3 January 2006

We've been at the centre of a media feeding frenzy for the last two weeks, touting our babies around for any glimmer of media attention!

All in a good cause.....

Action Medical Research have had a quarter of a million hits on the website and a huge email response too, which is something we are really proud of.

We got a BONG on the ITN news, which still fills me with a kind of hushed awe, even though it's usually pretty hushed inside me anyway.

We did ITN, GMTV, Sky news, Channel Five, we're due to do BBC breakfast soon, and we've been interviewed by the Sun, the Independent, Guardian, Daily Mail, Leicester Mercury and our local newspapers, and yes, we've even done an article for the Kuwait Times!

We're knackered and really had our fifteen minutes. Can't wait to be chip wrapping next week.

Most importantly!!

Edmund is living up to his viking nickname, he's crawling all over the place, exploring, pillaging and dribbling over everything that catches his eye.

Aubrey is just waiting until we're distracted before he starts.

Both boys are the happiest and brightest we've ever seen them. Happy new year everyone....

19 January 2006

Now we have reached the end of this blog, this diary of the extraordinary beginning for Aubrey (King of the Elves) and Edmund (The Viking).

Our babies have moved on from being severely premature hobgoblins to achieving a healthy, boisterous and exhausting normality.

The horror fades, the permanent gut-churning anxiety gone, just this blissful everyday normality instead.

Whatever else may happen in their lives is, for the moment, exclusively a family affair - for all the best reasons.

This story has not been solely about the amazing journey made by Aubrey and Edmund, but also about us discovering the stories, hopes and support of parents, doctors, nurses and taxi drivers we have met, and of those who have read it and responded.

A special thank you goes out to our friends at the
Big Chill. So these are the final words in this blog.

Dedicated to us all.

I am infinitely proud of how brave we all are. We take on life as if it were as simple as bringing in the shopping from the car. But even when we are staring directly into the stark bleakness of tragedy or suffering, we are able to draw deeply from somewhere on the resilience and hope of love.

We can only dream that our story, as a contribution to the Touching Tiny Lives campaign, inspires you to find that hope when you need it in your lives, or maybe it will inspire you to reach out and touch the fragile, innocent and perfectly infinite lives of babies like Aubrey and Edmund. And Lucy. And Max. And Henry. And Amelia. And Jed. And Charlotte. And Lauren. And Ellie.

And all premature babies.

Martin Holdcroft January 2006

As a forward-thinking charity, Action Medical Research is creating a healthier future for everyone. Although we will still fund work into a wide range of diseases and conditions affecting all age groups, Touching Tiny Lives will give extra impetus towards solving the problems of pregnancy, childbirth and the early years.

Go to the get involved or giving sections to find out how you can help, or make a donation now.