#767 Sunday 22 December

It was another wet bed night.

This is our circular sent to family and friends .....

            Christmas 2013                                

Greetings of the season to you all!  I'm at a bit of a loss about what to tell you because I know that most of you read the blog (team-kaylee.blogspot.com) and so a lot of the "news for the year" is not really news to you!  So it will be a summary for some and news for others.

The high point for the year just has to be the wonderful progress that Kaylia is making in overcoming her disability.  This year she has really blossomed and as a result she is such a happy and contented child.  Naturally this means that we are happy and contented parents too!  What form is the progress?  The most important factor is her improvement in thinking, listening, understanding and speech.  This improvement is really striking and although she is still far from being "on a par" with her peers, we now can feel as though we can relate to her in a 'normal fashion' ..... what an amazing difference!

Most of the improvement is due to her therapy program .... but the success we have had in "fine-tuning" her medication has meant that  we can get the maximum benefit from the therapy.  ..... and getting the medication right means that her anxiety attacks are almost a thing of the past .... she's a very happy child.  I'm writing this while we are in Bali for the Christmas break.  This trip has been amazing as Kaylia is such a different child this year.  It's as though she has woken up .... she is aware .... attentive .... responsive ..... and above all she is happy.  It really is a delight after the years of living in the autism nightmare.

She is not at the end of the road yet ..... but things are looking pretty good.

The family business (The Child Wellbeing Centre) has been a continuing operational success with many appreciative clients .... and at the same time it has been a financial battle.  I'm told that the first three of four years of a new business are always the hardest .... and this is true for us.

Naomi has battled with her massive work load .... full-time professional work plus 2 days a week of study at uni.  (You do the maths ... how does that compute?)  This year she has had practice placements which are rewarding at the same time as being very hard work.  Naomi has had a real battle this year.  Next year should be better with just a thesis to write.

The year has been a battle for all of us and I'm no exception.  Last year the state government announced a program of making compensation payments to the victims of abuse at the country hostels in the 60's and 70's ..... the actual process of preparing and making the claim has been extremely hard and it has reopened many wounds which had been under control if not healed.  The conclusion of the claim process has been very healing ... for the first time in my life I sleep without nightmares.




I hope your year has been good to you too ....  and that the next will be even better.


Best wishes from Ian, Naomi and Kaylia