Samuel James Hooks

Thomas is a BIG brother!!

Samuel James was born on 26th August at 2.03pm weighing 7lb 1oz. He came 5 days early - obviously doesn't take after his Mum - but it all went really well and we are totally made up with our boys :-) Thomas is the doting big brother and seemed to instantly accept Samuel, he couldn't wait to get to the hospital and meet him. He keeps kissing him and wanting to cuddle him which is really lovely. He's been a bit of a handful for us at times, which is obviously a reaction and only to be accepted, but he's besotted with his little bro which is the main thing.

Here's a slideshow of a few pics

28th July 2009

Hello again

Thomas' heart outpatients appointment went well on 25th June. His sats were 82 (that's fine for Thomas) and after a thorough heart scan the registrar said his heart was 'working well'. We didn't ask any questions this time, we basically just scarpered out of there when he said he'd see us again in 6 months. We didn't want to prompt any discussion about the next stage. Thomas is reaching the age where they could start talking about the next operation and start the ball rolling i.e put him on the cardiac catheter list and we really don't to face this over the next 6 months with the new baby coming along. It would be different if Thomas was struggling in anyway but he's doing very well and having such a lovely time so leave us be for the time being please.

The next day I had another scan to check on the baby's heart and that all went very well too so it was a really good couple of days for us :-) Also 26th June was my Mum's 65th birthday and we'd arranged a surprise BBQ for her at my brothers. This all went off really well (despite a monsoon like downpour in the afternoon) and we even managed to keep it a surprise from her - for anybody who knows my Mum will realise this is no mean feat :-)

Thomas has finished his first term at 'big boy pre-school' for the summer holidays. He's back there for 2 sessions a week in September. He seems to really enjoy it, he's made some new friends and is always coming home with some crafty thing he's made.

I've now finished work - I've taken some holiday before my maternity leave which officially starts on my due date 31st August. So today we've been playing cricket & golf in the garden and playing in the sandpit - this beats work any day!!

Last Friday we went to West Midlands Safari park and met up with Thomas' heart friend Charlie and his mum. We had a brilliant day and despite the hideous weather forecast it was actually really pleasant and sunny for the most of the day. The boys had a ball and the next morning Thomas said ' Mummy I really like Charlie and he's got a special heart like me' awwwwww.....

We've been very busy at home decorating and reorganising the bedrooms in readiness for our new baby. I'm pleased to say the nursery is now ready and the new office/spare room is nearly there. Thomas has been helping (in his own way) he likes to be involved in everything, we've found the best approach is to let him have a go and then he often gets bored and goes off to play.

Daddy's fathers day present was a book called 'Daddy's little boy' in it there is a boy called Tom who does lots of great stuff with his Daddy. One of things they get up to is making a castle so Thomas wanted to do the same. I've added some photo's of it for you - it's been a bit of a project but it's all finished now and the boys are very proud of their creation (especially Daddy ;-).

We've not that much planned over the next few weeks, the baby is due in 5 weeks time so I want to spend as much quality time with my little man before his new sibling arrives. I still cannot quite believe we will have a newborn arriving soon. Thomas is still excited about it - he's been coming to my antenatal appointments and listening to the baby's heart beat. We'll see if he still feels the same when it arrives!

I've added a slide show below of some photo's taken over the last few weeks.

A mega update!!

It's a ridiculous amount of time since I last updated you about what Thomas has been up to - we've been really busy and having lots of fun.

The first major news (well, it's old news now) is that Thomas is having a new baby brother/sister due at the end of August :-) So far he is very much into the idea of his new sibling, he keeps kissing my tummy and asking 'when's it coming out Mummy?'. Lets hope he shows the same enthusiasm when it arrives and realises it's here to stay! We've had some extra scans and another one due on 26th June but so far this baby is looking like it has a heathly heart, which you can probably imagine is a HUGE relief for us.

Thomas started pre-school for two sessions a week after Easter. It's the one attached to the school that he will hopefully go to. We call it 'Big boy pre-school' and he's settled in really well and seems to enjoy it. It's another milestone for our little boy who is really growing up - he suddenly decided a few weeks back that he didn't want to wear his night time nappy anymore and so that was it, he hasn't since and done really well with it!

