Musings from the McCullochs

Half Term fun

2011-10-29T21:29:00.011+01:00

Still eating fingers, but with cool hair!

Steam Train Ride

Painting art for the newly decorated bedrooms!

Playing Cbeebies and 'Disneyjuniordotcodotuk' - according to Emily

Playing in the Garden - it was a little cold

Fun in the sun at Trentham

All smiles

What a great week we have had.

Life...

2011-10-02T20:44:00.010+01:00

... flies by too fast. Four weeks of term have passed by, Joel is enjoying his new nursery school and Emily is adjusting to life in Year One. We have had a busy time trying to adjust as a family of five. At times life is just one big mess, yesterday as I took the washing out of the machine, a tissue had been put in, ( in MY pocket), I said in despair, " I want a new life!" it was the tissue that broke the mummy's back! It is currently tricky to do things that were once simple, like go to the park. It is hard to push two children on the swings whilst trying to feed a 3 month old. It is hard to make tea whilst playing trains, making Hama beads and protecting a 3 month old on a play gym from raining beads or bashing trains! It is exhausting getting three children out of the car to do the school run, on a rainy Wednesday morning, with two carrying umbrellas, a blanket draped over a car seat and a mummy with a hood!

Emily has started ballet at a local ballet school so that trek across town is so much smaller, she enjoys dancing with her classmates. She is enjoying learning to read and is looking forward to swimming lessons starting up again on Friday. She currently has a conker collection of 16 and it grows daily.

On the up side, it is fab to go to Dunham Massey and have hot chocolate and cupcakes from our flask ( we are saving to repair our front door!) whilst struggling to fit on a picnic rug as there are so many of us! It is great that our breakfast table is now a squash with Seth in his clip on chair. It is fun to play family football with Jamie and Seth in goal. It is reassuring to hear Emily and Joel singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle' in the back of the car trying to comfort their hungry brother on the way back from school.

Jamie is well, school is busy with open evenings and twilights and other joys that I am not missing! His work load is pretty heavy and it isn't helped by rushing home to help with tea and bedtime. Work starts again at 7.15 pm when we pray for quiet from upstairs.

Seth is well, his lip and wound improves daily. We massage it 4 times a day despite his shouting! He is a noisy chap who had to sit at the back of church today as he was interacting too much with Diego's sermon.
Well, I think that is enough insight into our lives, we are well, happy and adjusting. Not long till half term and a rest from the school run.

What a week!

2011-09-17T21:50:00.005+01:00

This week Seth has been to Manchester Childrens Hospital to have his corrective surgery. It went well, he is now at home recovering, in fact we are all recovering from it!

He is drugged to keep any pain away and seems to be doing well. He no longer has his wide smile but is perfecting his new smile.

Thank you for your love and prayers, we have been acutely aware of the care we have been shown. Now on with the rest of our lives with Seth repaired and ready for the next chapter.

Time Flies

2011-07-16T21:08:00.021+01:00

Well, it has been a while so a quick catch up is probably needed.

Emily has had her first school report. It was great, she is doing well and seems to have embraced learning. She is not so good at following other children's rules or listening to their opinions. I wonder where that comes from? She has been a social butterfly with lots of parties and play dates, it can be tricky balancing family life with her calendar.
She has had her fifth birthday, she got a new bike, hopefully the stabilisers will go over the summer.
Note, her friend's horror as Emily was ;spitting' out the candles!
Joel is great. He is attempting to be toilet trained with some success but not amazing! He found it hard to understand why Seth was getting presents for arriving in the world and Emily was getting them for her birthday, but what about him? Life has hard lessons! We have been to the open evening for his Nursery school, it will be weird to see him in uniform! He has his next cardiology appointment on August 4th. He meets his new cardiologist as our other has moved to another hospital. We hope he cooperates as he like 'Dr Bani'. Joel enjoying a game at Emily's party!
Seth is four weeks old and doing well, or better than he was. He has been in hospital with a urine infection but is picking up. He is on antibiotics until they do some tests to rule out any problems with his digestion system. He doesn't like it as it tastes of aniseed, but he has no choice. We met his plastic surgeon on Thursday; he was very reassuring that his cleft is on the minor side and should repair well. His surgery is scheduled for September 14th, his 3 month birthday, so we have only 2 more months of his 'special lip'. He is sleeping well at night, on the whole, only 2 feeds, but he can be grizzly in the evenings. We are using infacol which seems to settle him and reduce the times of crying.
Jamie is well, he is on the countdown.... only 5 more school days to go. Emily is on the count down only 10 more days to go!

I am on the count down... only 11 more moths to go before back to work!

On another note it is 9.30pm and Jamie has Emily at the out of hours dr as she has been complaining of a sore ear! Hope they will be home soon with an Emily who is not in pain.

He's here

2011-06-23T21:25:00.017+01:00

Seth Norman David McCulloch arrived 1 hour and 3 minutes late on Tuesday 14th June. He is doing well, his cleft is not as severe as they had predicted from the scans and antenatal appointments. His palate appears intact; we have our consultant and surgeon's appointment on July 14th when we will have more information. He is feeding well and growing well. We are well supported by Jenny our Cleft team nurse. She visits every few days and asks as well as answers questions.

Emily and Joel adore him and don't like leaving him to go to school, or our childminder. They are kind and positive to him and we seem to be settling into some sort of rhythm as a family of five.Jamie goes back to work on Tuesday, we will see how that goes as I do the school run on my own with Joel, Emily and Seth in tow! I may be in my pyjamas, but as long as Emily is dressed we will be ok!

Emily had sports day this week; her team came second and her house won. Her daddy also came 3rd in the parents egg and spoon race.... it was nice to be able to go as a family.

Joel is well, he is still as obsessed with football as ever. He had 36 footballs and balls prior to Seth arriving. He now has 38! The more the merrier as he lines them up in the garden in front of his football net!

It was my birthday yesterday. I really got spoilt. I love my new yummy mummy bag, thanks to my parents and parents in law. I also got a wonderful necklace, from Jamie, with the children's names stamped on individual tags! I love it! We are well, life is good, Seth is great, Joel is fab and Emily is perfect! Long may it last.

It's been a while

2011-05-29T21:12:00.005+01:00

The royal wedding was fun, Emily had a not the royal wedding party at school. We made cup cakes to share!We also went to Lyme Park for a picnic and walk. We had a great time! Do you like the new statues in the garden?

Joel has been busy improving on his football skills, we now have a broken light fitting in the lounge and other bumps and scrapes in the house. We are hoping for some dry weather so he can have target practise in the garden!

I am on maternity leave now! I made it to the end and am now 38 weeks pregnant and counting down. We brought the moses basket and a few toys down tonight for Emily and Joel to play with. They were amazed when we got the photograph albums out showing them sleeping in the basket, or sitting in the same baby bath or chewing the same toy! They are excited but I think a bit confused about the whole thing. They know a brother is coming but when Mummy and Daddy say soon, but he still isn't here! I suppose life from a child's view is very odd! I am swollen and have higher blood pressure than usual, I am being checked every 3 days, and they say baby may arrive early because of it! Jamie is on holiday this week as is Emily... so maybe this will be the week.

Jamie is taking the kids into Manchester tomorrow for the victory parade. They are excited, I don't fancy standing around with swollen ankles being squashed by lots of people.

Well, the bag is packed and the camera is charged, the children's bags are packed and we are as ready as we can be... maybe tonight is the night!

Easter Holidays

2011-04-24T20:55:00.005+01:00

... are nearly over! we have had a great time. The weather has been pretty great so we have spent most of our time outside. We have been for 2 nights to Llandudno and spent lots of time on the beach, parks, national trust properties etc. It was a great visit.

We have also been to Stockley Farm to feed the baby lambs as well as hold the chicks. It was amazing to see my rough and tumble boy cradling a new born chick, talking to it as if it was his best friend. We have decorated the kitchen, tidied the garden and othe small DIY projects that have been on the backburner.

Joel has given up his dummies this holiday. We have been warning him that it has been coming - for at least a month, and I am relieved to say that they are gone and without a fuss. He traded them for a red clima cool tshirt and a first size football. He takes his football to bed at night and puts it to sleep in a shoe box! He and I have had conjunctivitis, it is good to share but I would prefer him to keep his bugs to himself.

Emily has enjoyed girly days with grandmum, friends round to visit for tea, Easter Egg Hunt at church, birthday parties with school friends as well as bossing everyone around in the garden!

Jamie and I have been to the the Children's Hospital to meet some of the team who will be caring for baby. It felt a bit like pulling a scab because for the past 5 weeks it has been about my health and has felt like a normal pregnancy. This changed last week, when were shown, "this is where you will meet Mr. Whitby, this is where baby will meet the dental hygienist, the orthodontist, the speech and language lady, the psychologist!" We are so appreciative of the support... but yet again are bombarded with information without holding him in our arms. I suppose we are waiting to meet him so he can show us the extent of his clefts.

It is only 7 weeks until our due date. We wait impatiently but all the good weather has allowed us to wash clothes and bedding. This little one has a full compliment of clothing right up to 2+ years! We are as ready as we can be, we have been taught how to feed him using the different types of bottles should he need it, I have a stack of things to throw into a bag, Emily and Joel are ready to squabble over him and we are trying to sort out contingency plans to care for them when I am in hospital.

I am busy writing school reports, updating school policies and other work related things before I start maternity leave on May 24th. It is less than 15 school days away so I need to get a move on!

Well, I was supposed to be rewriting the school PSHE and citizenship policy - something I will do tomorrow night! SATs are in 2 weeks time so life will be pretty busy for the next few weeks. Jamie is busy with revision classes and parent's evenings and Joel and Emily are just great!

The wonders of technology

2011-03-20T21:29:00.005Z

This week we met our baby! It was really quite amazing. we had 4D scans to see the extent of the cleft as well as an opportunity to see beyond his cleft and remember that we have another son arriving in 12 ish weeks! It is very weird for us, to know the gender of our baby but also to be able to see him and to notice that the parts of his nose that seem unaffected... looks remarkably similar to Emily and Joel! We think he is really cute! This week is a busy week with a midwife appointment, a consultant appointment as well as dentist appointments for the whole family. - You have got to love the NHS!

So, we are well, I am ballooning and blooming, feeling much better, although work is exhausting. Joel is excited that the garden is drying out after a long, wet winter so he can get out to play football. (I am pleased about this too as we have broken light shades, vases, cups and other fragile things in the lounge and kitchen!) Emily is going to the theatre to see our neighbour in Beauty and the Beast as well as her Ballet performance this Sunday... and Jamie is busy practising to play music with his friend Charles in a Tamil band!

Only 3 weeks til the Easter break, so that means 8 weeks of work left before Maternity leave... but there are bank holidays in there and I only work 3 days so you can do some maths... it is not long to go!

Thanks for love, prayers and kindness... we appreciate all that is said and unsaid.

Half Term

2011-02-26T19:56:00.002Z

Well, the long awaited break has been and is nearly gone, it has been great. We have been very busy, I feel that I have made up for January of which I spent most of it in bed with flu and other viruses. We have been to North Wales, Eureka and Chester Zoo! Now we are back to our zoos on Monday! Enjoy the pictures.

