*WARNING* This post contains countless clichés!
So apologies in advance for a post likely to be packed full of obvious statements but I just can’t find the words to express my total shock at coming away from Friday night’s 2014 MAD Blog Awards as the winner of not only the ‘Best Writer’ category but also ‘Blog of the Year’ too.
Before I bore you with the details I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to each and everyone of you that nominated and voted for The Future’s Rosie – without your continued support the blog would simply be floating around looking a bit lost in cyberspace and I’d have probably given up as soon as I’d started back in 2012.
The finalists in all categories made up an extremely impressive list of talent from all aspects of the parent blogging spectrum. A mere 75 finalists were in attendance after over 250,000 nominations and votes!
The night started with a champagne reception which certainly helped settle any nerves. Feeling rather outnumbered by woman I was relieved to see a fellow Dad blogger and had a great chat with Ricky AKA Skint Dad – A very inspirational story for anyone finding themselves struggling financially. I also enjoyed catching up with a few familiar faces from last years event before it was time to sit down and be wined and dined.
A big highlight for me came when the winner of ‘Best New Blog’ was announced as ‘Don’t be Sorry’. For those few of you that haven’t heard of it yet, Don’t be Sorry is a beautiful and honest blog written by Sarah Roberts about her son Oscar, who like Rosie, happens to have Down’s syndrome. I felt a little sting in my eye as it was announce because I knew Sarah hadn’t expected to win at all having just spoken to her, but I was also so proud to see another blog about Down’s syndrome acknowledged and rewarded in the parent blogging community. Also representing us ‘DS Bloggers’ as an Outstanding Contributor was the remarkable Hayley from Downs Side Up – little by little we are becoming a voice that will hopefully play it’s part in making a difference for the future of our little ones.
In truth I hadn’t expected anything myself from the evening especially in light of the exceptional finalists I found myself amongst in my two categories. I thought I’d had my moment at last years event with ‘Best New Blog’ – even then I was convinced it was just a fluke. So when The Future’s Rosie was announced as winner of The Watch Hut sponsored ‘Best Writer’ category I was genuinely shocked. Like the previous year I cannot remember what I said as being thrown into the limelight is my biggest nightmare, I am however, pretty confident it made very little sense! As the night fell on the third anniversary of Rosie’s heart surgery I felt it only right to dedicate the award to all those healthcare professionals who helped fix her tiny heart.
I was extremely touched by the kind words from the host of the evening ‘Dr Ranj (of cBeebies and This Morning fame). As a major added bonus, The Watch Hut very generously gave me £500 towards a new watch too!
As I sat down again my heart was still racing and I texted my wife, Karen who was upstairs enjoying the comforts of the Royal Garden Hotel. Then seemingly out of nowhere they announced TFR again – this time as the 2014 ‘Blog of the Year’ sponsored by Parentdish. I’m racking my tiny and tired brain for better words to describe the shock but I’m going to have to settle for stunned and numb!
Needless to say I had a great night celebrating into the early hours. I was most impressed that Karen, Hayley and I found ourselves to be the last ones standing!
Thank you to Sally and all of the MADS team for a brilliant night and for making all the finalists feel so amazing.
I’d like to say a special thank you to my family and friends for being such a huge support, especially Karen and my three amazing kids. Obviously the biggest thanks goes to my little bundle of joy ‘Budlington’ who continues to teach and inspire me every single day.
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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