They wanted us to go to rehab...

Amy Winehouse soundtrack today...altho' it wasn't us who said 'no, no, no'. It was rehab. We saw the specialist on Tuesday - he's happy with Tara's progress...altho' we're still delayed by the scab (argh!). So he wanted us to go to rehab to learn how to do the shaping bandages to prepare her leg for the prosthetic...but they sent us packing back to Physio to do it (internal red tape, blah). The taping itself is extremely blah - altho' luckily Tara LOVES it. Whew. (And she doesn't want Tone to learn coz she knows the wannabe-doctor in him will take over & she wants to do it on her own.) But it is a schlep - has to be done a few times a day, not really efficient - so we've sent an SOS to cousin Phil to try source some shrinker socks for children in the UK.

Tara's amputation continues to bring out the best in so many people. A bus driver yesterday insisted on us riding free - and it's not like he was even a nice guy. He YELLED at some other people. And a teenager jumped up with a huge smile to give Tara a seat on the train yesterday. It's never happened before! (Shame, a very large blind guy tried to sit in Tara's empty wheelchair - managed to get him out before he and the chair fell over...)

Best news yesterday was that Tara can now swim...and occasionally use crutches - altho' we're gonna hold off on that one coz if she falls the delay will be mega-months. So she insisted on her first swim last night. And it was just beautiful. Jadie turned into the twin you wish you had - swimming with Tara, doing handstands, pogo-ing thro' the water - and then the two had their first bath together in months. (The last few weeks, Tara's baths have been very non-glam - all alone to prevent infection, with her leg hoisted onto a roof-like lid of a rubbish bin which was the only waterproof item we could find to keep her leg out of the water!).

She continues to have a fantastically healthy outlook. Like I happened to mention how gorgeous the modelling teacher's legs were and Tara (sitting in the back of the car with her sisters) said "what about ours?" (so I told her their's are all fab too). But she's aware in a good way that she has something a little different - yesterday, between Rehab and the Physio I had to push her past the very crowded cafe - and she didn't have her bandage on. So she goes "oooh, people will see my leg". So I said "is that a problem?". "Oh no!" she answered. "I want people to be able to see my stump." And just outside the cafe we saw a man with a really mangled and shrivelled body, curled up weirdly in a wheelchair, and Tara said "you know, that man probably thinks he's normal, because for him, he is normal".

So - in the spirit of Tara's "let them see me as I am" attitude - today's pic at the top is the first public photo of her unbandaged, bare, naked stump (currently called Stumpie Star by the girls)...and two very squishy faces with tight swimming caps on!

Below is Tara's first swim in the indoor pool - it was late at night so a bit dark - Tara on the left, Jadie on the right. BTW - new blog post below as well (I've published 2 at once here).

Seagulls and Surfers

We had an amazing day with the girls' cousins and some friends down at Broken Head. So gorgeous. Sun, rain, bbq and a lot of incredible surf (go, Tone, go!). We taped a plastic bag around Tara's leg and she played on the beach (and in a clay cave - VERY messy!) with the other kids like there was no tomorrow. The day ended with this beautiful one-legged seagull tottering around in front of us - and the sun setting behind us. Just lovely and kinda poignant.

The drive home was really funny coz Jadie's developed a similar ticklish toe syndrome to Tara - and just like Tara, she can't satisfy the itch - so it drives her insane (the tickle is somewhere IN her foot where she can't reach). Quite interesting. They're not identical twins (at all!) - but there've been quite a few similar incidents...really sweet.

The twins had a friend's birthday party on Saturday - and the lovely mum told us that she's gonna raise money for the Royal Brisbane Children's Hospital in her next marathon (because Alex had told her about Tara's experience - where there were days when no food arrived, machines didn't work, wards were full etc.). So that's fantastic! It's kinda like the NHS here - a service that's soooo needed and yet not well supported. And yikes - would be awful to turn into America's health system!

Another kind mum approached us and offered up her husband if ever we needed his services (I don't know if she's told him!). And a very brave mother invited all 3 girls for a sleepover on Saturday night! They LOVED it - were totally spoilt (altho' Jadie did predictably cry a little at night coz she missed us - but Tara comforted her).