Tuesday has come and gone

2011-02-16T19:58:00.003Z

.... and we have more information. We hoped that this scans at St Mary's would confirm what the sonographers thought last Thursday. That Baby's palette is intact, as is his nose.

Sadly, that is not the case. He has a unilateral (one gap) cleft lip and palette. It is average in size and it does goes the full way up to his nostril and his nose is affected. His palette is damaged so feeding will be that little more complicated but the consultant is confident that all can be fixed with a minimum of two surgeries.

We are disappointed that it is as severe as it is, we had hoped that it would be only his lip, but now we really do have to consider speech difficulties, eating challenges and other hurdles too.

We are also very, very aware of the kindness of others, the pain and sadness that this brings. On the other hand we so many are excited to meet him and give cuddles. So form a queue... and be patient as June feels very far away.

Something to make you smile.

I picked Emily up form our childminder after our hospital appointment.
JA: we saw the baby dr today
E: Did he make my brother better?
JA: No, but when he is born.
E: What did he say?
JA: Well, your brother has a hole in his lip, but he also has a hole in his nose and mouth.
E: Mummy, there are holes everywhere! He is a holey baby!
JA: (Laughing) yes he really is!
E: But mummy, my baby brother is holey and Joel is holey, why am I not holey?
JA: I don't know Emily, we are glad you are not holey!

We are smiling, although we are hurting; we are laughing although we are weeping; we are praying and know that God is supporting us through people, friends and family and in silence too.

Round two

2011-02-13T20:25:00.004Z

Well, the facial scans...

Where do I start? I suppose by saying that Jamie and I are hurting. Our little wriggly one, our much longed for and awaited one, our son... is going to be more unique than we thought. We eventually, after much walking up stairs, drinking sugary juice, jumping up and down... saw his face. He was still coy and at times pressed against my placenta but we have conclusive evidence that he has a cleft in his lip. A gap where both halves of his face have not fused together. We do not know how large, or how deep, we do not know if it affects his nose or palette.

We need more evidence so it is back to the children's hospital for round two of high level specialist scans.

What we do know is that we have been entrusted to look after this little boy..that he arrives into a world were vanity and the seeking of perfection is important. But he also arrives into a world where he is loved and celebrated. Where his choices are like any other; they just come after a bumpy journey for the first year or so.

We are anxious, we await these tests and hope that he cooperates and does not have his hands over his face. We go to Leeds for 4D scans at Easter to have high resolution images to see if that can guide his consultant prior to his birth. If not... we just wait for him to arrive in June, and then he will show us his face and we can work out what we and you and the NHS can do to help him.

We don't pretend that this is easy to handle. We already have Joel, his heart is still repairing, he is not at the end of his journey. Emily is an outgoing, busy 4 year old and into the mix we welcome a boy who needs a lot of immediate care. We would not have chosen this, but we have been chosen to be his parents and we look forward to meeting him.

So... we wait and pray. We pray for peace of mind. Peace of heart and soul. We pray for sleep in the long and sometimes short night. We pray for those who make decisions on our behalf, on our son's behalf. We pray for the staff who will care for him and help him. We pray for our families and friends as they hurt with us, journey with us, laugh and weep alongside us. We pray for Emily and Joel as we try to prepare them for a new brother. We pray that this little one will enter the world knowing that God made him and gave him to us to care for him.

We are grateful for all who have sent messages or called or just smiled. Hopefully we will have more information on Tuesday.

Phew!

2011-02-06T21:19:00.002Z

This week we had high level, specialist cardio scan on baby. We knew that there was a 25% chance that this one would be like Joel or more complicated but when it is a statistic is feels far away. When it involves the little one so longed for, so wriggly in my stomach.. well it feels different.
We have had good care throughout this pregnancy with tests etc and this week was no different. Our 20 week anomaly scan took an hour... a very long hour! But all seems well apart from the fact that the baby was too shy to show his/her face so we are back for facial scans on Thursday.
Back to the cardio scan... we had to wait for ages as the families before us were complicated like us! But.......... after much looking, measuring, photographing, hmming and haaaaaing... baby does not have any holes similar to Joel. There may be small holes like any other baby but they will get sorted like any other baby at birth. What a relief! We are thankful and grateful.

Other news:

Joel is no longer in a cot, but a big boy bed complete with a gate on his door to keep him in.
Emily is now learning to swim on her back complete with arms... something I wish I was confident with.
It is only 2 weeks until half term!

Joel's first book reading

2011-01-31T22:17:00.003Z

Enjoy

Flu and cookies

2011-01-16T20:44:00.011Z

Well, I have been sick since before Christmas, I then picked up and felt better. I went back to school on the first day back and had to be brought home as I had a near fainting episode at my whiteboard. I got flu! Which one they don't know, but what I know is that nearly 2 weeks later I still don't feel 100% but I am better than I was and I have 32 children waiting for me back in class.

Today we had a pyjama day. It was a good way to recover as we were all tired and weary of routines, illnesses and life. It was so unusual for us that Emily didn't know what one was but she really enjoyed being in her nightie at tea time! So note in the pictures they are wearing their pjs despite it being 3.30 in the afternoon!
Yesterday we met up with the McCulloch clan from across the country to celebrate Christmas. It usually happens before Christmas but the snow stopped that this year. We have this great tradition of one family buys for another with a set budget. This year we received a great gift, we always do! Kids baking sets, a grown up apron as well as cookie jar and a gingerbread decorating book. So we tried out a few of them today. It was a little messy but so much fun and tasty too ! Joel has been back to the hospital last week for measuring and tests. His height has jumped massively and he is now 95cm! This means he is above the 91 percentile, something the dietitian thought would never happen. His weight has improved too (75 percentile) and he is no longer on infatrini! The milk he has been on since he was 2 weeks old has now left our home, not bad considering he is 2 and 5 months... and at 98p per 100ml we are no longer a drain on our doctors surgery prescription costs! (not that they ever questioned!) Joel continues to enjoy dressing up, he will use whatever her can find... including his underpants!

He did make me smile when I could hear, "yucky, yucky," coming from the bathroom when Joel was having his bath. I went to ask what was yucky only to be told... "my bottom, Mummy!".

A parcel arrived from Canada last week and in it were some homemade biscuits, which looked and tasted great. Thank you Soren, Kate and Sophie for sharing your cookies with us!

Well, I have successfully distracted myself with this for 30 mins so it is back to planning for tomorrow. Here's hoping I can get through the day without feeling faint or weak and that my class can forgive me for being off for 2 weeks and leaving them with a supply teacher!

Returning to a comfy pair of slippers

2011-01-05T21:29:00.015Z

It has been a while, probably too long since I have updated my poor blog so here goes, a whistle stop tour of the past couple of months. I must say that I have been laid lower than usual as we are excitedly waiting the arrival of a new McCulloch baby, due to enter the world mid June. This pregnancy thankfully, has been like no other. Sickness, at night, lethargy never known to me and bugs and germs caught galore. That tailored with the start of term, Emily starting school, Jamie embedding himself in his new role at work and Joel starting with our new childminder, it has been a hard couple of months. That said, we have survived and are moving on.

Emily got her first school photo taken and was kind enough to share the experience with Joel. (note the flash, as it is a photo of a photo!)

It has been lovely to have the proper Winter season this year. We thankfully were prepared with sledges this year and have had fun down on the back lawn of NTC with the sledge. Mummy didn't have a go because, a, it was too cold, b, it was too cold and c, I had to keep baby safe!

We got the Christmas tree up and it stayed up, with a little help of daily moving decorations by Joel. The top half stayed the same, it was just the bottom that looked like a higgegly piggily house!

Emily was a star in her Christmas Nativity at school. She was quite proud of her mummy sewing the tinsel on the bottom of a t-shirt. Little does she know about the skill level required to create such a master piece. She received a headteachers award for her performance skills at the end of term. We are still unsure if this was related to the nativity play, her drama in the playground when she falls over or her interaction in class! Either way she was proud of a yellow piece of card with her head teacher's and her name on it!

Our church had our walking around the streets Nativity again this year. Emily was princess fairy angel and Joel was cold and stubborn shepherd! I believe Jamie may have been Caspar, but the details have escaped me... he did like the bling on his head dress!

Joel and her continue to fight one minute and love each other the next. It can be quite exhausting, but on the whole there is a lot of laughing going on as Joel is quite the character. At the moment he is refusing to sleep in his big boy bed instead opting for the baby bed or cot! Something I find mighty frustrating!

Santa visited Belfast and brought snow, family and presents. It has been fun trying to find places for everything, you know where the drums have gone?! The conservatory!

Well I am sure that I have missed lots of details and stories, we are ok, I am off work with some sort of Influenza virus. Jamie had to come and pick me up from class yesterday morning after a near fainting episode. I feel a little better today, it has been nice to sit upright for 30 mins, but I am ready to lie down again!

Hopefully more to follow I won't leave it so long next time and it is good to know that the slippers still fit!

We love the NHS

2010-11-07T20:37:00.006Z

This week we had Joel's long awaited cardiology appointment. A 3.50pm appointment slot on a dark, rainy afternoon... doesn't bode well. Our cardiologist is great but she always runs late, this time she was over an hour late!

Joel started crying before we even got into the consulting room. Jamie had downloaded Peppa Pig to his Itouch hoping that would help, I packed sweetie hoping they would help but nothing helped. He cried it out and then surprising was very cooperative, whilst complaining that the wand thing was "owwie on his boom boom."

After an ECG... have you ever tired keeping a two year old still enough for an ECG? we received the results.

1. His ECG was more or less normal :)

2. His aortic valve is undamaged at the moment. :)

3. Open heart surgery will never be an option unless in an emergency. :)

4. We can wean him off the diuretics he has been on since 16 days old. :)

5. The hole may close. 50% usually by 5 years old. 75% by 8 years old. So Joel may be one of these but as time goes on the likelihood gets smaller. :) and :(

6. He may need surgery later but the success rate right now is not high enough to give this to Joel as he seems so resilient and unless there are knock on effects he may just live with it. :)

7. When he comes off the diuretics his weight may improve and then he can come off the milk and maybe the iron. :)

So we left smiling, Joel was full of sweets and crisps and had snow white stickers stuck all over his clothes, shoes and hands. We are back in 6 months to see if he can cope without the medicines, if the hole is smaller or improving... until then we only have to give him his infatrini and iron. A nice break in a 2+ year routine. No more trips to the dr for repeat prescriptions, no more waiting for special orders and the pharmacist reminding us to watch the shelf life or, "Wow, he's a lucky boy with the cost of this gold dust!"

We are grateful for the gold dust, but we are not sad to see it go! Thank you NHS for looking after us.

And to Joel... keep getting better little man, you are so much fun, we love you dearly and your smile and humour brightens up our day; but you are a cheeky monkey too!.

2010-10-11T21:20:00.005+01:00

We have been busy, Emily got her first swimming badge! A big achievement for her. Also our neighbour is so cool. We came home the other day to this box of goodies grown on her allotment. How great is that?

All is well with us, we are just about hanging on to the holidays in 2 weeks. Joel is at the hospital on Wednesday for vaccinations for the Winter, Emily and I are going to Disney on Ice on Friday with some friends and Jamie and I are going to see Romeo and Juliet with the English National Ballet on Sat. Lots to look forward to.

Sunny Autumn Days

2010-09-29T20:43:00.004+01:00

Days out at Dunham Massey and Crow's Wood at Lyme Park, complete with new winter hats and fleeces!

