Whew! The op is over!

YAY!!!! The op's over and Tara's DIVINE! She was sooooo cute and brave and gorgeous. This morning she said she was a little scared and excited - and had a mammoth hug-athon where she just didn't wanna let go. Then we walked to hospital. Played on DS's. Distraction, distraction! Tone nominated me to go into the theatre (he's done it before and knows how heartbreaking it can be!). So in we went and Tara made me SO proud! She chatted to all the doctors and nurses in there. She BEAMED - honestly radiated pure happiness and excitement. They all kept commenting oh how beautiful she looked - "like a princess". She giggled at how silly I looked in that nurse get-up (shower cap etc.), then calmly looked in my eyes while she breathed the sleeping gas. The anaesthetist warned me that she would jerk a bit as she went under - but there was no jerking. They said it was the smoothest transition they ever saw - because she didn't fight it. She was so prepared and so willing. Our specialist told us after the op how fantastic she was - she didn't even flinch when he made his first incision (thanks to the tabs she's been taking the last few days) and she had hardly any anesthesia. 

But WHEW - it was DIVINE to see little Tara get wheeled in afterwards. Even Jadie had said after an hour that she wanted to see Tara - obviously starting to worry. The 4 of us (Dad, me, Jadie and Cas) had a soduku competition during the wait to try distract ourselves - but we were hopeless - not one of us finished! Tara's first words were "please hug me, please hold my hand". That's what she wants the most - to just hold your hand as tight as she can. And second to that - she's already shown off her new stump to everyone new who walks in. It looks beautiful - very clean. She's calling it a stump (apparently some people prefer 'residual limb' - but I think that's a bit hard for a kid!). And she keeps wanting to look at it herself too. She can move her leg - and at this stage is in no pain (thanks to the epidural!) - just naturally drowsy. The therapist came around - but said it'll probably take a day or two to sink in.

And now she's back in her ward - Surf Side (Royal Brisbane Children's Hospital for those who asked) - tryna sleep, watch TV, eat and just get on with it. (And she has her quilt that she made with Gela last night tucked around her.) 

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU - from France to South Africa, Australia to Tanzania, America to the UK - you guys have carried us here and for me, this is a very beautiful day and a great relief (altho' I know we have tough weeks ahead of us - but those we can handle!). For Tone - he's such a gorgeous, gorgeous beautiful dad that he is having a slightly emotional day - but it just makes you love him more! And he said this morning as well, that without all of you we could never have got here in one piece. Wow! Thank you!

So many people around the world prayed for Tara. In fact we received a beautiful message from her school chaplain a few minutes ago (and they all prayed in chapel this morning for Tara). We have truly been so lucky to have lived through this amazing experience and to have felt so much love from all of you and from our little girls. And we'd like to thank all our angels in heaven - Paul, Theo Paniko (happy birthday!), my Dad, Dicko, little Jo and all the other special, special souls. Today's a great day on Earth!