Thursday 24th February 2011

Today when we got up, mummy reminded me that we were going to the hospital, for my 5 year cleft review. We got ready and left to get the bus.
When we got there, it was 8;45am, we had to wait in a waiting room, where i go when i see Lucy (my speech therapist). Then we were called into a room i haven't been in before. We were told that room was going to be our 'base' room. A lady called Jacqui took us over to a lady who was taking photos. I had to sit on a chair, it spun round. She took photo's of me, i smiled for them. I had to look up, down, straight, i had to open my mouth wide, look at mummy, look at the wall. Then i had a horrible thing in my mouth, that kept my cheeks open wide so she could see my teeth too. I wasn't so keen on that, mummy could tell from my face, but i didn't cry, just looked at the camera like the lady asked me to do. Mummy thought i looked like i wanted to cry then, but was impressed at how brave i was being. When we were finished, mummy spoke to the lady and the lady told her that she could have a disc of all of the photo's of my mouth (even when i had my hole!) so we had to find a cash point. On the way back to our 'base' we saw one so we told Jacqui we would be back in the minute. Because mummy needed change for the lady with the camera, i got to have a chocolate hehe. We went back to our 'base' room and i started colouring a picture in. Then we were called to another room, in the room that i see Lucy. I sat at the table and a lady called Helen was talking to me (Lucy is on holiday) and another lady called Cassy was trying to make a video camera work. It took them ages to fix it and i was starting to get bored, but didn't fidget, was really good. Then when it was time, i started talking in my loud voice, i had to count to 20, then i had to tell them all about my kittens, i told them about trapping my finger in the door the other day too. Then i had to sing twinkle twinkle little star to them. I kept going shy, looking at mummy, but i carried on. Helen showed me a book with silly sentences in and i had to repeat them after her. Things like the phone fell of the shelf, bob is a baby boy, Sam sat on the bus. These sentences sounded like 'the hone hell o' the helf, bob i a baby boy, ham hat on the buh. They got me to say lots and i had to repeat lots too, they were writing the whole time. Then their camera stopped working again, but they carried on anyway. Then i had to do lots of sounds, whilst Cassy held a mirror under my nose, mummy saw the mirror mist up quite alot (it shouldn't do, but does because i still have a hole in my palate) After we were finished there, we went back to our 'base' I carried on colouring my picture in, it is Thomas the tank engine. I had chance to colour for 10 minutes and then we were called by a man this time. He took me to another room that i have never seen before, he told mummy he is an orthodontist. In the room there was a big dentist chair and i was asked to sit down, i was shy and unsure, but mummy smiled at me and i sat down. He asked me if i was having a nice holiday, but i didn't reply, just looked nervous. He smiled and said look up, so i did, then he used a special mirror. He said lots of words and a lady wrote them all down. He was pleased with my teeth and said they looked good. He explained to mummy about my two top front ones, because mummy had told him that they are a little further back than the others, he said that is quite normal in children (not just cleft children) and may correct itself when i get my big ones through, or can be corrected with a brace when I'm older. I got a toothbrush, toothpaste, stickers and a certificate and then, he added my special mirror to my bag too :D I was very pleased. We went back to our 'base' again and i carried on colouring. As there were lots of other children waiting too, we had time to run over to the lady with the camera and give her the money for the disc. When we got there, she gave mummy a receipt and told her that she would get it in the post in a couple of weeks. We went back to our 'base' again. Then a lady came in and asked mummy for a questionnaire she had filled out so mummy gave it to her (she got it in the post ages ago) after a little while, the same lady came back and we had to go to a different room with her. She was a psychologist, the questionnaire mummy had to do was lots of questions asking how i am, if my cleft affects me at all and lots of things like that. I played while her and mummy talked a little bit, then she started asking me questions, if i have any friends at school, i was really quiet, said i didn't remember their names, put my fingers in my mouth alotENT so i could have my hearing test done. I have been there lots of times before so knew where we were going. When we got there, we went to the children's play area and i played for about a minute until we were called (it usually takes ages) we went into a special room with a man, it has two doors on the room and it goes all quiet when you close the doors. He asked me to sit