Diane...

Still working on that post and I guess I have even more to add to it now with Christmas and all...but I just wanted to put a message out to Diane who left me a comment.

I am not able to contact you as there is no contact info on your profile but if you email me at nesearle (at) tpg (dot) com (au) I would be happy to give you more info.

Happy New Year everyone! (Just in case I don't get back here before then lol!)

Looking better

This is Ashlee's lip - post incident day 1 (so about 24 hours later)

Outside - a little swelling, not looking so bad

Inside - not so great.....

She is feeling a little better but still quite sore and I guess losing weight because she can't eat much at all. Even drinking is hard!

Here we have Zachary in his Theratogs

From the front....

And from the back....AFO's and all.

This was the initial try-on. These are normally worn under the clothes. Our Physio suggested taking these photos for reference as it can get a little confusing in the beginning apparently. Wearing these 4 hours a day is like doing 50 hours a week of hands on therapy. Zach is still tolerating them at the moment, he is pretty good with most things.

Not much else going here. A little grocery shopping today, I have also been doing a few 'photo shoots' for people too. All free of course and all to get up some more practice. Live near me and want to get a free shoot with a CD of all the photos to help me get up more practice? Email me.

Here a few from my shoot with my gorgeous little nephew Caleb....

He was such a darling little boy but eventually it had to come to an end....

I also did a small Christmas photo shoot for another friend of her two sweet little boys, making them into a holiday card for her.

A close friend of mine had a stunning little 6lb baby girl on the 26th and one of my gifts to them is a newborn shoot. Lots of fun playing around and of course snuggling with sweet little newborns!

That's all for now, here a few photos of my clan to finish with.....

(Favourites of the 'out takes')

Just a quickie...

because I'm stuffed and because I haven't been around for a while.

Returned from the hospital tonight, Ashlee split her lip WIDE open. 5 stitches on the inside and 2 on the outside. It really didn't look that bad if it wasn't for the swelling but once we got to hospital and they looked on the inside of her lip I was shocked! A huge gash about 7-8cm long and about 1cm deep! My poor little girl was (and still is!) in so much pain! It brought me to tears watching her get stitched up while she squeezed my hand for dear life. This was even after a cannula, some heavy drugs and a lot of anesthetic. Thankfully the cut to the outside of her lip is only about 1cm long and is right in the middle, cosmetically the doctor thinks it will be fine. She was sent home on panadine forte and also told nothing but liquids for a week. That didn't go down to well as she was already starving by the time we left the hospital. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she heals. No school for her tomorrow.

As for Zachary, we had him at the hospital recently after he took a header head first off a retainer wall on to concrete. Thankfully he is OK but with some bruising and cuts.

Today we started his trial with the new (well about 10 years old but relatively new to Australia) Theratogs! (Also some more info here) Firstly I will say after just one day I am VERY impressed and would highly recommend them! Zach has Diplegia so is mainly effected from his waist down with some involvement of the right arm but he is definitely more effected in the right leg than the left. He toe walks, drags and turns in his right leg a lot more than his left. These theratogs had him walking in his frame quite straight minutes after having it on.

I'll go into everything more next and I have photos of him in it too. Going to check on Ashlee and head to bed for now......