The past few weeks have been great. There’s been lots of changes which I’ve had to get used to. The biggest change is that I don’t need to go to the hospital every couple of weeks to get stabbed anymore – Yay! Mummy and daddy now have a blood machine that they use at home instead – Not yay! We all went to the hospital a few weeks ago and the blood nurse showed mummy and daddy how to use the machine and how to stab me in the finger. Daddy was brave and let the blood nurse stab his finger first. I really didn’t like that though and got upset but calmed down when I saw daddy was ok. Then daddy stabbed my finger and got lots of blood from his first attempt but I cried a lot as I couldn’t quite understand what was going on, and the blood machine didn’t suck up enough of my blood so daddy had to do it all again after I’d calmed down a little bit. I don’t think he enjoyed it very much but I let him know I still love him by giving him big cuddles when his second stab worked.

2 weeks later mummy and daddy tried to do it on their own at home with me. Mummy cuddled me and I told daddy which finger to stab. He stabbed me and lots of blood came out but unfortunately we didn’t quite get it on the blood machine quick enough, which meant I needed to be stabbed again. But this time it worked perfectly! My INR results were within range and the blood nurse told mummy to test me again in 3 weeks.

Another big change is that I now sleep in a bigger girls bed! Mummy and daddy caught me trying to climb out of my cot and said they didn’t want to hear me go bump so they found me a new bed which I love. I like climbing into bed every night after mummy or daddy have sung twinkle twinkle little star and now get up and knock on my door in the morning when I get up. I haven’t gone bump in the night yet which is good, but mummy and daddy have put my old cot mattress next to my bed, just in case!

I’ve made lots of friends at my nursery and went to my best friend Lola’s birthday party last week! We had lots of fun and I loved climbing all over the climbing things with daddy behind me. I played in the ball pit too and kept hiding underneath all the balls! It was very funny! Lola helped me do some climbing too and then I sat on her lap as we went weeee down the slides! It was thirsty work though so I had some juice from a bigger girls cup and didn’t spill very much. After a little while we all went upstairs to have something to eat. I had a burger and some chips and some red sauce and it was very yummy! Then we had some cold ice cream and Lola’s mummy gave me a bag to take home. When I got home I found it had some toys in it and some sweets and…. CAKE!!! I love cake and couldn’t wait to eat it. It was very yummy!

I’ve been teaching mummy, daddy and big bruv lots of new signs. I learn quite a lot from Lisa and Vicky at nursery and now know lots of colours including red, orange, green, blue, pink and white. I’m also getting better at asking for things I want. I like orange juice so if I’m thirsty and fancy some I give mummy or daddy my cup and sign orange. They’re very clever because they fill my cup up with it! I’m also getting good at counting with my fingers and can count all the way up to 10! That’s lots of numbers and fingers. It’s a good job there aren’t any other numbers because I’d run out of fingers…

I had an appointment with my development nurse a few weeks ago and she is pleased with my progress. I heard her tell mummy and daddy that I’m still behind for my age but that I’m definitely learning new things. I think I go to big girls school next year and I will need a special helper with me to make sure I don’t go bump and to help me with all the things I’ll be learning. It’s very exciting but mummy and daddy are a bit worried because I’m still very little. I think they worry too much though and try to show them how big I am now by climbing on things and counting and signing lots. They like me counting and signing… but aren’t so impressed with seeing me climb on the sofa and the coffee table and the stairs!

So, I’ll be 4 in a few weeks and then Father Christmas is going to come down our chimney to leave me and big bruv lots of presents! I do hope he doesn’t make a mess though because that will mean mummy will have to get the hoover out and I hate that thing! It’s very noisy and I get scared whenever I hear it! Mummy and daddy said they might take me to see Father Christmas again soon. Last time I saw him I cried a lot so I’m going to try to be braver this time!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading my update and please come back to see what I got for my birthday and what Father Christmas brings me… xx

So, after that horrid start to the day things could only get better right? Well, they did at first as we all went out and had a walk. Mummy and daddy had a drink in the eating shop and me and Dylan had a cold juice, oh and a chocolate cake which was absolutely devine. I soon forgave mummy and daddy for forcing me into the rain room after I had my cake!

