My beautiful Joseph with his blue eyes, ready smile and arms always open for a hug or a tickle fight

[Trazzletoes]

He has survived the most horrific cancer treatment with his smile, joy and love intact. Unfortunately the neuroblastoma has survived too.

Thinking of you all - Joseph sounds lovely xx

I haven't donated blood for around 5 years and I've decided to get myself to a blood donation centre. x

Morning Trazzle, just letting you know that thinking of you and your family still features heavily in my morning routine.

If there is anything you need I'm ready, along with many others, to support you all.

Trazzle I think of you guys every day too, my heart aches for you.

Thinking of you and your family. Xxx

Back from a few days away seeing family and you and joe have never been far from my thoughts.
I am so glad joes gone marrow is NB free. That's some good news at least.
Thinking of you all xxxxx

Thinking of you all. Hope you are enjoying some sunshine with your gorgeous boy and your little dd.

Each year my firm elects three national charity partners for whom we raise money.

This year, one of the charities is Children With Cancer UK.

I have volunteered to not just participate in a charity boat race, but to captain one of the boats. Every penny raised is going to the charities, split evenly three ways. (The other charities are Cancer Research UK and Help For Heroes.)

I hate boats. I hate sport. I hate physical activity of any sort. I'm doing this for Joe.

If anyone would like to sponsor us, please PM me and I'll send you the link to our Just Giving page.

Thank you.

Checking in to send love from Malvern, as always.
DD got her blood donor registration number today. We are on a roll :)

YAY for martha

Mine came through last week. 7th May is B day for us.

Just poppin by to send my love and thoughts to the trazzles. X

Sending much love to you all, especially the very gorgeous Joe. I hope he is getting stronger and enjoying time with his adorable little sister.

I finally have an appointment to be assessed for platelet collection in Glasgow at the end of the month. Hopefully I will be ok to start soon after.

Splodging xx

Thinking of you, your lovely Joe and the family xx

Thinking of you & hoping you're enjoying the sunshine.

Thank you all. Thank you for your donations of blood and for your thoughts, prayers and good wishes.

We've been having a great time though Joseph is still very tired and pretty grumpy. Nappy changes and naps are a huge and constant battle.

It's all starting to catch up with me now, psychologically, and I just can't get round to doing anything. I've needed to get in touch with work for ages and I just can't find the time to send them an email. I just can't be bothered with anything. I'm permanently exhausted (though Joe didn't wake me last night - hurrah!) and really grumpy, losing my rag with DH and the DCs at the slightest thing.

DM is going home for a week from today while she can get away but she keeps telling me she is worried about how I'm going to cope . This is not helping.

Hi Trazzles I am not surprised you are exhausted. I am too and seem to be worse now that DS has finished this part of treatment. Not sure if that is because we have to hold it all together, keep going because they have to and now you are in limbo (as are we) and I feel I don't really know what to do in this stage - except feel exhaustion.

As you know my DS is older than your darling Joe and can verbalise things that perhaps Joe can't. I think we all hope DS would feel better as soon as chemo stopped but he does not yet. He feels this earth shattering tiredness that makes him cry - he literally cannot drag himself off the sofa and climb the stairs. It takes a long time for the effects if their treatment to start wearing off.

On days like this we all stay in our pyjamas and watch tv and rest. I find it hard not to jump up and do all the necessary house chores but I need to rest too. So pjs it is, tv, easy food, no talking to anyone else (I'm often too tired to talk/text/email anyone) no housework and then hope that I have more energy the next day - it usually works.

I'm sure you will cope when your DM goes home and it will be the 4 of you. Perhaps there will be a teeny tiny feeling of normality that it is just the 4 of you.

Thinking if you lots and I hope you have kits if restful but lovely days. Xxxx

Kits if = lots of

Trazzles.
Whenever I read one if your updates I type out a huge list then delete it because everything I write seems trite and silly.
So I will simply say that you and joe are in my thoughts everyday xxxx

Trazzle, what is in the email you need to send work? Are there expectations on you?

Trazzle, could your DH write an email on your behalf? Are you signed off by your Doctor? You should be. That will take some pressure off for now.

You will cope. Of course you will. You won't feel good and you won't suddenly accept the reality of your situation, but coping is about getting through each minute, each hour, each day. Nothing more. Rinse and repeat.

I hope you have some glimpses of your boy today, without the pain and tiredness.

It's no surprise you feel as you do - there shouldn't be any expectations on yourself to do anything other than be with your beautiful family. As always, wishing you the very best.

Could you outline your work email requirements here? I've found MN amazing for people coming along & wording emails perfectly on behalf of others, so I'm sure it wouldn't let you down!

Anything practical that any of us can help with to ease your load? All of us definitely would do whatever we can.

Minmooch, all the very best to you & your DS too.

Just popping in to send love to the Trazzles. x

Trazzles is there anything we can do to help while your DM is away? X

Me too Trazzle. Just wanted to say that I was in town last week and lit a candle for you and Joe in the cathedral. XXX

Trazzle Bless you. You'll be fine without your Mum for a week. Of course you'll manage. As min says there are ways to make the drudgery of every day life easier - ready meals, leaving cleaning, PJ days, getting a cleaner in. People resort to them with less on their plate. Having time the four of you whilst Joe's on a roll could be a boost - my Mum helps me a lot as I work away, have a FT job,have 4DC and a DH who travels too and she is invaluable but when she goes I can go to bed earlier, there's a bit more space in the house to breathe and hide and some things are quicker to do I don't do the garden and manage just fine. I know what i'm doing isn't the same at all but you will be fine. I suspect your Mum is just expressing that she's worried you won't cope rather than saying she doesn't think you can IYSWIM. You are her baby and she is worried about you.

I can write your email if you want and it isn't too hard for you to pull together. pm me a few bullet points. If it's HR policy related send me a copy of the policy and what you want to achieve I'll do a first draft to get it underway. I get paid to write corporate policy and messages bollocks for a living so can probably work it out.

I hope you get enough rest to get your mojo back you lovely woman you