He's more into Tom & Jerry and Power Rangers at the minute with Lazy Town and Sportacus taking more of a back seat. He's still very much into cars and balls and loves playing bat and ball.

We went on holiday to Wales at the beginning of May - the weather was OK and we managed to get to the beach every other day. Thomas loves the beach. He loves looking in rock pools, demolishing sand castles and playing football on the beach. We also went on a steam railway and to an Animalarium where Thomas held a snake!!!

We've just got back from a week in Ibiza - last chance for a holiday abroad before number 2 arrives! We've had a great week, the weather was glorious, beautiful sun all week. Thomas was dipping in and out of the pool, the beach was a 2 minute walk away and there was 2 cartoon characters in the hotel called Dizzy (dolphin) and Shades (shark) - which were a big hit with Thomas. There was a children's disco on every evening and he really enjoyed a good boogie to the Dizzy & Shades Shakedown. He's a bit of a mover our boy! :-)

Other stuff he's been up to over the last few months is a visit to the zoo, having picnics in parks (galore) and going to a couple of children's farms. We also had a day trip to Skeggy over the bank holiday weekend which was a really good day out.

Thomas has had a new 'football' bedroom which he's very pleased about. We're changing all the bedrooms around in anticipation of the new baby coming so Thomas has now got a big boys themed room. It was so funny when he was looking through the different designs for his room, dinosaurs, diggers, space, animals, racing cars etc etc but he just kept going back to the football one. He certainly knows what he wants!

Heartwise Thomas is doing well (touch wood, fingers crossed and all that) we are due back in Birmingham for a check up on 25th June so hopefully that will go well. He certainly seems full of life and energy. He definitely can't walk as far his little friends and does get puffed but he is doing really, really well. Looooooong may it continue!!!

Thomas' 3rd Birthday

It was Thomas' 3rd birthday on Monday - can you believe he is three already??

He's had a great time, he had a party on Sunday afternoon at a local sports centre. There was the biggest bouncy castle you've ever seen plus loads of soft play items and bats and balls. It was really good, and great to see him will all his little friends enjoying himself. There was about 26 kiddies in total but there was no catastrophes or dramas and everyone seemed to have a great time. Thomas' little heart friend Charlie travelled all the way from Cardiff to be there - how lovely is that.

Every birthday is such a milestone for us when you think back to where we were when we first learnt about Thomas' heart. It's easy to forget when you see him carrying on like a typical a 3year old but we never forget how precious he is. He does get breathless and he can't walk as far as his mates without getting tired (esp in the cold weather) but he's done amazingly well in these three years we just hope this is a taster for how the future will be.

Gushing proud Mummy moment over........... :-)

On his birthday itself Thomas woke up to a winter wonderland he went to the window and said 'Mummy, it's snowing because it's my birthday'. It did make his birthday even more magical as after he'd finally opened all of his presents (which took 4 hours!!!) we went outside to build a snowman and play in the snow. It was great!!!

Grandma and Grandad spent the day with us and brought some more presents and then we had our tea out at a local carvery and Uncle Paul joined us there. All in all the little man seemed to have a great day.

The next morning he woke up and said 'who's birthday is it today Mummy'?

Here's a few photo's I'll do a slide show later.......

P.s I must tell you this little story - a couple of weeks ago we had a power cut in the middle of the night which ordinarily you would think would go unnoticed but not in our house as Thomas has a night light and the bathroom light is left on to shine in his room. SO, he woke up in the small hours really upset saying 'Mummy, Daddy my eyes aren't working'....... awwwww

Christmas 2008 & Center Parcs Jan 2009

Well, it's been a while since my last update......time flies when you're having fun!

Thomas had his outpatients appointment in mid Dec and all went well. They were pleased with his heart function, his growth and sats so we can breathe again for another 6 months. He was such a good boy while they scanned his heart, lying very still and doing just as the registrar wanted.

