Hi everyone.It's been a mad old time since the last blog and so much has happened.
After much deliberation, we decided to return to the UK and we have had a mad old time being back amongst family and friends. We returned to the best welcome possible at the airport with my family making banners and cheering at our arrival. It was all very surreal after a 24 hour flight,and to be back on British soil was strange after all these years.The long,sunny nights messed with our heads for a bit and the boys were missing their usual bedtime by a few hours most nights as we just kept losing track of time (in Oz,its dark by 6pm). The boys didn't complain though!
We hit the ground running and met up with family and friends which was fantastic. There were castle stays,Legoland and theme park visits,a Harry Potter Studios trip,cottage stays and much more. We were kept extremely busy having lots of fun.
Unfortunately,we soon came back to earth with a bump as the news came through from our letting agent that the tenant in our house would not move out.Our hands were tied and we soon found out that tenants clearly have more rights than landlords.We spent the next 5 weeks sleeping on friends mattresses and in my parents 2 bed house whereby they gave up their bed (I was 8 months pregnant,)and they slept on a mattress on their living room floor. The situation was dire and we just couldn't believe what we had come home to. Paul was distraught and neither of us could see an end to the black cloud that seemed to continue to hover over us. The midwife was very concerned about my emotional health as the stress of the past few years was enough,but this was unbelievable. To top it off,I was then diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was to take my own blood 5 times a day and record it to ensure my blood sugar levels were stable.What else could possibly go wrong?? After living out of 4 suitcases and awaiting for the arrival of our belongings from Australia,we enlisted the advice of a solicitor and started the ball rolling to evict her from the property.This could take 6 months,time we didn't have with a baby on the way in 4 weeks time plus getting the boys settled into a new country and school as soon as we possibly could.Life was stressful again to say the least.
After 5 weeks of being back in England,our tenant finally decided to move out and we moved in. The property wasn't left in the best state but we were just glad to be home.
The boys started school and Tom settled in immediately.Charlie took a little longer but now he can read and write just like his peers,he feels much more confident and settled. Well, as my sister says,he has been fighting to stay alive for the past few years so he had bigger fish to fry. His hospital visits have proven to show that hes keeping the big C at bay but every visit (and bits in between) I worry about the prospect of him relapsing. He's gone through so much,I just want him to have a happy,"normal" life now with no Cancer getting in his way. He's joined Beavers and can now go to a public pool so has lessons and is loving it.
Oh,I nearly forgot to mention.We had a new addition thrown into the mix too.Our amazing,beautiful,miracle of a baby arrived on September 17th, and we named her Amelia Rose Barratt. The 3rd baby I'd always longed for (but had to wait a few extra years for as we had bigger fish to fry)! She is such a welcome addition to our family and the boys adore her.She is the perfect distraction we needed after the hellish years of dealing with Cancer we've had.
Being around family again has been amazing.Seeing the children having so many fun times together with their cousins and arguing like siblings is great. The boys are enjoying the sleepovers they missed out on,the cold weather they forgot about,the cuddles with grandma,grandad,Aunts and Uncles that skype just can't cater for. The time back home has been stressful at times but having family and friends around makes up for that.
Charlie astounds me every single day. I recently made a little folder up for him of all the charity events people did in his honour,blogs I've written,basically all the important things of his cancer journey so he can look back on it when hes older (if he wishes).Reading back at these blogs,it baffles me as to how as a family who just moved to the other side of the world,we coped with the diagnosis that our 2 year old had Cancer and had to endure the horrific treatment he did. I know the answer though. Our boys. Thomas and Charlie are the world to us (and Amelia now too)! and just like any parents would,you have to stay positive and rise to the challenge and believe in them. I will never tire of saying that Charlie is my hero. Seeing what he has endured will never leave me and as a mum,I couldn't be prouder of my boys, including Paul. Cancer has touched us in a way I never thought it would and would never wish on anyone. Life goes on and our lives are going to be fun,positive and memorable. If anything,Cancer has taught us to get on with things,don't sweat the small stuff and live life.
