Olivia commenced her first round of cis-retinoic today. This is the same medication she took for 11 months post-transplant. She tolerated it fairly well and the doctors felt that there may be some benefit in taking it. The most obvious side effect is the excessive skin dryness, which can at times be very sore and itchy. It can also cause joint and muscle pain which can be a worry for James and I as cancer can cause similar complaints. Again, Olivia takes her medication without complaint. Her doctors would like her to remain on it for about six months.
 
James took Sarah to Kidstart while I took Olivia to the Governor General’s Christmas Party at Government House (only one parent and no siblings were allowed). A group of us met at Camp Quality headquarters in Weston and took a bus to the party. We all sat in a marquee and feasted on fruit, party pies, cakes, etc. Santa paid a quick visit and handed out lollies to the kids. The GG also spoke briefly and then spent some time meeting some of the children and their families. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to meet her, as Olivia, Caroline (our friend from CQ) and I spent the majority of the time queuing for the jumping castle and face painting. Nevertheless, Oli seemed to have a good time.
 
When we arrived home, we raced around to do our last minute packing for Melbourne as our flight was only a couple of hours away. We had to make sure we were at the airport on time as Tiger Airways has a very strict policy regarding passengers arriving late. We actually made it with a few minutes to spare. On my way through security, one of the security staff pointed out to me that I used to teach her when she was in Year 5 or 6. Geez, it’s moments like that that make you feel old! It was good to see her anyway.
 
By the time, we arrived at our apartment in Melbourne it was getting quite late. The girls had been very well behaved though Sarah was becoming a little grisly (only because she was tired). We found a lovely little restaurant nearby and grabbed a bite for dinner, though it turned out to be a very late night for the girls.
 

We spent six hours at the Old Bus Depot Markets today selling raffle tickets. Unfortunately, in that time, we only managed to sell 28 tickets which was very disappointing and disheartening. Thanks to Wendy and Lynne for coming along and keeping me company. Ultimately, we decided that the market was not the best place for selling tickets so we cancelled our other booked date.

We headed off to a BBQ with some of James’ work colleagues. I think James is really starting to miss work and the role he played in the project. He is considering going back to work sometime in January if Olivia’s scans go well in December. I think he’s missing the ‘normal’ life, as am I. Although our lives will never be ‘normal’ again, it would be good to experience some of things we once had when we were all well. I desperately long to have a ‘normal’ life and the feeling is often quite overwhelming.
 
The other day I had a phone call from the breakfast producer at Mix 106.3 who said they were auctioning their ‘man bag’ to raise funds for The Olivia Lambert Appeal. I didn’t know anything about it. Apparently, they had a competition running to see who would complete various tasks around town while carrying around a man bag (a very femininely decorated bag at that). If the tasks were completed, the gentleman would win a Carmen Steffen’s bag for his wife. As it turns out, the radio station had so many enquiries about the bag that Carmen Steffen’s have decided to auction off the bag and the money from the winning bid will be donated to The Olivia Lambert Appeal. Our family would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to Emilia Rossi, the owner of Carmen Steffen’s for generously supporting our cause. Again, we would like to thank Mix 106.3 for their ongoing support.

Olivia went to preschool and as usual had a great time. It is just so wonderful to see her being a ‘normal’ kid and enjoying ‘normal’ fun things.

After preschool, the girls spent most of the afternoon playing in the cubby house while James and I stained it. At the end of the day, we were both surprised by how much we’d actually achieved since we spent a great deal of time watching the girls who were either fighting with each other, trying to help us stain the cubby or getting stain on their clothes!

Later in the day, a couple of the guys from GHD installed a cantilever umbrella to provide some shade to our paved area where the outdoor table is. A fair bit of digging was required in order to install the base of the umbrella and concrete was used to set it in place. The girls had fun putting their hand prints into the wet concrete

We enjoyed having the whole week at home for a change. It was wonderful! Olivia made it to preschool Monday to Wednesday and seems to have settled back in fairly well

James and I enjoyed a lovely massage on Friday. Thanks so much to Sarah, Neil and Jessica for the gift voucher. It was a VERY MUCH NEEDED massage.

Happy Anniversary, Mum and Dad!

We managed to have a fairly quiet weekend. James spent quite a bit of time sanding the outside of the cubby and set up the little kitchen to go inside it. The girls got a few little things to put in it. Oli managed to get her first splinter (the inside of the cubby had not yet been sanded). It was very deep and difficult to get out which was quite distressing for her. We got it eventually.