A trip to Emergency (Take 2)

When we took Henry to the hospital during his finger incident I got the distinct impression that we would be back there with him again. He was going to be that kind of kid. The one who grows up with lots of photos of bandaged arms and stories to proudly tell others about close calls and freaking out his mother...who he would age rapidly!

A few weeks after the finger injury when he was almost completely healed, we heard Will yell out from his bedroom. I'd only been in the hallway so was quickly there to see what had happened. Henry was crouched on the floor and was whinging a little and Will told me that he'd fallen off the toy box. Henry went to stand up and began limping. He wasn't overly complaining. He just looked a bit uncomfortable and more annoyed about it than hurt. I checked him over and looked closely at his ankles. It was right on bedtime so Pete and I decided to put the kids to bed and see if Henry was still limping in the morning before we arranged a visit to the Dr. 

Will has developed a love for jumping off his toy box so I wasn't sure if Henry had fallen or 'jumped' to copy his big brother. The next morning Henry couldn't even weight bear on his foot and was tumbling over. He began crawling around. I got the kids breakfast and arranged a Dr's appointment first thing that morning. Pete went off to work and I said to him that I'd get a referral from a Dr for an x-ray just to play it safe. I didn't think it would be anything other than a sprain as Henry was already trying to put more weight on his leg as the morning progressed. 

I got the referral and thought that I was being overly cautious about getting the x-ray but wanted to double check. Will was so excited to stand with the Radiographer as she took the x-ray. He loved looking at the computer screen and was so good at following her directions. Henry was wriggly but we got him still long enough. When it was done we all gathered around the computer. The Radiographer pointed out the damage and said she wanted a second opinion as she thought was in fact broken. Another Doctor confirmed that yes, it was broken! Both his Tibia and Fibula were bent/buckled as he called it. He recommended a cast to help it heal and force Henry off of it as he could see what an active little man he is.

I got the kids back to the car and rang Pete. I decided that I did not want to bother at my local hospital. I then got in touch with a friend of ours who works at the Women's and Children's hospital. He was so good to us. He got hold of Henry's x-rays and passed them on to the Orthopedic surgeons on staff and by the time we got to the Hospital they were aware we were coming and were familiar with Henry's injury. We didn't have to wait for long at all and the whole process was awesome...with the exception of my crying episode in Emergency. As we were filling out info at the Triage desk 3 ambulances arrived with a flurry of activity. One of the strethcher's had a tiny newborn baby on it with her distraught mother by her side. I just lost it. Seeing that tiny baby on the huge gurny, the look of desperation of the mother and me wondering what on earth could be wrong was so overwhelming. I was so grateful in that moment that Henry only had a broken leg. So many parents have so much more to bear.  

The nurse who did the cast was so lovely. I was so glad we took Henry to the Women's and Children's hospital this time. Will was having a blast with Toby and Collette and his Best buddy Bastian, as Jess was over with her family. Before all the Dr's appointments occured that's where we'd planned on spending most of the day! We stopped there for a bit of a catch up when we left the hospital. Henry didn't seem phased much at all by the massive cast on his leg. He just sat around playing with toys on the deck. Thanks Collette for having Will for most of the day! It's so comforting having friends you can call on at a moment's notice. 

Isn't he gorgeous with the giant cast on!

The 10 days he had the cast on flew by. For the first week Henry was pretty good at staying off his leg, but he gradually got more and more adventurous and was trying to walk/shuffle everywhere. He didn't get frustrated until perhaps the last day or two...and he really missed having a bath. 

A trip to the Emergency Room

A little over 2 weeks ago I was just getting out of the shower and Pete was all set to head out the door for work, when we heard Henry screaming from Will's room. I asked Pete to check it out while I got dressed quickly. Pete brought a hysterically screaming Henry into our room and tried to explain what had happened but the screaming was so loud I couldn't hear him. Pete showed me Henry's hand and I recoiled instantly. I managed to hear that Will had jammed Henry's finger in the door. Henry lunged at me, deafening me even more and Pete went into the hall to talk to Will who was also very upset and worried about his brother. Amidst trying to console Henry I could hear Pete talking to Will about what had happened. Will had shut the door to his bedroom and hadn't realised Henry was right outside the door. Little Henry had his hand in the gap near the hinge when the door closed on his finger. If you have a weak stomache I'd look away now!

