Xmas in the Naki

My little All Black

Reports and X-Rays

Sophie and Max finished Kids Klub yesterday. Even thought it's going to be great having the kids home for three weeks - the two of them will certainly miss all their friends and teachers. The care-givers do a great job there for sure, as Soph and Max both came home with port folio's of all their work from throughout the year and report cards too!

(If you have trouble reading - click on each photo to enlarge)

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Ingrid's report card for the year: FAIL.

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Brad's report card for the year: FAIL

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The year that is 2009

Chillin' in the back yard on a summers day

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Well a post is long overdue, but there are very good reasons for it. The main one being that Brad and I would really like to forget that 2009 even exists! The only good thing that came out of this year is Max and he really has been an absolute delight and a baby that I would wish on everyone lucky enough to have children. The rest of the year however was cruising along – not great, but not bad either until Brad went out for a night to the fight of the century without the wife and kids and came home with a broken arm. Surgery and a few days in hospital followed along with some slow healing. After laughing at him for three weeks and being a meanie about the fact that he can’t be trusted to go out for a night without me I decide to attend another boxing match with him to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble when low and behold I misplace my footing getting out of the car into the gutter and fall very awkwardly. What ensues is a loud crack and a munted ankle and foot that looks far from normal. In fact no normal foot should be facing the way mine was…so off to the emergency department at the hospital where I am informed after x-rays that I have dislocated my ankle and broken it in three places! WTF, talk about karma.

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I ended up staying at the hospital for just over a week waiting for the swelling to go down before they could operate. Finally they operate on 6th November and a couple of days later they kick me out. It was awesome to go home, but reality sets in that I can’t do anything. I can’t put my foot down on the floor and with crutches I can’t carry or lift anything including my kids. So ACC sends them off to daycare for the next six weeks. So here I am, stuck at home on the couch for most of the day with the kids gone and Brad at work and I can’t even carry a cup of tea! Now four weeks have passed and although I am still on crutches I can put a bit of weight on my broken foot and it’s getting a bit stronger every day. Brad has been an absolute trooper and has had to become the full time worker, house dad and cleaner, while his leper of a wife watches on and he has done all this with a broken arm. We really are not great role models for our kids are we! And all Max can do everything he sees me hobbling along on the crutches? He laughs like it is the funniest thing in the world! (Ingrid got bored and hasn't been back to update the story! - so I've jumped in)

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Anyhow - Max is crawling and into everything now - Sophie 99% of the time is a great big sister to Max and Ingrid is moving around a loot better now - she can at least drive a car and managed to get Max up and down the stairs yesterday - that's been the hardest part up till now - Ingrid couldn't put any weight on her foot so getting the kids out of bed and down the stairs has been impossible - but now there is light at the end of tunnel. My arm is getting better, but I still can't bend it very well - going to Physio once a week to get the strength and movement back in - worst part is shaking bloody hands! - In my job I do a lot of that and it nearly cripples me every time! - arhhh!

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On the go the little bugger!

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Max's first real meal - he's a complete hoover! - especially loves his meat - just like his old man!
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Sophie was a trooper when Ingrid was in hospital - she stepped up and almost ran the house - "here you go daddy, I baked a cake for you"
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Role models.
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Ouch...that's gotta hurt!...moments before 4 doctors pulled and twisted Ingrid's leg back into shape

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"Oh you have got to be joking...."

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Also check out Max crawling here in a video!

And Max laughing opening up a draw - video here

Bath-and scream-time!

Click here to see Sophie and Max playing and squealing together!

Eventful couple of weeks

Happy kids playing together

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Max 8 months now

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Sophie and Grantz playing 'Little Red Riding Hood'
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Ringside seats...what a view!
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that was quick...
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"Oooh that's gotta hurt!"
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I should have gone home at this point

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Initially it was a bit of a laugh – the first night away from the wife and kids in a long time – and I come home with a severe hangover, an empty wallet and a broken wrist.
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We (The Rock) sponsored the Tua v Cameron “Fight of the Century” in Hamilton and part of the deal included a ringside table valued at a whopping $15,000 and even though the fight was short and sweet– the atmosphere in the stadium justified the price-tag and some…nothing short of electrifying.
So after dining on fine food and free wine for over 7 hours a bunch of us headed into Hamilton City for the official after party – I knew I was getting a little tipsy that later on in the night when I found myself on stage in a bar…singing in a band …and it became abundantly clear, pretty quickly, that I was the only person in the bar that thought I sounded O for Awesome too– the rest of the evening was a bit of a blur – I do remember the kind gentle bouncer dragging me outside, I remember a few verbal pleasantries being exchanged…(apparently I can get a little cocky and arrogant when pissed, Ingrid says) and then I have vague flashbacks of me sliding down a wet footpath like a bowling ball on a slippery lane...
So after a politely thanking the bouncer for throwing me – I rounded the night off with a few games of pool, a couple more drinks and a long drunken walk back to the motel.
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I knew something wasn’t quite right when I jumped in the shower the following morning and felt sharp pains shooting through my wrist whiled I tried to wash my hair and by the time I got back to Auckland that afternoon, my hand had almost doubled in size and was really quite painful at this stage. Ingrid drove me to A&E and the docs confirmed that I had a broken my scaphoid in my right wrist - and shortly afterwards dropped the pleasant news that due to the severity of the break, I had to have surgery later on that week to get a couple of pins inserted…
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So after a couple of days of getting the piss taken by everyone at work – I headed into surgery. Thankfully I was first on the list for the day, so it was nice and early when I went into theatre – the operation took a couple of hours and after waking up and spending an hour in recovery, I was allowed to go home. Ingrid picked me up and we stopped for a coffee and some lunch – I was even talking about the Music Awards that night and feeling up to going! I still felt a little dazed from surgery so decided to have a bit of kip in the afternoon…I slept for about an hour and then woke with what felt like lightening bolts surging through arm – going from the tips of my fingers to the base of my elbow – I’ve never had surgery so I wasn’t sure if this was a normal reaction or if I was just being a bit of a soft-cock, so I downed a few pain killers. Instead of nullifying the pain, it seemed to increase it…I couldn’t touch my arm by this stage and was trembling, as white as a ghost and felt like throwing up – Ingrid rushed me back to Hospital and they admitted me straight away. As it turned out I had developed a rare reaction called R.N.S. (Regional Nerve Syndrome) – It happens sometimes when the anesthetic wears off too quickly and the nerves don’t have enough time to register or react properly – so then the nerve endings start freaking out a little and become extremely heightened and super sensitive– and believe me – having nerves that are freaking out to that point, ain’t pretty! I spent the next couple of days in hospital feasting on combinations of morphine drips, nerve pills and pretty sweet painkillers.
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Thankfully Nicci (Ingrid’s mum) had come to stay for the week which turned out to be a blessing as she became the built in care giver for the kids while Ingrid ran around looking after her leper husband…

I’ve had my arm re-cast since theatre and I have to attend hand physio a couple of times per week. I’ve only just started to move my fingers un-assisted the past couple of days, so I still can’t tie my shoe laces, change nappies, bath the kids or hold anything in my right hand…and to think, I thought it was kind of funny finding out I had broken my hand and not really remembering it…I know one thing for sure though, I sure won’t forget the days after breaking it…

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You can take the boy out of Hamilton...

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The only good part of hospitals...visits!

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Max happy to see his old man home

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You think Sophie likes her Ice-Cream?

Brad

Growing up fast