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.