School Days

2010-09-12T21:30:00.004+01:00

Emily started school last week. We can't believe it is time for uniforms and black shoes already! All is well so far but she is on half days until 27th! We are adjusting to the rhythms of term, Joel starts at our new childminder tomorrow- hope that goes well.

It has been a while... and it will take a while to read this one!

2010-08-20T21:25:00.034+01:00

It is 2 weeks until the end of our summer break and we have nearly finished the DIY. The conservatory is done, we just need to save for two pieces of furniture. We all love it, it is a great place to play, read and look out into the garden. It is even a good place to do school work!

The loft has had its fourth and final coat of paint and all it needs is some blinds on the windows so that when we need to sleep in it (in two weeks) the sun won't blind us!

The weather has been pretty unpredictable so we have had fun in our 'lounge cinema' complete with beds, popcorn and blankets. We have also popped out to visit Stan at Manchester Museum and have been to feed the ducks at Woodford Park Garden Centre. Sun would be nice so that we could enjoy our own garden a bit more.

We have been on holiday with friends on the Isle of Wight. Our god daughter is 11 and about to start high school, it was fun spending a week with her and her family. It is bizarre that the tiny little baby we were holding all those years ago is now holding our toddler's hand and playing with him in the sea! The sun shone for most of the time, we played on the beach, picniced a lot and had a fun time. We stopped at Longleat and had a great time at the Safari Park. Our kids love animals so it was a fab thing to do. Emily was beside herself at the thought of meeting Sportacus and Stephanie as well as holding a millipede! Joel enjoyed the train ride and the safari boats looking for sea lions and hippos!

Joel has had his second birthday. He got a scooter and a football net as well as fire trucks, rockets, animals and books. He even got a personally addressed and signed copy of Cave Baby - the new Julia Donaldson book! I am so excited for him - thank you Auntie Nic and Uncle David! We went to Monkey Forest with the McCulloch tribe and had a fun time with the 140 Barbarary Macques (not sure how to spell them... monkeys will do,).

It is hard to work out where the last 2 years have gone, Joel has been an amazing addition to our clan, he brings so much joy and laughter to our house and has a real love for all things four legged. I am sad to see the baby time go but he will keep us busy in the toddler years as he is as strong willed as his sister and Mummy! ( He also has a great thowing action like his Daddy, but sadly it is not just balls that he likes to throw!)

Well 2 weeks left, we are off to Greenbelt - a Christian arts and music festival. It is the first time we have camped since our America Trip in 2003 and the first time with 2 children. It is only for 2 nights..... I will let you know how it went. It is also results day for Jamie on Tuesday. He will find out how the students did in their exams and how his department has performed this year. Emily, Joel and I are going to our church kids club - the theme is super heroes. I don't plan to dress up in a cat suit! My parents arrive for a dessert afternoon with friends and family to celebrate Joel and Jamie's birthdays. A little late for JoJo but lots of people are away in August!

Then, before we know it, the 5 weeks that I have longed for since Christmas are done and I am meeting my new class of 32 Year 6 children on Wednesday 8th Sept after 2 days of Inservice training. Before that, I need to successfully convince a very adament 4 year old that she needs to wear black shoes to school and not pink ones. I have tried all summer and failed but this week I am biting the bullet! Wish me luck!

Catching up

2010-07-20T21:53:00.002+01:00

Well, now that we have all caught our breath, it is time to reflect and get excited about the summer holidays that start this Friday for Jamie and next Wednesday for me! So here is a potted few weeks.

Emily finishes Nursery school next Thursday and has had a wonderful year.

She got into the Primary school we wanted after a successful appeal. She is now in the same class as 5 of her friends from Nursery.

We got her uniform last week. :)

Joel has been recovering from yet another virus, so lack of sleep and appetite for him and us!

Joel is chatting more, his favourite words are donkey, airplane, penny, football, no and sweeties. Usually not in the one sentence, but wouldn't that be an interesting idea!

We have entered the world of Disney Princesses with Ariel and Price Eric, Jasmine with Aladdin, Prince Philip with Sleeping Beauty, daily gracing our dinner table.

I have had sinusitis, fluid in my ears, a chest and throat infection.

Our loft conversion is finished, we are now painting and decorating it.

Our conservatory is half up with the brick work done, tomorrow the frames should arrive.

My class staged 'Bugsy Malone' last week - they were amazing.

I wrote 31 school reports and so far there has been no 'fall out!'

I saw Hairspray at Manchester Opera House. It was so, so great.

Jamie is busy writing speeches for colleagues who are leaving his department, he has survived his first term as a Head of Department and has enjoyed it.

Our potatoes and shallots are growing well with the much needed but unwanted rain.

It's my baby sister's birthday tomorrow and my dad's birthday tomorrow.

Jamie and I celebrate 15 years together next month as well as our 10 year wedding anniversary.

Well, that is enough, I need to go to find food for tomorrow's tea as well as bags for Nursery and our Child Minder.

Where has the time gone?

2010-07-11T21:15:00.007+01:00

Last weekend Emily celebrated her fourth birthday. Today we had her party with friends from church, nursery school, baby massage, our friends from school and their kids as well as family. We had a fun time, the sun was out and really hot and we had a great time together.

Emily is great. She has too much to say for herself. She often needs the last word and has an opinion on most things. She is the organiser and is often the leader but likes to be the follower too. She laughs easily and cries a lot. She is clumsy but tries to succeed. She is kind and caring whilst being strong willed and stubborn. She asks great questions but struggles to wait for the answers. She is great. We love her dearly and are so grateful that she blesses our lives every day. There are lots of lovely things about Emily, for me, it's her smile!

Ba Ba Black Sheep

2010-07-08T20:30:00.002+01:00

Sing along folks, there is even a message, of "No more" at the end!

Fundraising whilst running

2010-05-16T20:36:00.008+01:00

Enjoying a free snack bar whilst watchig the big screen

A reward from the Golden M on the way home!

Jamie did his run and shaved off over 2 minutes from his time from last year. He did it in 57.15 mins and really enjoyed it too! He has raised over £500 including gift aid for The Charnwood Trust and is really excited with what they can do with this money. Thank you to all of you who have contributed.

It's been a while

2010-04-07T22:01:00.005+01:00

Life has been busy. I also feel that I have had nothing to write.

We have just returned from a fab 8 days on the Costa Blanca. Emily and Joel wore sunhats and sun screen instead of woolly hats and waterproofs!

Jamie starts his new role at school on Monday. Head of Maths... we hope that goes well for him and his peers.

Emily was refused a place at our local Church of England School. We are 4 streets out of catchment but really want her to have the foundation of a faith based school. We are now in the process of the Appeals process. Apparently only 28% of appeals are successful! We will find out next Wednesday where we are on the waiting list of 31 children! ( that is more than another class!) Then the appeals panel meet in June, however some of the dates are when I am in Belfast to hopefully meet my new niece! I kinda feel that this situation is a bit of a pain in the neck!

Joel is well, he has officially finished Infatrini now and is just on cows milk. His medicine continues until our next cardio appointment. He is walking and running with the added ability of stopping! His love of all things bouncy and spherical continues. He is learning to say sorry as he likes to blow raspberries and hit out when he cannot have or do something. Thankfully we are not at the stage of reins but the naughty step is used frequently!

As for me... busy reading a wierd kids book called Tunnels, packed away our Easter Tree today and planted the potatoes in the veggie patch. As I said not a lot to say!

We are well, enjoying the last few days before the busy summer term packed with exams and transition.

Jamie is running the Manchester 10KM to raise funds for Emily's Nursery and Joel's Opportunity Group. If you would like to help, check out... www.justgiving.com/jamiemcculloch.

Technology. Bleurgh!

2010-02-23T20:55:00.002Z

Sorry folks, I have no idea why videos no longer work. Will have to look into it but it won't be for a while as my class are my priority until after SATs in May.

Hello

2010-02-16T20:24:00.005Z

Hello, ground control to Joel. His favourite word at the momnet is Hello. All is well with us, we are on a half term break.

We have been enjoying the spring weather, the crocuses and daffodils are up in the garden with the crocuses blooming already. The weather is great and so our spirits are great - its fab to be in the sun.

Frankenstein is on the loose.

2010-01-24T21:08:00.003Z

How cool is this?

Thanks be to God...

2010-01-07T21:46:00.004Z

...and to all who have been praying and thinking about us for the past 15 months.

Today Joel had his cardio appointment. We have always gone to each one wondering when we would hear the news that he is 'really' improving and not just maintaining. We usually wait holding our breath whilst the doctor measures and clicks, makes the machine make funny whirring noises as well as humms and haas. Eventually, when we feel we can we usually ask, "Well how is it thins time?" (again waiting for the magic sentence... "it's better."

Well today we kind of heard that sentence. The hole no longer impacts on the rest of his heart, it is still there but it is small, the flow back and forth is restricted and she has , "no plans for surgery". Yes... we heard the words.... no longer are we wondering when it is going to be, Joel will not need surgery. Whoop, Whoop!

Joel continues to be a work of God, and God is 'fixing' him. (along with the help of some amazing people from the NHS).

We are so, so grateful and overwhelmed by the journey you have gone on with us. It is not over yet, but we were assured today that the worst over and that in our cardiologist's words, " you need to go, get on with your lives, make plans and not worry."

Thank you for your prayers, notes, texts, thoughts, visits, gestures, patience and kindness not only to us as a four, but to our parents, siblings and wider family as you have cared for us all.

We are blessed with Joel in our lives, we are blessed with friends and family and we are truly blessed by God's presence with us each and every day.

Thanks be to Him.

Snow Day.. the first one in our 10 year teaching careers!

2010-01-05T21:44:00.010Z

This one needs a few more burgers! (not Jamie!)

Bits and bobs

2009-12-26T21:08:00.011Z

Just a few from the past month, Christmas to follow, but for now.. off to Belfast to celebrate my sister's 30th Birthday.

Nativity

2009-12-15T21:50:00.003Z

It was Emily's Nativity Play today at Nursery. We couldn't take pictures but this is her singing one opf the songs with her signing too! Every mum feels proud, but wow, she was so so so cute!

Only one more day to go then it is my holidays. Emily has Nursery parties, birthday parties and lots of social engagements,so not rest for us but a great time to look forward to.

Joel and Papa were Shepherds on Sunday. It has been a busy weekend of Nativity plays.

Walking with a walker. Woo Hoo!

2009-12-01T20:48:00.002Z

" Say cheese, Joel."

Laughs and smiles at our house.

2009-11-23T21:02:00.003Z

(Practising 'cheeeeeeese')

Show us your groovy moves............. then freeze!

A Healthy House

2009-11-16T21:39:00.005Z

For the first time in 6 weeks we can report that we are illness free. ( I know that this is famous last words but we celebrate the possibility of normality.)

We are all back at work, nursery and our childminder... life goes on with the usual rhythm. Only 4 weeks until the Christmas holidays. The Christmas lights are now switched on in Stockport town centre. As Jamie and the kids were driving through it on the way home today Emily announced that they should go home and put up our lights and stockings ready for Christmas.

"Which stockings?"Jamie asked.

"My green one which is very special."

Jamie asked, "why is the green one special?"