Tone and I had a fab stroll to Surfer's - fastest one we've done forever (sans kids makes a difference!). Had Nando's for old time's sake and then watched Sean Penn's Into the Wild - which happened to be the book Paul was reading when he died. So it was interesting. Heartbreaking.

Not sure if it's Tara's op, pressure of tryna work when there's so much other stuff to do, or just genes - but Tone's blood pressure's a little on the high side...so we're tryna get him to chill, chill, chill! Thanks to everyone for their support - especially YiaYia and Bapou! Thank you.

Goodbye Lizzie Loo

Oh sob. Lizzie Loo's gone. But wow - it was amazing to have her. Such brilliant timing. Just when Tone and I were running out of energy - she swooped in like Mary Poppins and lifted us all up again. And she spent soooo much time with the kids so Tone and I could catch up on work. The girls really needed that attention - and Lizzie Loo was incredible - face painting and teaching Tara to swallow capsules, baby chinos and um...pink champagne (with LOTS of orange juice)! When she left yesterday, Tara packed her new pink billabong bag (from the Coopers, thank you!) full with clothes and medicine so she could go with Lizzie back to London. We told her she had to stay to get her pretend leg, but she wasn't worried. "Just post it to me," she said. Luckily when they got to the airport, Tone realised Tara didn't have her passport so she couldn't leave! Whew!

Tara's developed some party tricks - like asking Lizzie Loo to say hello to Leggie Loo - and then flapping her stump up and down to say hello. When she's really excited - which is a LOT lately - she flaps her stump so fast, she's like a dog wagging its tail. The scab on her scar is unfortunately still there, so we still can't start the process of shaping her stump for the prosthetic. But we're having a good time in between. It's amazing how good these set backs have been. I don't think we would've coped nearly as well with Tara's op if it had been when we first thought it would be back in January. We were so not ready for it then, in retrospect. So now we've been directed to soak Tara's stump in the bath as much as possible to help soften the scab. It's a very strong sensation for Tara - that feeling of the water on her skin. And she can't understand why her stump feels so heavy in the bath, compared to her other leg which is longer...and unfortunately nor can we (so if anybody knows the scientific answer - please yell).

Tomorrow it'll be a month since Tara's op - I had this vision that she'd be like JFK when he was a kid - bedridden and immersed in books - with so many successful people (even Carly Simon) you discover that they were stuck in bed for ages as children. But thanks to DSs, DVDs, laptops and a kid who REFUSES to be bedridden - Tara hasn't quite read as much as JFK...and in fact has probably been the most active of all of us - rushing around like a cheetah on 3 limbs, or hopping on one leg...even jumping on the trampoline...

She's been a little angel - lots of loving (helped by having her Lizzie Loo here). Actually - one of the moms at school told me how her daughter was so happy because Tara had told her that everyone has guardian angels looking out for them. And it was so poignant the other day -  we met up for coffee with a friend who recently lost his brother, and Tara curled up snugly in his lap the entire time we were together, occasionally stroking his shirt. We all thought maybe she was cold and just loving the comfort of C hugging her. But afterwards she told me she was trying to pour all her love into him to help him feel better.

The rest of the holidays were fab - lots of social visits and play dates - and first day back at school was so good that the teacher had to have a word with the class to stop giving Tara so much attention! Cassie was voted Form Captain of her class (wow! well done!) and gorgeous little Jadie made it into the coveted Top 20 in the cross country race (amazing!)! It's so funny though. You do what you can to try and give everyone attention...but still it's never enough. Cas wrote Tone and I each a note on the paper tablecloth at Lemongrass (the local Thai restaurant), begging for a day alone with each of us. So we've gotta work on that one even harder! (And be very grateful that at least they wanna spend time with us!)

Lizzie threw the girls an early birthday party and gave them these fab wigs (below) that they've barely taken off!  Tone and I are both suffering such mental traffic jams that today I was arranging a playdate for the twins for next Saturday...and totally forgot it would be their birthday! Argh! Great mom! We were talking about it at school - how we adults have so much on our minds that only gets processed while we (try to) sleep or in conversation - whereas with kids (particularly girls) they role play the new stuff they're learning and process it in a simple, fun way. Like on Sunday at the Patons the girls turned Bella's room into a hospital ward - and they used the office swivel chairs as pretend wheelchairs to get around. And a couple of parents have mentioned that their daughters have been doing the same with their friends - playing hospitals and taking turns being Tara. (When Tara plays she pretends she's someone else who's had a wildly dramatic accident.)

