Today has been strange ..... by middle afternoon I thought it was 'Chinese water torture'! Nothing Kaylia was doing was very notable on its own ... but the combined effect of the day was driving me up the wall. Kaylia had a few hours with Kym after lunch and was her usual self ... so it must be me. The effect of non-stop coping with Kaylee for 4 days is taking its toll.
Of course the morning session at the swimming pool didn't help .... today's attendant (that on 2nd October 2010 tried to tell me that Kaylia had to have a Companion Card) was on duty again .... and once again tried to insist that Kaylia had to have a Companion Card! I informed her of the actual situation and she let us in.
Next we went to Bunnings ... I needed to get some tap fittings for the house. Kaylia was fractious and didn't want to be there ... and then at the shelf that had all the tap-washers was a sales rep from a plumbing manufacturer. She seemed very helpful at first but when I told her that my experience with her product was not good, she informed be that since their product was the best on the market, I must be wrong! (Kaylia was getting more stroppy during this.) I finally gave in to finish the conversation and bought their tap-seating tool - 3 times the price of the others .... because it was the 'Rolls-Royce' tool. When I got home and used it, I found it was terrible! ..... another trip down to Bunnings to return it and get the cheaper one!
12 sleeps to go! Will I last?
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
#241 Friday 29 April 2011
Friday .... we're at Ikea again .... Kaylia was so excited ... she could hardly wait to get into the balls! She's a smart thing ... I'd told her that she had to leave her beads with me but when she saw me through the window, she worked out that if she climbed into the tunnel (which sort comes outside) .... she would be able to speak to me and ask for her beads again. Of course I had to reward such smarts!
Baskets! Kaylia wanted out after about 10 minutes ... and it was 'yemunade' .... then when she wanted to go in again? Oh No ... you can only go in once a day ..... !!! (No signs that I could see .... the dreaded small print! Baskets I say!) Ickya and ickya .... stay away from them.
We went to visit Granma Lorna .... who of course had an Easter egg for visiting children!
Baskets! Kaylia wanted out after about 10 minutes ... and it was 'yemunade' .... then when she wanted to go in again? Oh No ... you can only go in once a day ..... !!! (No signs that I could see .... the dreaded small print! Baskets I say!) Ickya and ickya .... stay away from them.
We went to visit Granma Lorna .... who of course had an Easter egg for visiting children!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
#240 Thursday 28 April 2011
Day Two is nearly over.... we're at Bunnings ... the free playground with cafe next to the playground. Kaylia thinks it's great !
This morning we had a play-date .... Jana & Kaylia at the swimming pool ... Then back home ... then down to the office & shops. Jana was impressed by the toy cupboard at the office.
This period of "doing without" our trusty helper (Sally) has reminded me just how important the aupairs are to us. Trying to look after Kaylia .... plus keep my work responsibilities under control .... it's very hard to do both.
Later: After Bunnings it was tea-time at Nandos - yum.
Kaylia has been verging on hyper today and tonight at bed-time, it's full on hyper mode .... she could power a spaceship! It has an upside .... she will probably crash soon and sleep well through the night.
This morning we had a play-date .... Jana & Kaylia at the swimming pool ... Then back home ... then down to the office & shops. Jana was impressed by the toy cupboard at the office.
This period of "doing without" our trusty helper (Sally) has reminded me just how important the aupairs are to us. Trying to look after Kaylia .... plus keep my work responsibilities under control .... it's very hard to do both.
Later: After Bunnings it was tea-time at Nandos - yum.
Kaylia has been verging on hyper today and tonight at bed-time, it's full on hyper mode .... she could power a spaceship! It has an upside .... she will probably crash soon and sleep well through the night.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
#239 Wednesday 27 April 2011
The first day of nine. Sally is in NZ for her graduation. Kaylia doesn't like it.
She did her thing again this morning ... up at 4am and playing. This morning we've been swimming ... but she's tired and it finished early ..... now we're trying to sleep.
She's been cycling through all her "people" .... including Zoe ...and "mummy come home!"
I hope she sleeps.
Later: She slept till midday ... then it was 'shopping' ..... it was a slow shopping day! Picture this .... Ian & Kaylee with a shopping trolley .... Kaylia is between my arms while I push the trolley. Kaylia wants her ears tightly covered so she has my hands held together on the trolley bar so that my arms cover her ears. This means that I have to do a sort of waddle and steering is difficult as my hands are in the centre of the bar! It means a very slow shopping time with lots of looks .... although some of the looks were from kids that obviously knew Kaylia .... they were telling their mum about Kaylia.
