I haven’t written a post for almost two weeks and I’ve really missed being able to get my thoughts out in writing. These two weeks have been so overwhelming. Life is changing dramatically – almost beyond recognition. Mostly in good ways, but it’s still so much for me to adjust to.

Woody has started settling back at nursery, now in the pre-school room with his peers. It’s going better than I had hoped. The staff are being tremendously supportive and want to make sure he is eased back in so he feels safe and comfortable. Currently, he’s reluctant to use the outdoor space but he is getting more confident indoors, moving around the room, interacting with his peers, having meals with them. He has even started to take a few sips of water (with help to hold the bottle) and I have no doubt that this is because he is encouraged by watching his peers.

He hasn’t done more than a half day at a time so far but hopefully time will build up and he will be able to attend as normal when he is ready. At home, we have a temporary nanny looking after Woody when he isn’t at nursery and she will also look after both kids (heaven help her) on a Wednesday when they’re not at nursery.

And I’m now three days into my new job. Like Woody, I’m easing back in with part time hours for the first few weeks but should be up and running full time before long. So far, the job is going well. There is so much to do and many opportunities but the first few weeks are so full of setting up and inductions so I just need to get the basics under my belt before I really get cracking. It’s very exciting though and my own expereince of having stayed at the house when Woody was ill is such a motivational driver for me.

But consider that I haven’t been anywhere for the last 18 months and my life has been small and isolated, revolving entirely around the family, house and hospital. Right now, I’m on my own, on a train to Birmingham for a big team meeting and it feels so very strange.

Every single one of these changes is a positive one for me and my family, I just didn’t expect them all to happen at once! I think it will take my brain a good few weeks to catch up. And then hopefully our life will find its new rhythm and settle down a bit. We still don’t know what the plan is for Woody reagrding his liver defect, so I can’t expect to settle too much yet, but that’s more of a watiing game now.

Life has taken so much agency from me over the last year and a half and now I can see ways to claim some of it back. Ultimately this will be good for me and my family but I need to ease in gently.