Little Miss Swiss

24 Jun 2014


I think I’ve just broken my own record for the longest time between posts! During this time Rosie has been unwell with a chest and ear infection (for over two weeks). It’s been a long time since she’s been under the weather so she deserved to have a good run at it! I’m pleased to say she’s much better now and as a result is moving on leaps and bounds – making up for that time lost time spent nose blowing.  I’ve also been busy preparing and practicing for something I never thought I’d see myself doing in a million years… a public talk to 200 odd people for Mencap which takes place this Friday in Birmingham. I’m so far out of my comfort zone my legs are going to jelly just typing about it! I’ll let you know how it goes (if it goes well of course!).For those of you that have ever wondered where Rosie’s surname comes from; it’s of Swiss origin. I myself am dual national (well treble if you count England and Scotland as two!) and therefore Rosie is one quarter Swiss. The reason I mention this is that I wanted to share a video with you (below) of my Dad and Rosie enjoying a Swiss nursery rhyme together. Rosie seems to be embracing her Swiss roots well as I haven’t a clue what they’re singing about but she is appears to have full understanding of what’s going on!What I love about this video is how Grandad just ‘gets’ Rosie, they always interact so well together regardless of which language they converse in! When she swipes for him (it’s affection) near the end he doesn’t even flinch.Rosie has an amazing and unique bond with all of her grandparents and we feel very privileged that we have all of their support. It seems a bit silly saying that now – of course they all love Rosie to pieces but I have read a lot of bits and bobs around social media recently that have really made me appreciate just how lucky we are to have such genuine support from our parents.Rosie also had her (now annual) Cardio check up last week which provided myself with a full on work-out trying to restrain her! It really isn’t a traumatic experience in terms of pain, its exactly the same as having a scan when pregnant, same procedure, same machines just over the heart area. However Rosie has been through so much in her early days that she tends to get very distressed when any medical professional comes near her. Even a simple visit to the Doctor will end in a minor hysterical meltdown. As soon as the consultant had finished and we sat her upright she smiled and laughed, chatting away to him as if the previous five minutes of seeming torture hadn’t even occurred!I’m delighted to say that everything appears in order. After the last scan she appeared to have residual leakage from the valve but even that has cleared up so we came out feeling extremely happy and, as always, eternally grateful to the wonderful medical team that made all this possible.Grandad Future’s Rosie from The Future’s Rosie on Vimeo.

  

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The Future's Rosie

I'm Tom, a thirty something father to three beautiful children and husband to my soulmate Karen. I started this blog as a means to talk about stuff, get things out in the open, a bit like an online therapy I guess and to celebrate the progress of my beautiful daughter Rosie who was born in March 2011 with Down's Syndrome (DS) and a Complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD). Maybe the experiences shared on here will help others too, hopefully help illustrate the bright futures our children with DS will have if we can break down common misconceptions. When I first found out Rosie would be born with DS I found reading literature with open and honest feelings on the subject, extremely helpful. This is not intended to be a written masterpiece and I can promise you it won’t be. I don’t pretend to have a large vocabulary and to be honest the further behind me my school days become the more my grammar has deteriorated!... however, you will find what is written on these pages comes from the heart.

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