Then it was a long drive - up the Red Hill Road to Gidgie, down to Mundaring and home. Then some DVD time while I crashed .... then cook tea.
She did her thing again this morning ... up at 4am and playing. This morning we've been swimming ... but she's tired and it finished early ..... now we're trying to sleep.
She's been cycling through all her "people" .... including Zoe ...and "mummy come home!"
I hope she sleeps.
Later: She slept till midday ... then it was 'shopping' ..... it was a slow shopping day! Picture this .... Ian & Kaylee with a shopping trolley .... Kaylia is between my arms while I push the trolley. Kaylia wants her ears tightly covered so she has my hands held together on the trolley bar so that my arms cover her ears. This means that I have to do a sort of waddle and steering is difficult as my hands are in the centre of the bar! It means a very slow shopping time with lots of looks .... although some of the looks were from kids that obviously knew Kaylia .... they were telling their mum about Kaylia.
Then it was a long drive - up the Red Hill Road to Gidgie, down to Mundaring and home. Then some DVD time while I crashed .... then cook tea.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
#238 Tuesday 26 April 2011
{Apologies to a friend! This is a reply to an email from them and the questions raised were very good. This is my first reply.}
Bali is our sanity preserver these days. The anticipation and planning is wonderful. We ponder how life might go if we could up stakes and move there. Peter having a villa there makes a huge difference. We can really get to know the area that we stay in. We dream and fantasise about living there ..... long term residence may be a possibility. One of the attractions is that buying in the care that Kaylia needs is very affordable there .... in Australia it is completely un-affordable!
As you say, growing old is a bugga ..... I sympathise with you. The thought of having to look after Kaylia as I get older is very scary ... hence Bali!
I've seen the film version of Temple Grandin's book .... she is a legend in auty circles .... we've come such a long way since she was a child. I really take my hat off to Temple's mother ... she really did different things and went against accepted ideas. The film over-dramatised some aspects but it got the idea across. I don't think Kaylia has the 'squeeze' need to any great extent ... she likes it but it doesn't produce great behaviour changes the way it would if it was a big thing for her. Kaylia has her own versions ... beads, flapping, wind. Given Kaylia's aversion to particular sounds, I think swimming is good to her in that it would block out a lot of sound. She still uses her ear-protectors .... we have them close at hand much of the time. She uses them a school a lot.
I don't think that her reaction while visiting you is being unsettled/afraid ..... driving in the car is such a strong thing for her that unless the stop is something of equally high value (such as swimming or shops) ..... then she just wants to be in the car again! To sit round while we have a cuppa and talk .... that's very poor value in her eyes! Even if there was her favourite food, it wouldn't be very attractive. Perhaps next time we could all hop in the car and go for a drive together ... then drop you back at your place.
The comment about "autistic people don't need Psychologists or psychiatrists but benefit more from eccentric people, creative thinkers and computer programmers." ... that's interesting. I think that the parents and carers need the professional help ..... the person with autism? Their needs depend on the stage in life they're at ..... as a child, the need for a psychologist or skilled therapist is essential if the child is going to learn to cope with social interaction and with being a human. When their autism is as bad as Kaylia's, without heaps of therapy they would grow up with less social skills than the average household pet! I shudder to think what Kaylia would be like now without all the therapy we have done ....
Now you ask some questions about K's progress ..... good questions. I will use them as a base for blog entries. The blog does have a lot about what has been done ... it's just not recent. The answers to your questions were in the blog long ago!
Kaylia never used sign language ... she used pictures & graphics ... then progressed to speech about 18 months ago. The blog often gives examples of the stage that her speech is up to. The balance is between thinking ability and language ... as I said in the blog ... there's little point in being able to speak if she cannot think. As normal adults we take thinking for granted so much that we cannot comprehend what might happen if thinking / learning ability does not develop. The stimming is what stops Kaylia from learning.
Phew .... deep stuff!
Bali is our sanity preserver these days. The anticipation and planning is wonderful. We ponder how life might go if we could up stakes and move there. Peter having a villa there makes a huge difference. We can really get to know the area that we stay in. We dream and fantasise about living there ..... long term residence may be a possibility. One of the attractions is that buying in the care that Kaylia needs is very affordable there .... in Australia it is completely un-affordable!
