Update at last!

Well, it's been an absolute age since i last updated James' blog, and a huge amount has happened since then.
I guess the latest news first. James had a visit from Joanne, his Habilitationist from Van Asch, last Friday, and it went so wonderfully well i just had to come on here and brag just a little. The best news was that he had no goals set for him, as he is right where he should be for his age. He is making a huge amount of noise all the time now (as anyone within a ten mile radius can vouch for) and can follow a massive number of instructions. He is also starting to talk, though he is good at doing it for Joanne and just laughing at me and John when we attempt to get him to say anything.
So far, his vocab consists of thank you, gentle, go, car, dog, Eddie (the cat), cuddle, down, Gaga (Grandma or Grandad), Daddy, Mum (but not to me. He says it when looking for me), more, Tutu (Cameron, or anything Cameron related) and a few others that i will remember later. He also signs light, down, finished and signing (as in, 'good signing')
Apparently, for a little boy not even 18 months old, this isn't bad at all. Cheeky little monkey was just messing with us all along!
Family related news - James now has a little sister, and is slowly getting used to not being the baby anymore. Emelia Rose was born just over two weeks ago, and is thriving despite being cuddled constantly by Cameron, and poked repeatedly and squealed at by James. There were a few teething problems in the first week, but we have discovered that if James is allowed free access to the baby (as long as he's not hurting her) then he is happy and pats her, then wonders away. I have also learned to feed her with James cuddled up under the other arm, and often Cameron too, so though its a little crowded, it's nice and warm too.
So all well, if pretty busy in the Whale household. Daddy is taking James to Van Asch next week, so hopefully all fantastic news from there too. I will try and get back here to let you all know.

Just a little note to say we have changed venue for James' birthday party.

It will be at Beanstalk Kindergarten, Duncan St, Tawa (Opposite Tawa College) same bat time, same bat channel.

This gives us a little more freedom if the weather goes bad, and more things to keep the little ones occupied while the big ones actually get to relax. (In theory)

On a different note, John and i started our sign-language classes last night, and had a real ball. It was wonderful, and amazing how quickly we could learn a lot. It's much easier to do the class than try and learn through books, and heaps of fun as well. We now know how to say our names, ask other's names, talk about teaching, learning, greetings, etc. And all from one class.

The boys are continuing to thrive, though we are having real trouble keeping James' implants on him at the moment. It seems to have become a habit to just immediately pull them off as soon as he has a free moment, or just if he wants some attention. He will pull them off and actually wave them at us as if to say 'Well? What are you going to do about it?' ARG!!! it's driving me mental! We have a few things to aim for before our next Van Asch visit, and i am starting to despair that we won't be able to do them because he spends more time swinging his implants around his head than actually wearing them. Toe-rag! And then he gives me that grin! Who'd have cute kids eh?

One Year On...

This is it! The big one!
James' First Birthday!!!
The little boy who wasn't supposed to last out his second day alive, who wasn't supposed to do the things other kids did, who would possibly never even crawl, let alone walk... well, look at him now! He is standing on his own, shouting all the sounds he can come up with, feeding himself, and beating up his big brother. (I didn't say they were all positives).
So we are having a party, because after all, any excuse is a good one! I would like to extend an invitation to family, friends, and all of you wonderful people who have helped us to get so far with both James' fundraising, and with a pretty hard year.
So... on Saturday the 7th March, at around 11am, we are having a picnic at Willowbank Park, Tawa. (On the proviso that the weather holds. If not, then i am not sure where we can all squeeze in. Will fill you in on that later). Please bring a plate of something, some cutlery and plates for your own family, and perhaps a blanket to sit on. We will bring a BBQ for those who want to get all flash and actually cook food. There is a kiddy playground there for the big and small children among us, as well as a big park to kick balls and play. We would really love to see you all there, and Thank you all for being the people you are.
Take care, and hope to see you all on James' birthday.

Belated Merry Christmas to all

Things have been pretty busy around here (funnily enough) over Christmas and with Cameron's third birthday. All is well though, the kids had a wonderful time throughout the Christmas week, and we even got to head away camping with the boys on Cameron's birthday, which was a real highlight.

A wee catch up, as a huge number of things happened all at once around christmas...

Firstly, HUGE thanks to the Sunrise Rotary Club. They applied for a grant on James' behalf, and got it, which added considerably to the funds.

Secondly, the Wainui Youth Group told us that they fundraised over $1200 from their concert! Absolutely amazing! You guys really are an incredible group of people.

Thirdly, thanks heaps to Ray from JagAir. His auction of a scienic flight over Queenstown, among other things, raised nearly $3000 for James' ears, and was an amazing donation.

And last but not least... We have been trying to get more information about funding through the government, thanks to a comment from a Little Treasures reporter who is writing a story on James. It turns out that the government funded both implants for a wee meningitus girl in Auckland, with pretty much exactly the same details as James. This led the Southern team down at Van Asch into a frenzy, trying to find out what was going on. And if this was the case, then what made this case special and other children not. This is still going on, and we too are writing to our new government to see what can be done. However, it led to the Southern Hearing Charitable Trust calling a few days before Christmas, and saying that though they can't write off our whole debt, they can halve it, in the interests of ensuring equality between the Northern and Southern groups.

So, just like that, we have all the money we need to pay off James' implant, and pay for the first upgrade needed in 5 years. ($10,000 every 5 to 7 years)

Suffice to say, it was a pretty Happy Christmas for us here.

Due to the sudden reduction of our debt, we also have a little money left over now, from the $25,000 it turns out we needed. We are very hopeful we can continue with a Charitable Trust set up by the Sunrise Rotary Club, and sometime in the future, help another Meningitic Child to get their second implant. If we can get something good for someone else through all this nightmare James has been through, then perhaps there can be a positive in this after all.

Have a wonderful new year everyone.