Little Leon losses Mr Snuggles.....................

Wednesday was a sad day for Little Leon, he had been for a walk with Mummy, up to the chemist, across to ASDA, on to the Town Hall and down the beeeg hill, calling at Grammas house and then home.  Mummy said, 'Where is Mr Snuggles' Leon just laughed.....

So while Daddy was giving Leon some tea Mummy retraced her steps, up to the chemist, across to ASDA, on to the Town Hall and down the beeeg hill, calling at Grammas house and then home. No Mr Snuggles, Mummy was hoping that someone had found him and taken him in before the torrential downpoor had started.  He would have got very soggy!  Mummy was upset and Little Leon screamed for a while because he had to snuggle with something else, Mummy gave Leon her Flat bear and wondered what to do next.  So she rang ASDA again and still no Mr Snuggles......

Mr Snuggles with Leon on the morning he went missing....

Thursday arrived, Little Leon got spruced up to go for his review and see his Nursey Ladies, he was taking them chocolates to say thankyou for his lovely stay.  

Little Leon in the Mirror getting spruced up

Mummy put him in the car and drove to the end of the road, she hadnt been into the chemist last night because it was too late and the shop was closed..... so Mummy popped in and asked if they had found Mr Snuggles.  Well what luck, the lady behind the counter said that they found him under a chair, and put him in his own paper bag with Little Leons address, and if Mummy had not gone in to ask she was going to bring him home herself.  Mummy was thrilled, she realised that Mr Snuggles is a bear with no mouth, (and wondered how he eats his porridge!), so he couldnt shout that he had fallen out of the pram! 

MMMM Gumigem!

Little Leon is teething a lot at the moment so Mummy bought him a Gumigem, its fabulous, made from teething material and hung around Mummys neck so Leon can chew that instead of the Buddha pendant mummy wears!

oh no torrential rain and Mr Snuggles is missing...

A rather beautiful visitor to the garden before the rain. A comma butterfly

So, on to the hospital to see the lovely Registrar, she used the bleepy scany thing and declared Little Leon leak free with no lurking fluid!  Wooooo!  Little Leon, Daddy and Mummy were so relieved and celebrated by going for a coffee at Costa! So they dont want to see him until September unless he is poorly, but so far he is looking for mischief at  every opportunity and you can hear laugher around the house, Daddy wont go to work in the mornings until he gets his smile from Little Leon!

Mr Snuggles, safe back at home looking after Little Leon

So now Leon is well and so is Mr Snuggles, Daddy and Mummy are very relieved and looking forward to taking Little Leon on adventures.........

Little Leon is doing fine..

Little Leon has had a relaxing week, his Mummy has let him sleep when he wanted to, eat what he liked and have loads of snuggles...  He is still a little bit unsettled from being in the hospital and having such a huge operation.  Sometimes Little Leon wakes up frightened and crys, loud noises upset him and he doesnt want to let Mummy and Daddy out of his sight for too long.  Mummy makes sure he is safe in his pillow nest and gives lots of hugs and sings to reassure him he is home now.

Is that Max Clifford for me????

Well, after his appearance in the paper, Little Leon has had a lot of people comment how lucky he is and how well he looks.  Little Leon is very proud to have a hand crafted heart by Mr Watterson.

Little Leon trys finger food for the first time

On Monday Leon started trying finger foods, he is not sure about it, but keeps trying them, just to be on the safe side because he rather likes the Heinz biscuits!  .He was sitting in the garden with Mummy and a butterfly landed on his hand, it stayed there for  a few minutes, Leon thought it was very pretty and wanted it to stay, but it flew off home.  Maybe it will come back into the garden soon and kiss his hand again.  Mummy cried a little bit, because she thought she might not get to share little things like the butterfly with Little Leon.

Formation sleeping with Dog and Prince

Little Leon is practicing the art of formation sleeping with Dog and Prince in Mummy and Daddys bed.  Mummy thinks he might get a job at the bed shop as a sleepy tester!  You might notice that he has had a hair cut as well.  Its his first ever!  The lady didnt think Little Leon would sit still. but once he saw himself in the mirror; started to laugh and before you know it, he was trimmed and spruced up!

Little Leon showing Gramma how to make hand shapes.

Friday came and Mummy took Gramma out for a meal at Pizza Express, Little Leon was showing her how to make hand shapes when her dessert arrived.  Leon thought it looked very yummy!  So did Gramma but she didnt share with Leon!

