Confessions......

Thank you all for the kind thoughts and well wishes with Aaliyah's CT. Everything went well and she coped with fasting better than I expected. I guess as parents we struggle more than they do, she was just going along for the ride. Happy to have rare one on one time with Mama and free use of Nana's iPad!!!!

So someone asked on FB how I am doing?

The truth be told I fail daily. This parenting gig is hard. They tell you all kinds of things when you are pregnant. You know, that you will be tired, that you will feel like pulling your hair out. And you smile and nod and go, not me, not my child.

I now smile at the pregnant mamas at the shops, or the ones with newborns. The ones that look at me in disgust when Aaliyah is screeching at the top of her lungs because she wants to look at the barbies NOOOOOWWWWWW, and her sister is busy throwing everything I put into the trolley out. I know their turn will come, until then I will let them remain in their bubble!

Towards the end of last year I teetered dangerously close to a break down. I am not afraid to say it. I think it is very therapeutic in fact to be able to talk about these things. Yes, I do realise that this is Aaliyah's Journey blog and not Amy's Journey blog, but you will understand why I am saying these things in a minute.

You see, I had spread myself too thin. Wife, Mother, Advocate, Student, Bread Winner, Chief Homemaker and Housekeeper, Fundraiser. Fortunately I was able to have 6 weeks annual leave (from work, not life!!), Uni finished for the semester (and I made the decision to not re-enrol, my sanity is more important than my degree) and for the most part of those six weeks I only did the very basics of housekeeping. We did a whole lot of nothing, just what I needed.

Unfortunately this came on the back of one of our biggest fundraisers to date, our trivia night. So whilst I dutifully wrote out the thank you cards, they were never sent. And I haven't done much fundraising since. Nearly six whole months has passed with not alot happening.

The guilt I feel is incredible. Its weighing me down. Aaliyah's surgery will not pay for itself. Those kind people that have donated goods, services or money deserve a proper thank you. Gratitude means so much in this harsh world. I have let others down.

So, Im turning a new leaf. A new season. Back to fundraising, back to actually sending out the thank you's I write. Back to being the Mama my girls so desperately deserve. Back to treating myself and my body the way it deserves.

Plans are in motion people. I will get there, we will get there.

So, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

For loving our girl enough to give up your time, money and goods to help support her, even when her mother has been slack. I do not deserve it, but she sure does.


I have now turned my attention to organising our next trivia night, letters to local clubs and trying to source donations from major corporations.

(side note: our plan is for Aaliyah to have her surgery next northern summer, so June/July 2014, we have a long way to go with fundraising, but be sure, we will get there... I am back and more determined than ever).