We all went back to the carryvan and got changed. I wore a little swimming outfit that daddy put on back to front. Mummy fixed it though and we all went to find the swimming bath which mummy and daddy had shown me earlier. When I saw it earlier though it was very quiet and there was only a few boys and girls in there.

When we arrived it was full of screaming boys and girls and mummies and daddies and there was a rain-shower-fountain in the middle which was REALLY noisy! I was NOT impressed and soon let mummy and daddy know by shaking and crying. They either didn’t hear me because of all the noise or just thought I was cold because I was shaking so much because daddy carried me straight into the swimming bath while I still had my swimming outfit on! I tried telling daddy it was getting wet but he didn’t understand. Then mummy and Dylan followed us in and I cried and shook and cried and shook for a very long time. But mummy, daddy and Dylan all seemed to be having great fun and I started getting the hang of the swimming bath. I also realised that it was actually quite good especially when mummy and daddy vanished in the swimming bath water and jumped up in front of me! It was very funny because they were there and then they were gone and then they were there again!

As I was obviously enjoying myself daddy asked if I wanted to go down the water slide with him. Mummy didn’t want daddy to take me so I naturally said yes to daddy (usually when mummy says “No daddy!” it’s usually something perilous and fun) and we climbed up the stairs. Then we went weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee all the way down the slide with the water and we went very, very fast! I loved it and signed “again” to daddy but he said no because there were lots of children waiting to go first. I didn’t mind though because I enjoyed watching daddy throw big bruv into the swimming bath instead!

After we’d been in the swimming bath for a long time we all got out and went back to our carryvan and got changed into some dry clothes. Then we went back to the eating shop where I had my very own spaghetti bolognese which was delicious! Then I had some more chocolate cake and nearly ate it all up!

When we’d all finished our din dins mummy went outside for some fresh air and I played with daddy. I was very giggly as usual and daddy made me laugh lots by tickling me. When mummy came back I went outside with daddy while he had some fresh air… and the minute I let go of daddy’s hand I tripped over and banged my head very hard on the ground. Daddy rushed over and picked me up and cuddled me and saw the biggest bump he says he’s ever seen on my head! He took me to mummy and then to see a lady who did plasters. Daddy said I hadn’t been sick and wasn’t sleepy but the lady gave daddy the address for the hospital just in case.

We then went back to the carryvan where I stayed up until very late watching In the Night Garden! I made it clear to mummy and daddy I was ok by laughing at Iggle Piggle and counting the Pontipines. I went to bed very late and was very good as I slept in my little carrycot all night!

Hopefully tomorrow won’t be quite so eventful and I won’t go in the rain room or go bump!

See you all soon! xxx

Our carryvan is very big and I have my own bedroom with a little carrycot in it. I want to sleep in the big girls bed but mummy and daddy are worried I’ll fall out and go bump in the night and they don’t like things that go bump in the night especially if it’s me! Daddy has put my Iggle Piggel blanket that auntie Lorraine got me in my carrycot so it reminds me of home. I wanted to have a sleep there and then but mummy and daddy said we had lots to do and we all had a little walk.

We went to an eating shop and me, Mummy, daddy and Dylan all had a dinner and juice. Daddy even had a juice which was strange because he doesn’t have juice like that when we’re at home. I was a little upset because daddy always shares his juice and fizzy drinks with me at home but wouldn’t let me have any of his in the eating shop and had it all on his own! But I did have an ice cream which was freezing but very yummy!

When we’d all had our din dins in the eating shop we had a little walk around. There were lots and lots of people and lots and lots of boys and girls who were very noisy and running around everywhere! I was very excited to see them all but didn’t recognise any of them so I don’t think they come from my nursery.

Then we went into a big room and there were even more lots of children and… there were 3 characters on a stage who were like from the television but they were actually there in front of me!!! They were very big and colourful and they were singing and dancing and making all the children sing and dance too! It was amazing and I couldn’t stop smiling and dancing! Dylan was a bit quiet (I think he was shy) but I didn’t care! I just boogied with everybody while daddy held my hand.