So we're off to Broken Head tomorrow - just south of Byron Bay - to relax, rewind and spend a day chilling with the girls and their cousins who are camping down there. It's a big day for Australia - Anzac Day - to honour and remember our soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World War I. Thank you! We're loving our lives - the freedom - and it wouldn't be like this without brave men (and young teenagers, Cassie informed me today) like that.

Surprise, surprise

So Tara was busy putting the milk in the fridge early yesterday morning - and turned around and there was Lizzie Loo (one of her beautiful godmothers). She burst out grinning and hasn't stopped since! Lizzie's flown in from London for five days - proving to Tara that dreams DO come true! (Coz Tara kept wishing that Lizzie Loo was here to see her stump and share in the experience - Lizzie's the one she'll phone or email when she's down, and she's the one she wants to tell first when something fab happens too.) Sooooo special. THANK YOU Zack and Jorge for sharing, and Lizzie for flying all this way on your own! And I can't believe we managed to totally keep it a secret from the girls till Lizzie arrived!!!

Tara and Lizzie had a gorgeous girlie day yesterday - doing exercises, Baby Chino's in Tedder, nails painted at Aus Fair (with Cas and Jadie who can hardly keep themselves off Lizzie either), and sushi for lunch. Then a lovely walk on a very windswept Main Beach. Can't believe it - last weekend was SO hot and sunny...and now, typical, Lizzie's arrived and it's pure London.

Cassie's modelling graduation was last night - she was GORGEOUS and sooooo good - grinned at everyone and really connected with the audience - yikes, it's done great things for her confidence. And it was so fab for her to be in the spotlight for the evening. Also very cute afterwards - a bunch of kids were up on stage, walking the ramp, and Jadie wanted to join them - but was too scared...whereas Tara was just desperately excited to do it, tried to get us to put her wheelchair up on the catwalk (too heavy, whew!) - and then insisted on Tone and I taking turns holding her and striding (stumbling!) up and down the catwalk. And she was soooo scrummy - pouting and posing like you can't believe. It never entered her mind that anyone may stare at her leg instead of her face...not that she even cared if they were staring at her at all - she was just in her own world, vamping it and having the best fun doing the moves.  She made us laugh so much. And of course now she says she wants to be an artist and a model. And you know - Jadie did really well in the end - she plucked up the courage to walk down with Tara and I - which, as we told her, was even braver than the others who had felt no fear. 

Talking fear - Tara managed to sleep on her own on Thurs night which is a HUGE step - first time in her life. She said she didn't know it was going to be so easy. I had bribed her by saying she'd get a reward...but when she asked for it yesterday I told her (very boringly, I know) that the reward was the little voice inside her now that would say "I can do anything I set my mind to". But I don't think she's totally convinced! An ice-cream would've been better!

Lizzie's already had a couple of wheelchair experiences - yesterday a guy getting out of a taxi flagged her down to chat about Tara's leg and told Lizzie he'd lost his own leg in the Bali bombing. It's a pretty special world you get access to when there's a wheelchair in the family! And Ted phoned from New York to say he's noticing more people with prosthetics. This morning he saw a guy on a bike and wanted to stop him - but realised he didn't really know what he wanted to say or ask him. It's so true. We feel the same way so often.

One more sleep

Tara's tucked up in bed and has NO idea about the surprise tomorrow! YAY! It's been a gorgeous past few days - playing with Ruby and Gracie. Had a divine barbie tonight at the cousins - Tara was apparently jumping on the trampoline ("like a frog" she said) before we arrived - farewell dinner for my mum before she goes to Syria and Europe. We've left Cas and Jadie there for a sleep-over (very excited) and told Tara we've gotta go to the hospital early tomorrow morning. We did have a few tears when she went to bed coz she can't bear to sleep alone. It's now after midnight and we're frantically tryna finish work, tidy the place and get ready for tomorrow's early start. (Oops. Just realised - we're waking up in about 5 hours. Argh!) 

