Friday was an inset day for Ella, before her half term break starts. With Lucy at her nursery as usual, I had a rare day to spend with just my big girl.
A quick google search for local days out brought up the Gruffalo trail at Delamere Forest. As its only on for another couple of weeks I decided that’s where we would go. So, picnic packed, wellies and waterproofs on we headed for the forest.
Ella isn’t great at walking distances still. She is physically capable, she just has to be in the right frame of mind to do it. She will often just sit down, refuse to move, change direction, ask to be carried, crawl, stand still… It takes extra time to go on a walk with her and she needs somebody 1:1 with her at all times (hence why this walk would have been impossible on my own with both girls – even with Lucy in the buggy).
The website said the trail was 1.5 miles but it was hilly, cold and wet and she was exhausted before we had even started so I had to cajole her to keep moving. This involved some carrying, lots of (dangling carrots) snacks and stops to sit down on tree stumps and benches. In between the rests and protesting, she did have fun. She ran ahead, ran back the way we’d just come, jumped in the mud, tickled me with a leaf and found some pine cones. She made friends with every dog we met, threw her hat off several times with glee and ate her way through half her lunch.
As the walk was circular (and I wanted to be back at the car before it got dark), I did cheat and we went the wrong way, ignoring all the ‘This Way’ signs along the route. I hoped the Gruffalo would be towards the end of the trail so going the wrong way we would find him sooner…Good move mummy!
It’s A Gruffalo!!
Ella actually did really well to walk as far as she did being so tired and grumpy (bad case of end of term exhaustion I think). She was still good company and she loved seeing the Gruffalo and eating her picnic in the back of the car at the end of our walk. She then had a well earned nap on the way home xx
We found The Gruffalo!…
Amy Dunn
Our first baby, Ella Mary, was born at the end of November 2010. We were shocked to find out soon after her birth that she has Down's Syndrome. I was determined from the start that Down's Syndrome will never define Ella or what she is able to do. We will provide for her everything she needs to become the child and the person she deserves to be. There will be hard times ahead.... there are already many hard times behind us. But I already know that the good times will always outweigh the hard times. She has taught me so much in such a short time and seeing life from a new perspective is a privilege that not many of us get the chance to experience.
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