Mmmmm yummmy!

Little Leon got a very special present from Auntie Janet and Uncle Ian, its a Mamas and Papas Snug seat with a special table so he can play with his toys.  He is very stable and doesnt fall out, Mummy says its ergonomically designed especially for little bums..... Leon doent know anything about ergonomics but says its very comfortable and he loves it!

My new seat whoo hooo!

Mummy thought Leon has been so brave over the past few weeks she has treated him to an Austrailian Flat out Bear, its made from sheepskin and perfectly safe for little people.  http://www.flatout.com.au/  Its very snugly. Mummy has one too, for when she needs a snuggle if she is feeling upset.

Little Leon is fast asleepy in his pillow nest with his Flatout bear and Noel looking after him. Mummy is drinking hot chocolate and Daddy has gone out with friends for the first time since November last year.  All is well.........

Little Leon gets his name in the local paper!

Well what a busy weekend for Little Leon, Mummy and Daddy insisted it was a quiet one, but he had other ideas!  Saturday he watched the qualifier of the Grand Prix with Daddy.

Sunday he had lots of visitors, first of all Uncle Tony, Auntie Nic and Jazz n Cara came to see him, Jazz and Cara brought him a lovely height chart for his bedroom and Uncle Tony bought him a wonderful little swing for the back garden so he can play over the summer.  Weeeeeee!

Then, the very pretty Luciana, James and Lovely Lucas came to visit, Lu was using it as an excuse to give Little Leon lots of get better hugs because she wont see him for a little while.  They brought Little Leon a wonderful set of short and t shirt so he can lounge about while he is recovering.  Mummy and Daddy got a present too!  They appreciate that very much and Mummy is going to get that bath bomb in the bath as soon as Daddy can look after Little Leon for about three hours!!

He had a very very long sleepy on Sunday night and SURPRISE when Monday morning arrived his article in the paper had been printed by Katie Baldwin!

Little Bear says no autographs please hes holding a blanket!

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/baby_back_home_thanks_to_surgery_at_closure_threatened_leeds_heart_unit_exclusive_1_3565741

Little Leon wants to highlight the fact that without the unit there would be some of his little friends who may not be  here today because the longer journeys may make them more poorly and some may not even make it at all.  So sign the petition and keep the unit open, there are many dedicated staff who look after the children and the parents it would be such a shame to loose this resource, you may not need it now, but Little Leon bets you will know someone who will need it sometime :)

So now he is resting in his chair, watching Mummy dancing round the kitchen to Guns and Roses....... No need to call anyone she will be worn out soon!

Little Leon goes HOME!

After 12 days of pink cuteness the Big cheese, assistant cheeses, Doctors and Nursey laydees decided that Little Leon was doing very well.  The drains were out, stitches were out, he was eating well and all the scans and x rays were clear.  So they decided to send him home!  Mummy and Daddy could hardly contain their joy!!  Never in their wildest dreams did they think he would be back so soon.

Little Leon was thrilled and set off around the ward to say goodbye to all his laydees and friends he has made in the last 12 days.  He will miss them, especially Nursey Steph who lets him have two wheatabix for breakfast!

Little Leon happy to be home!

So, Daddy put him in the car and set off down the motorway with Mummy, Little Leon and Noel, oh yes and Talbot all singing the wheels on the bus.....  They stopped off at both Grammas houses to show them how well and pink  Little Leon looks, also they needed a hug fix because they haven't seen him for two weeks!  No squeezing though, that would make him pop!  Woo thats a long time to go without hugs!  Leon ate lunch at Gramas house and sneezed pasta and tomato all over Mummy!

Its all too much for Little Leon who snuggles with his bear !

Little Leon was worn out after all his visiting and packing and saying goodbye to his new friend Aysegul who is still in hospital, she was blowing kisses at him when he was upset the night before he left, just to make him feel better and it worked, so Little Leon is sending get better hugs and kisses to help her get well.  He has invited her and the Mummys out to coffee and cake when she is home so they can enjoy the fresh air.

So, tired out from his long day, Little Leon snuggled down in his pillow nest that Mumny had been taught to make by the nurses, went to sleepy and made little kazoo noises so that Mummy and Daddy would know he was alright.

The Cotbed gang welcome Little Leon home at last!