We've been putting the cream on Tara's wound - but not noticing much of a difference yet. Small prayers please! She's been loving having her bandage off in the shower and bath - altho' she can't put her leg in the water, she is able to clean it with a cloth - she caresses it and is so tender and sweet with her stump, really bonded so beautifully with it. She squeals with delight when we say she can take the bandage off. Very cute. Very gorgeous. I told her tonight that she looked like Marilyn Monroe before she was famous (when she was still Norma Jean Baker and had curlyish brownish hair) coz she was lying on the bathroom floor in a Marilyn-type pose - and she said "but I'm Tara Maria, not Marilyn. And I'm more interesting." Then she said maybe she was only interesting because of her leg but I told her there was heaps more - her spirit, her heart, her attitude. My mum overheard a great conversation between her and one of Alec's friends this afternoon. "What happened to your leg?" "It got cut off." "Why?" "I had a broken bone in there." "Oh, will you stay in the wheelchair forever?" "No, I'm going to get a pretend leg." And then they got on with playing. OK, OK, must sleep!

Slight Delay

Oh man - went to the hospital today and Tara's wound hasn't totally healed yet. There's some dead skin/tissue that needs to come off - so we have to put this muti on every day for a week to soften it in the hope it'll flake off more easily. And we have to make sure the medical ointment doesn't spread onto good skin - or it'll kill that. Argh! Altho' luckily we have Doctor Tone in the house and he's fab at that kind of stuff. But blah - it means all the fun stuff like bathing without a plastic bag around her leg, or swimming - are on hold for at least an extra week. But Tara's not upset - she was just soooooo proud to show off her naked wound to  Cassie - first time Cas had seen it without the bandage - Tara was just grinning at Cas who admitted "it looked very ugly in the beginning but once the nurse cleaned off the dry blood, it looks lovely Tara". Theme tune swirling round my head today is "Dead skin in the middle of your stump..." sung to Loudon Wainwright's Dead Skunk (altho' thank goodness it's not stinking to high heaven!).

Talking heaven, it's been a bit of a melancholy 24 hours. A good friend's brother passed away (and our thoughts are so with you M&C) and in a week's time today it'll be the 1-year anniversary of Paul's passing away. We've physically missed Paul a lot during the last few weeks - wish he could've been here sharing this incredible experience with us, even tho' we know he's with us in spirit. The girls have felt it too - Tara was sketching in her brilliant Lizzie Loo art book when it asked her to draw the person she most wished was on the other side of the telephone - and she immediately said 'Uncle Paul'. So we've decided we're all gonna write him a letter next week coz we know he'll be able to read them. 

Also happened to pick up some old books and papers from my mum's place yesterday, and came across the farewell card her and my dad gave me when I left South Africa in 1990. In it my dad wrote "GO YOUR HARDEST!" (his caps) - and I think he's soooo right - for then and for now; and he'd be SO proud to see Tarakie's approach to life - she seriously couldn't go at it any harder! Or any funner (Ted's word)! So even tho' some melancholy moments meander into our days, it's like there's so much love in those moments for our special people and for life itself that the sadness evaporates and we're left with an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude - actually celebration if that makes sense - for everybody and everything we've had and have in our lives. And we'll keep going our hardest - which is especially easy with all the amazing support from all of you - thank you, thank you for each being so, so special.

First Encounter with a Stranger!

Had such a beautiful day yesterday. Sunny, blue skies, sparkling ocean. Tone and Gav surfed. Cousins played. And we encountered the very first person brave enough to come up and ask about Tara without just staring and getting misty-eyed! A lovely older man. He must've been watching as Tara wheeled herself up this steepish incline towards the beach, and then when she got near the top she pretended to roll backwards to scare me - and was laughing... So this man came up and said "her wheelchair isn't permanent is it?" so I said no and that she'd be getting a new leg in about 8 weeks' time. And he just beamed with joy - at me AND at Tara and said how fantastic she was and that she had such a brilliant attitude and he was sure she'd do so well with her new leg. And he stopped Tone to tell him the same. What a LOVELY guy! Just a face full of love.