When the singing and dancing stopped it was time to go back to our carryvan and time for me to go to sleep. I was very, very tired after our long drive and all the dancing so daddy put me in my carrycot and I went straight to sleep… well, for about 10 minutes. Then I woke up and forgot where I was and got a bit upset so daddy came and got me and I had a cuddle with him and mummy and fell back to sleep after a little while. When I woke up again I was back in my carrycot and was scared again so mummy and daddy let me sleep in their bed with them.

I’ll try harder to sleep in my carrycot tonight but at least I know mummy and daddy aren’t too far away if I need them! Tomorrow I’m going to the swimming bath and then I’m going to the rain room because we haven’t got a bath in our carryvan and I need a wash! I can’t wait! xx

So, what have I been up to since daddy last did an update? Well, I now go to nursery 3 times a week which will go up to 4 times a week after we’ve stayed in our carryvan next week! I love nursery and enjoy playing with all the boys and girls who all look after me to make sure I don’t go bump and add to the bruises I always have on my legs! I’ve also been playing lots in our garden and even had a splish splash in my paddling pool a couple of weeks ago! It was very cold in the water but I did have lots and lots of fun!

I haven’t had to go to the hospital as often lately which is really good! I did go to my doctors a few weeks ago where a nurse decided I hadn’t been stabbed enough recently so asked daddy to hold my arms while she stabbed me, not once but twice! I didn’t cry at all after the first one but let daddy and the nurse know I wasn’t very happy after I got stabbed the second time! Both of my arms went very heavy so I couldn’t use them when I got home! But they were all ok the next day which was lucky because I didn’t think I’d be able to play with anything or have any juice. I was a little quieter than usual for a couple of days afterwards but soon got back to my normal happy self.

I’ve been to the hospital for my usual INR checks to make sure my blood isn’t too thick or too thin and it’s usually very steady at between 2.5 – 3.5 (people that aren’t on warfarin have an INR level of 1.0) but it did get a little high for a bit while I had a cold. So I now have 1.0mgs of warfarin one day and 1.5mgs the next day which means mummy and daddy have to check everyday to make sure I get the right dosage! It’s changed when I go to the hospital now as well because I have to go to the children’s day ward to get tested which means we have to wait for the blood nurse to come to see us which means I get to play with all the toys in the waiting room! Last time I went daddy had to stop the car on the road and change the wheel because it went pop as we were driving along the road. He wasn’t very happy because he’d only just bought it from the tyre shop! It also meant we were late getting to the hospital and seeing my talking teachers at the language and speech therapy I go to every Monday.

My talking nurses play some funny games with me when I see them and I’m very quiet and don’t make a sound. Not like I am when I’m at home where I sing and shout lots and lots! I still can’t say proper words but I’m nearly saying “mum”. I say “mumma” but it’s just me practicing to say words at the moment. Mummy and daddy try to teach me to talk but I just laugh at them! I mean, they know what I want and what I’m saying because I teach them new signs all the time. I have just taught them how to say “red”, “green” and “blue” and they’re very good at picking my signs up. I’m very proud of them!

The last time I saw my talking nurses one of them gave me a pink stick which mummy and daddy can make music from. She asked daddy to try to get me to blow it but whenever he tried showing me I just laughed and giggled at him because he looked silly! I have been practicing though and I can now make it play music sounds too! Mummy and daddy are very impressed and said my talking nurse will be very happy with me when I see her in September. My talking nurse has told daddy that she wants me to see another specialist to see if there is any other reason I’m not talking yet. Daddy has told her he thinks it’s strange that I’m so quiet around people other than my family and my talking nurse has spoken to daddy about this a few times. I’ll let you know what happens once I’ve seen the specialist and have any other news about why I’m not talking once my doctors and nurses have figured it all out.

Away from the hospital and all the tests I’ve had, we all went to a aminal shop (Tiana means animal shop) where there were all sorts of aminals! I love all aminals, even the little green baby crocodiles (Tiana means lizards) that were there, but I especially love soft, fluffy aminals! Mummy and daddy were talking to the aminal lady and she brought over a rabbit with very big ears! I’ve seen them on Teletubbies (which is a new favourite of mine!) but never seen a real one before! The aminal lady said the rabbits name was Bugsy and he was coming to live with us! I was very excited and even had a cuddle with Bugsy in the car before we took him home. Dylan also got a small aminal called a hamster which is very noisy at nights so now lives in his little house downstairs. Bugsy lives in his house downstairs and I love putting my hands through the bars in his house and stroking him. He’s sooooo soft!

