A visit from the stork in 2027
And just like that life changes. The future, which we had barely imagined, is going to unfold in a very different way. Three weeks ago on the 15th of August Sam and Caitlyn surprised us with the news we are going to become grandparents for the first time in February. It was totally unexpected. Our hearts are full of joy and we are thrilled for them and our whanau. Sean and I have started thinking about our new ‘job’ titles as we don’t want the typical monikers. Rory and Colt are trying to figure out what it means to be an uncle!
The past few weeks all four of us have been affected by winter viruses, as are many people across Aotearoa. Rory had three days at home, Colt has had time off school and I needed some sick leave.
We are still working through the process for housing modification with ACC. Unfortunately it is very slow and complicated so there been no changes in the house. The lack of modifications makes it harder for Rory, Sean and I. We have to provide direct support as it is not safe and Rory is less independent.
On Thursdays Rory loves going to New Plymouth Men Shed with Peter. He brings home some amazing timber creations. Peter is very talented and spends a lot of time and effort supporting Rory to enable the projects to come to fruition. Every second Sunday Rory has been spending the morning out with Support Carer Anthea and honing his cooking skills in the afternoon.
When the weather allows we have been taking walks with Bear, with Rory in the Terrain Hopper. The locations of Colt’s football games have given us the opportunity to explore other parts of Taranaki. In our spare time we are weeding our riparian margin along the Kurapete Stream. I am shocked at the number and diversity of weeds, the manual labour required to remove them and the cost of disposal. We are replanting with native species to increase the cover, stabilise the bank and provide habitat for native birds, lizards and insects.