Boogle's Birthday

My daughter was 9 on the same day as I went in for chemotherapy.  Not a great birthday present for her, but Kitten and I brokered the news in advance.

Boogle can't have too much to complain about though as she was spoilt with an iPod Nano and some lovely presents, vouchers and money from lots of generous people!  Her and Huffty also had a visit to "Build a Bear" after school on her birthday then there was the obligatory birthday party yesterday.

She has had a great time but, unfortunately, she is much more aware of my situation than Huffty is.  She thinks about it more, dwells on it more but does not communicate quite as openly as we might like on the subject.

The coincidence of my treatment and the day of her birthday was not the best timing especially as it made it impractical for me to attend her birthday party in a hot room with lots of school kids (not the best way to avoid picking up infection)

I have said before that I find there not to be such ready made activities to interact with my daughter as my son - simply because kicking a football around is enough to keep him more than happy.

Boogle loves music and her iPod was a timely gift.  She already has her own log on and personal area on the house PC, so I have created her own iTunes library so that she can manage all her own songs and downloads.  A simple activity to explain to her and continue to nurture a feeling of independence.

However, my trump card is related to DJing.  My decks have largely been idle since I finished DJing regularly but I know that both of the kids have been itching to get on them.  So, as part of Boogle's birthday present I created "Daddy DJ Vouchers" with each one entitling her to an hour's lesson.  This will give us some personal time, other than the ice-skating, and haul her in from the periphery; which is often where she prefers to be.

I am also organising some ice-skating lessons for her so that she does not lose the skills that she has already built up.  I dare say that I will join her on the ice but will let her have one-on-one lessons as I have taken her to a level where her youth will now quickly see our standards diverge.