After a few weeks though daddy said Bugsy had to live outside so I watch him from the back door and wave to him every day. One day when I went to look at him outside though I was disappointed to see his house door was open and Bugsy wasn’t there! Mummy and daddy looked everywhere but couldn’t find him and said he’d probably gone to see his friends in the fields near our house. I was a little bit sad but happy that Bugsy was with his friends though. Mummy and daddy went out and left me to play with Nanny Chris for a little while and when they came back they had a little box. When I looked inside there was another rabbit called Trio inside it! He was smaller than bugsy and his ears don’t stick up, but they’re still very big! Trio gave me lots of kisses and made me laugh so I love him a lot.

We put Trio in Bugsy’s house in the sitting room and I played with him for a long time. Then daddy went to pick big bruv up from school and came back very quickly! He told mummy that one of our neighbours had asked him if we’d lost a rabbit and daddy had said yes! It turned out that Bugsy hadn’t gone to see his friends but had left our garden to go and sunbathe in our neighbours. Naughty Bugsy! So now we have 2 rabbits, 2 cats, a hamster and lots of fish… I keep telling daddy I like birdies too….!

Next week we’re going for a long drive in the car to stay in a carryvan (Tiana means caravan) near Bournemouth! We’re all very excited as we’ve never had a proper holiday before. Mummy and daddy say we’ll be able to do lots and lots of fun things so I’m looking forward to it. I don’t think we can take Gizmo, Poppy, Trio, Bugsy and all our fish though so mummy and daddy’s friend is going to stay to look after them all for us. While we’re away daddy is going to write an update every day so you can see what I’ve been up to.

You can also like my new facebook page where daddy will be able to let you know whenever he’s added a new update! I’ve got some friends there at the moment so don’t be shy… You can like my Facebook page by going to www.Facebook.com/BraveTiana – See you there soon!

Tiana xx

I’ve been very busy learning new signs so mummy and daddy can understand me when I want a drink or I’m hungry. I can tell them all sorts of things now like car, bird, cat, dog, fish, cow, sheep, pig, boat, sleep/tired, shoes, I love you, please, thank you, juice, hungry, bath and guitar (which mummy and daddy think is really cute because I close my eyes and nod my head to the beat!). I learn a lot from Lisa, my teacher at my nursery, who has also been teaching me signs for Incy Wincy spider and Wind the Bobbin up. I go to nursery twice a week at the moment but will be going 3 times a week after the chocloate bunny rabbit has been.

I have been very well lately apart from a couple of weeks ago when I got a very sore throat and couldn’t eat for over a week. All I had in that time was 2 little yoghurts so I lost a lot of weight. Then my INR levels got dangerously high (it was 8.1 and should be between 2.5-3.5) because I was on some anti-biotics to help my sore throat. So daddy took me to hospital and we stayed there for a few hours while the doctors did some tests and eventually told daddy that my INR was coming down and I was ok to go home. We went back to hopsital again 2 days later and my blood nurse stabbed me to check if things were getting better, which thankfully they were. I’m very good at getting stabbed now and even tell my blood nurse which finger she can stab. I don’t even cry because it doesn’t hurt that much and it’s over and done with very quickly.

Since I had the tonsolesitus (Tiana means tonsilitis) I’ve not wanted mummy or daddy to feed me anymore so now I sit at my own little table that Father Christmas brought me and I feed myself. Daddy’s a bit sad because he misses feeding me but, as he keeps telling me, I’m a bigger-bigger girl now and can do it for myself. Besides, it means he can get on with his work while I munch my din dins! When I’ve finished my din dins I pull daddy away from his work so he can help me choose a pud pud from the fridge in the kitchen (it makes daddy feel wanted!) and then I sit quietly and eat it all up.

A few months ago I had my 3rd birthday and got lots and lots of lovely presents! I even enjoyed ripping the paper off everything and now have lots and lots of new toys! My last birthday present wasn’t very nice though… it was a toy hoover! I don’t like hoovers because they’re very very noisy and they scare me so I wasn’t impressed when I saw the picture on the box! But mummy and daddy have put it next to my little table and I’m getting very brave because I now touch it and am even trying to push it around! It’s very quiet luckily so I think I might like it in another 6 months…!

