Another step

Off to camp

You know that film and theatre show Mamma Mia?

You know that touching scene when the mother and daughter sing "Slipping through my fingers"?

"School bag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile.
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while"

That Abba song came on my ipod this morning and it always gets to me - always. (Yes, I have Abba on my ipod!)

It seems like moments ago I was dropping Sibs off at her first day in her new primary school in Australia and then yesterday I was taking her to the airport for her final year camp trip to Sydney and Canberra! School camps are big over here.

In the final year of my primary school we went on a camp trip almost down the road to Parkmill in the Gower Peninsula. I have many memories. I think a few of us girls had read the Enid Blyton books Mallory Towers and St Clare's and had this idea that it was all going to be midnight feasts and a jolly good time! Instead it was cold and wet and we seemed to walk for miles and miles looking for lichen and trying to keep our soggy clipboards dry!

Sibs's trip on the other hand, is a full packed itinerary that takes in all the important sights of Canberra - Parliament House, Australian War Memorial, Government House, Questacon, Royal Mint, National Gallery and not forgetting an afternoon at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.  A bit different to traipsing through the Gower coastline in South Wales!

The house is already feeling so quiet. No constant singing, no bouncing, twirling and prancing around.

Twmff is doing his usual moping around the place when Sibs isn't here. He's such a sook sleeping on her school bag.

I can still see you Mods - almost camouflaged

Modlen on the other hand.... not a care in the world! Yesterday afternoon I was intending on planting some herbs in there, but it was a shame to disturb such a heavy sleep so I decided to pick up some crochet instead.

An hour quickly became two (and then more) and it was so relaxing on the front deck that it just called out for a Hendricks, a candle and some crooning from Mr George Michael on the ipod. Bliss.

from my instagram feed

Routine is out of the window this week - I'm not organising my day around early morning music drop off or 3pm school pick ups. It's strange.

"Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by.
Then when she's gone, there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny"

I'm getting a glimpse into the next few years of increased independence. Whilst I encourage it and seem to constantly have the conversation with Sibs about needing to "take responsibility for this, that and the other" it's also a shift into a new world.

"Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it.
Slipping through my fingers all the time.
Do I really see what's in her mind.
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing"

For Sibs, this week away is not only to go and see and understand more about Australia, it's really another step in growing up.

I know each phase in childhood is big at the  time - first steps, first words, first school....
Somehow though, this one feels huge. I can really see her shaping into a young adult. She's getting more and more confident in expressing herself and sharing her opinions.
I've stopped saying "please stop growing up" and I'm making a conscious effort to enjoy the change in her...however challenging some of the sharing of opinions can be!

As she was chatting with her friend at the airport yesterday she said that she had two things to remember on this trip - to have fun and to concentrate.

So she does listen to what I say...

enjoying a quiet Monday moment

Happy Monday.

Here's to a good and safe week, full of concentration and fun!

Scoliosis - MRI scans

A few weeks ago I wrote about Sibs's diagnosis of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis and the first steps in the treatment.  (HERE)

Since then there have been a few other appointments and so here is the next instalment.

During the initial consultation with the orthopaedic spinal surgeon Dr A requested that as part of her care plan he wanted an MRI scan of Sibs's back. Even though he was confident that her scoliosis is idiopathic (no cause) he wanted to be doubly sure and to rule out any other possible complications.

As we were discussing the arrangements for the MRI we also had a conversation about research into scoliosis and any previous studies on the condition. Dr A mentioned a study that is currently collecting data to understand the differences between a healthy and an abnormal spine in growing girls. We established that Sibs would be suitable to participate and were then put in touch with the research team. 

One of the researchers emailed me details of the study and various consent forms. It was then arranged to conduct the MRI for Dr A and the MRI for the research team at the same time and venue. Isn't it great when people actually co-operate and make your life a little easier?

So on a Saturday morning before ballet practise we found ourselves at a hospital diagnostic department.

Sibs was measured and photographed by one of the researchers and then shown around the MRI machinery and the whole process was explained to her.
I can't praise the medical team enough. The way that everything was so calmly introduced and explained was pretty amazing. She was encouraged to ask questions and the first one she came up with was "Can I still talk when I'm in the machine?" Yes, typical Sibs!

They took the time to chat through the various buttons and gadgets including the fact that it would only take 6 seconds to get to her if she pressed the panic button at any time.

By the time the heated blankets came out and she was invited to select a movie to watch I could see that she was more than comfortable. 

Sibs spent about an hour and a half in total in the MRI room with each scan taking about 10 - 15 minutes. Each time something new happened it would again be explained to her and so the unusual clunking noise would not be a surprise.

I think she was a little disappointed when the scanning finished as she never got to see the end of The Lorax!

The results of the MRI scans will now be collated and sent to the consultant and to the research team. As part of the research study she will be required to undertake scans at 6 monthly intervals or annually depending on her growth pattern. 

As a bit of a plug - the research team is also looking for healthy spines to study. Here is a copy of the request.

So Brisbane based people - they would be very grateful for anybody willing to give up a tiny bit of their time...just one hour a year over three years.


I will write another time about the fitting of the back brace and how Sibs is managing and adjusting to wearing it.

My super star!