"It is special because Jesus gave it to me." replied Emily

"Did he?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, Daddy, He sent it down from heaven."

Out of the mouths of children. Does she have dodgy theology or just cute ideas?

Illness

2009-11-07T20:25:00.005Z

We have been fighting sickness for over a month. I have had a chest and throat infection, Emily has had high temps, runny noses and coughs. Joel has had coughs, colds, new teeth and runny noses. He and Emily have both been vomiting but this week has been the worst!

Joel has confirmed swine flu and rsv which has really floored him and us. It is too late for tami flu as he has had the flu for too long and the antibiotic only works for the first 48 hours. The rsv has left a really nasty cough which has prevented sleep, but we hope that we are on the last run of it and that next week will be better. It would also be good to see friends, go to church, keep appointments and meet ups with people as well as go to work without feeling guilty or stay at home without feeling guilty! On a more positive note Joel has managed to fight these horrible infections quite well so maybe his heart is stronger that we think!

Thanks for your love and prayers; there are lots of things going on at our house but we know that the world does not revolve around us, we have just been swamped and due to this have been rubbish at keeping up with you all. Hopefully this season is done and we can move on without sick, snot and illness.

Thanks for the balloons... Ellie-May, Lilah and Sam.

Happy Bonfire Night

2009-11-05T19:33:00.003Z

Enjoy our Bonfire Song.

Catch Up!

2009-11-02T20:31:00.010Z

It's a long walk when you have to hold on to daddy.

Incy wincy all ready for the pumpkin party.

A carousel on her own, she must be growing up!

Camber Sands in October!

Yes.. a real Thomas Train.

Hastings beach or cobbles!

The ballet clothes finally arrived complete with shoes.

Thanksgiving Turkey - art from Auntie Sara and Uncle Greg.

update

2009-10-06T15:15:00.010+01:00

Well, life has been busy over the past few weeks.
September is always manic as we try to adjust to new routines and the tug between work, childcare and life outside these two!

We have had lots of fun things going on in the house now that I am back at work and we have my income. We finally got our oak floor in the dining room and new carpet in the lounge, stairs and landing. This is probably not very exciting to other people but it puts an end to the filthy and stained carpets that were left behind from the previous owner. We also got our toilet attached to the bathroom floor- another one of the strange inheritances in our home. The house feels better and if it is dirty - it is our dirt!

Veggies from our patch

Oh Emily... smile! (Kat and Joseph's wedding)

Enjoying the one sunny day of late August

Joel can now pull himself up and seems to like the piano

Now that October is here it is the season for coughs and sneezes. We have all had our first Winter colds... hopefully the last one too!

A great day at Nursery

2009-09-17T22:11:00.006+01:00

Emily was the VIP today. She came home so proud. She also made a wish at bedtime for her special friend (Hannah, the one with flowers on her shoes, not glasses) to come for tea as they are twins! It looks like she is settling well, it's amazing how quickly loyalty comes and how much of a sheep our daughter is. She came home to announce that sausages, mash and gravy are her favourite. This is a girl who has always told us that she doesn't like sausages or potatoes and when I have tried her with gravy (once calling it chocolate sauce) she still wouldn't try it! But Hannah likes sausages, mash and gravy so now does Emily. Let's hope she doesn't always go with the crowd!
The school day stories have begun. One pic of Joel... he found the water on top of the sand pit whilst I was hanging up the washing! Needless to say I needed to do more washing after this escapade.

8th Sept

2009-09-10T20:00:00.008+01:00

Emily started Nursery School on Tuesday. She had a great time. Little does she know that she now will be in some sort of school until she is 18! She has been back since and still likes it, so all seems positive. It is very strange to be on the other side of school, working round timetables and structures, trying to get there on time to pick her up, labelling clothes, reading letters and getting involved.

On another note, Jamie celebrated his birthday on Tuesday complete with peanut butter pie for a cake! Yum. Happy Birthday J.

Birthday Pics

2009-09-08T21:46:00.013+01:00

Just the long awaited birthday party photos.

This time last year Joel was in hospital really quite unwell. Today not only is it great that he is better than he was last year, but we get to celebrate Jamie's birthday together as last year it got swamped. So happy birthday Jamie. (Hope you enjoyed peanut butter pie)

Emily started nursery school today. One hug for Daddy and Joel and then off she went to have a great time. The beginning of formal education. She will only be in it for the next 15 years!!!! She looked small in the school uniform but she loved having a school bag. I wonder how long that will last?!

Joel turns one.

2009-08-20T21:58:00.008+01:00

Our little man celebrated his first birthday on Monday at the seaside on the North Antrim Coast.

Cake with Aunties and Uncles as well as cousins on Sunday.

We had pancakes for breakfast followed by a trip to Giant's Causeway, over the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge and ice cream in Morelli's ice cream parlour. What a cool day.

He wasn't that impressed once the candle went out!

Nine years married and still going.

2009-08-06T21:35:00.013+01:00

We have been to London to visit our wonderful friends the Jenkins, and to meet their new little one, Rachael. We had a great visit spending time with them as well as catching some of the sights. Emily wanted to go on the big roundie, see the Queen's palace, hear Big Ben chiming and see Peter Pan's bridge. And on a stifling hot day... we can report she got her wishes.

The ladies glowing in the heat,

Rachael was sleeping comfortably as we were on our river taxi (the best way to travel London with two buggies and 3 under threes.)

It was all just too much to take in for the cutsies.

A great day to celebrate nine years of marriage. We still feel young it's the wrinkles that remind us that we are not. Marriage works for us, we highly recommend it.

Summer hols

2009-07-26T21:23:00.008+01:00

We have been out and about this past week since Jamie has been on holiday and I finished on Friday for 6 weeks. Yes, 6 whole weeks. We are busy planning what to do; so far we are going to London to see friends, Dublin to see a friend and Belfast to see family. Emily wants to go on a roller coaster and to the seaside so we need to get organised on that idea. Joel's cardiology appointment will be the first week of September so we can plan our summer without fear of change and appointments. We went to Redhouse Farm to the wild west maize maze on Thursday. We had a lot of fun, although we did not make it the full way round. We had a ride on the barrel train towed by a tractor through the corn fields, pedalled our way on the go karts, climbed the haystacks and had a fun day out dodging the rain showers. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by cool places to go within 30 mins of where we live.

Are we lost?

Pedal faster, daddy!

very sweet holding hands!

Not very comfortable and very muddy

We have a list of jobs to do, including mending guttering and attaching the toilet to the floor, (Jamie tried to do that today but in true our house style - they glued the bathroom cabinets which house the toilet cistern.) Looks like we need a plumber and or a chisel! We will be busy.

We are hoping that the rain stays away, it has been too frequent this past week and we are running out of popcorn seeds as Emily has been having DVD time waiting til the garden dries out and isn't as waterlogged.

Off to bed as 6.30 comes early with the cry of, "Mummy, Daddy, can I wake up now?" As if she responds well to, "no!"

Cute.

We're on the move.

2009-07-21T22:00:00.012+01:00

Eleven months and one day and he crawls. Our little Joel is crawling.

Cue stairgates, drawer locks, plug covers and the phrase "ahh ah Joel!" How great.

One and a half days left for me!

There is music in the house

2009-07-20T21:47:00.005+01:00

In order to make sure there is enough practice for Sunday services Jamie now plays after bath time, Emily dances - burinig off lots of energy before bed!

Now that Jamie is on his school holidays he has lots of time on his hands. He has been busy uploading his 'albums' of music to his music links on the side bar. There is a third one on the way but for now you can enjoy the first two of his creations.

Joel started crawling on Saturday and also got his second tooth. I am still struggling to upload the footage, but will try again another time.

Only 2 full days and half day Friday before my summer hols!

The new bike in action

2009-07-13T20:34:00.006+01:00

Emily got a new bike for her birthday. She has been trying to learn to pedal it and is getting there slowly. This weekend we went away with our church for a great time of fun together. (T.V. time with her friends from church)

It was also a cool place to learn to ride a bike as the huge sports halls provided opportunities for her to fall over, pedal, learn to brake and just have fun.

On the Joel front we have some ups and downs. He stopped growing in every way for about 6 weeks but now he seems to be moving again. We saw his Dr last week and overall she is pleased with him. We are being referred to speech and language to check that all is well after the tube being there for such a long time and he is now on chocolate flavoured milk; - do you know any 10 month olds who get chocolate milk? Emily is jealous that she can't have it! Developmentally his gross motor skills are not too good but his fine skills are ok. He still has one tooth and is up on his knees a little bit more but no signs of crawling.

Jamie has 4 days left at school and finishes on Friday for 7 weeks. I have 5 days left and finish a week on Wednesday. We are well, just on the count down for some down time.

Emily is Three.

2009-07-04T21:13:00.015+01:00

It was Emily's Third birthday today. The sun shone, the food was good, the friends were fun and the day was great. We had an Old McDonald theme, with egg and spoon races, sack races (jumping bag race in Emily's world!), throwing the welly and pass the parcel. A lovely day in the sun.

As she went to bed she asked, "Mummy - this was such a beautiful day, will it be a very long time until my next birthday?"

Tonight Jamie and I are tired, but the past three years have just been so, so, so sweet.

Loving my brother

She has a minx like streak - wonder where that comes from?

In her shop ( a wooden house that Jamie built for her complete with a balcony!)

The jumping bag race (She won)

With her new bike

Miss Piggy

Puppet Theatre with 3 little pigs.
Launching the rocket - one is on our neighbour's garage roof!

On a final note a very happy birthday to our sweet niece. Ellie-May... happy third birthday for tomorrow.

Catch up

2009-06-18T09:35:00.010+01:00

We have been to Belfast to celebrate my niece and nephew's first birthday. ( They are not twins, they are 5 days apart in age). Happy Birthday to Sam and to Lilah.

I flew with 2 kids on my own for the first time. It was ok, a bit of a hassle when you have to take your coat, shoes and belt off and then you have to do the same with a 2 year old who doesn't want her shoes, belt and coat off and you are trying to hold a 9 month old who doesn't like the fact his sister is crying at the top of her voice, and you don't have a buggy to put the baby in as it gets damaged on the plane. So, you put him in the tray that goes through the scanner to wait until the 2 year old stops rolling around on the floor crying that she wants her teddy back and they are not to take his picture. Suddenly you hear, "is everything ok Mrs. McCulloch?" to look up and find a family whose 2 daughters you taught 4 and 3 years ago smiling at you! Yes it all went well... Jamie will be coming with us next time!

But is was such a great visit and it's always nice to see the 5 cousins together, they are very similar yet so, so different.

We had a great time, Emily loves spending time with her cousin and we packed lots into a few days. We had lots of fun at Carrickfergus castle ( or Mr. Tumble's castle from Cbeebies). Sadly Mr. Tumble was not there but the sunshine was which is a bonus in Northern Ireland! We visited the zoo and Emily was pleased that her favourite animal was there. She can see amazing animals that are usually only in books but instead all she wanted to see was a pig!!All is well with us, I am just about surviving work, my class are very challenging. I have only 15 more days and then it will be the 6 week holidays. In September things will be better as I will be able to settle my class down with my job sharing partner and things should be calm from the beginning. (Or so I hope).