So yup - Tara's favourite words are "don't help me" (or "can I play on my DS?"). Altho' - she's also not scared to ask for help when she needs it. She's very transparent. Never keeps a thought or feeling to herself. This morning in the car she was telling us how sad it makes her every time she thinks of these 3 little brothers we saw on an internet news item who have autism and can't communicate properly with other people...and as she was telling us, her eyes were just spilling over with tears. She's always feeling for other people - she'll notice someone across the road and  say to us "oh look at the lady - she's so sad/worried/angry" - very empathic (or whatever that word is).

She was feeling very serene yesterday - she had the kokoi around her to protect her from the HARSH Queensland sun, folded her legs under her and said she felt like putting her hands together as if in prayer. Hence the pic above. Cas felt the same - altho' upside down! 

LOVELY morning today with Monica and her beautiful children who were just amazing. And then the girls did a million things with Granny...who leaves for Syria on Saturday. ARGH! We'll miss her! Altho' she did give us back a VERY animated Tara tonight - no empathic, demure angel - just a bundle of energy and fire who couldn't stop talking! And Portia - she was very excited to get your message. She's hoping to get her new leg in the beginning of June AND she's gonna ask the doctor tomorrow when she can start swimming - hopefully VERY soon!

Crocodiles and Iguanas

Whew. It's been a hectic week - heaps of work for Tone and I to catch up on plus major social life for the kids on holiday - including a fab day out with a Portuguese South African friend who owns a boat called Costa Plenty! Tara's bandage has been changed again - blue this time like her school house Acacia. Cassie had a mini-operation (local anesthetic) on her lip (she had bitten it and created a major sore). I'm sick. And Jadie went ice-skating for her first time ever!

Tara's getting super-fast on her wheelchair. So fab to see her speed up and then throw her arms in the air and free-wheel, yelling "I'm free!". She saw a little boy last night in a wheelchair at Surfer's Pardise (we did the most divine sunset walk) and she picked up some tips on doing wheelies. Yikes! It was quite interesting - Tara noticed that his amputated leg was already healed but that he was still in a wheelchair & she said it was probably because his leg was bent - so it was like a reminder to her to keep doing the exercises to straighten her knee - because without that capability she'll never walk. Actually she's been so good at the exercises that we're having to put packets of rice on her leg to make it a little harder. She realised this morning that she thinks she's forgotten how to walk. But that's what the weeks ahead will be all about - learning how to walk again.

Tone says he keeps seeing wheelchairs everywhere now. So our world is slowly changing. Saw a dreadful thing that you can't go to the top of the Eiffel Tower unless you have two legs. Argh! Imagine being deprived of that amazing feeling that people travel across the world for. I felt sick to my stomach for a day - that horrible feeling of a life made smaller - but then I thought a) luckily Tara's already been up there; and b) maybe it's only wheelchairs that aren't allowed and prosthetics are fine; and c) the Eiffel Tower's my dream, not hers!

And not sure if you saw - there was a Californian guy who tried to smuggle some rare iguanas in his prosthetic yesterday. Funny, but annoying. It's the rare individual like him who then makes airports a nightmare for us coz they treat Tara suspiciously (you can't believe what a palaver it used to be with her brace in airports all around the world...except for LA of all places!). But anyway - it won't stop us travelling! And like Tara always says - we meet interesting people that way!

Tara's phantom pains - or tickles - continue.  We have to not talk about them - otherwise they appear out of nowhere! A good massage seems to help - takes away the ticklishness, plus Tara LOVES a massage! She said last night that there's another feeling she gets occasionally too - she said she can't describe it but "if it was a colour, Mama, in my mind it's sort of black/grey". I thought that was so sweet that all on her own she came up with a way to describe it by using colour. Nobody's ever told her about that. But sob - I wish it weren't black/grey. I wish it were pink and yellow and fun. She is still on the phantom pain medication and the doctors have said this is normal in the beginning to have these feelings - and that over the next few months they should fade 'telescopically' (ie. the feelings begin where the foot used to be, and then slowly come closer to the stump until they're absorbed into it).

She's having an absolute blast though and not whinging at all. She was so excited to show Jadie her stump this week (at the bandage change). All her friends - and their siblings - have been incredible at taking turns to not swim, or whatever, so she's always having fun too. And she's talking more and more about walking - she's so ready! Another hectic week ahead of us - including seeing the doc on Tuesday for inspection...and a surprise coming for Tara on Friday. We're BURSTING to tell her! But we won't, we won't!

