether, it was a wonderful day and you were the perfect little birthday girl! 

Hello little Em, Last weekend was a milestone for you, and for your family. Your cast came off on Friday and on Saturday you went into Parklands Hospital to start the first of your years of Pamidronate therapy. What this means is that the doctor inserted a feed line (small plastic tube) into a vein in your foot so that they could put in a drip to administer the Pamidronate over a period of 6 hours. Pamidronate is a biophosphonate - like the one I take for osteoprosis - that should strengthen your bones and help them not to break. It was quite truamatic because they couldn't find a vein large enough in your right foot so they had to try again in the left foot. Tammy said that Dr Roos was sweating after doing this procedure - especially with the right foot as that is the leg which has just come out of plaster.  Tammy stayed in the hospital with you and we visited you each day. On Monday they had to remove the feed from your foot because they couldn't f...

Hello Em, I arrived home from walking (and volunteering) in France and Spain this afternoon at about 3pm. Finn and Patty came to meet me at the airport. On the way home, Finn gave me the really sad news that you had fractured your right tibia on Friday. I was really tired from the three flights home and at first I couldn't take it in. "When?" I asked. "How did it happen?" We were all so relieved when the specialists, Dr Roos and Prof Beighton, said that there was no indication of OI in your Xrays. Just a couple of weeks ago they took you to Dr Roos for him to check your skull because the clinic sister thought your head was a little large. You had a scan done but there was nothing abnormal. Dr Roos told Mark and Tammy not to worry about your blue sclera "Children can have blue sclera up to 2 years of age" he said. I was away at the time and I must be absolutely honest with you Em, I heard alarm bells ringing. Large head, blue sclera and recurrent c...

Hello Little Em, Saturday was a very special day - Mark and Tammy got married and you were a 'flower baby'. The weather was perfect, the venue was lovely, Rev Cliv Jacobson was the ideal parson as he's known Mark for years (through being on the Council of the Open Air School and also your Great-Granny May's pastor). The Gazebo and looked charming, your mother looked stunning and your father very dashing. Everyone was happy, smiling and some, a little tearful. I'm going to post a longer account of the wedding here later but for now I thought I'd add a few photos. I'm going away on a long walk (that's what I do from time to time) and won't be back for 5 weeks. Will tell you all about that too when I get back. I am babysitting you for three days Em and it has been lovely caring for you, laughing with you, feeding you and caring for you. I think we are going to be really good friends! I love you Em, Silly ...

Hello my darling Em, Its been some time since I posted on this blog. Its been a busy time. Greg and Sharon got married on the 2nd May. It was a very happy wedding. Greg looked so pleased to finally be marrying the girl of his dreams (I'll tell you their story one day) and Sharon looked gorgeous in her designer wedding dress. Your Mom was a bridesmaid so your granny Laura came to fetch you from our place and took you home where they would care for you all day. It was the first time Tammy had left you for a whole day and she shed tears when they drove away with you. Your Mom looked beautiful. Here she is with the flower girl - she is 4 years old and I know that you will be just as beautiful when you are a flower-girl one day. I did all the flowers for Greg & Sharon's wedding and it looked very beautiful. When that was over, it was time to start concentrating on your Mom and Dad's wedding. We've been to look at vases and table runners, tie backs an...

Hello Little Em, You have been a little bit niggely lately and then on Thursday your parents told us that they could feel a little tooth on your bottom gum. On Saturday morning I was holding you in the church while Greg & Sharon's wedding rehearsal was taking place, and you kept rubbing your gums on my hand. By Sunday afternoon, a second little tooth had come through! Dear little babe, two front teeth and more to come! On Saturday night you three slept over at our house for the first time. It was Greg's Bulls Party and Mark couldn't drive home afterwards and he didn't want your Mom to spend the night alone. Mark and Tammy brought your camp cot, blankets, toys and food and spent the whole of Saturday and Sunday here. We weren't sure how you would sleep in a strange place but you were an angel and slept through from 7pm to 2:30am without even a beep. You are eating vegetables now. Your Mom only buys organic vegetables and steams them all before blending them ...

Hello Little Em, I can't believe that you'll be 6 months old tomorrow! From a skinny, jaundiced little babe you have grown into a beautiful, peaches and cream, happy little girl. I have baby-sat you quite a bit in the last couple of weeks and you seem to recognize me now - especially if I sing the "Emily Ann" song to you. You laugh and you sing and you talk. On Monday at Patty's I put you to sleep and I also looked after you here while your Mom and Dad had a little rest. You played on the activity mat for nearly 45 minutes, sat in the Bumbo playing for another half an hour without a whimper. You are a perfect baby in every way. Something unexpected happened last week. I went for a bone density scan the week before and when I went to see my doctor she told me that I have brittle bones! Not osteogeneis imperfecta like your Dad, but osteoporosis which causes bones to be fragile and brittle. It happens to lots of post-menopausal women but I didn't expect t...