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Pete and I knew immediately that this was serious. The nail was hanging on by a thread and we knew his finger might be broken. Pete called the nurse hotline to get some immediate advice for the injury. We were told to plunge his finger into cold water and try to keep him from touching it until we could take him to the Emergency Department. He didn't want to touch it, but trying to get him to keep his finger in icy cold water was no small feat. He screamed relentlessly and I just rocked and cuddled him and reassured him as best I could. Pete then rang his Sister-in-law, Meredith who arranged to meet us at the hospital. I suggested to Pete that we might be best taking Henry to the Womens and Children's hospital in the city but it was 8:30am on a Monday morning and we both decided to try out the hospital that was 5 minutes away. We rang ahead so they knew we were coming. Will was very concerned and very quick to get moving. When we arrived at the hospital we found a park meters from the front entrance. We got the kids out of the car and Will grabbed my hand and started running "Quick mummy, there's the door. Quickly!" Will is normally a very relaxed little man and is never in much of a hurry. We were seen pretty much immediately by the triage nurse, who examined the injury and gave Henry panadol. We were then taken to x-ray. Henry had calmed down by the time we'd seen the nurse. He was cuddled in to me and whimpered occasionally but was at least calm. As we waited for the radiographer to get organised he managed to grab a milk arrowroot biccie from my bag and shoved it in his mouth. I had a feeling to not give him any food but it was a bit late by the time he found it. Anyway, getting the x-ray was awful. They had to manipulate his fingers against a foam block to get the right angles etc for the x-rays...Henry screamed again! Who could blame him! He was so good though. He squirmed and screamed but he didn't thrash around and get hysterical. As soon as it was over he calmed down again and wanted his daddy. We had a long wait before we got to see the Dr for the results and his examination so Pete walked the halls with Henry and I sat and watched playschool with Will. 

Eventually we got to see the Doctor. He looked at the x-ray and told us Henry had a crush fracture and because he couldn't examine the nail bed properly, Henry would need Nailbed surgery. He rang Flinders Hospital and spoke with the Plastic Surgeon Registrar who said there were spots open for surgery that arvo. We could go to the ED and be admitted but they'd be expecting us. I asked if we would be better going to Women's and Children's Hospital but the Dr assured me it would all be sorted and they would have him in surgery this afternoon. 

We went to Flinders after having Meredith pick up Will from our place with an overnight bag. We waited at Flinders for a long long time and the nurses said the Plastic surgeon was held up in surgery...then she was held up upstairs....meanwhile Henry played happily. There was one very feral child also waiting for the plastic surgeon. She would have been about 10 and had an infected heel. What what I heard (It's a small waiting area) she'd had stitches but refused to keep her shoes off. She was supposed to only wear thongs but had put shoes on and generally not looked after the stitches. Her mum kept telling her off for various things and whinged about the fact that she was having to rearrange everything for her girl and that she was desperate for a "ciggie." It made me sad. The girl also screamed and ran off when the nurses tried to examine her foot and her mum kept threatening the daughter by saying "I'll call Hospital security on ya! They'll sort ya out!" It was awful...

Then he started to get really hungry and really tired. He'd had nothing to eat since 9am and it was now 3pm. He was getting really upset and screeching. He kept reaching for the nappy bag as he knew there were snacks in there. I hated starving him! I eventually walked around the ED and rocked him. I found an empty treatment room and he conked out. He had a little nap on the bed and it brought tears to my eyes. 

He woke 40 minutes later and I asked the nurse if something was happening. The Doctor finally arrived and examined him. She agreed about him needing surgery but her spots were now full until later that evening. I told her that there was no way I was going to continue to starve him so we arranged for him to come back the next morning for the first surgery available. I was really annoyed at the muck around. Being held up in surgery is understandable but apparently the Plastic surgeon had just been upstairs on the ward checking things over, when she had 2 children waiting in the ED! I was so angry at myself for not following my mother's intuition about just taking him to the Women's and Children's...but there was no point worrying about that now. We gave Henry about 20 Jatz crackers and lots of water and took him home for a meal. He was so hungry :-(

Anyway, meanwhile Will was happy to have a sleepover with Aunty Meredith and his cousins and Pete and I got dinner for the 3 of us. I was due to go in to work the next day but was really tossing up about whether to go. Peter insisted that I went to work as I'd already committed to it. (I'm doing Relief Work at my old school)

Henry was constantly on my mind though. I just about melted when Pete sent me this photo of Henry just before he went into surgery. 