A few days after my birthday Father Christams came down our chimney and left me and big bruv even more presents! I had great fun opening everything and was very relieved to see there wasn’t another hoover for me (Father Christmas knows I don’t like them!) and I had lots of fun playing with everything.

Last week I had to go to see my special heart doctor for my 6 month heart scan. I don’t like it when the doctors prod and poke me and I especially don’t like them looking at my heart! My special heart doctor puts some yukky slime on my chest so his special camera can see how my heart is doing. I got very, very upset so he didn’t have a great deal of time to see how I was ticking, but it was just about long enough for him to say that my heart was operating normally and my metal valve was still working as it should. He said that because I wasn’t really growing (I’m still only 9kg) that this was a good thing in one way as my heart wasn’t growing either so my metal valve can stay for a bit longer. Mummy and daddy were pleased, and so was I!

Although I’m still not talking I have made progress in other areas. I used to hate stickers because they reminded me of when I was in hospital and I had to have all sorts of sticky things all over me to monitor my heart rate and other things. But now I LOVE stickers and, every week, mummy and daddy buy me a comic with Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy and all my other friends in it. The best bit is all the fun stickers that are in the middle of my comic. I like sticking them all over me and daddy and then I stick them all over the carpet! I even get stickers when I do something clever at nursery and I don’t cry when Lisa sticks one on me. Mummy and daddy said they’re going to buy a toy heart listener so they can play doctors and nurses with me at home so I get used to people listening to my heart. I’m not sure I’m going to like it to begin with but I bet I’ll soon see it’s good fun!

Daddy has done a new montage of me at home during 2010, which you can see below:

See you again soon!

Lots of love

Tiana xx

So, what have I been up to since March? Well, I’m still not talking (I can’t see the point when mummy and daddy know what I want all the time) so I’ve been learning all sorts of new signs that I do with my hands. I can sign car, dog, cat, fish, hungry, thirsty, thank you, please and I love you. I’m learning new ones all the time and have extra support when I go to nursery each week.

Nursery is great fun! I get to play with all sorts of new things like sand and water and paint and chalk. I even get to play outside and last week fell over in the mud and came home all muddy! My helper, Lisa, looks after me when I’m at nursery because I need somebody with me at all times in case I fall over and bash myself. Lisa is very nice and she plays with me and shows me new things so I can show mummy and daddy when I get home.

Last time daddy did an update for me I said I needed to go into hospital again for a minor operation to put some grommets in my ears. I had to go into hospital for one day in April and it was a success. It wasn’t anywhere near as long as when I had all my other operations and I was pleased to come home the same day (mummy, daddy and Dylan were too!) and have lots of snuggles with mummy and daddy. The doctors were hoping it might help me start speaking but it hasn’t really made any difference! I’ll start talking when I’m ready. For now I’m quite happy making all sorts of funny noises when I’m running around the house!

Apart form having grommets put in my ears, I’ve not been to the hospital as much as I used to but still have to go every 4 weeks to be stabbed. But I don’t mind it now and let the blood nurses stab my finger without even crying! Ok, I get a bit upset when they try to stick a plaster on it but that’s ok isn’t it? I’ve also been to a special hospital where they check to see how I’m progressing as a toddler. I’m still behind where I should be as I can’t talk and am still wobbly when I walk or run so I tend to fall over quite a bit still. This is because my joints are very flexible so it takes a lot more effort for me to walk than it does other toddlers. The problem is that, because I’m on warfarin, I bruise much easier than other children so I usually have bruises on my knees, arms and face too!

When the weather got hotter we all went to a place called the sea and it was really nice! At first I didn’t like how the sand felt in my toes but I soon got used to it and was chasing after big bruv! He’s very brave and went into the big bath that was freezing cold! He got very wet and I even had a little splish splash too but it really was cold. I don’t think daddy put enough hot water in it so I didn’t like it as much as my bath at home. I still had fun though and loved watching Dylan splish and spalsh, although I did get a bit worried when he went right under the water! I thought the plug monster had eaten him but he managed to escape luckily for him! After we’d been in the giant bath we all went to have something to eat and I had some yummy chocolate cake (daddy had one too. And then had the rest of mine too!). When we’d had our din dins we went into a loud room where Dylan played on some games for a little while. I didn’t like all the loud noises and flashing lights so daddy helped me fall asleep while he, mummy and Dylan played for a bit. When we got home I had a splish splash in my bath and daddy remembered to put some hot water in it so it was much nicer than the big bath at the sea.

