Letters to my Grandchild

Hello my Emily Ann! You are a lucky girl - you are going to have two birthdays this month!  Your birthday is on Sunday 16th October but, because there was a chance that South Africa might be in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup and because the AmaShova cycle race is on next weekend, your parents decided to bring your party forward to the 8th October instead.  So we had balloons, banners, cake, sweets, chips, and a magician and clown who did face painting at your party.  It was great fun!  You wanted a butterly and Barbie party so Mom made a butterfly cake that had a Barbie doll for the body.  She very cleverly made a skirt for Barbie out of icing so when it came to blowing out the candles and cutting up the cake, you ate the clothes off the Barbie doll!  And then, the following week, on your birthday 16th October, we had a Birthday Tea Party for the family.  I brought your table into the lounge and set it with all your colourful pla...

  Em, you left for England before me and by the time you got back on 4th September I had left for Spain and I didn't see you for nearly 6 weeks.  That is a long time in a little girl's life and when I got back you looked so grown up!  You had a lovely time in England and Mom and Dad said you were really well behaved.  You went on the London Eye, you went to animal farms, went to Hamleys Toy Shop - one of the biggest in the world - and had your face painted like a little tiger! You met my friend Pat Cooper who is Graham's Mommy. They used to live in Durban and Mark and Graham played table tennis together and often slept over at each other's homes.  Graham came back to South Africa to be at Mark's wedding.  In the photograph here you can see Mark, Greg, Graham and Kevin. I was walking in Spain until then end of September.  You came to the airport with your Mom and Dad to welcome me home.  I was so happy to see you again!  I do...

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...

Hello my darling Em, You are growing tall, like a weed!  At the end of January we measured your height and marked it on the inside of a cupboard in the guest room.  You were 87cm tall.  At the end of April you were 90cm tall.  You also have beautiful blond hair which Mom often puts into a pony-tail.  You look like a little angel! I went to Spain for three weeks to walk the Camino and while I was away you kept asking if you could go to Spain to see your Danny.  I missedyou while I was away but Tammy sent me emails from you.  This is one of them after her 30th birthday party at our house.  "Yesterday I went to Kelsey's birthday party she turned 3. She lives in our complex. We bought her a my little pony doll and mommy wouldn't let me unwrap it :( I have been playing with Craig all weekend and he keeps asking to to say delicious and I won't (but I smile and giggle at him a lot). He is such a nice man and mommy and daddy say he is 'so go...

Hello my Emily princess, You have the most beautiful blond hair - soft like your Dad's.  You still can't say words starting with a 'G' or a 'K' - so my name is 'Danny' and your 'Gumpy' is 'Dumpy'.  Whenever you come you ask to visit my 'darden' and I take you to see the little tomatoes, pepadews, brinjals, lettuce and herbs.  I bought a cute ceramic frog and snail to put in the square-foot box and you love to visit Mr Froggie and Mr Snail.  Your favourite was to eat strawberries from the garden but they have all gone over now.   You have some really old-fashioned ways about you Em.  When you meet new people you like to hold out your hand and say "Pleased to meet you, what is your name?"  It often takes people aback!  You say words like 'fantastic!' and 'delicious!'  and when people are walking down steps you tell them to be careful.  You are very sweet. The other day I took you for a long walk...

Hello my darling Em. You survived your first BIG fall with no fractures - what a miracle - just a very swollen face!   You went to a birthday party with Mom and Dad on Saturday morning.  You were sitting on Dad's lap and as he tried to negotiate his wheelchair onto a concrete path his front wheels caught on the concrete and the whole chair tipped forward.  You flipped off his lap,  face first onto the concrete and Mark had to put his right leg down to stop himself from falling on top of you.  There was a lot of blood from your mouth and Mark and Tammy took you to Westville hospital. The doctor said that you had bitten your tongue and that it would heal in a few days. They had to put a wad of gauze in your mouth to absorb the bleeding. When you got to our place you looked like a very hurt, miserable little girl with a split lip, a fat face and a bloody gauze in your mouth. Mark was still shaken, white in the face.  I didn't know who to com...

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...

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 w...

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 ...