#1384 Saturday 29 October

Happy birthday Dad.... he would have been 94 today.  Sad that he never knew Kaylia.... she would've made him very happy.

After the problems before bedtime last night, we changed routine and Kaylia had a normal 'story then goodnight' routine.  I guess she slept well as a result .... because I had the best sleep I've had in years!  There's hope for us yet!  We're learning.

Today?  Let's see what time she wakes.  ..... 8:30 .... she ate a good breakfast and now she wants to be off to the shops.

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I know this is Kaylia's blog ... but this is very important to her future.  I'm not going to be around for the end result of this government's ghastly environmental policies .... but Kaylia will be here!

Help!
GetUp says : In just two weeks, Senate hearings start on political finance. And hard-right attacks are coming fast and furious from the fossil fuel lobby, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), Eric Abetz and Cory Bernardi — all smeared across the front pages of the Murdoch press.

They're trying to strip away funding from environmental causes, like protecting our Great Barrier Reef. And they're attacking our rights to legally challenge disastrous projects like Adani's Carmichael mine — rights which have been critical in our fight to protect our climate and our Reef.
 
The faceless powers behind the Australian government are trying to gag dissent.  A company ...... which is trying to build a mine which will greatly damage the Great Barrier Reef ..... is paying the political parties for votes to stop protests.

Get Up campaign

Can you help?  Spread the word and donate if you can.  When the politicians do not vote with the voice of the electors, then Australia ceases to be a democracy.

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#1383 Friday 28 October

It was zoo day today .... when she came home I asked her "What did you see?".   Dead silence .... I turned to leave.  "Monkeys"

Today I've been cleaning up the balcony .... the staff Christmas party will be here again in a few weeks so everything gets cleaned and put away.  I've started another brew of beer.

6:15pm. The monkey's impression on Kaylia is consistent.  Naomi asked her about her day at the zoo ...... "Monkey" she says.

After tea we're having a flop time .... but it's a painful one!  She's in a mood where she thrashes about .... and in the space of a few minutes she has badly hurt both my wrists .... only pain fortunately .... no damage .... but it really hurts.  Its going to be some years yet before Kaylia can self-regulate her 'thrashing' ..... so I will have become much more self-protective to avoid more serious injury.

#1382 Thursday 27 October

Kaylia is just fine.  She seems to go for weeks as a happy chappy ..... then she has a few days of pain attacks.  In hindsight they seem to be period related .... but we're not 100% certain yet.

I am tackling a tractor problem at the moment.  It had a bad oil leak at the rear axle which means a seal is "had it".  So I pulled it to pieces and found that the axle bearing has collapsed!  Much bigger problem.  But I'll sort it .....

5:30pm .... waiting for Naomi to get home so we can start tea.  Kaylia is on her bed .... wrapped up in the covers ..... talking away .... mostly babble but there's an occasional series of words that indicate a thought process.

8:30pm. She's in the sin bin .... Big Time.  For the second night in a row she has thrown her iPhone away when she had tired of it ..... bad enough in itself ..... but when the iPhone connected with my face each time, the action assumes a whole new category of "wrong"!!  She now has to go to sleep on her own.  Grrrr!

#1381 Wednesday 26 October

After a good night she was rarin' to be off to school.  She didn't want breakfast ..... but after dark threats of "No breakfast - no school!". ..... she soon ate.

Bed time .... she's had a good day ..... didn't eat much tea.  She finished eating before I'd had my first mouthful!  Then it was bath time.

Now we're in settling mode ...... and she's telling me "I like school!"

#1380 Tuesday 25 October

Its "post school time" and I'm with K as she drones away.  She's scrolling through her favourite YouTube .....

Hi Kerrie!  Good to talk to you.  Its always good to hear who is reading this blog about Kaylia.  Google provides raw numbers of views .... but I can't tell who.  Usually there are about 10 to 20 people reading each day .... but last Thursday, there were 158 on the one day!  I have no idea why that happened.

6:30pm. She's in the bath .... singing her head off.  She must be the cleanest girl around!   We got a letter from the Water  Corporation today .... It says that our water use is high ... stop watering the garden.  But we don't water the garden at all .... It must be having 5 adults in the house ... and a Kaylia in the bath.  I think we'll keep doing what we're doing.

#1379 Monday 24 October

Kaylia certainly knows how to "anticipate" these days .... last night she was really wound up about going to school.  We are working on getting her to move from saying  "Can I have school?" .... to sentences about school.  "I like school.". "I like the teachers." or "I like my friends.".  While this is going on, her face glows with happiness.   She really likes having more words that she can use.

With all that going on, we then have to get her to sleep!  And that's quite amazing. We remind her that she has to sleep first before she can go to school ..... so she promptly closes her eyes and settles.  Sometimes she will stir and a little voice says "school?" .... we give a reminder of "sleep now" ..... and she's out.

Now ... what happened today?  She went to school of course.  And after school she droned!  I was upstairs .... I'd crashed after a morning of plumbing ..... and she did her thing till tea time.  Surprisingly she actually ate some tea!
With her reduced eating, her body is changing shape .... the pudgy tummy is trimming off.  Its very good.

After tea she dragged Naomi off to talk about school.

#1378 Sunday 23 October

Its 5am and she's upstairs after having another wet bed.  Gee this gets tiresome.

11:30am we've gone for a drive to Bindoon this morning.  The drive is pleasant, the op shop us good ...  and the bakery is yummy.  On the way Kaylia has been listening to her favourite music .... "Louder!" she says.

3pm .... Home again.  I'm worn out so I'm good for doing K-duty.  Kaylia is happy .... droning and screeching and singing. She's a very noisy thing a lot of the time.  One minute she's thinking and quiet ..... next minute she's got something in her head and she shouts it out.