Mummy and daddy also got me and big bruv our own outdoor bath for the garden! Dylan’s was very big and even mummy had a splish splash in it with him! I wasn’t too impressed at first but soon got used to it and had great fun splashing daddy while he and mummy were watching me. Then daddy made a fire and cooked some burgers and sausages and we ate our din dins in the garden.

My cats, Poppy and Gizmo have both had kittens and I’ve loved watching them play with each other. I even stroke them and I’m very, very gentle cos they’re tiny. But they don’t stay with us long before their mummy’s and daddy’s come to pick them up. I miss them when they’re not running riot in the house but I know they’re all happy so that makes me happy too.

I’m going to be 3 very soon and mummy and daddy said I can have some friends to my party. I’m not quite sure what one of those is but it sounds like fun (mind you everything’s fun when you’re only 3!) so I’m looking forward to it. Daddy promises he’ll do an update with some birthday pics for everyone.

I think that’s all for this update. I hope you’ve enjoyed catching up on what I’ve been up to and I’ll see you all soon.

See you again soon!

Lots of love

Tiana xx

Last time daddy did an update we’d all been to a zoo and had met lots of mummy and daddy’s friends. Oh, and lots of mummy’s and daddy’s came too! Since then I’ve been very busy and have learnt lots of new things and even had a funny man in a red suit come to see me and big bruv! That was exciting!

Just after we went to the zoo I got up one morning (well daddy got me up earlier than usual!) and there were lots of pretty boxes everywhere! Then mummy, daddy and big bruv all sang Happy Birthday to me while I ate my breakfast. Then big bruv helped me rip all the paper (which is odd because I’m usually told I’m naughty if I rip paper) and there were all sorts of nice things for me to play with. I got a new Iggle Piggle because my old one had a broken arm (dunno how that happened….) and a baby with a pushchair and all sorts of other nice things. Big bruv loved helping me rip the paper which was just as well because I get spooked by things like that! Later that day I got a beautiful Iggle Piggle cake with a light on it and it was really pretty and very tasty too!

A few days later a man in a red suit came when we were all asleep and left me and big bruv even more presents with shiny paper! Dylan was very excited and made lots of mess with the paper and helped me rip mine too (it was great fun!). I got even more nice toys to play with and so did Dylan. In fact he hasn’t put his down since he got it and plays on it every day. He calls it an eyepod touch and I like watching him play on it. It’s very pretty and I like pretty things.

In January I went to my very first birthday party! I went to see my special friend Ellie who has heart problems too at her house and met some of her friends. We had lots of fun and had a nice lunch with cakes and biscuits. Then we all had a bounce on a bouncy castle in her mummy’s kitchen which was brilliant! After we’d all played on the bouncy castle we all passed a parcel and, everytime the music stopped, we had to rip some paper and then we all got a special present. I got some colouring pencils but haven’t used them much yet because I’m usually too busy emptying my toy box of all it’s toys. I do this every morning and every night mummy and daddy fill it back up again ready for me to empty again the next day. It’s a fun game!

On a different subject I’ve been gaining weight and have been to the hospital a lot less regularly. I have been to see some different doctors when mummy and daddy have taken me though. One seems very interested in lights and likes showing it to me. Right into my eyes! I keep trying to tell her I’m not impressed with her shining it into my eyes but she carries on and even gets other doctors to have a go too! It’s shocking what some people find funny! Then I heard them tell mummy and daddy that I was short sighted and would probably need glasses. I don’t think that’s a good idea though because glasses are dangerous and can cut you. Mummy and daddy said so.

As if that wasn’t bad enough I’ve had some other doctors at the hospital sticking things in my ears too! Then they put me, mummy and daddy in a very quiet room and played some sounds. Everytime I looked at the sounds everyone said “well done!” which was weird because they don’t say that when I look at the TV at home when it’s making noises! One of the doctors told mummy and daddy that I need grommets in my ears because I have fluid behind my ear drums that needs to be drained away. So I have to have an operation in April but daddy said I’ll be fine because he’s had it done lots of times.