Then came Christmas - what a great time we had. Thomas was far more aware this year, he knew it was Christmas time and loved all the lights on the houses and all the festivities. On Christmas morning itself he came downstairs oblivious and casually walked into the lounge and on seeing the mountain of presents he said 'WOW look at all my presents, Santa bring all my presents to my home' ..........priceless!




We've just had a mid week break in Center Parcs, it was great. It was nice to have a few days away in the forrest. It's always pretty relaxing eventhough there's loads going on, we did swimming, biking, bowling, soft play and all sorts. Here's some photo's of our waterbaby.......


In other news Thomas has been to the cinema for the first time. He enjoyed Madagascar 2 just after Christmas and for a first time cinema goer he did really well. It was a good film actually I really enjoyed it myself :-)

He's still very much into playing with his cars, he's a big fan of his work bench (that he had for Christmas) and he's seriously into his marbles. Telly wise he's into Lazy Town (he thinks he is Sportacus), Peppa Pig and The Backyardigans or as Thomas calls it The Backcardigans :-)

We've got a full weekend ahead of us with Thomas' birthday party on Sunday and the big day itself on Monday. I can't quite believe my little rascal is going to be three on Monday. I'll post again soon with photo's of the birthday boy!!!

Euro Disney - November 2008

Thomas has been to Euro Disney!

We had a great time albeit absolutely FREEZING brrrrr.... we arrived on the Thursday and each day got colder and colder until the Sunday afternoon when we actually had a blizzard. We were well prepared for it though, Thomas was kitted out in a thermal vest, super hero tights under his trousers (well, we couldn't let on they were just 'girls' tights could we) and several layers, so he was pretty snug.

He LOVED all the characters but Mickey was definitely his favourite, he kept kissing him on the nose ahhhhh....

We went to all the family Disney shows, Winnie the Pooh and friends, The Lion King, Animagic, Mickey's Winter Wonderland etc etc and they were just the right length of time for Thomas to be mesmerised with them. The Disney parades were great and the Christmas lights were so well done. He really enjoyed the rides, particulary the Flying Elephants and the Disney Cars ride although once on them he wasn't quite so keen on having to get off them!

It was really busy at the weekend but thankfully we took one of his hospital outpatient letters with us and his blue badge and they presented us with a pass that meant we bypassed the queues. It was brilliant, we would have never have thought about it but some of our Little Hearts friends have been and passed on the tip. We were so grateful for it, at first it felt a bit weird using it but we soon got over ourselves and got into the swing of it.

All in all we had a great time.

We're off to Birmingham on Thursday for a check up so I'll let you know how he gets on. I always get a little anxious when we have to go back but he seems to be doing so well.... we just hope they agree.

Quick update

Thanks to everyone for sponsoring Thomas, he's raised £235 for Little Hearts which is really great. He did his 'toddle', which turned out to be an egg and spoon race, and was pleased as punch with his medal.

We're off to Euro Disney tomorrow so there's lots of excitement in the Hooks house at the minute. Although, we have had to stop talking about it as Thomas has no concept of time and wants to go and see Mickey NOW!!!

So you can see what the little fella has been up to here's a slideshow of some recent photo's. As you can see he gets about a bit! I'll report back soon with all the news from Disney, we can't wait :-)

Thomas is doing a sponsored toddle

Thomas is doing a sponsored 'toddle' on Sunday 12th October, at Shugborough Hall, in aid of Little Hearts Matter. It would be great if you could sponsor him.

I'll let you know how he gets on and post some photo's next week.

Nerja photo's

We've been to Spain!

Hi everyone

We've just returned from a few days in Spain, the first day wasn't so great but then we had 4 glorious days in the Spanish sunshine,Thomas has been building sandcastles, paddling in the sea, swimming in the pool and eating Paella! It was so nice to get a last bit of summer as Autumn definitely feels like it's arrived while we've been away. When we left Malaga it was 25c and when we arrived in Birmingham it was only 10c brrrrr....

Here's a couple photo's of our holiday (I seem to have lost the knack with the slideshows)




Other news is that Thomas is officially not a baby anymore :-( over the last couple of months he's moved into his big boys bed and he's out of nappies. Both have gone pretty well, we bought a bed guard for his bed which didn't fit so we had a couple of nights of him being a bit unsettled but when we finally found a bed guard that fitted (thanks Ann-marie) he was fine. The potty training is going well, we started it about a month ago, he got the hang of it really quickly and by the 3rd day he was dry all day! We've had some accidents since then though, and we don't leave the house without the potty, but overall I think he's done very well.