Joel is great; he can now sit himself up from lying down- something we have been waiting ages for, his tooth is getting taller and we are waiting for more to arrive. We are at the hospital tomorrow to check he is ok with his weight and to think about his milk etc. He and Emily seem to be adjusting back to life with our childminder and all is well, if not a little busy!

Chilling out at Grandmum's with Lucas on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Well that is the potted version of life at the moment, Jamie is really busy, end of term stuff at school including his form group leaving, prom, assembly etc. GCSE exam marking online, co writing this book on Functional Skills for Rising Stars, leading music at church for the next 3 weeks, and trying to play with the kids in the spare time. Just busy.

Highlights from past month

2009-05-31T20:49:00.003+01:00

Bits and bobs. If anyone has any pictures of Joel's dedication please email them to us at jandja30@hotmail.co.uk.

Many thanks

Busy Times

2009-05-20T22:42:00.003+01:00

We had Joel's dedication this weekend. A great day to remind ourselves of the wonderful gift of Joel in our lives, a chance to say thank you to God for him and to say thank you to those of our friends and family (who could be there) for all the support they have given us. For those who weren't we miss you and are grateful for your love from afar. (If anyone has any pictures please can you email them as we don't have any as we were running after two kids!)

I am back at work. Here endeth the post as I am off to mark 39 pieces of science work! Need I say more!?

He's so cute.

2009-05-05T20:05:00.004+01:00

A potted catch up

2009-04-28T20:55:00.008+01:00

Well it has been a while and I have lots to say but very little time, so here goes.

1. Been to see dietitian - Joel is now on meat!!

2. Saw Cardiologist - hole smaller compared to his heart size. Still on medication and still need to see her, she hopes it will close, won't operate whilst still a chance of it closing. A real miracle.
3. Developmentally, Joel is a little behind, but making real leaps and bounds. We are trying to teach him to clap but he is more interested in doing his own thing! (Is that a Jamie or Julie-Ann trait?)

4. He still has sticky eyes- been 3 weeks now, but nothing they can do for him.

5. Emily got her place at Nursery for Sept. Our childminder has given birth to a healthy little girl and will be able to return to work to look after both our children.

6. I am visiting work tomorrow to find out what I am doing when I return on May 18th.
7. Jamie is busy co writing a book for a company called Rising Stars, with his colleagues at work. ( My husband the author of a maths textbook!)

8. Our vegetable patch is blooming and growing and benefiting from the mixture of sun and rain.

9. Been to a history lesson at Dunham Massey; they did a living history day on the Nifty Normans. Emily got to cheer on the dragon until it was stabbed by St George- she didn't get it. She had a go at archery and enjoyed the story teller too.

Eifion - are you proud of us waving the Welsh flag?

10. Life is busy - Joel's Dedication is coming up in 3 weeks, lots to do, but all well.
11. Emily has made a cuckoo clock out of a cheerio box as she wants to win a Peppa Pig Competition. I think she will be heart broken if she doesn't win.

Thanks for all the prayers, letters, cards, visits etc. Joel is a miracle, a work in progress and hopefully one step closer to being better. Thanks be to God.

Last month and Easter hols

2009-04-07T20:17:00.003+01:00

We have been busy in the garden and out and about. Today we met up with my university friend, Nicola, with Marc and their little cute boy, Henry. We went to Tatton Farm and got to hold a 4 hour old duckling and a day old chick. Emily also watched a chick break out of it's shell and watched month old piglets playing in the sun. Nature is so amazing and she was totally amazed by it all. The innocence that children have astounds me - when do we loose that awe and wonder? Well only 2nd day of holidays and we have had lots of fun already. Tomorrow is DIY day :( but it has to be done.

A trip to the Seaside (in the fog and wind!)

2009-03-24T11:31:00.004Z

It's great to be a mummy.

2009-03-22T17:05:00.003Z

A Mummy to my very funny kids. A Godmother to a very grown up , nearly 10 year old , Lucy. A Godmother to my niece, Ellie-May and my nephew, Sam. I also have two great mothers. A mother who gave birth to me and has nurtured me and put up with me as I grew up and am still growing up, and a mother who took me into her family and treats me like her own.
Today has been a lovely Mothering Sunday, the first when my daughter can come bounding into the bedroom with cards shouting," Happy Mummy's Day, Mummy." So, so, so great.

And a great Husband who organised all the nice things for me today. x x

Peppa Pig

2009-03-15T21:10:00.006Z

Emily loves television despite poor attempts at limiting it. She can be very fickle about her favourite programmes; but the two that rock her world at the moment, and have done for quite some time, are Little Einsteins and Peppa Pig.

Today we (stupidly) queued for one hour so that she could meet and have her picture taken with Peppa Pig. The things we do for our children! (But Jamie did remind me of my excitement when I met Mickey Mouse at Disney Land California. I was the only person in the queue who didn't have a small child in tow!)

Joel is well, he seems to be loving his food, especially his potatoes, a good Irish boy! Today he was anointed with oil in church for healing, as it says in James chapter 5. Jamie and I were reminded again that Joel is upheld and we are upheld in a community of prayer, a community of people who we know and don't know, who we have met and never met. A group of people spanning the globe who is praying for our son and whose prayers are being answered.

Thanks be to God.

Photos from the past couple of weeks.

2009-03-04T19:42:00.015Z

With our Godson and nephew, Sam.

Building sandcastles on a cold February day at Belfast Lough.
At the park with Ellie-May.
In the Walkie at Granny at Granda's.

With Sam on his dedication day.
At the National Railway Museum, waiting for the carousel
On the Carousel but Emily refused to go on the horses so we ended up in the carriage!A rare shot of the 4 of us.

Cheese!
Joel is sitting up by himself (apart from when he lunges for toys!)

That's all folks... for now.

I Love my Rice.

2009-02-20T20:53:00.003Z

Just a couple of spoons but they are nice.

Well...

2009-02-18T21:52:00.007Z

... the tube has gone.

A full and little round face.

Emily feeding him his bottle. ( I love the way he is looking at her. He still had his tube here as we had to make sure he could cope with the bottle.)

So much has happened over the past couple of weeks, but the best thing is that Joel now can smile without a stickie on his face. It has been out for 10 days and his face is slowly recovering. He put on a full pound over the last week, yes one full pound; so not only is his heart getting stronger but he is now, (finally) tolerating the milk enough to increase it to a suitable dose in order to provide decent weight gain. He is now 14lb 15 oz and doing well.

Tonight will be the first night he will sleep in his own room - a bit later than we had expected as he was 6 months old yesterday but only in the past week has he been sleeping more consistently in the night (one or two wake ups.)

He is starting baby rice tomorrow, a really exciting step and hopefully not too messy.

I have so much more to say, our Godson and nephew was dedicated at the weekend, we had a visit to Belfast, we have been decorating, celebrated birthdays, had visitors to stay and are enjoying half term. Emily continues to be a joy and a funny little one to be with. She entertains me with such funny things and with a energy which is so infectious.

More pics to follow.

For now, thanks be to God for a healing and very happy son.

PS. His dedication/Christening is on Saturday 16th May @ 2pm. ( I am busy making the invites so expect them in the post soon.)

How...

2009-02-04T20:45:00.003Z

... do you loose 12 ounces in 7 days?

Is the question I wish Joel could answer for me! Hopefully the dietitian will be in a good mood tomorrow when she looks at his growth chart (which he no longer is on the scale!) and looks at how Joel is developing overall.

We will see tomorrow.

Snow.

2009-02-02T19:46:00.005Z

It's been snowing here today and the first real time that Emily has seen enough snow to do something with. Jamie rushed home from work today and we built a snow man. Unfortunately by the time she was finished Emily was too cold to have her picture taken with her. (Judge for yourself what she was up to!)

Also, Joel has really found his voice and his giggles.

Thanks Be To God.

2009-01-30T08:13:00.002Z

Well, I had hoped I would be writing this but now that I am it feels weird and I can't quite believe it.

1. The cardiologist uses the words, 'optimistic' and 'realistic'. The future looks good however things may change and we are not there yet.

2. Joel's hole IS closing and has got smaller.
3. It has gone from unrestricted flow - back and forth, to restrictive flow - just one way.

4. It has high pressure and volume as it is like a hosepipe, but that is good.

5. She thinks we can take his feeding tube out and 'experiment' with feeding him via bottle and spoon. The reason it's an experiment is that Joel needs to learn that he has to feed himself by sucking. Also it requires more energy to feed yourself so his weight may suffer so we have to balance that very carefully as he is so light in comparison to his birth weight. We meet with the paediatrician and dietitian next Thursday morning.

6. We are back in 3 months.

7. We are amazed and stunned and hopeful that this may be the beginning of the conclusion to this chapter of life. We are also cautious as this is a tricky balance between tube in and tube out and weight gain and weight loss. Also, the cardiologist was very clear that Joel may still need intervention and his next appointment will bring more answers.

For now, we are grateful for prayers and best wishes; we are so, so pleased that we can report such happy news. We feel that God has been and is with us on every step of this interesting journey.

Joel is such a great little boy and is coping amazingly with the hurdles he clears. He has a very bad cough with a lot of mucas which is causing him to vomit his milk at least once a day which is not great as he needs the calories.

Now we can make some tentative plans, holidays, visits to friends and a Christening!

Thanks be to God.

It's great to be a mum of two

2009-01-25T20:05:00.005Z

Last night I got my first night of full sleep since Joel was born over 5 months ago. I say full night but he was awake at 4.30 looking for a dummy! Still it feels good to have one under my belt. Maybe tonight will be another.
Just some pictures of my great kids, they bring so much joy and laughter into my life - they really are amazing. Joel has a big week ahead with our cardiologist appointment on Thursday. We are hoping for a miracle and are prepared for whatever the outcome may be. For now we send smiles to whoever reads and ask for prayers for Thursday - prayers for courage regardless of the journey we have to make.

We made it.

2009-01-20T20:37:00.003Z

From this back at the beginning of September...to this today.

Joel made it to 6Kg. He is 6.17 Kg or 13lb and 9 oz in old fashioned speak. He is now the weight he needs to be to have surgery should he need it. (We hope that next week when he has his scan, the cardiologist will announce that there has been a miracle!)

We can't believe that he has made it; sometimes through tears (from emotional me!) and tantrums (again from me!) and disappointment, as well as guilt (are we doing things right? is it our fault? are we trying hard enough?)

The one thing that we do know is that we are here and are grateful for love and prayers from far flung corners of the world, from friends old and new, from family near and far.

So, we wait for news a week on Thursday, we pray for a miracle and know that it could happen (I heard his heart yesterday at the Dr's as he has a cold - it sounds the same as before but you never know what's going on til you see the scan.)

Two for Tea

2009-01-16T20:21:00.003Z

Not started weaning yet but Joel has been 'elevated' from bouncy chair to high chair. Soon the food will fly.

Joel no tube...

2009-01-13T20:59:00.003Z

Joel pulled his tube out today. before the nurses came to help us learn to put it back in I took some pictures. Joel is now 13 lb and 3 oz. Very close to 6 kilos. :)

Science

2009-01-10T18:57:00.012Z

Today we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the trains and planes. (Emily loves public transport!) We had fun looking at all the engines and pumps as well as the 'hands on' activities. We made a rocket and fired it using air. We even managed to hit the member of staff standing nearby.Thankfully tears were absent as it returned to earth in one piece and brought home with pride. It is amazing what you can make with paper and sticky tape.

