Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Sigh ...

We seem to have gone back in time to a time long long ago. No hold on it wasn't long ago it was late last year - actually it only finished around mid January...

Thomas has broken his arm - again! This time it is is wrist. He was away with his Dad at his grandparents place at the southcoast. He was riding his bike, the chain came off and over he went. It was clearly at bad fall - he has grazes on both knees, both elbows, his nose, his lip, his belly. He has a broken wrist. He rang me from the coast a few times on the day of his fall and told me all about it.

When he got back from the coast I said to his Dad that his wrist looked rather swollen. His Dad's mother-in-law is a physio and was done the coast also. She said it looked like a sprain to her. (This was the ever helpful person who told Thomas before Christmas when he got his last cast off that he should do his exercises or he would have to go to Physio which is 'really really painful.' This was a nightmare when it came time to go to Physio as exercise wasn't enough and left my poor boy in tears with worry about the potential upcoming pain. And no amount of consolation from me was believeable - anyhoo). Yesterday when we woke up it was still swollen and he was teary and very uninterested in going to school.

long story short - we went to the GP, she took one look at it and said 'green stick fracture' and off we went back to the hospital. (As and aside can I just say we have had nothing but fabulous treatment from our local hospital and the children's hospital in the last 12 months of constant visits!)

Thomas is a gem. His birthday party is in two weeks. It is a "learn to surf party". At the beach - in the water. He said to the GP 'oh no this can't be true my party is in two weeks' Apart from that and a need for 'something to do at lunchtime' he has completely taken being back in a cast for potentially another six weeks on the (slightly grazed) chin. He really wanted to go to band training this morning (obviously much more comfy with the cast on). He will have spent the best part of this summer in a cast and unable to swim (his favourite activity). He won't be able to surf on his new board or play with his new basketball hoop. His party will have to be delayed...

So I am off now to cancel swimming classes, soccer training and delay the party...oh and join the P&C for the new school as there really is nothing to do at lunch if you don't play soccer...

Monday, February 18, 2008

He is nine

As of Friday Thomas is nine.

This statement makes me turn into one of those old time grandmas who berate the passing of time (Jewish variety maybe?) as honestly I don't know how it happened... one minute he was a little fellow who toddled around the place into everything and excited and interested in most things. The next he was nine and getting i*od's and basketball hoops for his birthday.

He had a great day. Gaye had made a riddle and a game to find his presents in the morning which made the bit that was a surprise (the hoop) even more fun. He is pretty taken with his hoop. The other wasn't a surprise (because he came upon the email in which it was discussed accidently - and admited to it! but he was worried that meant he wouldn't get it!).

We took 35 cupcakes to school (big school, big classes means 3 batches of cake mixture for this mother the night before) and my cupcakes were apparently considered very good - so they should be organic everything and mixed, cooked and iced with a lot of love! It was drama, spelling test, p.e and golf at school. All things he likes. We down loaded things on to the i*od afterschool with the $50.00 (!!) voucher my parents bought him to do such things and then had birthday cake with his Dad and step-mother (the other one!).

He was so happy. Still so excited by his birthday that he was up at midnight and 5:30am in anticpation. he was thrilled with all of his gifts and with himself all day. Next step - the party, which invitations went out for today. My strategy of leaving it until he had settled in went well - we have five kids from big school coming to the party.

Today we rode our bikes to big school (and back to work for me) and I think that afterall I will get over my grief at not being able to easily walk to school as we have done for the last 18 months as riding to school together is a lot of fun. He chatted the whole was there and pointed things out. Certainly much more pleaseant than the last two weeks of car parking dramas at both school and my work.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

sorry

it has been a big few weeks in our world:

we had a great time camping with my family, lots of swimming and eating and hanging about. We bought Thomas the 4th ha**y p book on audio tape and all enjoyed listening to the story in the long drive there and back. We took a family surfing lesson in which all of us managed to stand up and giggle alot. We got rained out on the last day and I took a leap down a muddy bank which left me with some dreadful back injury that has meant that computing has been out of the question - hence my silence - but had a nice few days with my parents on the way home.

we came back from the trip and Thomas started big school he has gone from a school of 120 with 17 kids in his grade 2 class to a school of 500 with 30 kids in his grade 3 class. It is a big change (for all of us!) but he is taking to it well and with a positive attitude. He threw himself into the swimming carnival and loved that he could get a point just for entering in a race "I am going in every race a nine year old boy can mumma" He was mostly worried about learning all the rules and on about the third day it rained (it has rained alot in the previous month) and he was lined up in the morning in his class group and the a/principal came out and said ' it is a wet weather day - you all know what to do when it rains' his little head whipped around and looked at me with pure panic. he is getting the hang of it thou and has started band this week and golf (that was one of the sport choices!) tommorrow.

Al is trying his best to crawl and rocking manically back and forwards (sometimes at two in the morning). he is definately babbling now - yayaya, mamamam, babababa. adding to the 'ooohhh' noises he has made so far. He is starting to be a bit shy with strangers and is just so pleased to be passed back to one of us. But he continues to be so happy all the time.

yesterday was such a signficant day with the apology to the stolen generations at last. Like many Australians I felt emotional in the build up and had tears running down my cheeks as the PM said the words. I feel so proud and pleased that our government has taken this significant step and it was done in a wholehearted and generous way. I am looking forward to the next steps.

sorry