A new year

We're entering Sophie's third year as 2010 becomes 2011, and now that most of the worry is behind us, I think this year is going to be a particularly great one.

Not only is Sophie becoming a really grown-up little girl, chatting constantly, being very self-sufficient and independent, but we have more time and energy to give to helping others.

High on the agenda is a project initiated by the parent group at the Facebook Newborn Brain Cooling page- the establishment of a foundation and a website for research, support and education surrounding Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalophathy. This blog is one of the first places people arrive when they receive their child's diagnosis and go looking for information on the Internet. Most of the other sources of information are either scary or jargon-filled scientific articles. We hope to establish a website that will fill the same role, just in a more official way- it will be hopeful, supportive and informative so that parents don't have to go digging for the answers they need, and it will provide connections to other families who've been through the same things.

More news on that in 2011 as it happens.

Another project I'm involved in next year is setting up a local branch of Australia's Miracle Babies Foundation. At the moment, there's no Perth group, but we now have a small core of interested parents who are keen to help get it off the ground here- if you're in Perth, have had a child in neonatal intensive care, and think you might be interested in helping out, let me know!

On top of all that, I'm going up to four days a week in my day job, and I've just completed the second draft of my novel. I hope to revise it to final draft stage by the end of March, ready to send out in the search for an agent and/ or publisher.

So, a busy year ahead, again- but as ever I'm very grateful that we have the opportunity and ability to help others wherever we can since we've been so lucky with Sophie. And above all else I'm grateful for everything she's achieved this year, and for all the new friends we've made, too.

Wishing you all the best for 2011- happy New Year!