Two weeks after leaving home to get Thomas checked for jaundice at the local birthing centre, we finally made it back to home turf. We packed up our bags and went to spend the day at Mum and Dad's. We arrived at my family home with our supplies of medication, paraphernalia, feed, nappies, spare clothes and the kitchen sink. It had been a mammoth effort to get us all ready and out of the door, but we had made it. We were spending our day in the comfort of the familiar surroundings with people who had journeyed the last couple of weeks with us, but from a distance. We were in wonderful hands, who had provided us with such practical help as well as support, and were now there, in person, to feed us, help with the children and to simply be with us. Thomas had met Lucy and Oliver for the first time at their home just a few weeks earlier, when Thomas, Jason and I had gone to pick up the older two, who had stayed there.
My Uncle and Aunt had come from Norfolk to Bucks for the day to meet Thomas. Plans had been loosely put in place for us to get together, wherever we would be and at whatever time we could manage. Now here we were, at my parents' house, for the day. Thomas was able to spend the day surrounded by his loving family and the centre of attention. We were able to look back on Thomas' life so far, chatting through our journey and his resulting needs, from the comfort of somewhere that felt like home.
So much had happened since we were last there and staring at my perfect, beautifully formed son made it difficult to believe that what we had experienced was real. We could almost forget that there was anything wrong inside his little head and escape our reality.
Comments