New Idea and New Legs

I keep meaning to update but we've lost one of the cameras that had the photos on I was gonna upload. Blah.

Next week we'll be able to post some super-professional ones from Taefi Photography - who took photos of Tara and family for New Idea mag. And it's out in stores RIGHT NOW! So if you're in Australia - take a look at page 60.

Jadie's tamagotchi crisis that she wrote about a few weeks ago has been solved! Jason found a lovely tama in Chamonix and sent it her way! Thank you! She's ECSTATIC!

Tara also had her x-ray - and so far it all looks good (and she took it to Show & Tell). Thanks sooooooo much for prayers - always appreciated! We've just gotta wait for Dr Slaughter (!) at the Royal Children's to check it out and confirm all's okay.

And her prosthetist phoned yesterday to say her new leg should be ready next Thursday. We had a fitting (well, Tara had the fitting) last week and a few adjustments were needed.

It's amazing how FAST things are changing in the prosthetic world. When we first saw them a few months ago, the latest greatest legs were the ones with a pin on a sleeve you put over your upper leg, and then clipped into the pretend leg. But now it's all hydraulic suction kinda gear. No pin required.

Tara takes a few steps...and squeaks a bit as air leaves the leg - and then once it's all gone, the leg is tightly secured.

As you can see from the pics here - the silicon sleeve is rolled on (far left) and then the prosthetic leg is attached - here there's still the ugly pole showing thro' coz they're adjusting height etc. - they'll put a cover over it when they've finished & then we need to go to Brisbane to get it spray-painted as close to her leg colour as possible. No more tights (or stockings as they say here).

We had another photo shoot last week where it would've been so fab to have had Tara's water leg - running on the beach. She tried to run with current LouLou on the sand, but it kept coming off; and she couldn't go near the water. Blah. She's also finding the socks are becoming too itchy (with summer). New leg doesn't have socks - has silicon. Some say it makes you sweat more - others say that after wearing a silicon sleeve for a while your stump stops sweating - so we're aiming for that one. Tara's phantom tickles are now at the end of her stump - isn't that amazing - they've moved from where her toes used to be to just below her knee (so that's where her head now tells her her ticklish toes are).

Tara and Jadie's school camp was brilliant - they loved it - and the divine Mrs D said that she wishes all the kids could be as independent as Tara. She had no hassles with her leg - altho' Jadie did come back with a mega bruise and burst blood vessel - so she's the one who had to go to the doctor.

Cas went with Dylan and Granny for a long family walk up at Springbrook (in the rainforest with waterfalls) - very excited coz she saw a snake and lots of other Aussie animals.


At school they've all been having heaps of fun - they designed and made hats for Melbourne Cup Day - Tara got into the finals and was desperately annoyed to not win...but she was convinced she'd win the poster for best Year 3 kid in Acacia - but she lost out to none other than her own twin sister! Can you believe it - out of all those girls - it had to be Jade who won - which was actually better I think coz Tara was at least happy for her...and now more determined to win next year.

Yesterday Tone and I watched them do a beautiful little play at chapel - all about how important it is to be a good friend and help others, and treat a friendship like you do a plant - nurture and water it. They were soooooo good and cute and adorable. Tomorrow they've all gotta be at school early for a breakfast bbq with the dads! Lucky Tone. I can sleep in!

Otherwise - lots of the usual stuff - beach, tennis, movies, ice-skating, dinners at Granny, fab Halloween night with the cousins, sleepovers with friends etc.

The girls are counting the sleeps till YiaYia and Bapou arrive in about 10 days' time. Very excited.

And big prayers and lots of love for Annie this week.