Thomas is such a typical little boy, he's really into Disney Cars at the minute and he LOVES rough and tumble and wrestling. I seriously don't know where he gets his energy from sometimes, yes he gets puffed but I do think all that he does is pretty incredible considering his special heart. It was exactly 3 years ago today we found out about Thomas' heart condition. It makes me go cold when I think back to that day. I can't believe how lucky we are - he's soooooo precious.

Thomas is doing a sponsored toddle on Sunday to raise money for Little Hearts Matter so I'll be setting up a Just Giving page over the next couple of days - it would be great if you could sponsor him. I'll send you the link when it's all set up.

X

Slideshow

Hi everyone

I'm just trying out a new way of sharing photo's with you. Hope it works!

All is well in the Hooks camp, Thomas is great and such good fun at the minute. I'll update again soon I just wanted to share some photo's from the last few weeks with you.

Cornwall Holiday

Hi everyone I just thought I'd share some photo's of Thomas from our Cornwall holiday we had just recently (just before the weather hotted up!). We had a great week, we managed to have 3 good days on the beach, a trip to a steam railway, a children's farm and a trip to the swimming baths. Lots of fun was had by all!

Outpatients update and other bits

Thomas' outpatients appointment on 12th June went really well :-) We saw Dr Chikermane, Thomas' consultant, and he was very pleased with his progress. His sats were 84 (anything over 80 is great for Thomas) and his weight was good so they are happy he is growing well. He spent some time talking to us about Thomas' next operation, the Fontan, which he expects will be sometime between age 4-5 (all being well). It was good to go through it all and confirm our understanding of what is going to happen but at the same time it was scary as hell. So, we decided that we know all we need to know for now and we'll try not think about it anymore until we need to. We are chuffed to bits Thomas is doing well heartwise, it's always a bit anxious going back for check ups but it's such a relief when they tell us he is doing well.

We also had our first parents evening at nursery the other week. It was just an opportunity to go and have chat with them and have a look at Thomas' stuff. They're making a scrapbook for Thomas' time at nursery which is filled with all the activities he's doing, including photo's of him and things he enjoys doing - it will make a lovely memory. They also go through all their observations of the developmental activities Thomas has displayed, it's all in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage which is a foundation for care and learning. Everything Thomas does at nursery is through play but when you see it all recorded it is amazing to see how much he is learning. They said he is very sociable and fits in well at nursery, he tends to play more with the boys (playing with cars and footballs) and that he is typical 2yr old little boy.

Other stuff the little man is up to is he still loves going out on his trike, still loves cars and playing his version of 'golf'. He's very much into washing up and wiping up at the minute and helps me fill the washing machine. He still likes getting his own way and kicks off when he doesn't get it! He likes playing in our bed 'looking for treasure' and often pretends he's driving a bus and we're his passengers, he likes taking us to the beach, to town and he likes stopping for petrol ;-)

He's just started to realise his limits a bit heartwise, he's started saying 'I'm puffed' when he's been running around. While this is a bit heart wrenching it is good because we can now start to explain things to him in very simple terms. We often sit down and read a book or have a drink when this happens, we're also trying to teach him to take deep breaths but I don't think he quite gets that bit yet ;-)

All in all he's doing great, he's very strong willed and pretty stubborn and a bit of a challenge at times but he's certainly got spirit and he's a lot of fun to be around.

Here he is riding 'Tom' the donkey with his cousin Katie at Coombe Abbey recently.

Time for an update

I thought it was time for an update, I can't believe my last post was in March and now it's June already....where is 2008 going? Well, I went back to work part-time at the beginning of April so that's taken a bit of adjusting all round. Thomas was fine initially but after about 3 weeks he realised that this was the new routine and started whimpering when I dropped him off. He's ok again now though so that was all for my benefit.

