cleaning (or long overdue if you consider that we haven't done any for the past six years). It got to the stage where there simply wasn't any little spots of sanctuary in the house, just piles of stuff that needed to be sorted and stored, charity shopped or thrown away.
Last month saw us reaching another milestone in our family. The 7th wonder was given the all clear by her Consultant Paediatrician. Not that any of us nearest and dearest had any reservations about how well she was doing. 7th Wonder had an episode of illness which necessitated hospital admission at day 6 after her birth and despite the fact that it was a 'we'll have to just wait and see' situation, an overly zealous Paediatrician saw it fit to diagnose her with a condition which at its worst, had a life affecting prognosis (words like brain damage, deafness, long term hospitalisation were bandied about). He even went as far as referring us to the Social Services.
Honestly, harsh as this may sound, I don't give two hoots if she is deaf, or will have learning difficulties or will have trouble interpreting the sounds that she hears. She smiles back. She is crawling. She throws her toys aside when you walk into the room with a plate of food. She turns to her name. She goes 'oooff' when she sees her sister's soft toy named Woofy. We love her regardless. The truth of the matter is, I believe that things happen for a reason. Yes, 7th Wonder was dreadfully ill. She almost had a full blood exchange. She could have been worse off than she is now, due to her illness. However, the reality is, 7th Wonder saved my life. Had she not become ill and required hospitalisation, they would have not picked up on the fact that I had contracted a rare but potentially life threatening infection which has since been categorised as a notifiable infection. The onset came on rapidly and in a different circumstance, I would have stayed at home, wrote it off as mastitis, gone to sleep to wear it off and possibly not wake up from it. It is realities like that that really puts into perspective that whatever special requirements 7th Wonder might need later on in life, we are still truly blessed.
Last month, also marked the 2nd anniversary of my leaving midwifery practice. Every single passing month, I expect to regret that decision and yet every single passing month, I find myself breathing a huge sigh of relief. Midwifery has been a huge part of my life, and has shaped who i am as a person, a woman and also a mother. It has changed my parenting style. It has led us, as a family to home education.
What it hasn't done is grant me the patience to brush the Small Shouty One's hair.
Every time, there are tears. From both of us. You can always tell when things get a bit tense during the hair brushing. The pets are cowling in a corner, the rest of the brood will suddenly discover chores unfinished and Slaveboy will retreat to the kitchen to crape burnt bits off from the bottom of pans. The Small Shouty One will be 5 this month and she will be having her first sleepover. I've offered to take her and her friend to a posh French cake boutique. She wants to go to Macari's for Mr. Whippy. Sigh. So many other landmarks too. My 2nd son winning 3rd place for Classical Guitar at the Chichester Music Festival. My 4th daughter doing her 1st ballet exam. My 3rd daughter passing yet another diving assessment. My firstborn below getting well and truly stuck in with her theatre work. That's her dunking a shirt in a coal bucket filled with soot. The things the Chichester Technical Youth Theatre get up to.
And finally, I leave with this. I promise to blog about cakes & flour confections soon. Once I find the floor in my bedroom. I will share with you Whipped & Baked's recent adventures. I might even post about my grand plans for the postage damp size garden plot. Until then, I would like to share this gem. I hope my children will one day read this. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