We have also been busy baking cakes and making chocolate rabbits. Sadly the rabbit has passed on to the other side now and was greatly enjoyed. The cakes are demolished too!Joel had his appointment with the dietitian yesterday. All is ok, he can be weaned like a regular baby only we are not allowed to use traditional formula. We can also give him more of his milk in a bottle if needed. This might stop him from waking between 2 - 5 times a night with hunger. The downside is that his milk already causes issues with his bowels so we have to be careful how much we give him. Our cardiology appointment has been rescheduled til the end of January so hopefully some questions will have answers.

Meanwhile Emily, Joel and I have started a really fun group at Charnwood Nursery. We are going to the Opportunity Group on Friday Afternoons. We had our first one yesterday. It was great. The staff and other families there are really friendly. Emily had so much fun playing in the home corner, sunken sandpit, soft play and trampoline as well as the other activities provided. It was nice to be in an environment where Joel was Joel - not the boy with the tube. Hopefully there will be a place for Emily to go there in September for a few days a week. We will wait and see and in the meantime enjoy our Fridays.

photos

2009-01-08T20:01:00.007Z

Snow and ramblings without photos

2009-01-07T20:42:00.003Z

Snow has arrived and gone. Emily had fun making a snowman with Grandmum. Wish the snow had of stayed so we could have made a family but alas! The rain has come.
We have made Joel's room livable (does it have an e?) again - still needs painting here and there and personalising with his bits and bobs but he is now having his daytime naps and evening sleep in there. He looks so small in such a big cot! He is still in our room during the night as he is hungry in the night and as formula is not a choice he will be hungry! So him being hungry = me being tired! He is now 5.88 kg so close to the magic 6kg. Sadly his cardiology appointment has just been cancelled for tomorrow and rescheduled for 29th so the questions remain and will be answered later rather than sooner.
Emily's room is nearly finished too. We just need to touch up the paint from the rewire but she has a girly haven to hide and find fun in. Her favourite game at the moment is making dens with cushions and blankets.
That's all for now, our niece was dedicated last Sunday - we couldn't be there but on a happy note our nephew, Sam, is having his at half term and we have just booked our flights! Woo Hoo!

Photos will follow - it won't let me tonight for some reason!

Christmas Break

2009-01-04T20:01:00.020Z

Just a photo diary of our Christmas Break. Sadly no McCulloch family picture - not sure how that happened, need to sort one out. They are muddled up in order as I have not uploaded them int he right order! We spent Christmas at Dave and Nic's - delicious and lovely, then went to Belfast from Sunday to 1st and had another delicious and lovely time. We had a busy, but lovely time. Back to normality tomorrow. Joel has medical appointments every day this week apart from Wednesday. Tomorrow he has 4 jabs, Tuesday weighing, Thursday cardiologist and Friday, dietitian. Busy, busy, busy.

On the train on the way to Panto

Emily's playdate with friends. Christmas baking. Messy but fun!

Cuddles with Uncle Del, before he took sick.

The boys: Joel with daddy and god-daddy

Playing ellyphant wellyphant.

Trying on the new dressing up shoes and tiara from the new dressing up box.

Lilah holding Joel's hand - what a cute cousin.
Granny and Granda with their 2 bigger girls!

Emily enjoying a tutorial with Papa and Daddy on the 'itouch'

The five cousins, Joel, Emily, Sam, Lilah and Ellie-May

Little Lucas, our nephew with grandmum.

The Patterson, Croker, Fawcett and McCulloch Clan (Delwyn was too ill and couldn't make it.)

Joel with Sam his cousin, who is 2 months older.

How much mischief will these two get up to?

She needs to learn to ride it and a new helmet.

All grown up and ready for turkey dinner (or mummy milk!)

So excited, just a little boy in a big boy's body!

Thank you all for the lovely pressies for them both. Santa brought the bike.
Thank you for a lovely Christmas and for all the gifts. Happy New Year to you all.

Stuff

2008-12-19T14:12:00.006Z

Joel pulled his tube out (again!!) so we managed to get some pictures this morning of him with Emily. She has a UTI and is refusing to go to the bathroom which isn't great but hopefully the antibiotics will help her out. We are well, Jamie is on his way home from school for the Christmas Holidays; so great to have the 2 weeks together. We are excited too that we can go to Belfast to visit all the family for a few days - we are going in between Christmas and new year, Emily is so so, so excited about going on an airplane. We were shocked at how much air travel has gone up. You even have to pay to use a credit or debit card now!

Tomorrow we are off to the pantomime - on the train - which again is mega exiting for a little girl who obsesses about public transport.

But for now I am off to put the kettle on for some tea whilst all is calm in our home.

Catching up

2008-12-17T08:52:00.009Z

We are having a busy day today(Whoop! Whoop!) We have finally got round to sorting Joel's carpet as his floor was ripped up when we got the house rewired. So it is coming this morning. We are also having the cavities in the walls filled (we don't have anything there, more issues with this house!) so it will be noisy for a while as they drill and fill but then, hopefully, our house will be warmer.

Last weekend we went to a birthday party. It was such a cool idea - it was a football party. We were asked to wear a football shirt/kit and come along to play football with the very enthusiastic Stockport County fan who was celebrating his 4th birthday. Emily had a great time and really like wearing her 'football t-shirt.

Emily has finished with Sarah, our childminder until after Christmas, and when she goes back she is going for Mondays only as Sarah is pregnant and needs some time off. This means we will have more time together. We are going to see the pantomime Cinderella with the families from Sarah's. We are travelling by train to Buxton - Emily is so excited as she has a fascination with public transport. We have 2 Christmas parties tomorrow, one with Toddler group and one with Church. Emily is slightly confused that Santa can be in so many places as she has met him at the garden centre 2 school fairs, the farm on family day and now twice in one day! It's the church nativity play on Sunday; Emily and Jamie are the host of angels visiting the shepherds. 'Do not be afraid' etc. It was interesting on Sunday at church. Josh, who was one of our speakers made the point that each time an angel appears in the bible, the first thing that is said is,"do not be afraid". Does that mean that they were ugly and scary by nature or just it was weird that an angle would visit you? Not sure but Emily and Jamie don't look scary - cute and funny maybe.

Emily's tree in her bedroom ( it has a few more baubles and decorations on it now - many have been scavenged from our tree downstairs!)

On Monday we have a play date with our friends and their kids. We are doing Christmas baking and a few games. It is a nice way to start the Christmas holidays. It should be fun with 10 - 12 children under 4 baking at once!
Jamie has 3 more days left at school, he is mega busy at the mo as the whole school has done exams and mocks and there is tonnes of marking to be done plus all the normal stuff, he is longing for a break but then again there is not much rest to be had at home!

Joel has not been sleeping very well for about a month. He was up feeding 4 - 9 times a night depending. Last night he was only up once and then at 5am, 6.45am and up and awake at 7.30! Wow hoo! Long may it last as both Jamie and I are starting to feel tortured! We had our weekly weigh in, he put on 2 ounces this past week - sadly this is not very good as the trend for such small weight gain is growing. We have 2 choices at the minute. Keep trying with his current milk and up the dosage but already he is semi intolerant to it and cries in constipation pain for 1 - 3 hours per evening, change his milk and make it from powder, fresh, every time he needs it but he needs more than 5 feeds a day as it is 20 calories per 100ml less than his current milk! Also with the new milk his weight may become more of an issue as there is less calories. So we have decided to keep a eating, sleeping, crying and pooping diary until we see our dietitian on Jan 9th. We are also waiting to hear from our cardiologist if we can fly to Belfast over the holidays to see my family. I have left countless messages on answer phones and with people but still no answers. In the meantime Joel has developed a cough, runny nose and sticky eyes. Sound familiar anyone?

Mum and Dad get home from Romania today. We are looking forward to seeing them, hopefully in Belfast, but if not they will try to visit us here. It is great to have parents as missionaries but even though they are at the end of email, phone or a moderately cheap flight away, they feel far away.

Well that's enough procrastinating - off to make tea for tonight and tidy the house.

2008-12-11T20:27:00.002Z

Joel was at the consultant today. I was not looking forward to this visit as he had only put on one once this past week. But.... she is so so so so so great. Yes his weight is important to her but not so important that it is the only thing we talk about. The dietitian was of sick today so many of the questions cannot be answered until we see her, but the consultant is pleased with his general progress. We now are waiting for our cardiologist appointment and the dietitian. So Joel is 11lb 8 oz, smiling, laughing, grabbing toys, sitting up a little, considering rolling and lovely. Emily is great too. We have just heard that she, Joel and I can go to a play session at an integrated Nursery on Friday afternoons. It will be great to be with other children who are 'special' and to have a new community of mums who juggle dr and hospital appointments. It starts on Jan 9th and I am excited about that.
Tomorrow night we are out at COLDPLAY.... yes I have just said COLDPLAY! I am excited about that too but am anxious about leaving Joel, but he is in good hands with great friends.

Well, Joel is crying so I am off to see what's up. I hope his tube is still in!!

Christmas Preparation

2008-12-09T16:12:00.016Z

Just a few pictures from our visit to Father Christmas at Tatton Park Farm and our tree and house decorating. Our house is much bigger so we may pick a few new things up after Christmas.

Thought we would have another pink one of these, it's so great to have a son!

Not sure why Snowman is in on the Nativity scene!
Emily has made lots of decorations top hang and stick around the house.

"Wow, it's beautiful Mummy."
Putting the star on top!

Joel gets in on the action!

"Can I have another one please?"

Such concentration

A little helping hand

Mary had a very stiff hand!

"I'd like a pink bike please!"

Chaos and life

2008-12-03T09:53:00.005Z

Emily has been busy choosing things to put in a shoebox to send to a child in another country. It was mega hard trying to explain to her that she couldn't keep the Jelly Men (Jelly Babies - we don't call them babies because Joel is a baby and we don't eat him. She hasn't made the connection that we don't eat men either!)

Joel has had his second lot of vaccinations this week and is now ......drum roll please......11lb 7oz! Wow, we are now over the 5 kilo mark and are getting closer to the target of 6 kilos. We might even get there before our cardiologist appointment in January. :) He is getting stronger every day and is almost holding his head up unaided. (It is leaning against the chair in this pic)We can see a real difference in him, but his tube just makes him look different.

I was in the Dr's waiting room and overheard two ladies chatting about him. I was astonished and speechless and too worn down to reply but they were debating why he had his tube.

"Do you think she smoked during her pregnancy so he was small?"

"She probably worked too hard during it, these modern women work so hard and don't think about the consequences. He probably came to early due to stress!"

I should have told them that I have only ever took one puff of a cigarette when I was 12 years old, that he wasn't small but 7lbs 12 oz at birth, that he wasn't early, but 14 days overdue and that I stopped work on the 24th July and he didn't arrive until 17th August and that I work part time whilst looking after my healthy non tubed daughter. AND furthermore, he has a congential heart condition that is not related to anything I have or have not done. Thank you very much for your concern for the well being of my beautiful son! Oh the things you hear and don't hear!

Life is chaos at the moment. Our boiler is broken; the gas man is coming this afternoon to fit the new part, the surveyor is coming to check if we have cavity wall insulation and loft insulation and the car is going to the Peugeot garage this afternoon to see if they can fix the power steering. It costs £75 just for them to out it on their computer! Scandalous! But our nice fruit and vegetables have arrived from Abel and Cole and we are going to have a curry tonight if the electricity and water is back on - then I can make it.