We took Thomas abroad for the first time in May, we went to Portugal with our friends Sal & Michael and their two girls. Thomas loved the aeroplane and was absolutely fine with the altitude, some heart kids need a bit of extra oxygen on flights, but he coped fine and was totally normal. We had a good week despite someone taking off with our pushchair at the airport, we finally got it back when we were checking in for our flight home, unbelievable! The weather was mixed but we still managed to get to the beach everyday, thats what it's all about for us as Thomas is a big fan of the beach.

Here's a video of Thomas getting ready to go on his hols. As you will see he certainly knows what he wants!!





The weekend after we got back Thomas had a virus, temperature spikes, no energy and no appetite. I hate to see him poorly, it's such a worry especially when he has a temperature as his breathing is much faster. After a couple of days his temperature was back to normal but he still wasn't himself, he was really stroppy and very quick to have a tantrum. Thankfully he's back to his normal self now, this weekend we've had hugs and kisses galore, which is sooooooo much better.

Thomas is totally into Happy Feet, Madagascar and Ice Age 2 DVDs at the minute. He's very fickle though so who knows what is favourite will be next week. He still loves going on his trike, playing football, mowing the lawn and playing golf, although he'd rather improvise and use the spoon from his egg and spoon race set as a golf club rather than use his mini golf set. I think Daddy needs to give him a lesson!

We're back at Birmingham for a check up on the 12th June so I'll update you after then. Bye for now xxx

Easter chick

Hi everyone I hope this finds you all well, we're fine, Thomas has a bit of a cold but seems to be coping ok with it thus far. We had a weekend away at the end of February to celebrate Nana Hooks' birthday. We went to a cottage in the Peak District that had a swimming pool. Thomas is definitely a water baby at the minute, he really enjoyed standing on the side and jumping in (with the help of Daddy of course), one time he was too quick though and chucked himself off the side, he was wearing arms bands and a rubber ring, I might add, but nevertheless he did surprise himself a bit but it certainly didn't stop him.

We took Thomas to a Thomas the Tank engine day in Leicester a few weeks back. It was a great day but absolutely freezing. Bearing in mind there was a real Thomas there, which we had a ride, on plus a few of the other engines when you ask him what his favourite part of the day was, he says....'Fat Controller' :-)

Last week he had his two year check at the clinic. This is a routine check that all kids have at two years old to make sure they are doing certain things. We are really pleased as Thomas is doing everything they expect of a two yr old, in fact he's doing more than expected in some things, such as talking! The nursery nurse said he was 'amazing' and I kinda have to agree with her.

Yesterday we had the Easter hat parade at playgroup, Thomas painted some plastic eggs and coloured in some chicks and I bundled them together to create a hat of some sorts. He'd been dying to get his hands on it for the last two days then when it came to him wearing it for the parade he wasn't bothered. Typical. He did eventually wear it but all he really wanted to do was take the eggs off and kick them around like footballs!

I am going back to work part time at the end of the month so Thomas spent his first full day at nursery today. I have broken him in gently and he has been going for two mornings a week since Christmas but I wanted to make sure he was ok with the full day before I went back. I explained to him what was happening and he seemed fine with it but the proof is always in the pudding so I was half expecting a call this afternoon. But no, he was fine, he went skipping off this morning and didn't even say 'bye' to me as they were doing something he really enjoys, 'sticking'. He had a sleep in one of their pushchairs after lunch (which really surprised me). They said he did have a look of - 'what's going on, I'm not normally here at this time' - on his face but apart from that all was well. Phew!

Here's some recent photo's.......

2nd Birthday!

Thomas turned two last Saturday, I can't believe he's two years old already, where has it gone? We had a birthday party for him and his little friends at the local soft play centre. He seemed to have a good time, he was tearing around the place like a mad man, up and down the slides, in and out of the ball pit, getting a bit puffed out but so was Daddy with keeping up with him ;-)

On his birthday itself we had family and friends round for tea and cake and Thomas had a mountain of presents to open. It's wonderful seeing his little face light up at the sight of presents. He was spoilt rotten but he deserves everything he gets, he might have had an 'operation free' year and currently doing well heartwise but he's still an absolute superstar in our eyes! As always here's some pics of our little treasure......