Pete said that seeing Henry go under the anaesthetic was a little traumatic. He was resistant at first. I imagine it would be pretty daunting to be placed on a hospital bed and have strangers put something over your face. Pete just held him and tried to reassure him until the drugs took effect. I was glad to be at work int he end as my day was flat out and it distracted me. The surgery went beautifully and the Dr said the nail would grow back without any problems. 

I was so excited to see him when I got home. Will hadn't gone to Kindy in the end as he'd been too worried about Henry and had the runs apparently. I think he was stressed so he'd had the day with Grandma. I am so glad we have family close by who come to our aid when needed. I told everyone I had a feeling this wasn't going to be our last trip to the Emergency room with Henry....

I miss Grandad

As the anniversary of Dad's death approached I was very aware of what date it was everyday. That in itself is strange. I rarely know what the date is. I struggle just knowing what day of the week it is. My other friends who are stay at home mums say they're the same. I wasn't sure how I'd feel on the 19th Feb. I woke up and it was an ordinary day and I actually felt ok. I'd organised with my brothers to get flowers for mum. She was travelling back home to Tassie from a week on the Gold Coast with my brother Simeon, so my youngest brother Reuben went and bought a lovely big bunch of flowers and a note from all of us. Mum rang me when she arrived home and was so happy we were all thinking of her. I'm glad she had a lovely stay with Sim and his girl, Jacky. I think it probably took her mind off things for a while at least. She still had a bit of a cry on the phone to me but to me she sounded pretty good.

So dad's anniversary came and went but grief is a funny thing and just hits you full force at random times. I was attending a meeting at church on a Sunday evening a few weeks ago. We were blessed with the opportunity to have an Australia wide broadcast with an apostle from the church, Elder David A Bednar. I learned a lot and felt inspired by a few things he'd discussed. However, as I was leaving I overheard an elderly man talking to a group of people. They asked him how he was and he replied with something like 'well pretty good considering I have cancer. I'm glad I'm still around at 78.' My heart started aching almost immediately with longing for my dad...not longing for him for my benefit though. I just felt like he'd been robbed of the opportunity to enjoy his Grandsons and for them to have his amazing influence in their life. I did not begrudge this man of his life. I just felt like asking God why he got to live and Dad had to die so young! I'm usually the one telling my mum not to think like this as she has said those very words to me many times. I do not believe that God punishes people but it's still hard not to think "if only" sometimes. 

About a week ago mum rang me and sounded quite excited. She proceeded to tell me that she'd had a really amazing experience. She told me that she had been struggling with feelings of anger and was seriously considering writing to the hospital about Dad's specialist and the poor care he'd received in the last few months before he died. However, she kept getting prompted to clean out the garage again and go through a particular box that she'd already sorted through after Dad died. In the box she found a little notebook and turned straight to a page that read these words that dad had written 

"Let go what you cant change. I will love you forever in this life and the next. 

Accept what is! Let go of what was! Have faith in what will be." 

It is basically what the boys and I have been advising her to do. But this message was directly from dad and she said that as she read it she felt like Dad was speaking directly to her and that the feeling she had to check the box was Dad communicating to her. I readily agreed. My friend who lost her son and husband has had so many experiences where rainbows will appear at certain times and it's like her loved ones are communicating to her and her family from Heaven. Another girl on Instagram finds little love heart shaped items wherever she goes. She calls them love notes from CJ (Her late husband). I truly feel that the loved ones we lose still communicate with us in unique yet very personal ways. Simeon told mum that Jacky dreamt about dad. Simeon met Jacky after Dad passed away yet she woke up Sim in the middle of the night to tell him that she'd met dad in her dreams and loved him so much. Sim said she was so excited and said it had felt so real. I remember Sim talking about meeting Jacky and how he'd felt Dad had led her to Sim. Our grief is still there but it's nice to be able to recognise the blessings that come within tragedy. 

For the past week or so Will has been very emotional. He started talking to me about having a friend in Heaven. I asked who this friend was and he said he didn't know. A day later he was sitting at the table during lunch and looked up at me, tears filled his eyes and he choked on the words "I miss Grandad." Will hasn't said anything about Dad for a few months and I was beginning to worry that he'd started to forget him.  I'd talked about him but not gotten much response from Will previously or he'd say "I don't miss Grandad. He's in Heaven."....Will and I had a big hug and I told him I really missed him too. He then said that he wished Grandad was here so he could read him stories and sing his silly song to him. My dad used to sing this funny little song to Will. 