But this isnt the end of the storey of Adventures of Little Leon, Noel and the Cotbed gang, no, this is just the begining, because there are lots of girls and boys out in the world who are poorly, lots of Mummys and Daddys who are worried about them.  Little Leon will continue with his adventures to let them know that there is life after major surgery, and that Mummys and Daddys can pull through too, even when they are really frightened about what will happen to their little ones.

Mummy, Daddy and Little Leon send lots of love, best wishes and a BIG thankyou to everyone who has followed his story so far! Mr W who fixed his heart, the Surgical team, laydee Eleanor and her Anaesthetic team, the nurses on Ward 4 (PICU), Ward 10, Dr Brown, Dr Sam and Dr Trinette.  And everyone else who has helped Leon through the last seven months, you know who you are !   

Love Helen, Don and Little Leon xxx

Little Leon seeks fame and fortune!

lWoo! What a busy day Little Leon has had....

First of all he spend the morning playing in the sensory room with the lovely laydee Emma, she has mirrors and toys and flashy things....  A drum.... Lots of other noisy things!

So then because Leon is so important (to Mummy and Daddy!), Daddy and Mummy had a call from Katie Baldwin who works for the Yorkshire Post Newspaper group and did an interview about Little Leon and how its important it is to keep the unit open for other little boys and girls who need surgery just like he did.  Little Leon's story should be printed in the Yorkshire Evening post, maybe Saturday or early next week.  Woo how wonderful is that.  Well then he decided a big sleepy, but Dr Trinette came in and wanted to sneak him off to the treatment room to use the scany thing to look at his new improved heart.... So off he went.

Daddy stealing kisses from Little Leon....

So he  laid reasonably still under the scany thing, it takes an echo, Little Leon thinks you shout in his ear and it echos round his chest.......  So the results are that its a good repair, no leaks!  Mummy and Daddy saw the patch covering the hole.. its HUGE!  Little Leons cousin when told he had been mended said, has he been glued back together?  Her Mummy glues broken things!  So, having had a scan Leon wanted lunch and then a big sleepy..... So he had lunch but no sleepy because Mummy and Daddy were trying to keep him a bit awake for the photographer, thats why he looks a little grumpy on the photographs!

Leon introduces Talbot the bear to the ward

Leon had a big sleepy with Talbot the bear who was a present from Grammas neighbours Bob and Janet, they know Little Leons Mummy from when she was a little girl!

Leon gets spruced up for the laydees!

For now Leon is snuggled in his blanket waiting for his night nursey laydees to visit to give him his medication and do his obs, then he is going to blow kissess at the little laydee accross the room and go to sleepy, there may be good news for Little Leon and Mummy and Daddy on Friday......

Little Leon gets evicted!!

Well its been a mighty busy day for Little Leon!  First of all he had a beeg breakfast, yoghurt and a large Milky.  His sat levels dropped again and he had to hold his own oxygen mask!

What do you mean i have to hold this.....?

Then the x-ray lady came and took a photograph of his inside....... Then the assistant cheese arrived all smiley and cheerful and took the last drain out!  Ouchy, that upset Little Leon for a while!

Woo!  Then his nursey laydee said he was too well to stay on HDU, as much as they love his new pink cuteness!  So they shipped him out next door into a bay...... where they keep sneaking in for a cuteness fix!

Umbongo they drink it in the congo....

Mummy and Daddy were so happy that Little Leon had been  so brave they took him next door into the sensory room (Mummys favourite!), and Leon found a drum!  it plays a tune..... Wow.. Daddy on base.. Leon on bongo and kazoo!  Anyone know a singist?

Flashy flashy things in the sensory room

There are lots of lovely lights and flashy things, there are more boxes to explore later!  Little Leon is looking forward to visiting again!  So after wearing himself out in the flashy sensory room Little Leon had a nap, some tea and a spruce up for the night nursey laydees.  Then nursey Steph sent Leon on a magical mystery tour to the x-ray department for another x-ray..... Woo! Little Leon thinks he is going to glow in the dark soon!!!

X ray ted poster in the X ray room!

Well, in the X-ray room little Leon wriggled a bit and the nice rugby playing man had to take the photo again, but before he did that he weighted Leon down with something that looked a bit like a sand bag!  That kept him still, although he wasnt very impressed at all.   On his way out Little Leon spotted a great poster that he is going to tell Noel about.  X Ray Ted!

When Mummy and Daddy left Little Leon for the evening he was snuggling in his blanket and making eyes at the little laydee in the cot opposite and waiting for the night nursey laydees to arrive for the cuteness fix!!