Well done Cam Cam for working out the Comments!!!!! Pic of croc (at local shopping centre this morning) to lure you & Jimmy's & Tia's and Maria's and everyone's family over to Australia! Thinking of little Jo (even more than usual) today. And here are some more pics of our 2006 Eiffel Tower day coz they make Tony laugh - it was the hottest day that year - so hot that they allowed people to swim in the fountains opposite the Eiffel Tower (usually strictly forbidden, like walking on French grass!)...so everyone jumped in with their clothes on and swam except the Panayis girls coz Daddy said "no, we've got no towels". Check the effect it had on Tara who was sweltering! (The pics make Tone laugh - Tone makes us laugh!)

A hug a day keeps the therapist away

Whew, Friday was a big day. We raced off to Brisbane for Tara's bandage change...and forgot to give her the anti-pain medicine first. Argh! Had to turn around and go back home. Finally made it to the Royal Children's and it all went so well. We held up a pink kokoi between Tara (reading Princess Stories) and her leg so she didn't have to watch the nurses take the bandage off. The blisters are healing brilliantly. WHEW! And Tara actually snuck a look at the end and LOVED how her stump's shaping up. Looking good. Now wrapped in purple.

We saw a man with only one eye afterwards, and Tara asked "what happened to that man's eye" which was a perfect segue for another conversation preparing her for how people will say the same to each other about her leg. And she said "yes, we forget that my leg's not usual for other people because we see it all the time". So I was chuffed - she's got a handle on it...and then less than an hour later we experienced our first test of the really bad stares and it was me who failed miserably! We were at the art gallery - looking at the gorgeous Andy Warhol Marilyn and Jackie originals - just basking in this man's creativity and huge open-mindedness...when some really messy schoolkids walked in, stopped, stared, pointed, whispered and then even left their group to 'surreptitiously' walk past us and have a closer stare. ARGH! I wanted to kill them. And then they smiled at me afterwards in that patronising way people smile at wheelchair pushers, like we're so sanctimonious and the person in the chair doesn't exist. I just glared at them. And then I felt so bad afterwards. They were just doing what's natural. Obviously if they'd been a little better brought up they may have had the guts to actually say hi and smile at Tara, instead of treating her like an exhibit. But, but but...they were just curious - and there's nothing more fantastic in a human being than curiosity and a hunger to learn! So next time I've gotta find a way to engage them so they can be more honest and respectful in satisfying that curiosity. 

There have definitely been a lot more adults also staring at Tara since the op - it's funny coz when she had the brace on everyone would stop and ask her what happened. Now they seem a little scared to ask! But you can see their hearts melt and a tenderness glaze over in their eyes. Just immediately. It's lovely, and also not. We'd HATE for Tara to ever be a source of sympathy for anyone. She's the opposite!! She's the kid you wanna be - someone who is so naturally happy and loving her life, and has a brilliant future ahead of her. What more could you ask for? Actually Tara was saying yesterday that all a kid needs is 5 or more hugs a day (Jadie says kisses too). You don't need feet or hands to be complete; or 10 toes to be happy. You just need to love...and to be loved, understood and seen for who you are. So when we hear people say (well meaningly) that they feel sorry for Tara we're learning to just ignore it and remember that that's not how people who know Tara feel. With those who feel 'sad' for her, it's more often a reflection of themselves - their own fears, feelings and stereotypical views - than anything remotely to do with Tara Balara! (That's not to say that Tara's experiences don't bring the odd tear to the eye...but that they're tears of admiration or gratitude rather than of pity.)

Anyway - back to yesterday! After Brisbane we stocked up with biltong, droe wors, Tex bars and Fanta Grape at the Springbok Shop - and then skidded into St Hilda's. AND WOW! The school has just been amazing. They gathered all the Years 3-6 together yesterday and gave them a little talk about Tara -  and applied the same philosophy that we LOVE - telling the girls that there's no need to treat Tara like she's 'special' and needs a head start on anything. She's an equal and they must compete with her in the same way they do with each other. Cassie and Jadie were invited to the front to talk about Tara's condition and op. Apparently Cas just fell in love with that microphone and couldn't stop talking (but her teacher said she was FAB and very articulate). Jadie managed to squeeze in a word about the clowns, but she was also very good!

