My Christmas 2008

The Bernard Bunch does Christmas Day in installments ... one day as the Bernard Bunch, another day as the French Bernard Bunch and its members, another day as the British Bernard Bunch and its members, and another for those who couldn't make any of the above Christmas appointments. Lets go into my room on the morning of Thursday 25th December 2008 ....


As you can see, I was very, very excited. This is 9 o'clock in the morning ....

A Princess needs a lot of beauty sleep man!!!

But eventually I did wake up ...

Then I sat on my potty for a while as William and Nathan ransacked the tree for gifts ...

I got a microphone! One which helps me to understand that I can master sounds and movements of my mouth ... like, Yeah! I can talk, man! You know that!!!

But I was polite, and accepted the gift as graciously as a Princess should ...

Papa helped me to open a gift from William ... a weird strange green furry creature which really tickled my fancy!!!

I got new clothes .... anyone who reads my blog regularly knows EXACTLY who these clothes came from ... aren't they OUT OF THIS WORLD????!!!!

Mama was really chuffed to get these!!!! And intends to order more when the seamstress stops dropping sproglettes ....

Don't you just LURVE this style???

Of course, all the more elegant for being sported by a Princess ...

I fell in and out of my new ... um ... truck thing ... its fun ... it slides everywhere ... and I have to work on my balance quite a lot ... I suspect that's why Mama and Papa got it for me ...

I got a beautiful book from my Gramma in England!

And I had a great time playing with the frog in the book, which was also a puppet ... I was greatly amused by this little creature!

I opened a fluorescent pink gift from my Auntie Sianie in London ....

and it contained a bright pink ball with a face ... I LOVED IT!!!

I had a yummy Christmas lunch of plastic circus animals ...

And I even opened one gift without any 'authorisation' from anyone .... I really got the gist of gift-unwrapping this year!!!

A new coat! which I proceeded to insist on wearing ... ALL DAY!!!

I enjoyed a Christmas day full of hugs and kisses with all my family

I opened a HUGE gift from my Mamie (French Grandmother) and Papi (French grandfather) which my godfather Franck helped me to open ...

Cousin Lena helped me a bit too ...

And once I'd got the gist of things, I was like a factory-worker, unwrapping presents willy nilly!

I had lots of warm moments with my gorgeous God-father Franck

Who gave me a beautiful gift which wasn't recorded on camera but which I use a LOT - one of those funny board things that you write on and then wipe the shapes off .... I have a great time with this ... though to be honest my brothers keep nicking it off me!!!

Well folks.... on this festive note I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful friends out there for a wonderful 2008 blogglingly spent together. When Mama started my blog some years ago, she never imagined that we would make so many beautiful, beautiful friends out there. Thank you all for liking my life, for caring for my well-being, and for providing my Mama with the moral support she sometimes needs. You are beautiful. And there are a few of you out there who know that you are especially special. Thank you.

AND ROCK ON 2009!!!!!!

Maman, Papa and miracles

There was a lot of fuss at the table last night.

I still haven't figured it out ... but Mama and Papa both looked very happy.

You may remember that kids with Jacobsen's syndrome are delayed in many areas, but particularly with regards to speech. As I also have West Syndrome, the delay is all the more pronounced. The speech therapist suggested that maybe I may never speak the way other people do. Well... that's life. Everyone sure seems to understand what I want and mean, cos I am an excellent communicator. Of course, that's the Princessly blood speaking.

Well last night the Bernard Bunch was all sat at the table, chatting and squabbling as usual about Pokemon, soccer, pink shoes and hair grips. The usual thing.

"Papa, il est la"

A puzzled look spread across the face of each member of the Bernard Bunch. They have never ever heard me say 'Mama' or 'Papa' or 'pink shoes' or anything ... so this was something new. For a while, they looked around the room looking for source of the voice that had just announced that 'Papa is over there'.

"Maman, elle est la"

My finger was pointing at Mama, and I was telling the Bernard Bunch that 'Mama was over there'. Mama and Papa looked at each other in disbelief. Not only was I saying my first words ... but I was coming out with entire sentences!!

There was lots of wooping with joy and dancing and people generally behaving in quite a silly fashion. Like I said, I don't know what the fuss is all about. Didn't the doctors always say I would do things MY way, at MY pace, and when I was ready? Am I a princess or am I a princess????

Good news on my haemophilia stuff!

WAY HAY!!!
I just saw my hematologist at the Children’s hospital
She’s the one who diagnosed my Jacobsen’s Syndrome when I was born
and saved my life.
I LOVE this Doctor, she is SOOOOOOOOOO nice!

She takes really good care of my weird blood issues
and she wears some pretty funky clothes which Mama LOVES

Can you see all those bruises on my arms and body?

Yet it turns out : my blood issues are improving!

You may remember, when I was born my platelets were so low that the Doctor’s couldn’t understand how I could still be alive … but blood transfusions were quick to put color back into my face and nudge me back into the world of the living.

Well, today my platelet levels are just like any other child of my age! It took two years for their count-level to get this far...

Isn’t that good news! It means my body has been doing a jolly good job of making me strong.

I still have to seeing my hematologist regularly because whilst I now have the same number of platelets, they don’t do as good a job as other people’s platelets, which is why I’m always covered in bruises. I have to be careful in case it ever turns into a hemorrhage or something.

But the Bernard Bunch is really chuffed at the good news! Isn’t it cool that my lucky star shines so bright? And that my blood doctor is so groovy!

Now listen folks :

I had an adventure on my way back from the Children’s hospital.

See this thing here:

Well, guess what. Mama didn’t.

She just kept whizzing along in her batmobile like 'ain't no thing'

And then there was a boom. Well actually there wasn't a boom.

Cos Mama and the other car both stopped in time.

Phew … BIG sigh of relief : no accident.

This was the car Mama avoided :

Oops!

I was so worried by the whole situation that I continued to sleep.

Anyway, the policeman pointed a finger through the car window at Mama, as if to say

'You naughty person! Don't do that again"

And off we drove back home.....

As you can see, I was still very troubled by the whole episode.


One the motorway on the way home, William noticed something in the wing mirror:

Lots of lights and sirens and cars ... all apparently following Mama .... who kept bumbling along oblivious to the fact that they were all after ... HER!!!! She even waved at them in a friendly way as they whizzed in front of her and tried to pull her over. Mama can be REALLY dense sometimes, and she REALLY didn't cotton on for a while ...

But eventually she realized that all the lights and cars and sirens were for her ... and in confusion and dismay, she stopped the car, and asked what was going on ....

it turns out, that when Mama saw the policeman earlier pointing a finger through the car window at Mama, as if to say 'You naughty person! Don't do that again", what he was actually saying was

PULL OVER! In the name of the law!

OOOPS again!

Well, Mama ended up with a much-deserved fine for not stopping at the 'Stop' sign (go tell all your Mama's and Papa's that they must be REALLY careful with road rules and respect them all)

But she is glad she learned the lesson before any real damage was done.

As you can tell, I was truly traumatized by the whole incident :



And I didn't wake up until I got home, and discovered THIS under the Christmas tree!!

Lots of goodies for William Nathan and me!!!

And later, I met Father Christmas in person, at the local "intermarche' supermarket! Take a look at the piccies on Pauline's blog all about me : http://les-soeurettes-mimi.skyrock.com/. Please leave her a comment, cos she spends a lot of time on her 'Abigail blog' and as my adoptive big sis, deserves some encouragement. And she speaks fluent English!

Father Christmas is such a nice person!!!
Oh hurry up Thursday!!!!