He is moving further up the corridor, hopefully nearer the exit!

Little Leon settles into the High Dependency Unit

Well, Little Leon now being the Prince of pink cuteness is relaxing on HDU while the laydees cater to his every whim! Food, entertainment, milky and of course he is rewarding them with smiles.

Woo!  Mango Surprise!!!

Saturday night was a long one for Little Leon, his saturation levels dropped and he needed some oxygen to help him breathe more easily.  So Sunday he was still on the oxygen, but then decided he had had enough of having prongs up his nose, and promptly pulled it out along with his feeding tube!   So now Little Leon is trying out different foods.  Nursey Laydee Steph suggested he might like some Mango surprise and surprise!  He really enjoyed it!!

Paging Dr Beat....

Dr Noel looks after Little Leon while he snoozes and takes on more oxygen.  The big cheese dropped in and said that he was doing fine. He told Noel to keep up the good work!

Leon smiles for the laydees...

Little Leon cuddled Daddy for a while and then Daddy tried to pump more air into Little Leon my moving his arm around!  This wasnt working very well and nursey Steph suggested it might fall off and that would be more stitching to fit it back on!  Dr Sam scanned Little Leon and found some fluid near his lungs, which isnt too bad because thats the bodies way of dealing with trauma, Mummy suggested hanging him upside down to help it drain, but Dr Sam said that Little Leon wiggling and coughing would be better!

No Daddy thats my arm.....

When Mummy and Daddy arrived on Monday morning, Little Leon had made a nest of pillows and was snuggled well in!

Little Leon makes a pillow nest to snooze in!

Little Leon has had lots of snoozes, He woke up when Mummy and Daddy arrived, ate some breakfast and snoozed again.... Then Big Cuz Deb came for a flying visit all the way from Sutton, she is very happy that Little Leon was smiling and waved at her, then went back to sleepy! Woke for lunch and some milky, snoozed a bit more, had afternoon tea, played a while, then yep snoozed again!  Dinner was a bit late because Little Leon was catching up on healing sleepy!  Mummy is very happy about that, she thinks the more he sleeps the quicker he will heal!  Its going to be about six weeks before she and Daddy can squeeze him tight because he has a broken breast bone that needs to mend before squeezing!

So as Mummy and Daddy left for the night, leaving Little Leon playing pee po under his clean blanket and smiling at his nursey laydee Ellen, they were very pleased that it has been a good day, maybe tomorrow the last drain will come out and they can all move to a room closer to the door!   (that is the one marked EXIT and HOME!).

Little Leon leaves PICU

When Little Leons Mummy and Daddy arrived at the hospital this morning, it was to find little Leon off all of the drugs except the Morphine and the ventilator had been taken out . He was looking wide awake and patting Noel on the nose!

Little Leon telling Dr Noel its a job well done!

Noel and  The blanket bear had been keeping an eye on Little Leon all night and were very tired. Well just as Mummy and Daddy were getting ready to go for a coffee Leons nursey laydee came in and said because he was doing so well and there was excessive cuteness on ICU they were going to move him back to Ward 10 where he was originally from. Leon was very happy about this and had Nurse Ann and  Mummy pack his things, even so he left his hat behind and it was sent up in a pod!!  So, off he went down the corridor with a young man pushing his cot, its fab, it has wheels and goes up and down!  Up in the lift, down another corridor and back to HDU at the bottom of ward 10, Nursey Rachel was pleased to see Little Leon and plumbed all the monitors in for him.

Little Leon being chauffeur driven to Ward 10!

While Nurse Rachel was plugging things in, Mummy got to hold Leon for the first time since Monday morning, woo it was a lovely feeling and Little Leon enjoyed being cuddled, he is waiting for afternoon story time, so Mummy can read and Daddy can have  a cuddle as well. 

Mummy Holds Little Leon for the fist time all week

Little Leon gives Daddy a cuddle!

Story time 'The Most precious thing'

  

He is making good progress so far and getting his milky through a tube, Daddy fancies getting  his beer that way!  Soon Little Leon can start on his milky and food again so he can grow stronger and his heart will get better and the repair will get stronger as well!

Mummy and Daddy are worn out from mainlining adrenaline for five days ! As they were leaving for the evening Little Leon snuggled under his blanket for a nap before the night nursey comes in and he can show off his new pink cuteness!