Meanwhile on the vaseline front - - - - - it is still in her hair. I washed it 3 times last night with a variety of shampoos; still slimey. At least it wasn't scissors.

Vaseline

2008-12-01T21:04:00.004Z

Emily found a brand new pot and smeared it all over her, her bed, her teddies, her bedding and the wall! It was one big greasy mess but very funny. The problem was it was 8pm and she needed it all washing out of her hair! Not very funny.

The throat infection has gone, just a runny nose. For Joel, hopefully he will be jabbed tomorrow and be back on track with his vaccinations.

The gas man is coming to fix the boiler tomorrow, the car is going to the Peugeot garage to see if they can fix the power steering and the cavity wall insulation man is coming to see if we have any! Not much happening over the next 2 days.

Emily and I are busy making Christmas cards, she had fun opening her drawer on the advent box, it is the first year she will be able to begin to understand Christmas traditions. Jamie is busy at work with Parents Evening and catching up after exam marking and 2 sick children to cope with. This weekend we have our McCulloch Family get together and J is at Old Trafford for his first game of the season. Life is good, it will be better when a few things get sorted - money allowing as well as time and energy.

Sleep

2008-11-27T18:14:00.003Z

We still have two sick children...
We both long for more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. It might come tonight!

Winter illnesses...

2008-11-26T12:10:00.003Z

...are rife in our home!
Joel has an eye infection and a chest infection and Emily has a throat infection.
Our car's power steering is broke - is that the equivalent of a throat infection?

So don't come to close - too many nasties to catch and Jamie and I are severely sleep deprived as both kids have been up throughout the nights since Saturday.

Look who's talking?!

2008-11-20T21:07:00.006Z

Whilst 'picnicking' with his mummy and sister!

I no longer need to go to the hospital to have Joel weighed weekly! I can go to the Health Centre weekly unless his weight falls. Joel is now just under the 2nd centile but has not fallen. That will save me so much time and energy and I might get to meet some other mums at baby clinic too. Jamie starts exam marking tomorrow so he has priority on the laptop. There may not be much time for blogging.

(Ignore the mess in the video, we have been playing dens as it has been so miserable outside!)

Tears and Tantrums

2008-11-18T20:52:00.003Z

When Emily is throwing her body around, screaming, nose running, arms flailing or feet stamping I remind myself of these moments. One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive!

Just some photos

2008-11-16T21:18:00.003Z

Not a lot to say, manic week with medical appointments. Joel is 10lb and 8oz - not heavy enough. Emily is great, smiley and fun. Today she told me that I am beautiful and cute just like her! What a great kid! (for trying to make her mummy feel nice!)

No Tube

2008-11-11T10:35:00.007Z

Don't get excited.... it is going back in as soon as the community nurse arrives. Joel pulled it out overnight. For now we get to see his cute round face! He is now 10lb 3 oz. we see the paediatrician and dietitian on Thursday. Yesterday he had blood taken and his RSV jab.

As promised the marshmallow tasting from Bonfire Night.

Eating apple crumble and drinking hot chocolate. (that's the life!)

Chubby Face

2008-11-08T13:54:00.006Z

We were back at the hospital this week as Joel was in a lot of pain because he couldn't go to the loo! Four hours later and with a little help and the problem was solved. He was weighed when we were there and had out on 11oz. We (as parents) we so pleased with this, but sadly it is not good enough as the dietitian is not sure how much of that is his actual weight and how much of it he lost after going to the loo! (Such a great topic to blog about :) ) so, we are back again on Monday for blood tests and a jabs and then on Thursday for dietitian and paediatrician appointment. All will become clear then , we hope.

In other news, Joel is making lots of great sounds and moving his legs and arms a lot. He is living up to the amount of kicking he did whilst inside me and hopefully will enjoy sport (Not like his Mummy - more of an arm chair sportsperson).

Emily has been tot he dentist and her tooth will be left for now and monitored, she had fun last night with her little friend Katie who came for a 'Sparkly Party'. We had hotdogs and apple crumble with low banging fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. Lots of 'oo's and aah's ' as well as the joy of toasting marshmallows on the firepit. (Photos will follow).

Half term trip to Belfast

2008-11-01T21:19:00.011Z

We have been to Northern Ireland and now we are back. Our house is nearly finished being rewired and we are well. Joel kept his tube in (well it came out 3/4 of way and Jamie bravely pushed it back into place and retaped it.) It was great to spend time with my sisters, brother and brothers in laws as well as our nieces and nephew. we had lots of fun - it is very noisy when you put five children under 2 and a half (and 3 of them under 20 weeks!)

Ellie May (5/7/06,) Lilah (17.6.08) Sam (12.6.08) Joel (17.8.08) Emily (4/7/06)

It was so much fun spending time with my siblings; Judith, Emma and Delwyn.

Joel got to meet his cousins for the first time. They are a little bigger than him.We went by slow boat from Birkinhead. It took 9 hours and it was so painful. Emily was knocked over as she was standing still watching a man win money on a fruit machine. She has chipped her front tooth and cut her lip as well as torn her gums. We are at the dentist on Thursday to find out about that. Thankfully we had calpol in our nappy bag - it would have made the crossing even longer! I think we will do the longer drive to Scotland and shorter boat instead of short drive mega long boat.

Daddy daycare! ( I had Joel)

Emily had so much fun with her cousin Ellie-May who is one day younger than her.

Our pumpkin won (the one on the left), Judith and Emma tried hard but just lacked the scary factor.

Joel looks like he is filling out a bit, we are back at the hospital this week for weighing and dietitian on Thursday, then his RSV antibody jab a week on Monday as well a

s blood tests, then paediatrician and dietitian as well as weighing a week on Thursday. Jamie is back to school on Monday for the 7 week run up to the Christmas break. Hopefully our house will be finished on Tuesday and then we can see if there is any money left in the budget for redecorating. (Joel needs a new floor!)

Well off to bed -

:)

2008-10-24T21:52:00.002+01:00

Car went through the MOT only needing 3 new bulbs!

We can go to Belfast for half term; Consultant is happy that we can get help there if Joel needs it, going back to hospital on 6th, 10th and 13th of November for jabs, blood tests, weigh ins and appointments with dietitian and consultant. So the boat is booked and off we will go!

Today on television there was a snippet with a large waterfall. Emily ran into the kitchen to get me only to bring me into the lounge to say, "the mountain is sad and it's crying, Mummy! Oh dear - can we make it happy?" Sooo sweet!

:(

2008-10-23T10:00:00.003+01:00

Only 3 oz this week. Joel is maintaining on the 2nd centile and just not making the progress he needs to. We are waiting for the dietitian to call so that a new 'plan' can be put into place. He is back to the consultant paediatrician on 2 weeks.

Our car is currently going through it's MOT (well lets hope it goes through) and our house is being rewired from next Monday.

Half term starts on Friday and all is well.

Weekends away and family times

2008-10-20T21:14:00.015+01:00

We have been away this weekend to Ashbourne in Derbyshire. We had a great time, the sun was shining despite wind and a chill. We visited Chatsworth House, Ilam Hall and the river with stepping stones at Dove Dale.It was lovely spending time with our little nephew Lucas, and for us learning about what it is like to travel with 2 children. (The car was so packed full; I think we take just as much for a weekend as we do for a week!)

In the Bjorn for the first time and very cosy!

Never too cold for ice-cream

Chilling out with the crossword

Nice red leaves, but I am not eating them!

Emily really liked the apple sculpture.

Cousins chilling out before bathtimeTwo boys who will be up to mischief in no time at all!

Joel is doing a little better, he put on 5 oz last week, he needs to put on much more to prove that he is growing and not just staying or maintaining. He had a jab of antibodies to protect him from Bronchilitis ( each jab costs £500 and he needs one every 28 days until March or April) and he has kept his tube in for over a week!

My parents came to visit before they go back to Romania tomorrow. We had lots of fun out and about.

Playing hospitals with Granny

Emily is being potty trained, she was doing well until this weekend. Today just one accident at our childminders so hopefully she is back to dry days. We need to crack that before we attempt nights.

Our house is being rewired next week, we have a great electrician who hopes to do it quickly and without making to much mess. Our floors need to come up in at least 2 rooms and we will need to redecorate at least 2 walls per room, it will be messy but it needs to be done!

We are waiting to find out on Wednesday if we can go to Northern Ireland at half term, we need to be out of the house as we will have no electricity. It will be nice to see my siblings and brother in laws as well as our 2 nieces and nephew. Hopefully the paediatrician will give us the ok!

I had a miracle today. The hospital where I have to take Joel is building a new carpark so it has closed one of the current ones leaving a mass shortage of spaces. Last week I tried for 35 mins to find one and was slightly late to our appointment. I was talking to our electrician who lives in the area who has a friend who has a double driveway 5 mins walk from the hospital. She phoned tonight to offer us the driveway at any time. Not only will it save me a lot of stress but money too. How cool is that? The lady has never met me but is willing to share her drive with me.

Also, when we arrived home yesterday our neighbour arrive with a pumpkin from her allotment for us to cook or carve. What a great neighbour. I am not sure if I have ever seen a dirty pumpkin before, only the shiny, clean ones from Tesco!

At last a family photo with all four of us standing up and with clothes on!

Another week

2008-10-12T14:34:00.006+01:00

A week has passed by so I thought I would fill you in. We went to visit our paediatrician ( who is wonderful). Frustratingly, Joel only put on 3 oz in 9 days and is not thriving enough, so this week coming we are off to see the dietitian and for weekly weigh-ins again. Joel will also be starting a monthly cycle of injections that should protect him from catching RSV or respiratory illnesses like broncilitis. He will get jabbed every 28 days until April. Tomorrow he is also getting blood tests taken to check that the medicines he is currently on are not causing any problems and then on Thursday we have normal 8 week jabs at the health centre and weighing and dietitian at the hospital.

This weekend we went to see the deer and kick leaves at Dunham Massey; the leaves are falling and turning colour. I love when they are dry and crispy. It was 'the big draw' so Emily had lots of fun drawing on the paths with chalk. (J had fun too!)

No pumpkins, leaves or trees in our Autumn pictures but, we are all in it!

On Friday we went to Blackpool to show Emily the lights. We had fun, it was a shame we couldn't make it on to the sand, the builders were redoing the flood defences. It rained quite heavily so we ended up in the tower at soft play. (again, J had fun!)

Smiles

2008-10-05T19:59:00.006+01:00

We have lots to smile about so we thought we would share them with you. We have started toilet training with Emily - pants are more fun on your head that your bottom!

Tube on the right as he pulled it out yesterday and we swap sides
every time to allow his skin to heal.

A new hat - french style

All smiles at bath time.

Not so much smiling from Joel, but he was getting squashed by big sister!

This week Jamie is still on Paternity leave - Yeah! we are the consultant paediatrician on Thursday, we wonder how that will work out!