As you say, growing old is a bugga ..... I sympathise with you. The thought of having to look after Kaylia as I get older is very scary ... hence Bali!
I've seen the film version of Temple Grandin's book .... she is a legend in auty circles .... we've come such a long way since she was a child. I really take my hat off to Temple's mother ... she really did different things and went against accepted ideas. The film over-dramatised some aspects but it got the idea across. I don't think Kaylia has the 'squeeze' need to any great extent ... she likes it but it doesn't produce great behaviour changes the way it would if it was a big thing for her. Kaylia has her own versions ... beads, flapping, wind. Given Kaylia's aversion to particular sounds, I think swimming is good to her in that it would block out a lot of sound. She still uses her ear-protectors .... we have them close at hand much of the time. She uses them a school a lot.
I don't think that her reaction while visiting you is being unsettled/afraid ..... driving in the car is such a strong thing for her that unless the stop is something of equally high value (such as swimming or shops) ..... then she just wants to be in the car again! To sit round while we have a cuppa and talk .... that's very poor value in her eyes! Even if there was her favourite food, it wouldn't be very attractive. Perhaps next time we could all hop in the car and go for a drive together ... then drop you back at your place.
The comment about "autistic people don't need Psychologists or psychiatrists but benefit more from eccentric people, creative thinkers and computer programmers." ... that's interesting. I think that the parents and carers need the professional help ..... the person with autism? Their needs depend on the stage in life they're at ..... as a child, the need for a psychologist or skilled therapist is essential if the child is going to learn to cope with social interaction and with being a human. When their autism is as bad as Kaylia's, without heaps of therapy they would grow up with less social skills than the average household pet! I shudder to think what Kaylia would be like now without all the therapy we have done ....
Now you ask some questions about K's progress ..... good questions. I will use them as a base for blog entries. The blog does have a lot about what has been done ... it's just not recent. The answers to your questions were in the blog long ago!
Kaylia never used sign language ... she used pictures & graphics ... then progressed to speech about 18 months ago. The blog often gives examples of the stage that her speech is up to. The balance is between thinking ability and language ... as I said in the blog ... there's little point in being able to speak if she cannot think. As normal adults we take thinking for granted so much that we cannot comprehend what might happen if thinking / learning ability does not develop. The stimming is what stops Kaylia from learning.
Phew .... deep stuff!
Monday, April 25, 2011
#237 Monday 25 April 2011
Now .... let me see .... what could she possibly want this morning? Swimming pool!! What a surprise!
It's been a good night ... as we expected after being awake since 3 yesterday. Aren't sleep-in mornings the best? 'Specially when you have a Kaylia who likes to roll all over you!
During school time a few weeks ago, we'd been puzzled by strange scratches on Kaylia's legs ... or I should say we were puzzled till we were given this photo of her sitting inside a large box ... a playground object ... The scratches are from scrambling in!
It's been a good night ... as we expected after being awake since 3 yesterday. Aren't sleep-in mornings the best? 'Specially when you have a Kaylia who likes to roll all over you!
During school time a few weeks ago, we'd been puzzled by strange scratches on Kaylia's legs ... or I should say we were puzzled till we were given this photo of her sitting inside a large box ... a playground object ... The scratches are from scrambling in!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
#236 Sunday 24 April 2011
She's done it again! Up at 3am and awake since! She's been downstairs most of the time so we've able to doze .... but every now & then she comes up to change a DVD or just to see what we're doing ... like now ... (she turns the light on to look at us.) "Light off!"
Ah well .... we'd planned a drive to Northam / York today .... She will probably sleep whole way.
It's now 7:20 and she's hyper .... nagging, nagging. I've sent her to her room.
Midday: we've had a good morning at the swimming pool ... and relaxing. I found out why she was hyper this morning .... she had found the stash of Easter eggs!!! The eggs (and my rabbit) that were in the freezer .... have all gone AWOL!
.... and she looks so innocent.
Ah well .... we'd planned a drive to Northam / York today .... She will probably sleep whole way.
It's now 7:20 and she's hyper .... nagging, nagging. I've sent her to her room.
Midday: we've had a good morning at the swimming pool ... and relaxing. I found out why she was hyper this morning .... she had found the stash of Easter eggs!!! The eggs (and my rabbit) that were in the freezer .... have all gone AWOL!
.... and she looks so innocent.
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