"Oh dear what can the matter be, Three old ladies got stuck in the Lavatory,

They were there from Monday to Saturday, no-body knew they were there!"

I started singing it and Will asked me to stop. I had a little cry with Will and told him that Grandad can't be with us but that he watches over us from Heaven. Will asked me If Grandad was coming back from Heaven soon? It's hard to know what to say to that. I've told Will that we will be resurrected someday, just like the Saviour, but his concept of time is still a child's understanding so I don't want to confuse him. Last Sunday we had Bill and Sue over after church for the afternoon. Pete and I were preparing dinner in the kitchen and I heard Will talking to his Grandpa Bill. He said "Grandpa, I miss my Grandad!" I started crying and had a big hug with Pete as Bill gave Will a hug and said he knew he was missing Grandad. I said to Will that we'd have to watch some videos of him with his Grandad but I hate to say that we've yet to do that. Life has been so hectic the past few weeks but I must do this with Will so he can feel that connection and remember the things he loves about his Grandad and the special relationship they have. 

With Easter fast approaching I hope I can find simple ways to teach Will about the Atonement and the role of the Savior. That because of him we will be able to be reunited with his Grandad and live as families for eternity. 

I tracked down the last video I took of Dad. It's the afternoon we arrived In Tassie to visit Dad 2 weeks before he passed away. It's taken on my phone and edited so it's at the right angle, so the quality isn't great. It's such a sweet video. I know Will is going to love watching it tomorrow. 

Will starts Kindy

Our friends who lived here before us recommended Reynella Kindy to us and told us that there was occasional care there as well. I was quick to look into it and Will started going in May last year for 1 morning a week. He and I loved it! By the end of last year I was really struggling at home with 2 kids. I just felt guilty all the time as I couldn't give Will all the stimulation he was craving and I wasn't organised enough to do so many of the ideas in the Pinterest world that looked amazing and educational. I was also realising that I was well and truly to start working again and started getting the ball rolling to do some Relief Teaching. 

Although I have reservations about children starting kindy and school so early, I felt so confident sending Will off to Kindy this year for 2 full days and almost felt guilty that I was not sad! 

In term 3 and 4 it is hoped he will do 3 full days. (The Kindy has to wait to see if there is enough Government funding before this goes ahead) Will turned 4 on the 26th January and the very next day started Kindy. He was so excited on his first day but got all coy as soon as I brought the camera out. I was feeling really unwell so mum took him off to Kindy. It was a little disappointing that I couldn't drop him off on his first day but I was at least able to take the photos and make his lunch. 

 Will wasn't as eager the next day as he was so tired. He was excited to wear his new Kindy T-Shirt though. I would love to have a uniform for him but most of the kindergarten's here in SA are stand alone and not associated with a particular school. This does have it's good points though and Will's classmates will be going to heaps of different schools. He has at least one little boy going to the same Primary School next year. 

He looks so much like his daddy in these photos!

Will's Birthday Interview

I was inspired a few years back by a friend to do a birthday interview with my children but forgot to do it last year with Will. Hopefully I'll remember to do it each year. Blogging it will certainly help. Will loved me sitting down with him and talking all about himself. 

This is unedited. 

M: What is your name?
W: Will David Watt

M: Where do you live?
W: <He answered with our address minus the postcode> 

M: How old are you? 
W: Four

M: What is your favourite thing to do?
W: Play

M: What is your favourite colour?
W: Red

M: What is your favourite animal?
W: Elephant and Rhinos

M: What are your favourite TV shows?
W: Peppa Pig

M: What song do you love?
W: Bam a lam (Black Betty by Spiderbait) 

M: Who are your friends?
W: Nessa, Kira, Xavier, Bastian

M: What is your favourite food?
W: Vegemite Sandwich

M: What makes you laugh
W: Tickles

M: What do you want to be when you grow up?
W: Seven

M: What do you like to do with your family?
W: Share

M: What are your favourite books?
W: Vehicles, Zachary Quack 

M: What are you really good at?
W: Drawing and somersaults

M: Where do you like to go?
W: To the playground

M: Where do you wish you could go on holiday?
W: Tasmania

M: If you had one wish, what would it be?
W: For a garbage truck

M: What is the best time of day?
W: 30 o' clock

M: What do you hope you'll get to do before your next Birthday?
W: Cut up Quiche. 


