Day +174 ( Thurs 30th July)
Hi again everyone!!!!!!! I bet you thought we had given up didn’t you? WRONG!!!!!!!!We are back……….. I can’t believe that it’s 10 days since I last filled you in, if you’ll excuse the expression. Such a lot has happened in that short time and it would be daft to try to catch up on every detail, so I’ll just give you all the main points shall I?
Rachael has, and still is, recovering very well from her operation. She has been on light duties for a few weeks….so we have been doing a lot of changing over here in order to help her out at home.
Sally has survived ( very well I might add ), a broken engagement, with the help and support of all her family and friends.
I’ve had a horrid cold and have had to stay at home for a few days. No runny noses allowed in here!!!!!!!!

Now, on to the important one …..Ella!
There have been talks and meetings, and meetings and talks, about how best to meet Ella’s needs and we seem to have a winning formula at last.
I told you a few weeks back that her day was going to be more structured and that her self motivation was to be worked on? Well that has begun in earnest now and Ella is responding to it very well. This has been coupled with an overhaul of the pain relief situation …which has always been an issue…..and as she is becoming more confident that she can have the doses when she wants them, they are becoming less frequent. Her little mind is being more and more distracted by positives and she is beginning to enjoy her days again. She has been down to the physio department this week, to play on the sports Wii and yesterday she beat Mummy in bowling and today she beat me! Muriel came in this afternoon to help Ella to draw up a timetable….which is now on the wall, surrounded by cut out butterflies, so that Ella knows what is happening and when, but more importantly what is expected and when. I know that she had a lovely day yesterday, with lots of positives, and today has been the same.
It all has to be FUN though, doesn’t it? Not easy after 7 months in hospital, but we are getting there. She is having masses of encouragement, to reassure her that she is getting better, and it’s beginning to work. We actually did some colouring tonight for the Radio Lollipop competition. The first time in months!!!!!!! It was lovely to see her actually engaged in some thing relaxing.
Dr Wynn has been really delighted at her success. He is away next week, but has promised to send her a postcard from Scotland.
Of course there have been difficult times as well, and this week has seen Ella back in theatre to have her line replaced….yet again. This time the line is a temporary one in her groin, which is making life more complicated in some ways, as you can imagine. But the brave little angel has bounced back and is taking it all in her stride.
I’m going to finish now….it’s very late and Ella is asleep, so I’m going to catch a few winks while I can. She has had a ‘stay up’ tonight to watch a film, which I thought would send her to sleep, but actually had the opposite affect. Then she had cravings for some tinned peaches and pears. (Which she got) and then finally I read her The Gruffaloes’ Child. She was asleep after the 1st page. So much for my story telling!!!!!!!!
Anyway, night night to everyone and as usual we send our love and our continued thanks for all your prayers and support.
Ella and Annette.xx
PS Hope all those of you who are going on holiday soon have a super time…lucky ducks!
PS Hope all those of you who have been on holiday have had a super time…lucky ducks!