#845 Saturday 23 February

The weather is cooling a bit .... it no longer feels as if we exist in an oven. The birds are responding .. around the yard we have some very leafy trees and these are full of birds singing their heads off!

Later
This morning we went to one of Kaylia's routine spots .... a playground near the river. When we got there the playground was gone!

It's been replaced by a bigger brighter newer playground. ..... but she's not happy.

I think my limit for keeping Kaylia entertained is about 3 hours. It's hard work. It would be hard with an NT child but with Kaylia it's especially hard.

#844 Friday 22 February

All quiet .... Kaylia seems to have recovered .... she's a bit quiet but the cough and runny nose are gone. Naomi is still not well and I've got a site throat .... Oops!

The 'token' system to control nagging is still working well.

Evening
Anything for peace .... that's the almost rule .... survival. It's the old problem of the absence of any imaginative ability .... she has to resort to cycling through her repertoire of known activities. So we go with the flow.

Brynn will be arriving March 7 .... Yay!

#843 Thursday 21 February

Kaylia is still suffering .... mild whooping cough ... very mild but it's still knocking her. Naomi has caught it too ... or something..... she's not a happy chappy.

Brynn reports that she has her visa and she just has to find a flight..... Yay. Zoe has to leave Oz by March 11 .... undecided about where she will go at this stage .... she has to choose between several teaching positions. In a way this was the crux if the matter .... that Australia won't recognise a teaching qualification that is accepted all over the world!

#842 Wednesday 20 February

It's 6am and the rubbish truck has just been past. One of the things that are a future problem for this house is the difficulty (for me) of taking the rubbish bins up to the road verge ready for the truck. I find it harder and harder .... but it won't be long before Kaylia will be able to do it. She's certainly strong enough! It won't be long before she is stronger than me.

Yesterday when she was so upset I was reminded of the way that when she's in a state of anxiety, the medications don't always work. Her body can go into overload and then the chemicals have little effect. This is why it's so important to recognise the signs before the event and get in "a preemptive strike"...... while the medicine still works.

#841 Tuesday 19 February

1am and she's wet the bed twice! We changed the sheets at 10:30 and now it's wet again. Sheesh

2:30am. We're all wide awake .... It's a long night. iPads etc are "saving the day" ....

At the moment it's hard to think about the next few weeks .... There will be a few weeks before Brynn can get here .... so with Zoe gone too it going to be a hard time for all of us. I don't like to think of it .... the emotional resilience is all squashed out of us.

Midday
Kaylia must be sick .... she was really excited about the school assembly but chose to stay at home.  She's a snuffalupagus at the moment.

Night
She IS sick. When I arrived home it was almost like the bad ol days ..... but I noticed that all through it, she was in control of herself. In the early days her behaviour was worse .... and she was not in control. I remember how it was clear that she was trying really hard to control herself but couldn't.

We ended up going for a drive and (as usual) she immediately calmed down. After half an hour she dropped off to sleep for the rest of the drive. Once we were home it was "into bed" and she's still asleep.

#840 Monday 18 February

It's 6am and the iPad is saving the day again .... Kaylia is quietly watching her programs .... Playschool this time. It sounds as if she's coming down with a cold .... big blowing of the nose!

She's now under the blankets and muttering ".... dingle-dangle shop.... dingle-dangle shop"

Evening
The dream is over. Zoe has decided to leave us. In the past few months it has been so good to have Zoe in our family.... but it is not to be.

C'est la vie. We will get over it somehow .... but it will take Kaylia a long time. Poor thing .... first AJ .... then Zoe. She has reached a stage where she understands that "someone" is gone. It's no longer just a bad feeling for her .... now she misses people themselves ..... and she's going to miss Zoe terribly.

We will all miss Zoe terribly. The dream was so good while it lasted. It all feels so unfair .... we've been hit hard ....

#839 Sunday 17 February

A day to ourselves again ... Kaylia spent the morning "under the hose" while I dealt with a phone that was smoking from the rate of messages and the tone of messages. We're learning some valuable "don'ts" about running a villa in Bali!

In the afternoon we visited "Aunty Moo". This is fast becoming one of Kaylia's favourite places. Today a new aspect was found..... the house has tiled floors and these are very cool. Kaylia found that if she stripped off and lay on the tiles the sensations were great! So we were treated to displays of a very happy Kaylia.