#1459 Saturday 14 January

It's 3:30pm ..... she's in her room ....she's been crying for nearly an hour but she's coming out of it and becoming calmer.  I hate it when she's like this.... I feel so helpless and useless. 
She has been so good today till 2:30 .... and very happy.  We went for a drive to Bunnings and she walked round the shop holding onto my arm.... there was a crying baby at one point and she almost climbed into my arms in her distress.  ..... and given her size and weight, this would not have been fun.

Babies are a real no-no for her still.  We still have to avoid situations where a baby is crying ..... this means that we don't have anything to do with family cos there's nearly always a crying child in the mix.

#1458 Friday 13 January

We spent about 3 hours in the spa this afternoon.  This is part of the time.  She loves playing with improvised water toys .... such as garden watering cans .... water guns .... hose ....   The solar water heater works by pumping the water through the rooftop solar panels .... and the dlivery hose back to the spa is a gush of warm water!  A LOT of fun!

Kaylia had Friendship Club again today .... I'm told that the highlight was Kaylia being introduced to a large floor keyboard .... and her exploring the sounds she could make on it.

We spend a lot of time in the spa doing language practice .... working on how to make sounds correctly.  And tonight the reward was that we went to the icecream shop.  On the way, we drove round a bend ... and there was a kangaroo just standing in the middle of the road ..... we stopped .... and waited .... and waited .... and finally the roo walked quietly off the road.  We feel very privileged to share our world with these magnificent creatures.

#1457 Thursday 12 January

She's certainly in a strange mood .... she has asked to go to all her favourite places ..... Bunnings, shops, playgrounds ..... but each time we get there,  it's like ... "OK, the place is still there .... move on!"  She just wants to know that her world is stable.

3:30pm She's in the spa

#1456 Wednesday 11 January

"Yay" says Kaylia ..... "it's Friendship Club today!"  This is a series of days where carers supervise a small group of children with disabilities in activities designed to be fun ....  it's down near Fremantle so it's a long drive .... but Kaylia loves the drive .... and looovves the day!

As Kaylia approaches her birthday, we are often noticing "teenager behaviour" developing ..... moments where she is defiant .... or times where she just wants to be alone.  This is good!  For once something in her development is happening right on time!  So many other areas of development are still lagging badly ....

4pm She's home from Friendship Club and she's in her room.... I asked "Daddy stay or daddy go?"   .... Go she says.   That can be a little hard to take ...... but it's good that she is becoming independent and empowered.

Personal item.... I have a bad case of  device disconnect syndrome.... my phone has gone in for repairs and I'm really feeling the absence.

#1455 Tuesday 10 January

Back to the good old routine .... therapy this morning, shopping, ...... and suprisingly the spa!   Before Christmas she wasn't interested .... but the long bath times in Bali seems to have reminded her.  This morning therapy finished at 11:15 .... and 2 minutes later she was in the spa.  Add some bubble bath so she has bubbles billowing round her .... and she's in her favourite place.

#1454 Monday 9 January

We're home again.  The trip home with Kaylia was a 3 out of 5 ..... she almost lost it big time .... but didn't.  It was hard work for Naomi ... I was sitting a many rows away .. (thanks to a seat allocation mix up) .... and I missed it all.

We arrived home to find that the fridge plug had been dislodged .... and after being turned off for over two weeks, the smell was pretty bad.   So first task was to empty the fridge and clean it out.

While all this was going on, Kaylia was quietly cycling through all her routines and reassuring herself that her world was in order.

#1453 Sunday 8 January

It's been a good night ..... she slept through the night without waking us.  She gave us some laughs at bedtime with her teenager demands and her character.  (See yesterday's blog.)  This character development is coming right on time .... she's  turning 13 in 3 weeks time. 

Yesterday we selected the stone paving that will replace the timber deck around the swimming pool.  The stone will be laid in a couple of weeks time.  The photo at the right is after the timber has been removed .... It's a concrete surface and under part of it is the swimming pool machinery room which is accessed via a 'manhole'.

It turns out that stone is about half the price of renewing the timber deck .... and the stone will not rot! .... and it will not need the constant maintenance of timber.  Timber must be oiled/painted on a regular basis .... and timber must be constantly checked for dangerous loose boards. The timber we pulled up yesterday was about 50% rotten because all the painting is just on the top surface .... the underneath cannot be preserved.

We sorted the old timber into good and bad timber .... the bad has gone into the rubbish ... and the good timber has been stored in an inconspicuous spot on the flat roof .... on my next trip I will process this stored timber into a neat pile.  I like having timber available .... so that I can build projects when they spring into my mind ..... and the timber which has not rotted is being recycled.

It's now 9:15am and Kaylia is still asleep.

1:14pm   She finally dragged herself out of bed around midday .... and into the bath .... where she now resides ..... singing her head off!

Naomi:
How to have your hair coloured in Bali:
1) Embrace your inner cyberwoman! They put these little plastic lids over your ears to protect them from the colour. It takes a bit of getting used to.
2) Accept that what-ever the colour looks like on card - the end result is not going to look anything like it - it never has and never will!
3) Achieve a zen state. Your colourist is going to spend more time putting the stuff on your hair (as she chases down every single individual hair) than the time needed for the chemistry to work.
4) Be amazed at the end result. It's always an adventure getting my hair down in Bali. I have no idea how it will turn out but it always goes really, really, well!

3pm .... Kaylia is back in the bath!  ..... and we're packing our cases ready for the flight home tomorrow morning.

7:30pm  We've been to Acquaviva again for tea.... then home to complete packing.  Kaylia has been hovering round us .... she understands that we're going on the plane tomorrow .... and where we're going .... but she's still not completely secure.  She's now gone to her room for story time .... she needs the strict routine.