Police, Tsunami and an All Black

We've had a busy few days since Joe's last hospital visit. Christchurch Police and other emergency services held an open day in the city. The boys enjoyed climbing in all the vehicles

meeting the search and rescue dogs, setting off sirens and dressing up in uniform. We met up with Louise and Josh, then joined Gillian and Eddie for a cold drink. We hopped on the open air tram to get around the city centre

and stopped off at Victoria Square to see the topiary animals.

Then the next day we were rudely awoken by Nana informing us of a tsunami alert. We live in the evacuation zone so were supposed to be ready to leave if necessary and to listen to the media. We had a barbeque planned with friends so cancelled that 'just in case'. We decided to go out for the day rather than staying tied to the radio so headed with Nana to the Jacob's place. Matt rang the insurance company at 9am as our house insurance lapsed last week!!!! The first wave was initially expected at 9.05am, so nothing like cutting it fine! Anyway nothing huge affected our area although there has been plenty of unusual water movements over the last 24 hours. Ella has missed her walks on the beach, but did have a fantastic day rolling around and chasing Ash and Indy's dog Lucy.

Today was sign on night at Parklands Rugby Club. Joe is hoping to play ripper rugby for the under 7s this season. He may miss a couple of the first games because of that elbow! 2 Crusaders came to support so the boys went with shirts and autograph books in hand. They were thrilled when they saw that the players were Isaac Ross (All Black) and Adam Whitelock.

Giggle Guts

2 weeks ago Joe had his bright green (now very dirty) cast removed. The nurse explained what was going to happen and as she started cutting Joe erupted into giggles that didn't stop until it was over - apparently it tickles! The staff were amazed as usually kids cry?

He had a horrible oozy wound where one of the wires was poking through the skin - yuck. After an X-Ray we saw the doctor who said they wouldn't remove the wires yet and he would go back into a cast for another fortnight. This time he chose a purple cast and there was plenty of padding inside to protect against the exposed wire.

Today we returned for another appointment. Again the giggles!

The doctor pulled out the exposed wire with Joe wide awake and no pain killers - Joe wasn't too happy and did shout "ouch", but no tears! The other wire was still under the skin so it was either going to be an operation, the anaesthetic cream (which takes some time to take effect) or a local injection. I opted for the local as we know Joe is a brave boy. He winced at the injection but then a nurse coaxed him into trying the gas and air - he loved it and laughed out loud! Afterwards he told me it made him feel 'weird' and hie eyes went blurry, but he liked it!

He now has a dressing on for a couple of days, to be changed until the wound heals. Now he is banned from 'risky activities' on doctor's orders. No trampoline, bike, skateboard, contact sports, swimming etc for another 6 weeks. Then we return for X-rays and a check on his range of movement. He will be monitored for a couple of years as this type of injury can sometimes effect growth of the arm/joint. Keeping him away from a rugby ball is going to be an uphill battle!, especially with club registrations starting next week!

Introducing............

Before we get on to the introduction piece we had better fill you in on the Joe saga. After his initial operation he had a temporary cast (because of the swelling) and an appointment for an X-ray and permanent cast set for two weeks later. 13 1/2 days later Joe had his friend Leo staying with us for his first ever sleepover away from family. Off to bed they trotted at 8.15pm. 2 minutes later and there is a thump and tears - no he hadn't fallen off the top bunk - Joe had actually managed to pull the cast over his elbow and almost off his arm. There was no way it was sliding back on so a trip to A&E followed, leaving a very confused Leo behind with Matt and Ben. Christchurch Hospital were amazing again - the triage nurse called the boneshop and we headed straight in there with no paperwork! Within minutes he was having a new cast fitted and we were sent home with instructions to return for our original appointment the next morning. Amazing! - we made the round trip from home in an hour! Leo was fast asleep and they even blessed us with a reasonable start time in the morning!

Joe has now been fitted with a more permanent cast because he is such an active boy, however the wires are poking through the skin, so he has been brought forward for surgery to remove them (Feb 11th). He (and Ben) are thoroughly enjoying the Wii that Matt purchased - it is easy for Joe to operate with his cast. He has of course returned to the trampoline, has been skateboarding and even sat on his bike - give him a couple of days and he'll be out on that doing wheelies!

Both boys stayed at their cousin's house last week. Well according to Ben they were not having a sleepover with Ash and Indy, but a sleepover with the new kittens! 2 adorable little things called Noodles and Lola. Ben was smitten!!!!!! They had been home for a few days so things had settled down with their dog Lucy before we arrived!

We visited our land out in Ohoka last week as we hadn't been over for several months - slightly overgrown!!! but we mowed part of the verge and have hired someone to mow the lot! BIG JOB! Next year we will have to make sure it is more adequately managed!

Last night Matt and Joe went to watch the Wellington Phoenix play Adelaide United at the AMI stadium. A first 'soccer' match for both of them since our arrival. Matt informs me that it was a great atmosphere and luckily The Phoenix won 1-0.