I’ve also been to see my special heart doctors and when they last looked at my heart they were really pleased with how well it was doing! They don’t want to look at it again now until the summer which is great! They said they are also very happy that my INR levels are very stable. I only get stabbed once every four weeks now and only in one finger too so i’m getting used to it. I still cry though because I really don’t like it but at least I don’t have to get stabbed 3 or 4 times when I go now.

I said I’d been learning lots of new things… Well, exactly one month after my second birthday I took my first steps! I’m now standing and walking lots and love walking whenever I can. I’m still a little bit unsteady but am getting stronger every day and am very proud of myself.

I’m not talking properly yet but this is because my hearing is not as good as it should be so I can’t quite hear the sounds mummy and daddy make when they speak to me. I can hear other things though. Like the biscuit tin. Or the fridge door. Or the bath (I love my splish splash time!). Mummy and daddy say I have selected hearing which daddy said he’s always been told he has! The ear doctor says I should hear a lot better when they put the grommetts in my ears next month so it won’t be too much longer before mummy and daddy are telling me to shuuusshhh!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my latest update and would like to apologise once again for daddy’s slackness. He has been busy though but has said he’ll try harder to do my updates more regularly again. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does!

There are some new pictures of me below. Just click on any of them to make them bigger.

See you again soon!

Lots of love

Tiana xx

We left very early in the morning and drove for what seemed forever! In fact we drove for so long that I actually thought I was going to be as big as my big bruv by the time we finally arrived! I was good though and Dylan kept me amused until we finally arrived.

When we finally got to the zoo it was very wet and very windy! We all ran to a cafe and had some lunch while we all waited for mummy and daddy’s friend Sadie to arrive. There were lots of people there and they all knew my name which I thought was very amusing!

When Sadie and Max, Izzie and Anna arrived we all had our pictures taken outside as the rain had stopped. Then we all started walking and daddy said he could see some tigers! I couldn’t see any though so I’m not sure if being couped up in the car had affected him in some way…

Next we saw some real life airfalants! They were very big and were having a car wash (Tiana has seen daddy jet washing our car) which they seemed to be enjoying! When we went inside their house there was a very little baby one which was very sweet. Mummy said she wanted to take it home! I was just waiting for them to sing like my airfalant does at home. But I think their batteries must’ve been flat because they just made a trumpetty noise.

After we’d seen the airfalants we walked through a little park and there were real monkeys running around in their pyjamas! Daddy said they were called Lemurs. I liked them but they didn’t stay still for very long!

I was getting pretty tired by now so I decided I’d have a little nap while mummy pushed me in my comfy pushchair.

I didn’t stay asleep for too long though and when I woke up I saw some even bigger monkeys that mummy said were called chimps. They had a big bedroom with lots of fun things they could play with. I wanted to play too but was still a little sleepy!

After we’d seen all the monkeys we went to a shop where I asked daddy to buy me another airfalant. Dylan got a very bright torch and some sweets and then it was time to say goodbye to everybody.

We all had a lovely day and I would like to say thank you to everybody that came and look forward to seeing them all again very soon!

See you again soon!

Lots of love

Tiana xx

Daddy is taking me and Dylan out to knock on peoples houses to ask for sweeties! Dylan is very excited and has a skeleton suit to wear. I’ve got a tatty dress and little hat and Dylan will take a tub for people to put our sweeties in. Daddy says we have to give him half of our takings as “protection money” but I think Dylan has other ideas!

Tomorrow we are going on a long drive to a zoo to see some aminals like airfalants (Tiana means elephants), tiggers, giraffe’s and hippopotamusesses. I’ve never seen a hippopotamus or giraffe so am looking forward to it very much. We’re also going to see some of mummy and daddy’s friends who have been following my progress since I’ve been in hospital. I’m looking forward to meeting them all to say thank you for their lovely messages and support over the past 18 months.

