Rose has taken her first steps since 7th April with NO CRUTCHES!!!! Nine months and one week off her legs, three months in traction, six months since surgery, several lifetimes of worry and years since hope got up and left the building she has finally, finally done it. No awards for style or balance - it's a great big stagger with the biggest limp in the world and we only seem able to repeat it at selected moments - but who cares. Next week the running track...
And after all the good PR I've given him it wasn't even with Rob but with Amy the community physio who brings fun and games right to our door playing right here in her own home. Without realising what she was doing she bent to pick up a hoop, took a tiny step, and just kept going then 'Mum, Muuuuuum, look at this' ... floods of tears all round (including Amy), making her repeat it over and over and over in case we were dreaming. Felix and I videod her, left messages for Daddy, praised and praised and praised and then collapsed in a heap hardly believing what had happened -put her to bed and sat watching the video clip over and over again!
A couple of days in we have calmed down a bit and Rose has gone backwards a bit but it might all start to fall into place now - I texted Stanmore immediately who that day had called to book her in again to see their child psychology team and hope now that we can shelve that plan. She has got a million miles to go, can stagger in a lopsided drunken way about three or four steps and is still managing to do it -quite impressively - without putting too much weight through her leg but no crutches surely qualifies her for a child psychology stand down. And this morning we have had our first hour long hydro session - loads of fun and splashing about and I've picked up lots of stuff I can do with her in the pool myself so boot camp is shifting up a gear in the Allocca house. If she's not sleeping or in a classroom she's going to be swimming or walking! Practising it at school or anywhere without an adult poised to catch her has been banned by the physios and she will be using her crutches for months to come but it feels like a ten ton weight is slightly lifting off my shoulders and Rose is absolutely thrilled with herself. She wants to go to school full time after half term and this is starting now to look like it might actually be possible - and if she can start to get safely around the building using her crutches I can start to leave her there...trying to keep the lid on my excitement as the possibilities that are opening up for us are breathtaking and I don't want to tempt fate but things are LOOKING GOOD. Suddenly my head is filled with fantasies of holidays and trips and everyday schoolgirl life and my heart is singing with all the things that are out there just waiting for Rose to come and get them.
STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS
Calvin and Tayo's long anticipated (mainly by them who are now back in the grip of skydive stagefright) jump is back on for this Sunday morning and they are soooo close to reaching their target (I promise it isn't me that keeps increasing it!) so if you want to help them get there you can still support them at www.justgiving.com/roseallocca
Hopefully pictures of them safely landed and no bones broken to follow! Happy jumping and all our love to you both - AGAIN! Just make sure you do it this time...
