More embarrasing details from the Gilchrist lives...

Yesterday we were invited round to the home of a family whose twin daughters were in the NICU at the same time as Daniel. We had spoken once while we were at the hospital (they were put in touch with us because their daughter needed the PDA surgery just a few weeks after Daniel had been through it) and had not seen each other since.

They invited us round for 4pm - so I thought we were going round for afternoon tea...

Their home was immaculate - it looked like a show home. So, the embarrassment started when Daniel chose THIS afternoon to have an attack of the projectile vomiting! Oh yes! It was AWFUL! All over their designer rug, splashed all over their hardwood floors and (worst of all), we put him down briefly in one of their play pens for a photo - and he vomited all over this child's soft, pink blanket - I couldn't help but notice the lightning reactions of the Mum as she grabbed her daughter to avoid her being covered in sick!

Ed is secretly rather proud of the vomit on the pink blanket - what else did I expect? He feels this was a justifiable protest vomit - a PINK blanket? Honestly...

At 5.30pm, having only had nibbles, I realised that this was NOT afternoon tea... and, judging by the frantic activity going on in the kitchen, it became clear they were expecting us to stay for dinner...

Daniel was covered in vomit by this stage and his internal body clock was telling him (and he, in turn, was telling us!) that it was almost dinner, bath and bed time...

I had no changes of clothes for him - and I just didn't think it was fair to try and ask him to go to sleep while we ate (by now it was 6.15pm and the food was not yet even cooking!) and then wake him up for food, bath and change of clothes when we got home... I never wanted to be a fussy Mum, but yesterday, I just couldn't see a way to be 'chilled' and 'go with the flow' and still be fair to my son!

So, to our extreme embarrassment, we had to ask them not to cook the pork chops that were intended for us, because we were going to have to leave without eating!

Cringe! I don't think we'll be invited back!