Now the introduction......Yesterday was a big day in our house as we took collection of our first NZ family pet. Her name is Ella and she is 3/4 Labrador and 1/4 Huntaway. She is 5 months old so is well trained (and toilet trained!), loves children and is just adorable! We have been visiting her over the last week and her previous owners came to inspect our home before handing her over (they are in the process of emigrating to Perth). We are all thrilled to bits to have her and our first 24 hours with her have been fun. She was quite excitable last night but has calmed down immensely. I think we have worn her out today with a walk in the forest and beach this morning, then a trip to the kite festival this afternoon.

Her first ever experience of the sand and the ocean was a success - she has discovered the joys of digging holes and raced around in the surf having a lovely time. The boys have been very excited and keen to help (except with the poop scooping) - Joe didn't even switch on the Wii this morning as the dog was an exciting distraction

Our Brave Boy - The Sequel

Joe had been enjoying taking part in a YMCA holiday program this week. The first 2 days were great and he went off happily for day 3. Just after lunch I had a phone call from the supervisor asking me to collect Joe as he had crash landed at the bottom of an inflatable slide. I wasn't particularly worried as he is always bumping, cutting and smashing himself and doesn't fuss about it. However when Ben and I arrived Joe was on the verge of tears (not like him) and his arm had swollen horribly. Off to A&E we dashed - he was seen quite promptly, but there is always a bit of waiting around! Eventually X-Rays came back and showed he had broken his elbow. They put on a cast, surgery was scheduled for the next day and we were moved to the children's ward.

He was second on the list in the morning so didn't have to starve for too long! He now has 2 wires holding the bones and cartilage back in place. A sleepy Joe

made it back to recovery and had an ice-block. But once back on the ward he was repeatedly sick until they gave him some meds. Unfortunately this meant that he hadn't eaten or drunk all day and necessitated another overnight stay.
Friday morning was spent hanging around waiting for paperwork. The boys discovered the playroom and the Wii so had a busy time. Ben played doctor and bandaged my arm just like Joe's!

Home at last this afternoon, Joe is doing well, but is a bit miserable. He'll perk up over the next few days and is looking forward to seeing some friends. He has to go back in 2 weeks, hopefully for a proper cast once the swelling recedes, then 6-8 weeks after that he will have another operation to remove the wires. No beach or swimming until he is all fixed! He is hoping he will be finished with the process for the start of Rugby, but it will be nip and tuck! He has been really brave - just a few tears when he saw me, Matt and Nana and when the doctor said he would need to cut his arm. Otherwise he hasn't complained at all! We'll keep you posted!

Happy Holidays

It's been a while since the last post - sorry but December was a really busy month. We never seemed to stop! There was an endless round of activities and events for the boys including Joe's carols at the Cathedral, playgroup, preschool

and playcentre parties, community events and the New Brighton Christmas Parade. The boys are in this picture with Josh and Quin.

We had a lovely barbecue at Kelly's house so that all the children could do their secret Santa. The usual suspects attended, Joe & Ben, Josh, Quin & Toby, Annissa and Lara & Sean!

Joe had a fantastic report from school, his teacher called him a 'word and number whizz'. He spent a morning in his new classroom, he'll be in room 5 with Miss Brady. He is very pleased as she is his 'favourite' teacher (nothing to do with the fact that she is 21 and some of the parents call her 'Barbie' - Matt is looking forward to parent's evening and has even suggested that he might take Joe to school on the first day next year!).

Joe finished school a week before the big day and the countdown got really serious at that point. He even wanted to go to bed early (unheard of) on Christmas Eve so that Christmas Day would come quickly. The boys managed to stay in bed until 6.50am, so not too bad. They opened stockings and then had breakfast and got dressed. Neither of these things has EVER happened so quickly in this house! They were thrilled with the gifts that Santa brought for them and were so excited!

We had lunch in the garden at Nana's house.

Turkey, roast potatoes and salad! Followed by traditional Kiwi Pavlova for pudding!

It was beautiful and warm so we headed to the beach for our now traditional Christmas Day boogie boarding in the afternoon. Ben has become a boarding star! He squeals with delight and hasn't been fazed when a wave dumps him. Joe managed to snap his board in 2 when he was dumped, so we had to hit the sales on Boxing Day to get a replacement. We have managed to get to the beach most days since Christmas so it has been a lovely break. Lots of sand everywhere in the house now!

For New Years Eve we had been invited to a 'Cool Britannia' themed barbecue at Louise, Brent and Josh's. We headed to the fancy dress hire shop with a few ideas, but both boys ended up as something completely different. Joe had planned to be Doctor Who (DT) but ended up as Peter Pan, luckily Ben decided that the furry, hot (Peter) rabbit costume was not for him and opted for a homemade pirate costume (with a few purchased accessories) to turn him into Captain Hook - A matching pair! Matt stuck with his Bond idea and I was a Beatle (Sergeant Pepper).