Miracles

2008-10-02T19:45:00.004+01:00

They really do happen.
Growing up and being part of a community of faith you always hear of miracles happening. Big ones and small ones. I am sure there have been many in my life some I have bee aware of like passing my driving test and getting a job closer to home after my disastrous first teaching post etc, but others that I have been ignorant to. Well... today we had a big miracle and one that I am very aware of.
Joel had his cardiologist appointment. She was pleased with his progress and thinks that the hole may be closing. She told us that it is still loud and unrestricted but there is evidence of tissue growth around it. She has upped his medication as he has grown and feels that if he continues as he has been, there is a 60 - 80% chance that it will close over the next year. we are being monitored fortnightly by the paediatricians and consultants at the hospital and if he continues okay we will not been seen by her until December or January.
In the meantime his feeding tube has to stay as his heart progress is linked to him growing and reducing the amount of stress put on his heart by feeding, he needs medicine to help him digest the milk ( that is a real struggle for him and causes him to be in pain.) and he has his medicines to help protect his lungs.
Wow, a real miracle as Jamie and I had prepared ourselves for surgery and the difficulties that brings. Surgery has not been totally dismissed but it feels like it is further away than we thought.
So tonight we go to bed giving thanks to God and to all who have and are supporting us in a variety of ways.

A miracle

2008-09-30T20:47:00.004+01:00

Joel was back at the hospital today to be weighed and checked. He has put on 11 oz in 9 days. (equivalent to the weight of 11 pencils :) ) How great is that? He is looking so much better, his little face is rounder like it was when he was first born. He now has a new tube in place that will stay for at least 4 weeks. It is much better as it is secured with see through tape so we can see a lot more of his face. Hopefully it will stay in place and not need redoing as this one is a little thicker and Joel found it really uncomfortable as it was inserted.

What a great day. Joel is a little closer to the magic target weight of 6 kilos. He needs to be this before they will consider the operation for his VSD. We find out on Thursday if the VSD is improving or if surgery is the only option. For now we say, "thanks be to God."

We still have concerns.

1. He is still not breast feeding for long enough periods without getting tired or clammy.

2. He is struggling to digest the nutrient dense milk and needs laxatives ever day.

3. He is in discomfort and sometimes pain as he can't or struggles to 'go'.

Emily is doing well, we are about to formally embark on toilet training, she has been trying with some success but now we are 'seriously' trying!

Back to the cardiologist on Thursday at 2.30pm. You never know we may get another miracle!

We have so much more to smile about today.

The NHS

2008-09-27T20:57:00.007+01:00

Many people have a variety of opinions on the NHS. Here is mine.

It is great. End of!
Well to give more detail we have had nothing but the best care for both Emily and Joel. When Emily has been in hospital we have been treated so well, with so much care and attention and this has been mimicked with Joel too. We have the best team of consultants, paediatricians, dietitians, drs and nurses all looking after us. We have community nurses calling us every other day, health visitors visiting and making sure that we are coping with the feeding, and our nurse from the ward making sure that we are ok and managing with all our appointments etc.

Emily has a chest infection. She is now on 4 different types of medicine to control her temperature, clear up the infection and to help her cough.

Joel is on 3 different types of medicine plus his special 100 calories per 100ml milk.

Thank goodness for the NHS, for the care that we are receiving and for all the medicines that are helping making our children better. We appreciate all that everyone is doing.

So whatever your opinion is on the NHS, mine is positive as we have had had nothing but good care and treatment (and its free! ...Well out of our tax but I don't notice that!)

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Just some pictures for those who have been asking for more. Do you think his face is filling out?

'Mummy.. I wasn't ready for my picture to be taken!'

Another update

2008-09-21T20:07:00.009+01:00

His eyes say it all, the hand is comforting but not comforting enough.

Another weekend has passed and other chance to catch up on the 'Joel Chronicles'. He is a rascal! Last night he pulled his NG tube out so we ended up at the hospital today for a new one. Unfortunately the silk one hadn't arrived so he has another pvc one. New tube on the other cheek They did all the things they were going to do tomorrow. He is now 8 lb 3 oz but sadly he has only put on 2 oz in a whole week which is not good enough and he is moving further away from the acceptable line on the graph. So, we now have to double the amount of calorie rich milk he is getting through his tube. I also may need to breast feed him every 2 hours and express in between, ( I may not go out much!) His respiration rate is back up at the high end of the acceptable boundary which again is not great! The plan now is to see how he goes with this and review next Monday when he will get the silk tube. ( We don't want to go back again tomorrow for the the tube as he had to have a new one today and we don't want to hassle Joel two days on the trot!) We have to monitor his nappies as he is weeing a lot as part of his treatment for the heart condition ( medicine to reduce fluid,) but this causes his bowels to struggle.

We really do love him... he is such a great kid!

He has found his voice and his smiles (ish)

Not brilliant news all round. We were told today that it looks like the hole is not closing so surgery seems to be the only option. We don't have that from the cardiologist and he needs the echo scan to clarify, but on face value looking at the factors we have, it looks like surgery! Sad.On a happier note Joel is doing lots of cool things. Smiles, talking/noise making, moving his arms and generally being a great baby. He is loosing his hair and getting strange tufts here and there. What a cool cookie. On the whole it's all smiles here and Emily sends smiles to you all. (her teeth are all through!)

And one from Joel too!

Thank you

2008-09-17T20:24:00.002+01:00

Jamie and I have been inundated with offers of help from shopping, ironing, cleaning, childcare, gardening, company, cooking and food. we have also been overwhelmed with text messages, emails, phone calls, cards, notes and letters telling us that people are thinking and or praying for us. Yesterday when I came home I was so excited to find that this bunch of flowers had been delivered to me with the card reading 'thought these might brighten up your day'. They did! I came home from hospital late last night after having to take Joel to be seen by the paediatrician (again) as he had not been going to the loo so needed medication to help him go and take away the pain to these still sitting on the hearth of our fire so, yes it brightened up my night too. Joel now has to have more medicine daily as the milk is too strong and his bowels need help!

THANK YOU to all. You may not think that a text can make a lot of difference but it does. Also, I am so far behind in replying to them as feeding and helping Joel as well as looking after Emily can make my day pretty hectic. It also makes Jamie's evening slot between 5 and 8 hectic too! So if you don't get replies, wait they will come soon.

We appreciate you all, we do believe that Joel will get well and that this is a spell of time of waiting for answers. In the meantime we do know that God is with him and us and that he can and will help in whatever will come our way.

On another note...

Happy Birthday to my brother Delwyn. Twenty fgive years old; Wow! you make me realise my age! Also happy fourth birthday to Lily Knights. We hope you had a lovely party and that your big sister was extra kind to you on your special day.

Another hurdle cleared.

2008-09-14T21:10:00.008+01:00

Today we went back to the hospital to find out how Joel is doing with his weight gain. He needs to be at least 6 kilos before the cardiologist will consider surgery (if he needs it). He is currently 3 and a bit kilos so he has a long way to go. The good news is that he put on 2 oz ( about the weight of 2 pencils) in the last week, the not so good news is that this is not enough. We are now feeding his calorie rich supplement through a tube that goes straight into his stomach to see if that will increase his weight and take away the tiredness of breast feeding. His heart will not have to work as hard for the calories! It was awful listening to him crying as the nurse 'passed' the tube, but she was so gentle and kind as well as professional and reassuring that without this tube Joel will not thrive and become a healthy little boy. We are glad that today is nearly over, that we have learnt how to feed our son in this new way and that we have felt a calmness and a sense of peace about this situation. We know that people have been praying and thinking about us all over the world and we know that whatever the outcome God is with us and with Joel. (I found it interesting at the supermarket where lots of people were second glancing Joel, but this is real life now and it will be like this for at least 5 weeks.) Next week we go back on Monday for a silk tube to be inserted which will stay there for 4 weeks.

Emily being Dr Emily and taking Joel's pulse.Baby Annabel has a poorly heart too and needs her milk in a tube too.Baby Annabel is the same size as Joel, (hoepfully for not too long!)

On a side note, Jamie went to choose his bike this weekend. He pooled his birthday money to buy the bike, helmet and child seat. They had fun this afternoon out and about in our neighbourhood.

Jamie thinks that Joel has started to smile so here is a piccie of a half attempt. He is such a great kid, so placid and fun to be with and we know that soon the tube will be gone and we will be back to seeing all of his face. Until then we will do what we can to help him be healthy and strong.

Update

2008-09-10T20:56:00.003+01:00

Well...today we went back to Stepping Hill Hospital to find out how Joel is doing.

Joel has not lost any weight but, he has not put any on either. We have to go back on Sunday too have him weighed again. The Dr is not sure if the diuretics are causing him to loose too much fluid or if he is loosing calories with inefficient feeding because of his murmur. He will know more on Sunday.

Thank you for all the well wishes, messages and prayers. We are OK, trying to get ourselves on our feet with the start of term, Emily at Sarah's, housework and life in general. We appreciate all the help and support we are receiving- without it I think it would be carnage at our house!

It's been a long day.

What a week!

2008-09-08T21:05:00.004+01:00

(Excuse the dummy, but it has been a much needed comfort as he has been struggling to feed!)

Joel and I have just come home from 4 night stay in hospital. Joel's tummy button was oozing and sticky so we went to the dr's. The GP listened to Joel and diagnosed a heart murmur or hole in the heart. She sent us to the hospital straight away where Joel had to undergo a lot of tests. So this is it in a nutshell.

He has had an echo, an ecg, antibiotics to treat the infection, diaretics to reduce fluid in his lungs.

He had a nasty septsus? infection.

He is struggling to feed and not gaining weight.

He has a hole in his heart half a cm long (a moderate size) inbetween the two lower chambers of his heart.

The hole is allowing liquid to flow back and forth and flood the lungs.

The hole may close over time or require surgery once he gets to 6 kilos.

Joel is using too much energy and calories to feed as his heart is not working well and he is struggling to feed, so he is not gaining weight. If Joel does not feed well and get bigger he will need a nasal feeding tube in order to prevent the expending of energy on breast feeding. For now he is have a high calorie bottle as well as breast milk to see if that will increase his weight quickly. We will find out on Wed if he is gaining weight.

We are worried and anxious but we know that this will be resolved and that Joel can and will be well, it just might take a little while to get there. We have been aware of lots of well wishing and prayers and we want you to know that we have sensed God with us.

Little miracles this past week...

1. My parents were here to look after Emily and help her stay in her routine and free Jamie up to be at the hospital.

2. The paediatric cardiologist who does a clinic once a month at our hospital had an appointment available on the Thursday and gave Joel his echo without having to transfer him to a hospital much further away.

3. The dietician is a Christian and really uplifted our spirits when we felt low.

4. Joel and I had our own room and we were treated really well. (One of our nurses was the mother of one of his students!)

5. The GP finding the heart murmur that we were not aware of.

6. Emily has coped well and has been very patient with us as tired parents as well as sympathetic and loving towards Joel. (As much as a 2 year old can be)
Well that has been our week. Joel is a little frail and has low immunity but when awake he has big bright eyes and great little facial expressions. He is a great kid. We are waiting for Wednesday to arrive and hoefully he will be getting bigger and making progress to get better.
It is Jamie's birthday today and we managed a cake but no gifts, he tells me he would like to celebrate his birthday on Saturday with a Manchester United win!

First Family of Four Picture

2008-08-29T21:40:00.002+01:00

Introducing the new McCulloch Fmaily complete with all four human members.

Willow the cat and Milo the goldfish may follow later!