Hello little Em, I have seen a lot of you this week and the more I am with you the more amazed I am at how quickly you are growing. For the first few months babies are not responsive or even aware of themeself or others. Now you recognize people and respond to everyone. Its been so great to spend more time with you. Tammy has been designing, cutting and compiling the wedding invitations. She has done a really good job and they are looking very professional. And, while your Mom works, I get to walk you in the pram, watch you while you play on your playmat and put you to sleep. You never cry. Even when you get tired. You smile all the time - you are an angel child. Mark has taught you to make an 'ahhh...' sound when he taps two fingers against your mouth. It is so cute because the sound changes to a wha-wha-wha-wha sound and you keep going, even changing pitch! They have got you on video doing it - I'll try to get a copy so that I can post it here. Today I took you t...

Hello little Em, Today I took you for the first walk in your pram around Patty's complex - and I took you with Muffy (Patty's Yorkie) as well. You looked so cute with your little denim sunhat on. You enjoyed the walk but seemed much more interested in your 'Flower' - a soft, felt flower with petals and a face that is twisted onto the handle of your pram. After I left Patty's to go back to Greg's place, Finn took over talking to you - the first time he has baby-sat you. Mark emailed to say that you went to the clinic today and that you now weigh 7.36kg, and that you are in the 75th percentile for your height, weight and head circumference. That means that 75% of babies your age are smaller than you are. I knew you were thriving and growing into your body size. You are a precious angel and I love you. Silly

14th March: Hello little Em, You were introduced to solids today! Your Mom and Dad have taken a delightful video of you trying to shove rice cereal into your mouth with all your fingers. Dear little thing - you obviously didn't know what to make of the spoon and the cereal and managed to get it all over your face! Tam said that you weren't interested in it the next day but that you are happy to try it after you have had your milk. You are progressing so fast now that I see a change in you after just a few days. You are holding your head up and don't look like a Noddy-doll anymore! You smile at everyone and hardly ever cry. You are an angel-baby and I love you. See you soon Little Em. Silly

This photo was taken of you and Mark last week. He had his head shaved in the CANSA Shave-athon. Today I showed you a butterfly and you seemed completely fascinated with the large beautiful creature that fluttered around your pram. Mark had a Microsoft Course to attend to at the Pavilion so Tammy dropped him there and then you two spent the day with us. Last week Tammy dropped her wedding ring in the car. It slipped between the centre consol and the carpeting. She couldn't get it out so she took the car to Toyota and they had to remove the front car seat, lift the carpet and retrieve the ring from under the carpet. You were an angel today. You didn't cry once and, guess what, you even went to sleep on your own in your pram. This is the first time that I have been with you that you have gone to sleep without being held. You were in your pram and I rocked you with one hand whilst I ate my lunch with the other. Next thing your eyes closed and you fell asleep! Little angel c...

This is you in the pram that we have at home for you when you visit here. H ello my darling Em, It will be a long time before you'll be able to read this blog and, who knows, I might not be around when you do! So, I feel quite happy writing about things that you won't understand for a long time to come. When you are old enough to read these posts with understanding, they might give you an insight into who I am and why 'I am'. You have forced me to think of things that Ihave put out of my mind for many years. Like humankind's place on the earth, religion, creation and many other deep thoughts! You came to our house on Tuesday and your Mom left you with me while she went to town to look for wedding dress material. Once again you were an angel! You slept, fed, played on your little mat, slept, fed, played. After Mom got back and fed you, she had a chance to have a lie down. Apparently you take after most of the women in your family - you are a night bird and a...

Hello little Em. On Friday Tammy picked me up and we went to Patty's so that Tammy could use the laser printer. Your Mom is a clever girl - she is making her own wedding invitations and has designed them and downloaded a template for cutting and folding them. We put your play mat on Patty's bed and you lay there talking and exercising your arms and legs for over an hour. Then you got a little bit restless so I picked you up and carried you around the house. Within 10 minutes you were asleep - just like a little angel! You didn't sleep for long - probably 45 minutes - and when you woke up it was feed time. Tammy fed you and then you lay on your play mat again. You seem to be fascinated with toys that have faces, and also with those that have different sounds. There is a mirror in one corner and you get excited when you catch a glimpse of yourself in it! You are very rewarding now - smiling at us, talking away with a serious frown, kicking and waving your arms around. I took ...