Carers!

We have a little bank of carers now. When they are all available life is great and we can even have some time out knowing we have two competant carers in the house.
However when one is sick and two on holiday it leaves us with a distinct shortage of options. Today was one such day. A carer booked for 9-5 rang yesterday to say she was still ill with a Diareah and vomiting bug that had laid her low since midweek. I really appreciate her ringing it is not the sort of bug we can risk the girls catching. BUT it was not convenient for her to be off. David Joshua and Christina were leaving the house at 8 and meant I was going to be on my own with Jonathan Rosie and Eve to get ready to take Rosie to Holiday club for 10.

Thank Goodness for the remaining dedicated carers. Debbie responded to my desperate text with a Sure CU in the morning!

So The day started several times, 1am 2.30 am, 4 am, 5.30 am and then for good at 6.15. David got up and got tea made and had his breakfast whilst I resettled Eve back on her ventolater for the umpteenth time, got dressed myself...unheard of at that hour I usually wait till everyone else is ready but knew that was not an option if I was on my own for that hour. Then made my way downstairs to load the washing machine and collapse on the sofa with my tea!

Joshua and Christina roused eventually and made it down for breakfast and to do their chores. I meandered through to Rosie's room where the dirty giggle greeted me as I opened her door. My nose soon realised she had managed to open her feed tube and was dripping stomach contents linerally. So a good wash and dressed in old but tidy clothes and I nipped into Jonathan's bathroom to wash my hands. In that moment Rosie managed to slip my gaze and disappeared. How does she do it? I couldnt have been out of her sight for more than 2 minutes yet she was nowhere to be seen! Ten minutes of searching and I eventually found her curled up under the quilt at the very top of her bed. When she heard me she started to giggle and had obviously deliberately hidden herself!

It was with much relief I saw Debbies car pull up and I gladly handed over Rosie's care to her whilst I went upstairs to sort Eve! 9.30 came round quick enough and we headed to the bus and loaded the girls in. Drove over to Spalding and Dropped Rosie off at her club. Arriving back home at 10.30 I had 4 hours Rosieless. Debbie headed off home to return at 4 and Jonathan and I went to hang out the Towels from the washing machine.

Then it was down to paperwork. Charity forms requesting funds towards Joshua's Low Vision Aids, and other paperwork to chase up his Statement of Special Educational Needs. The phone rang too. It was the Education Advisor for The National blind Children's Society ringing to give me advice on the statement. His timing could not have been better and his advice, encouragement and offer of practical help with it all was All greatfully received.

Before much longer it was time to head back off for Rosie. We did manage to squeeze lunch into the 4 hours, and can I just say that Jalepeno pepper Wraps filled with grated cheese and microwaved for a minute make a really tasty, satisfying easy lunch!

And so back for Rosie and back home just after Joshua Christina and David. Once more all back home and the nightly routine of finding a meal. Plenty of Vegetables in the garden now so freshly picked cabagem, beans and brocoli with a few potatoes pulled out where they had grown from peelings. A delve in the Freezer finds some gluten free pork shanks in sauce, and dinner was sorted!

Christina was not well at tea time and proved her point by being violently sick as she got into bed. I think I need to contact her pead and tell him the Movicol is not working on sorting the abdominal pain and vomiting!

So now we are ending the day, Iris is here for the nightshift and I am hoping for a quieter night.
Hopefully tomorrow we can organise the clothes for the holiday, raid some charity shops in Spalding to enhance the holiday wardrobes and begin to think about what we need to get organised for Saturday. Joshua is looking forward to his challenge, looking forward even more to having his equipment to practice with before September. Praying the funding comes through, he has a fair amount of sponsorship on his forms now, and other people have taken some to get sponsorship further from home. The local paper is doing a story tomorrow and we hope that may help too.
Once again may I thank you if you have donated through the paypal button, pledged on a form or prayed for this to work out for Joshua. Every prayer, every donation is very precious to us. Thank You!