#670 Saturday 3 August

I'm stealing a photo from Brynn's FB .... it's such a nice photo that I want it in my blog .....

.... We only have a week of Brynn left.   I feel that it has been a very special five months ... being able to share a little bit of Brynn's life.  Thankyou Heather .... for sharing your daughter with Kaylia, Naomi and I.

.. and then I noticed this on her FB too .....

How profound!   If I were still a teacher I would frame this and hang it prominently in my classroom.

Midday
Kaylia is still out and about with Brynn. 
Naomi and I have just had a phone call from  "Human Services"  (now there's a joke!) regarding an appeal I had lodged about 18 months ago .... the appeal was against the rejection of a claim for the 09/10 Family tax benefit.  The government had changed the rules some time back so that this benefit was no longer automatically paid to families.  Prior to that point, it was just calculated and paid when the income tax return was lodged.
Somehow I missed the announcement of the news that I now had to remember to manually claim the benefit.  When I I found out about this change  I proceeded to lodge claims for the three intervening years  .... only to find that I was 5 days too late for the first year!
I had appealed this rejection on the basis that this was a major change to expect a family under stress to keep up to date with ..... but the response delivered today was that their policy does not allow any grounds for appeal!

We feel as though we have been kicked in the teeth .... once again the Australian cultural attitude that disabilities are a problem for the parents .... the community isn't going to help. 

#699 Friday 2 August

There's an interesting article in the news about autism .....

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/07/31/brain-chemistry-differs-in-kids-with-autism-study

It confirms that autism is the result of different

 brain chemistry.  But this doesn't tell us what 

causes the change in the chemistry.  

It gives some hope that early detection may 

allow the chemistry to be corrected and thus 

change the way an child with autism develops.

Neither does it offer any help or hope to parents

of children currently diagnosed with A.  For us, 

the child of our dreams is still gone .... and we 

still don't know what to hope for.

.... and we are still ripped apart each time we 

have to compare our child with a child who 

has developed normally.

#698 Thursday 1 August

It has been a "sick" day .... but fortunately not  for Kaylia!   Naomi is suffering while Kaylia is happy as Larry.  Brynn, Jo and I went shopping after tea tonight .... Kaylia too .... and Kaylia thought it was a huge joke!  She doesn't usually have the girls for shopping and it was clearly a very pleasing thing to her .... she was very happy about it.

#697 Wednesday 31 July

Brynn murdered Boris!!!

Last night a large Huntsman spider was on the door .... and she KILLED it!! Murder!  Now Boris can't catch the mozzies for Brynn.  Vale Boris..   we will remember you.

(hmm ... is that "SPIDICIDE?)

 ..... and then she posted a video of the murder scene on FB .... Oh the cruelty!

It was a very good night for Kaylia .... she slept well and didn't wet the bed.  It helped that I got her up 3 times during the night!

#696 Tuesday 30 July

Kaylia seems to be "back in her groove"..... yesterday she had a good day at school and a really good therapy session afterward.   Then it was down to Nandos for tea.  All her favourite things!

Last night she was tired .... wet bed at 12 and again at 6:30!

Evening

Jo did the afternoon school run today .... and got lost!   Probably not a good idea to try after only one demonstration .... but she will have learnt the way now!

Kaylia is too used to "touch screens" .... she just tried to make the TV work by touching the TV screen!

#695 Monday 29 July

Nightus Horribilus!   Kaylia woke at about 2am and didn't settle again.  At 6am I could hear a tap running downstairs .... went down to fix it .... all lights on ... toilet cistern jammed .... basin blocked and nearly overflowing...... she had a good time!  I can dimly remember the ruckus she was making down there.  Fortunately she was noisy upstairs .... iPad under the blankets with head phones on ....

This will all get back to normal in a day or two .... once the "transition blues" stop singing the song.

#694 Sunday 28 July

Well ..... we survived .... and we survived well!  Kaylia was brilliant.  I think she is growing up.   Lessons?  Don't fly with Air Asia when travelling with Kaylia.... it's too unreliable and makes travelling with an autistic one much more difficult than the travel needs to be.  Pay more and travel with Virgin or Jetstar.

Today?   She has been in transition mode .... just wanting to touch base with all her routine places .... not long .... just to make sure that they're still there.

Now (1pm) we're at home .... she's in full stim mode after having "collected us" as if it were bed time.