So when we arrived at the school with Tara, she felt like a movie star! We visited each of the Year 3 classes, and Cas's Year 4 class, and the girls were all just sooooo divine and so happy to see Tara. And she was SO excited to see them - she showed them how she tickles her toes that aren't there anymore and had an amazing time (and got heaps more pressies and cards. THANK YOU!!!!). The teachers were of course all brilliant - like an Oprah audience - they always look so good AND they're interesting! 

And the best news is that the Head of Junior School has decided to swap the classes around for next term so that  Tara can wheel herself into a downstair's classroom! That's just phenomenal and obviously we hugely appreciate the effort the school and all the parents are going to for us. Wow! Bit of a tearjerker. Sweet, sweet kindness.  Mrs Kirby's letter to the parents about the class move ended with "given the attitude that Tara and her sisters, Cassandra and Jade, have demonstrated in the lead up to the operation I believe that we will see a very happy little girl return to school and delighted to be amongst her friends once again". SO true. And we're so proud of all 3.

Inspired by Warhol, Tara spent the evening doing stunning sketches of Tone and I (we weren't stunning - her pics were!) in one of her new books. Girls are on holiday now for two weeks. YAY! Altho' sob, it's first day today - and we've had to drop them off at Granny's (they were excited) so Tone and I can catch up on some of the work we missed during the week.

And just in case we sound totally self-involved - a HUGE congratulations to Zigs & Christian and Jason & Lisa whose life events this week (wedding and baby) were obviously a LOT bigger than ours!

Sore Limbs and Lizards

Oooh - after a balmy day yesterday including home schooling with Granny and walks to the beach; today was a big bump. We took Tara thro' to Brisbane for her first bandage change and altho' Tone suggested we give her extra pain killers - we didn't (totally my fault for not absolutely agreeing with him! Argh! Always listen to Dr Tone!). We did check with the specialist but he thought she'd be fine...but, sob, those new bandages hurt her when they were getting wrapped around her raw red skin. So she hit a wobbly and shed a few tears, little darling. Held our hands tight and cuddled her Lizzy (pet elephant) and Joey (pet cat). The nurses said she was probably also in a bit of shock after seeing her leg without bandages for the first time. And I think they were right because a little later we went for a walk and she said "I'm not scared, but I think next time I won't look...until it's healed and better". 

Interestingly it turns out that these sensations are actually good for her to feel (altho' we will be giving the drugs next time!) - apparently with all the nerves that have been cut in her leg - the brain now needs to rewire everything - and can't do so without feeling the different sensations. So that became a little exciting - the thought that as she heals, her leg will get to experience the feeling of things (like running water) as if for the first time ever. She wheeled herself around Brisbane city centre for the next hour or so, and took notice of every single different texture and sensation she felt as she rode over concrete, carpets, tiles etc. Almost like being blind and then seeing for the first time...And then we got wildly distracted by the crash of a truck getting caught underneath the pedestrian bridge opposite the museum. Hence the pics of semi-elevated truck, and subsequent fire engine! Quite exciting! (And the driver was fine.)

Cassie did a show-and-tell about Tara's operation today - and then this evening it was so cute watching each of the girls sitting on their beds delivering similar show-and-tells to all their soft toys. Tara's dolls got the bonus of being allowed to each touch her stump - but they had to be gentle and got told off if they touched the white bit at the end (where there are a couple of blisters) instead of sticking to the pink section. She also lay them all on their back and made them do exercises with her!

She had a fab afternoon with a visit from a schoolfriend - just what she needed (and she was such a darling - she gave Cassie one of her pressies with a beautiful note and drawings about how she could see that Cassie was sad and she just wanted to help her be happy). Her day ended with a gorgeous chat with her Lizzie Loo (coz Tara had phoned and left a message saying she wished Lizzie Loo were here) and a really funny conversation at dinner about how she used to think she was going to get amputated every year and how lucky she had thought lizards are coz they can grow new tails. But then Cassie said "yeah, but they can't ice-skate and ride bikes...and anyway, they can't grow new legs!"