The evening started well, then Matt started to feel ill and headed off home. I put Ben to bed in Josh's room for his sleepover while Joe played football in the garden. I took Joe home at about 9.30pm to find Matt ill in bed. He finished being ill at about 1am - what a great way to see in the new year! Then I started until about 5.30 - oh dear. I was really worried that Ben was going to be ill at his sleepover too! Joe was fine all night, he got up at 6.30 and was sick on the sofa soon after - luckily that was all he had and he bounced back as kids do! Louise and Brent were wonderful and had Ben all New Years Day and an extra night too - There is no way we would have been in a fit state - so thanks to them! Thankfully Ben seems to have missed the whole thing. We count ourselves lucky as this is the first time we have ever had a family illness. Lets hope 2010 only gets better!

Matt is back to work on the 5th, Ben returns to preschool on the 13th and Joe starts back at school on Feb 2nd. We shall be keeping busy over the summer and will keep you posted.

Matt's birthday on the 12th - he's ordered himself a new electric guitar!

Happy New Year to all our friends near and far!

Our Brave Boy!

Ben went into hospital this week to have grommets fitted, an adenoidectomy and to have a vessel in his nose cauterised (after night-time nose bleeds). At the last minute the surgery was moved to an afternoon slot which meant an overnight stay. A starving boy was taken to the hospital on Thursday morning and admitted to his private room, with en suite and bed for Mum too! (Lets hope the insurance company are true to their word and cough up the $4500 for this little lot!!!!!)
He began to get a little nervous and refused to talk to the nurses and a little bribery was necessary to get him to take the pre-med. He happily put on the teddy bear gown (he did smile in the other photo, honest, but it was out of focus!)and loved being tucked up in the big bed. He was pretty in awe of the rolling bed and going down in a lift and thought that Mummy looked silly in a yellow paper gown and blue paper shoes. I held him in my arms while the anaesthetic was given by a very nice man and then put him on the bed with a kiss.
An hour or so later I was called down to recovery where Ben briefly opened his eyes, gave me a hug and promptly went back to sleep! An hour later they moved him (still sleeping) back to his room where he stayed for another couple of hours until we woke him up for an ice lolly. He loved that! but then was sick. They gave him an anti emetic and he perked up a bit although he only ate the ice-cream with his dinner! By 8pm he was starving again (and not tired) and polished off a packet of crisps, some chocolate and a cheese sandwich. Then he took off down the corridors with the camera snapping all the nurses, flower arrangements, ceilings and carpets! I managed to settle him by 9.30 and he slept beautifully. Unfortunately for me I woke up every time the nurse came in to do obs while Ben slept through the thermometers in his ears, and the pulse rate monitor on his fingers!
He woke when breakfast was delivered on Friday and demolished his Weetbix! We brought him home and he was excited to see Joe again. Everything was back to normal pretty quickly and it didn't take long for the fighting to resume. Luckily he only needed a couple of doses of paracetamol and hasn't complained at all! What a brave boy! He is very proud of the smiley face plaster a nurse put on his hand after the tubes were removed and now refuses to take it off!

Trip to Oz

We headed to Oz with the clan a couple of weeks ago for 8 days near Byron Bay in New South Wales (about 2 hours south of Brisbane). The house we stayed in was a couple of streets from the beach but was equipped with a great heated pool in the garden. Ben and Joe spent many hours each day in the pool with Ash, Indy and Olive. Joe and Indy had a long ongoing game where they were dolphins and seals while Ben adored jumping in yelling 'Tsunami' and trying to create waves to knock Ash off the inflatables.
The beaches (complete with squeaky sand) were beautiful if a little rough for swimming, but they all enjoyed splashing in the surf and collecting shells.
We had a couple of outings. One to the lighthouse at Australia's easternmost point and another to see the animals at "Macadamia Castle'. Highlights were the kangaroos and emus, the cockatoos that shouted 'Hello', petting baby bunnies, feeding goats, a sleeping wombat's bottom, and arguing whether the crocodiles in the lake were real or plastic! (Ben is still convinced they were real, despite Joe's insistence).
We returned back to a chilly Christchurch at nearly midnight so the kids got the Friday off school too! Back this week and then a short one next week for Show Week.
Ben is having grommets fitted on Thursday so we are hoping that goes well. Hopefully it will sort out the glue ear and enable him to hear a little better. Unfortunately it means that he misses out on swimming for a few weeks. He has just started swimming lessons and thoroughly enjoys them. He spends a lot of time bouncing up and down. The teacher is amazed at him sinking and putting his head under the water. Ben is also especially pleased with his new goggles (pink) and a new swim hat for post grommets (a pink cat - photos to follow!). He has now progressed from pink as a favourite colour. When asked he says all the colours are his favourites but when faced with a choice in the shop....... it's pink every time!
Joe is immersed in more touch rugby - he is not so impressed as they have lost some games and he says that it is not as organised as his last team ! - perceptive! He also started athletics club this term and has been enjoying sampling different sports. He has shown an aptitude for sprinting, longer distances, long jump and shot put! Next year he will be able to compete fully and can make more choices - this year is just a little bit of everything. Good luck to the coach who takes twenty 6 year old boys for Javelin!!!!