The last answer cracks me up!! Will loves helping in the kitchen but really wants to do more than I'll let him just yet...obviously knife handling at 4 isn't going to happen! 

Will turns 4!

Like his mummy, Will loves to plan ahead. He has a clear idea of the things he likes and tries so hard to explain how he wants things to go. Since his 2nd Birthday he's been so certain about exactly how he wants his day to go. This year was explained in such a detailed manner but the concept was lovely in it's simplicity. Will decided 6 months ago that he wanted a car cake and of course wanted a party with LOTS of people. He named most of the people he wanted to invite and we negotiated it as it was getting a little out of control. Will was happy to negotiate and a few weeks prior he asked me if he could have pancakes for his birthday. "Lots of pancakes to share with all my friends...with blueberries, strawberries and lots of berries and yoghurt" he told me quite seriously. 

We decided that a brunch was the way to go, and it would probably work well for people as it was Australia Day and many people were going off to BBQ's etc during the day. I loved that the preparation was really simple and really cost effective too! 

I had looked at some cake options with Will but mum put a bit of a spanner in the works by bringing a recipe/pic of a tip truck/car from the Woman's Weekly Cake book. It was a bit more complex than the original plans but Will wanted to do the cake Nana suggested. Ha ha

I cooked a choc cake I made for the first time the other day. That was the easy part. I then had to assemble it which wasn't so easy...but I got there in the end despite my whinging throughout the process :-P ...and with a little help from our resident Engineer, Peter :-) Once that was done the icing was problematic too but I felt like we did a good job in the end. The cake wasn't quite as red as we'd hoped but Will didn't mind at all. It looks more Red in the photo but was a bit more pink looking in real life. Will loves Pink so he wasn't phased anyway!

He was very excited to open his presents.

Will has graduated from the trike to a proper bike now. 

I was a bit preoccupied and didn't get any photos of everyone eating but the pancakes went down really well. 

We just did one game of pass the parcel. The kids were plenty busy just playing in the yard for the most part. 

Just like last year, Will didn't even eat the cake. Sometimes I can't figure that boy out! He ate the same cake only the week before and loved it. He's a bit funny at social events with his eating...

We had a lovely morning and Pete and I got to take Will out to the movies to see Big Hero 6. We loved it so much and were very entertained when Will ran to the front at the end for a bit of a boogie. Seems it's becoming a tradition these days! 

Will was pretty wrecked at the end of the day but didn't quite fall asleep on the way home! 

Dad's coat

Right after our move to Adelaide my mum came to visit for a couple of weeks. At that stage, Dad had only been gone for a couple of months and things were still pretty raw. I still wasn't really grieving properly and it was just an odd time. Mum had brought over a coat of Dad's and a couple of shirts for Peter. I really wasn't keen but mum ended up leaving them here. I put Dad's coat in the spare room (that was a dumping ground for anything we couldn't unpack properly) and forgot about soon after.

I'd begun grieving right after mum left in May last year and went through a really dark time for a few months. During this time, I'd gone to get some baby clothes for Henry from the spare room and noticed dad's coat in a bag. I picked it up and it smelt so strongly like my dad. So many memories can flooding back but it was a source of comfort. I would find myself from time to time taking his coat out and taking a few moments to just hold it and have a good ol' sniff. It made me happy and doing it made me wonder if Dad would be having a laugh at me from Heaven at me smelling his coat :-)

At some point I put the coat away when I was sorting through some stuff. I hung it in the wardrobe and forgot about it. With mum due to visit in January for Will's 4th Birthday, Pete and I spent an evening sorting through the spare room and making it welcoming for mum to sleep in there. I was moving things into the wardrobe when I noticed Dad's coat. I took it out and gave it a sniff but was devastated in moments when I discovered that his smell had completely gone. I started sobbing on the spot whilst holding onto his coat. I managed to tell Pete that his smell had gone and I completely broke down crying. Pete took the coat and wrapped it around me and hugged it into me. He said that Dad would want to give me a huge hug. As he wrapped the coat around me in a hug it felt as though it was my Dad hugging me vicariously through Peter. I felt as though he was watching over me in that very moment and using Peter to give me the biggest Daddy hug he could. I felt so much love and was grateful that even though his smell had left, he was still around and I could feel him with me. I'm so glad mum insisted on giving me his coat. I don't know whether I'll ever use it again...at least not in the same way, but it is comforting to know that even a small piece of my Dad is hanging in my wardrobe. I'll remember that when I am aching for a Daddy hug, I can cuddle into his coat and imagine that he's here with me. 

