The Queen's Birthday

Hello Everyone!
It feels like a long time since I last wrote! Infusion went well a week and a bit ago. I had hardly any reaction except for my mouth flaring up a bit which is a normal thing when I have IVIG. Last week we had an extremely busy week. I am a born again Christian and do believe in the power of God. We had a series of crusades and meetings last week that we felt God wanted us to go to. It was great. A Pastor named Tim Hall was holding some meetings for 4 nights in a row. It was wonderful to just go and be at those meetings and feel the presence of God inside and out. Then Thursday night we went to another meeting and the power of God was amazing in that meeting. It was a great week.
Monday, just gone was a public holiday.....the Queen's Birthday. Of course we had no school. Alan, Isaac and I decided to go to Monarto Zoo. This is like a mini safari....you ride in a bus throughout huge enclosures where the animals run free. Cheetah, Lion, Wild Dogs (Cape Hunting Dogs), Hyena, giraffe, zebra and lots of other animals. Not as good as the African Safaris that I have been on when visiting my family in South Africa, but still fun and Isaac enjoyed himself thoroughly. Ouma and Oupa (my mum and dad) came too. It was a nice day with a picnic lunch, a tour on the bus and then to end the day....a camel ride. We thought Isaac would be way too scared....but he informed us that in no way was he scared and he even put the helmet on without any problems. So below you can see some pictures of Alan, Isaac and I going on our camel ride. It was fun, even though I felt nervous! I have been on quite a few but always feel nervous when riding some sort of animal!

Here is a picture of one of the giraffe on the bus tour through the zoo. This is a picture my mum took from the window of the bus. Yes, the giraffe was REALLY close to the window and looking in. It was great. Isaac loved how close the giraffe got. This is really how close it was! This is not enlarged!

Obviously these cheetahs are NOT real. Hehe. This is just some of the pictures they have posted around the zoo. Mum took a photo of Isaac and I posing....obviously...hehe

Another one....with a rhino.....NO NOT real! Hehe

I forgot to bring my camera but can imagine mum has more photos than just these ones that she sent me........

Mum and dad leave for Africa in a week from today...for about 6 weeks. They are going for Pastoral Ministry (yep, mum and dad are Pastors)...and for a part holiday to see mum's family since mum is South African. They will be going to different sections within Africa.......Tanzania and Mosembeak (sp?)

Anyway, no other news right now. Life carries on....trying to get some more shifts at work and more appointments...ah yes....another follow up haematology appointment on Friday....and then an ENT follow up and then a dermatology....in the next few weeks.

Update again soon,

Love Charisse

General Update

Hello All,

Well, it was a good weekend! We got to the wedding and saw both my friends. It was very nice. Now my other friend has gone back to NSW....I will miss her until I see her again.

My sister's baby's dedication was good on Sunday. She is So funny...my niece that is. she always laughs or smiles at me and during the dedication I was trying to take her picture and she screws up her nose and does funny faces at me.....she is very cute.

They came to visit with mum and I yesterday and she had cut her first tooth! And she rolled properly twice! She had been sitting up but had not rolled a lot...and now she is doing it...obviously got the knack now....such a sweet girl..and with her first tooth...hehe

We had tea with Alan's brother and partner tonight! I had such a great time with them both....it just occurred to me that I don't say names in my blog...hehe...I think it is because I am not sure if people want me to mention their names..I should ask them. Anyway, I had a really good time. Thanks Guys...if you are reading this...I really enjoyed my time with you tonight. It was special.

Well, this week I have been having trouble sleeping! It has been SO annoying. On Sat night I didn't fall asleep until 2.30am and Sunday it was 1.30am and last night was 2.30am...I am feeling really tired. I think it could be hormonal. There was only one night that I was feeling anxious about something....otherwise I have been pretty comfortable with going to bed...and I go to bed when tired....and yet I have not been falling asleep. I still have a cold so when I don't sleep as well...that seems to flare up. I sure hope I sleep well tonight...I feel very tired....and I have done well with emotions while being tired but I feel like I can't hold in emotions much longer when feeling so tired....I get teary.

Tomorrow we are going to see a friend from kindy. Isaac will have a play and I will visit with the child's mum. My friend/nanny comes on a Thursday too...so I will be graced with her presence.

Friday, as I said in my last post...is my infusion. Pray I don't have a severe reaction....because I am not excited about a reaction...they are not nice.