I had to see another special doctor a couple of weeks ago because I’m still not talking or walking. She was very nice and we played some games and I showed her how I can stand on my own for a little bit without any help. She told mummy and daddy that I am quite behind for my age but that this is understandable as I was in hospital so much last year. She is arranging for me to see some other special play doctors to see if they can help me catch up. I tried telling her that I’m just enjoying being a baby because I didn’t have a chance to last year but all that I could say was “Bwa bwa bwa!”. I’m not sure she understood my point but I’ll just keep enjoying playing with mummy and daddy and will catch up when I’m ready!

I’ve been playing lots of new games with mummy and daddy and they showed me how to put blocks in one of my toys so the blocks can fall to the bottom of it. When I do this the toy plays some music which I love! I also like playing row, row, row your boat and head, shoulders, knees and toes too! Mummy has also taught me how to count to 10! I give her and daddy 10 kisses and stop when we get to 10. I’m actually a lot cleverer than I let on you know…

Daddy was a little disappointed earlier this month as he found out he hadn’t been selected to run in next years London Marathon which he had planned to do to raise some more money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. He’s thinking hard about what else he might be able to do next year so if anyone has any suggestions please send daddy an email and that will help him decide. I don’t think he’s too keen on leaping from an aeroplane again but is open to any other suggestions…

When we get back from the zoo daddy will do another special update with lots of pictures of our day out so please come back to see how much fun we had! I hope you all have a lovely halloween and get lots of sweeties!

I’ve been trying very hard to walk and keep showing mummy and daddy how clever I am by letting go of the furniture and standing by myself for a few seconds. It’s a far cry from where I was a year ago…

I’ve been keeping mummy and daddy on their toes by learning to stand on my own. Because of my warfarin if I cut myself I bleed a lot and for longer than other children. Just so mummy and daddy don’t forget, I had a spate of falling onto my face while I was crawling and cutting my lip. The first time I did it mummy had to call daddy to come home because there was lots and lots of blood and mummy was very worried. Luckily daddy got home very quickly and I stopped bleeding after a little while. So, the very next day, I did the exact same thing and bled lots again! I think mummy and daddy got the message after I’d done it 5 or 6 times so I’ve been more careful lately and my lip is a lot better.

My hospital visits have dropped a lot so I don’t go anywhere near as much as I used to! I like this and am a lot braver when I do go now. Mummy had to take me to see my children’s specialist a couple of weeks ago and he was very pleased with my progress. He did say he was a little concerened with my development though and has suggested I see another specialist once I’m 2 if I’m still not talking by then. I don’t know what he means ‘not talking’ because I’m always saying “Bwah, bwah, bwah” and I sing to mummy, daddy and Dylan everyday!

Last week daddy took me to hospital for my ritual stabbing and I was very good and only needed to be stabbed once. My INR was within range again so my blood nurses have said I don’t need to go back until November! This was very good news and means I won’t be stabbed in October.

My weight is also going up at last and I now weigh 16lbs 10oz’s. I think this is probably because I’m not sick anymore when I have my bot bot and I eat lots of din dins every day. I am even helping mummy and daddy put my din dins on my spoon and putting it in my mouth! My favourites are roast dinners and cottage pie. When I’ve finished my din dins I then have either a chocolate or strawberry pudding or a yoghurt which is yummy!

Poppy and Gizmo (our kittens) keep me entertained every day. They are very good and let me play with them but mummy and daddy have to remind me to be nice because I can be a bit rough with them. It’s not my fault, their tails look so tempting and I just have to grab them and give them a little tug… They don’t seem to mind too much and it seems to spur them into playing with me even more. I then end up chasing them all around the living room, dining room and kitchen… They’re getting bigger too though and are obviously enjoying our new home because Poppy has learnt how to hunt and has brought us a few birds and even a live mouse and shrew! Mummy and daddy let the mouse and shrew go but I think Poppy and Gizmo will probably bring them some more of their friends again soon…

Mummy has shown me how to wake Iggle Piggle up when he’s asleep so I can now get him to sing and dance to me whenever I like! We have lots of fun playing together and I give him lots of cuddles. I think he might need to see a doctor though because one of his arms doesn’t move anymore…

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my latest update and come back again soon to see if daddy has been selected to run in next years London Marathon. He’ll be finding out soon and will make an announcement on my website as soon as he knows! Bye for now xx