Christmas 2014

I felt fairly organised in November but after Thanksgiving it seemed as though time sped up and it was the 1st December and Pete and I realised we needed to get a tree. We have a tradition of always having a real tree if we are going to be home for Christmas. Nothing beats a real pine tree. I grew up having a real tree pretty much every year. We were lucky enough to live right amongst Pine plantations when we lived in Weegena, in Northern Tasmania. I remember going to find stray pine trees and dad, then later on, Simeon would cut it down, put it in the back of the ute and we'd get rocks in a bucket of water and maneuver the tree until it held steady. I adore Christmas and was keen to get the house decorated and get into the spirit of the season. 

We ended up visiting this lovely tree farm fairly close to our house. 

Will was so excited to select a tree. They didn't have any 7 foot trees though, so the workers went out to cut a few down. 

While we waited I took some photos of the boys. Henry had a great time being with his daddy and Will discovered a cubby house and made some fast friends to play with. 

We got back quite late so decorated it a day or two later. Will was right into it and of course Henry would just take the baubles straight off the tree as soon as Will would get them on. 

I lost a lot of my excitement in December. I don't know what happened but I felt quite flat and really unmotivated. I usually love wrapping presents and going out and giving gifts and doing service but I just couldn't get into the swing of things as much as I would normally. I'm sure that I was thinking of Dad and missing him as it's our first Christmas without him. 

On Christmas Eve morning Will asked me if we could make cookies for Santa. I hadn't mentioned anything like this at all even though I kept thinking about it...So it was good to get a bit of motivation from him. We made a huge batch of my go to choc chip cookies and delivered a few that afternoon. Will and Henry spent most of the day with Grandma which was so good. I was able to rush around doing some last minute errands and preparing the house for the family coming for dinner on Christmas Day. 

Will loved hanging the stockings on Christmas Eve.

He poured a big glass of milk for Santa and placed a heap of cookies on a plate and left a couple of carrots for the Reindeer. He even wanted to write a card for Santa. 

It was lovely to read some Christmas stories with him and watch a little video of the Nativity as well. Just as I was putting the kids to bed I started getting gripey gut pains and soon after was in a bad way. I spent most of the night with all the symptoms of food poisoning. I knew immediately that the only thing I ate differently to anyone was prawns. I'd made myself some cold rolls and ate them when the kids were with Grandma. I was a mess and felt revolting on Christmas morning. I dragged myself out of bed at 7:45am when the kids woke up so I could see them look at their stockings. Will was so excited and just content to play with his stocking goodies and didn't even ask to open gifts. I went back to bed as I was just so sick. I rarely get sick and can usually grin and bear most things but I just had to lie down. It was awful lying in bed hearing the kids playing on Christmas morning and wishing I could just be out there amongst it. I had a little rest and got up again so we could do presents with the boys. They were excited. Henry loved the paper, boxes and the most simple present of a beach bucket and spade. 

Will loves Star Wars and lego at the moment. They are his greatest loves. He was thrilled with his Darth Vader costume and lego. 

I felt terrible that Sue had to do most of the cooking and preparation. She had been looking to having the year off as we'd offered to host and do a lot of the cooking etc. Pete helped her out while Bill entertained the kids. 

We didn't get many photos at all as I was so out of it so I'm glad we got a couple with Pete's Grandma Jessie. She had a fall a few weeks earlier after blacking out. She broke her wrist from the fall and has had to go to respite for awhile until she can use her arm properly. We were glad she was up to coming out. She was looking very frail. She will be 92 this month!

Henry was winning hearts as usual. The cheeky little guy was trying to get into Grandma's yummy homemade shortbread. 

It took a couple of days for me to feel better and poor Pete ended up sick Christmas night so the whole Christmas period was a bit of a write off for us. I felt like we needed a do over! The kids had a fantastic Christmas and for Pete and I...it was at least memorable ;-) 

We had some friends over on New Years Day for a BBQ and that at least felt a bit festive and it was nice to enjoy entertaining friends again.