Work has rung me three times in the last week asking me to work...obviously people on sick leave more now that it is winter. I have not been well enough this month to work...but I can't wait til next month...when I can do a shift or two!

Well, that is it from me. I will talk to you all later.
Love Ya,
Charisse

Learning to knit/The Little Things/update/being amused

Hello All!

Well I already wrote into the Fanconi Anaemia group to tell them about my great knitting skills! Hehe. I have started to knit. Have I written about this here yet? Even if I have, I am gonna write it again..I can be so vague. Isaac's nanna and great grandma have started to knit a rug for Isaac. So it doesn't take forever, I have started helping as well...not that the process will be sped up with my great, fast (not) knitting. Hehe. Alan's sister is doing some knitting too (I have heard that you, Jacqui, have done quite a number of sqaures!)...so we are all helping. The day that Nanna showed me how to knit was amusing. Well I find it amusing. I had my eyes glued onto the knitting needles and the stitch because I was SO tense about what I was doing! Ha! That night I piled heaps of cushions under my elbows to support them because I was so sore from knitting. I was then knitting with my elbows in the air...haha...hehe...I am giggling because I find it so funny.

Anyway, I have now done 22 rows of my knitted square...hehe...and do not have to pile all the pillows so high! I am a slow knitter but may be I will get faster with practise...you would hope! Ha! It has been fun though. My own nanny taught me to knit when I was very young and I used to knit scarves..but have not done any of that in years so it was like learning all over again.

Anyway, to another subject. Last Sunday my best friend from highschool was down from Sydney...well a suburb around there...NSW....I miss her so much here in Adelaide and I was so excited that she was having her baby shower here in Adelaide. She is about 31 weeks pregnant...Is that right...well around that last week. I loved seeing her. It was so nice to just be in the room with her. We did a guessing game. You know, how many jelly beans are in the bottle and I guessed right. I kind of used a system I thought may work. Haha...I was SO excited ...yes, I know...to be excited over a jelly bean game is rather amusing...but I squealed with delight...haha..I got to take the jelly beans home and a new baby bottle...not that Isaac is drinking from a bottle anymore...far from it.

Tomorrow one of my friends from highschool is getting married. My best friend from highschool will be her bridesmaide. Then she will be going back to Sydney. I want to go and see my friend get married and I can see my other friend again while i am there!

Sunday, my sister's baby is being dedicated to God at church. There will be a luncheon after church. What a relief that i am more well now than last week!

Isaac is pretty much recovered and will be at kindy next week. I just have an annoying cough left and my nose clogs up and runs at night...but I feel a lot better. Alan is still roughing it out a bit. He doesn't feel nice at night but he has been at work.

We are probably having dinner with Alan's brother and partner this week and that should be nice. I am looking forward to that.

So the weekend and next week should be fun!

Then the IVIG infusion is on Friday and I pray I don't have a horrible reaction like last time. This month has been constant unwellness...first the 1 1/2 weeks of infusion reaction and then Isaac getting sick, myself and Alan...and I didn't get to go to work this month because I have been too unwell with reactions and viruses. That is frustrating. I do miss it. I find work very fulfilling (I am a nurse). Hopefully next month I will get to work. I did receive all my updated pay slips in the mail...and recieved that I have to go and do my yearly update with drug calculations, CPR and manual handling...it is good that I get paid to go in and do all that stuff.

Ha! I want to share something I find funny...again. Isaac goes through stages when he will go to sleep without you sitting in the room for a while...does that make sense....he will fall asleep and then there are times when I need to spend 10 min sitting in the rocking chair while he lies in bed...it helps him know that I am all right...I have no idea if this is making sense. Anyway, tonight I am sitting in the chair and Isaac is lying in the bed but every time he sits up to look where I am I can see the sillouette (sp?) of his head against the light in the hall way. Now it is SO cute that I just burst out laughing. I don't know if you find this funny but a child sitting there, bolt upright, looks really funny to me in the dark. I just was giggling and giggling..."oh this won't help Isaac to fall asleep"..and called Alan to come and sit there for a little while...anyway, I just found that funny! Ha!

Ok, I suppose I should go now. May be I will do some knitting. Actually I think Alan and I will watch a movie together..nothing like good old quality time together vegging when we fell ill!
Love you All,
Charisse