The new school year has started. As you must know, in addition to school, the children's thousands of hobbies start. Today Taxi Denies will take you to the necessary "points of interest."
The school
Ella-Marie gets to start her school year again in Pulderbos. At first, we were not sure if she was going to be sad because she cannot see her "real" classmates, but that turned out to be not so bad. She really does miss IMG very much, but once back in Miss Conny's class, there was a certain stability. One of the two classmates from last year was also back and a new student will soon join the school.
The first day Ella-Marie did not receive any homework, but there was a lot of laughter, crafts and games. What is new this year is that she will have large time blocks of lessons, which means there will also be some real play time! So it is very nice to hear that she has already met some peers with whom she can talk.
As parents, we hope that Ella-Marie will be able to lead a nice social life. In the greater Heist-op-den-Berg area, there are still former classmates who visit her. You then see immediately how happy she is. So far, the adolescents are still busy with tiktok, drawing pictures and watching movies and the parents are still allowed to sit nearby. Times will still change... :-).
Swimming lessons
Ella-Marie couldn't shut up about it. She had to and would swim
again! Last year, she enjoyed the encouragement of the coaching
staff immensely. Despite scares of epileptic seizures from using
the left arm, she made solid progress. Of course, that progress is
completely gone ... we thought.
Jana, physiotherapist-to-be and, along with the other G-swimming
coaches, huge motivator, gave Ella-Marie individual lessons on
Saturdays. With great patience and positive encouragement, it soon
became clear that there was work to be done, but less than feared.
Thus Ella-Marie was able to cross a length with the help of some
floating equipment. Especially lying on her back, she can actually
propel herself quite well.
Our intention right now? Self-sufficiency. By this we mean that
if she were to fall into the water (pool, river, etc.), she has the
reflex and the ability to get to shore.
Everything she learns after that is gain. And thanks to the top
guidance of the G-swimmers, these gains are sure to succeed!
Forest Classes
Little sister Olivia is also facing a big adventure. On Tuesday,
Sept. 19, she was dropped off at the school for a three-day forest
class trip. It will be her first time away from home for several
days. Since her sleeping pattern has had some serious dents since
Ella-Marie's surgery anyway, it was with a bit of trepidation that
we waved her off on the bus.
Fortunately, there was the listening ear of teacher Amber, who can
assess Olivia's (and Ella-Marie's) situation very well. Thanks to
her reassuring words and a motherly decisiveness, we are sure that
Olivia too is going to have many positive experiences during this
trip.
It also means that mom Annelies and dad Pieter will be home alone
for 3 days. On Tuesday evening we enjoyed a delicious bite in "Den
Draver" in Zandhoven. A restaurant located a few minutes from
Pulderbos. Afterwards, we took a "walk" around Pulderbos with
friend Maxime and Ella-Marie. After a nice bath and some reading
from a book, we wished Ella-Marie goodnight.Due to various road
works, we had to drive around a little longer than usual, but after
a good 40-minute drive we arrived home. And then came something
that every parent-with-children-on-trip looks forward to. We
debated for a while whether it was going to happen in the couch,
the bed or possibly even outside in the lounge, but finally came
THE big moment: how well we slept. From 9 pm to 8 am. Without
children. Without "some more water, some more reading, some more
tucking under". Just ... wonderfully ... slept! :-)
The House
A problem never comes alone. We also found that an exploded (you can almost take that literally) water heater can cause flooding. When water came down through the ceiling light in Ella-Marie's current room, we immediately knew what the problem was: the water heater was in the attic, was already a bit older and gave up a few weeks early.
Fortunately, we have friend Danny, who was able to send someone through his contacts. As a result, we installed a new water heater. The shell of the new section is there. The laying of the roof is in a final stage. It already gives a better idea of the new living space we are creating for Ella-Marie. And together with Marieke, mom Annelies is busy preparing the furnishings. So everyone is very curious about the final result! :-)
And Ella-Marie? She works very hard every day. She is still a little bit in her cocoon, but we are sure she will continue to flutter through the world at her own pace, like a beautiful butterfly!
The sight of Ella-Marie
We were regularly asked what Ella-Marie actually sees (not) because of the limitation caused by the brain surgery. It was very difficult to answer this, but thanks to Elke from Pulderbos we can send you to a link, where a video tries to make this clear. Click here and crawl into Ella-Marie's world for a moment. In any case, we were very surprised! Mind you, Ella-Marie gets a different view because the other side of the brain has been removed. Anyway. it's a special one.