down at the table and i did. Then he got lots of toys out and asked me what i would like to play with, one of the things was a 'zapper' for a game, i chose that one :D I had to wear special headphones and then i held the 'zapper' in my hand, he told me that every time i heard a sound, i had to 'zap' it. I liked that game. Then we played a 'circus hoop game' every time i heard a noise, i had to throw the hoop at the middle bit, to see if i could hit it. I nearly got it on, was very close to it and even managed to hit it once too, i liked that game too. Then the man asked if i was ticklish, i said yes. He told me that he had a special machine that would go in my ear and it would tickle inside my ear. I've had this done lots of times. It draws pictures of my sounds in my ears, he told me it would either do a road or a hill. (normal hearing would be a hill) He done it in each ear and then showed me that both ears have roads. I liked that game too. I sat and ate a roll when he went to write up the results quickly to explain to mummy and for us to take back to our 'base'. When he came back in, he had a picture to show mummy, where normal hearing is and where mine is. He said it looks like my glue ear is back and that my hearing is very low and i will struggle to hear if there is background noise (tv, traffic, talking etc) When they were talking, i ate my roll. I didn't listen to what they were saying, was too busy eating hehe. The man told mummy that i will need to come back and see Miss Lennox, i have been seeing her since i was very young, she is the lady i see when i have hearing tests, she tells mummy if i need grommets fitted, if its got better or worse. We went back to our 'base' and got our coats, it was time to go home. When we left the hospital, it was 11:50
When we got home, we went to the shop and mummy bought me a small bar of chocolate for being such a good girl at the hospital, I found Tom's favourite chocolate too and we paid. When we got home, i was so excited to show Tom my certificate and things i had been given. I ran straight into the room he was in and showed him, i took my toothbrush and toothpaste out and then ran in to mummy who was in the bathroom. Mummy helped me open it all and i cleaned my teeth, i like my new toothpaste and toothbrush.
Mummy went and had a cuddle with Tom and i went in to the living room to watch tv. Then mummy came through and said she was making lunch. I was sat in a big box and mummy asked me if i would like a 'box picnic' i smiled lots and said yes, then i ran in to the kitchen and said 'i know, we can have a picnic on the floor, you me and Tom' mummy told me to go and ask Tom. I did and he said yes. I was so excited i actually tidied up. Then i washed my hands and helped mummy to get the crisps ready. I put them all out on the blanket and then told Tom it was ready. He came through and got his, but had to wait for mummy because Tom and mummy had toasted sandwiches. I came back in to the kitchen and said 'come on, I'm waiting for you two' so mummy took her sandwich out (it was a bit soggy, but she didn't mind) We all sat down and started to eat. After a little while, Tom had to sit on the sofa (he has sore knees) and me and mummy stayed on the floor, mummy said she would be okay if she kept moving positions. Then we were both sat crossed legged. I told Tom that Zoe (an imaginary person i talk about) had eaten more than him, she had just 'eaten' a cheese biscuit, but spat it out because she didn't like it, so i ate it, he told me she hadn't, because she hadn't eaten hers. When she spat it out, i told mummy 'its just because she is imaginary' mummy laughed, she has told me this lots and i insist she's not. Then when Tom told me she hadn't eaten anything, i was getting a bit cross. At the end of our picnic, mummy was stuck because she has sore knees too, and a bad back. (they are old really hehe) i asked if she would like me to help her get up and she laughed and said no thank you. I carried on eating a bit more. I went for a wee and was really fast, mummy asked if i had finished and Tom said did you wash your hands, i didn't want to wash my hands and shouted and got grumpy with him. I did go and wash them in the end. When i came back in, mummy tried talking to me, i put my fingers in my ears and walked past her. Mummy told me that is very rude. I took them out and said 'but i just didn't want you to talk to me' Then i went into the kitchen, when i came back, i was like a different girl, i started helping to tidy up, took bowls in to the kitchen.  I liked our picnic.
Mummy came into the living room and told me that we are going to see big Ella tomorrow and we still needed to wrap her present up, i went into their bedroom and got it from her and the wrapping paper. The paper fell off the tube so mummy picked it up and bopped Tom on the head, she done it a few times, then he done it back to her and then he started talking down it, i got grumpy again. (mummy thinks a tired me makes a grumpy me) I wrapped it up with mummy and i put loads of tape on it.