Centre Parcs

We've just returned from a break at Centre Parcs with my Mum and Dad. We had a great time, Thomas was in his element. He really liked the swimming pool, especially the bit where there is a current that takes you round, 'again' 'again' he would say before we'd even got back to the start. It's great because it's so warm in there, ideal for Thomas, there was only once when he got a bit cold which was after we'd been in the salt pool, which is the warmest of all the pools, so going back to the normal pool felt a bit cooler. He was OK though , we wrapped him up in his beach poncho for a few minutes and then he was soon asking to get back in.

One day we hired bikes and Thomas was in a trailer on the back of Paul's bike. He seemed to enjoy it; one minute he was sitting there with his legs crossed and the next he was fast asleep. I can't imagine it was very restful sleep as were off the beaten track at that point but that didn't seem to bother him.

All in all we had a great few days and it was lovely to see the little man enjoying himself. I can't believe he is going to be 2 years old on Saturday. We keep asking him whose birthday is on Saturday but he just replies 'Grandad's', he hasn't quite grasped the concept that Grandad had his birthday 3 weeks ago! I'm sure he'll quickly get the idea when he sees his presents to open on Saturday morning.

Here's a few photo's of Thomas at Centre Parcs.

Thomas in his trailer with his legs crossed..............


Having a snooze........(you can just make out his little face)

Thomas' 2nd Christmas

What a busy few weeks it's been! Thomas had an outpatient appointment at Birmingham mid December, he was a real angel while they scanned his heart, he was mesmerised looking at the screen - I think he was expecting Bob the Builder to appear any minute though. Anyway, they were really pleased with him and we're not due back for another 6 months. Phew!

Then came Thomas' 2nd Christmas......He LOVED it! He loved going to see Santa, he loved opening pressies, he loved his new toys, he loved seeing everyone....... I think it's safe to say that Christmas is a big hit with Thomas already! He opened presents on and off for two days and when he came down the morning after Boxing Day he looked around quizzically and said 'Parcels? Parcels Daddy?
I think he thought he was going to get presents everyday! Bless!

Then it was Grandad's 65th surprise Sunday Lunch party which Thomas seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Thankfully we were in a private room as Thomas and Taylor (his cousin) were tearing around the table like a race track. They were really good though but couldn't wait for Grandad to cut his cake....'Cake' 'Cake' he was shouting 'Cut it!'

We're now back into the swing of nursery and playgroups etc, it's quite nice in a way, the little man likes the routine and has been really really sweet these last couple of weeks, obviously there is the odd tantrum now and again but he is nearly two after all :-)

Here's some photo's.....

Good Food Show

Little Hearts had a stand at the Good Food Show last weekend to promote it's annual fundraising Cookie Bake and raise awareness, I manned the stand on the Saturday and it was absolutely mobbed so I really hope it turns out to be a successful venture for them.

Lesley Waters, the Ready Steady Cook chef, promotes the Cookie Bake for LHM, she was making a guest appearance at the stand at lunchtime so Paul brought Thomas along and he decorated cakes on the stand with Lesley and one of the other Little Hearts kids. He got really into it and loved having an audience, I was proud as punch when I could hear people in the crowd commenting how cute he is. Lesley was really impressed with him and assumed that we do baking together at home all the time.................which of course we don't eeeeeek ;-) I think Thomas just loves getting all sticky and messy and eating biscuits!!




He's soooooooo lovely at the minute, he's saying more and more words by the day and stringing them together which is great. He's like a parrot and repeats everything you say so we have to be really careful. The cutest thing he has started to say is 'love you', initially he was just repeating me but over the last few days he's said it spontaneously and it absolutely melts my heart. Sorry to be a gushing mother but it really is one of those special moments.

Thomas has the POX!!!

Just a quickie to let you all know that Thomas has chicken pox!

We thought we'd just about escaped it as he'd been snogging his little friend the other week who came down with it but alas no. He's not too bad with it at the moment but is getting more spots by the day. He has lots on his head, round his eyes and his hairline. Bless him.

I do hope he isn't left with any scars - he has two already!!!