Getting ready

Thought I would put some photos up to show how busy we have been over the holidays getting ready for the arrival of baby number three!

Grace has moved ( her birthday present ) into her new room which is very PINK !!!!! and she loves it. We painted all the furniture which included a bed side table, tall boy and desk and her walls. Her pink wall has an overcoat of fairy glitter. She thinks it is so special and we have troubles getting her out of her room at the moment. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon.

The babies room is very neutral as we don't know whether it is a boy or a girl yet. Only 5 weeks and 4 days until it is due ( not that I'm counting !!!!!) We are all so excited about it's arrival, we can't wait to meet it.

My very clever Mum has made the Cot quilt using patch work. I really love it and I really love that she's made it. My Mum is very clever and has hand stitched little pictures of lady birds, rainbows, bucket and shovel etc on it. It will be perfect for either a boy or a girl.

The girls are back at school tomorrow and I am going to be a bit lost without them and without having to rush off to work, but I am really looking forward to it!!! I will let you know how I manage to fill in my days soon........

ABR Perth

Well, we have just returned home from sharing a meal with Sarah and Jensen after another busy but successful week of ABR.

I always come away from these clinics feeling revived and ready to tackle the next 4 months with enthusiasm. It is so easy at the end of the four months, just before we see the trainers again to have self doubt about why we are doing this and how much longer we can keep going for. Sometimes I just want all of the big, milestone changes NOW and I don't want to wait. I need Sarah to sit down with me and show us all of the fantastic changes that are happening to Caitlin's structure and to remember where we were before we began our ABR journey.

It is so rewarding to sit back and look at the photos that prove there is change happening and know that it is because of the hard work that we as a family are putting in that is making these changes possible and then I think about how these changes are making the functional changes happen for us and I feel so proud, not of myself, but of my whole family. ABR is a whole family commitment and we all just get on and do what we have to do without too much complaint because we love Caitlin and want only the best for her.

It is only on reflection that I think about the sacrifices we are making. Legs does most of the ABR at the moment as my big fat belly that is full of arms and legs makes it hard for me to maintain the positions comfortably, but while he is doing that, I am responsible for making sure that the rest of the household is able to run smoothly and all the "other" jobs are done. Grace makes a massive sacrifice as there is just an expectation of her to do what she has to do without us reminding her or supervising her. There is also a lot expected of her to just get on and help out with the house work, to be responsible for her own things and help out with Caitlin where it is needed. A big ask for an 8 year old and yet she does it all without making a fuss and most of the time so lovingly and then there is Caitlin who just gives 100% to everything we ask of her and happily allows us to put in the hours of ABR on her while she lies quietly.

How lucky we are as a family that we have not only found ABR and have a lot of hope for Caitlin's future, but that we are such a strong family unit that we can work through it all and make it work for us. I love my family so much and I am so thankful to each and every one of them, and how exciting to think that in about 6 weeks time, we will be a family of 5 and not 4!!!

Eggs hausting Easter

We are a big fan of Easter in our house hold and we are all particularly fond of the Easter Bunny and his special visits.
This year was no exception!
We had my cousin and his family come and stay and they brought with them their 2 year old boy, who had never experienced the Easter Egg hunt before. Needless to say, he was very excited every time he followed Grace and found yet another egg. Caitlin was whizzed around behind the two of them with her bag collecting her eggs with a big smile on her face. She ate Chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner and enjoyed her day.

Grace on the other hand, started off with all guns a-blazing and then fell in a big hole. She has been running a high fever ever since, complaining of a belly ache and a beautiful hacking cough on her. Poor little bugger has not had a good start to her holiday, she has managed to do nothing more than lay on the couch and watch TV, something she rarely does when the sun is shining outside.

So far, Legs, Caitlin and I have managed to avoid it. We are crossing our fingers that it stays that way. We definitely don't want Caitlin getting it as we all know how fast she can go down hill and how it can easily turn into something more sinister in the blink of the eye.

We have our ABR clinic starting up this week so we need her to be in good form so she can show off all of her changes. I have to say, doing our videoing for Leonid always gives me an indication of how I think we are travelling and while last time I was very frustrated and disappointed, this time I was pleasantly surprised, particularly by the quad positing. I was able to get her into the quad position a lot easier than in the past and she was able to maintain it herself a heap better, encouraging signs for us all. I will let you know how we go at the clinic and what changes we are able to find this time...........