A lovely day for a walk ......

Today we decided was just the day for a nice walk with the boys. It was my first time out with the boys for a while and it was lovely to be out and about again, although I'm exhausted now!!

There are so many fantastic walks around Christchurch but we choose to go on a short track just a short drive from us called the Gorge Track Circuit. It was lovely ... within minutes from our car we were within bush walking up the gorge ... you wouldn't have guessed that we were only minutes away from the city. The track rose steeply through some woods then out onto the hills at the top. To top it off the boys found a cave to explore ... perfect!!



Lets start at the very beginning .....


............a very good place to start!



Gypsy Glen Caves

A deserved break with 2 of the many eggs that Cameron won (see previous post!!!)

The walk proved too much for Finlay who took the opportunity to have a nap!

I would also like to say a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my nephew Callum who is 7 today!!!!!!

A lucky guess .........

Whilst Alan and the boys were at Ferrymead over the Easter holidays Cameron entered a competition to guess how many Easter Eggs were in the pram: his guess was 330. Last week we got a phone call to say that he had got the nearest guess so last weekend we went back to Ferrymead to pick up the prize ............... all the eggs!!!!

Shortly after we dropped one of the boxes to the South Island branch of Ronald McDonald House as Cameron very kindly wanted to donate some of his eggs to the children who are currently being treated at Christchurch Hospital and are far from home. Well done Cameron ... we are very proud of you :o)

A delivery for winter .......

Our new house has a log burner so in preparation for the winter months ahead we ordered our first load of firewood. Our order was delivered and ceremoniously dumped in our drive leaving the boys with the fantastic job of moving it all to our wood shelter!!

The recent days have been lovely but definately a little more chilly ... so we have had the chance to give the log burner a try ................



Mmmm, nice and toasty ............:o)

The boys ........

Some recent piccies of the boys :o) Ewan and Finlay .......

.....the cheeky monkey's!!!!

Just to prove that they can get on!!!

Cameron chilling on the couch.

Ewan and his big blue eyes...........

Easter Weekend

All the boys were off from Friday for the long weekend. The weather has just been fantastic although with the clocks going back last weekend the change into Autumn is already noticeable in the cold mornings and darker evenings!! However the sun has still been shining during the day and the boys have been out and about - at Ferrymead yesterday for the day and then out to Victoria Park today but I'll let let Alan fill you in on their activities whilst there. This morning we woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had visited and the boys had a tremendous time running round the garden looking for chocolate treats that had been left behind.

We then spent a chilled morning around home inside .............

.............and out!!

before the boys headed out for a few hours whilst I put my feet up for a while before making a traditional Easter treat. Chocolate cake topped with chocolate with a few more chocolate treats on the top!!! Happy Easter everyone!

8th April 2009 - Happy Birthday Finlay ...

It’s hard to think of that tiny parcel of skin and bone from intensive care a year ago when we see our son sitting on the floor playing with his toys with a huge grin on his face. The difference really is quite remarkable :o)


We’ve had a hell of a year. We’ve learnt an incredible amount: we’ve learnt more than we ever wanted to about hearts and pancreases and a little bit about gall bladders; we’ve pretty much learnt a new language in medical jargon; we’ve learnt that diabetes is near impossible to control and are learning to just run with it; we’ve learnt how lucky we are to live in a country with such a fantastic health service; we’ve learnt how much stress we’re able to put up with and still keep going; and most of all we’ve learnt just how many fantastic people there are willing to lend a hand when needed.

As for Finlay he is doing really well. He’s had his setbacks but always seems to come through strongly and despite all he has endured in his short life is one of the most chilled, smiley kids we’ve seen. Although he’s got some hurdles to overcome in the coming months and years the outlook seems good: a world away from where we were this time a year ago.

This last year would have been so much harder for Finlay and us without the knowledge, experience, support, warmth and help of so many people from medical staff to charities to friends and family. It’s impossible to express how grateful we are to everyone who has touched our lives during this time but we’d like to say a big thank you from us all.

Latest update

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you ... best start with an update. As said before we've moved into our new house ... it is so nice to be in our own place again. Pictures to follow soon I promise once we've got rid of a few more boxes!!!! I've been at home for the last couple of weeks after my op (all went well!) and have become increasingly frustrated at not being able to do much of anything at all .......not easy doing very little when there is so much I can be doing. However, I know it's for the best in the long run if I do as I'm told so I've been catching up on dvd's, reading and playing the piano which in itself has been rather nice I guess. Have resigned myself to relax and enjoy it since I won't be getting a chance like it again for some time!!!!

In the meantime the boys are all doing really well. Cameron has started a new school since the move and now goes to Somerfield School. He loves it and hasn't looked back which is just fantastic. He really is doing very well and has settled in and started making new friends. Ewan is much the same ... still a cheeky little monkey but I don't expect that to change for a while .. if ever! Finlay also continues to do really well. He has reached 8kg which apparently is quite a milestone for children who are born smaller. His sugars are still all over the place but we don't see that changing for a while so continue to chase them as best we can. Have had a couple of sleepless nights with him falling very low and us being afraid to sleep in case he went into a diabetic coma .... but he is fine ..... Alan and I on the otherhand are exhausted so fingers crossed for a better night tonight please.

The next steps for him are an echo, early May, followed by an appointment with his cardiologist who will be down from Starship Hospital. This will give us an indicator of how his heart is coping and whether the diaretics that he is on are doing their job and holding further heart failure at bay. A decision has also been made about his feeding. Because he will need assisted feeding long-term (likely to be 2 years at least) we have decided for him to have a gastrostomy. This is an opening in the skin for a tube to go through the stomach wall into the stomach. The only downside that we can see at the moment is that he will have to have a general anaesthetic which gives him extra complications because of the diabetes. But it is a standard procedure which will be easier in the long-run. We will keep you posted.