#1476 Saturday 11 February

Amazing!! The girl has been in the bath since 8am .... 5 hours so far!  She's still very happy and singing away.... I feel as though I should get her out but I can't think why .... so I guess I'll just wait to see what she does.

3:30 .... we're out shopping after collecting Naomi after work.  Kaylia stayed in the bath till 2 pm .... 6 hours!  I think it's a record.  Naomi says it has probably been very good for her by helping with period pain .... this is just starting again.  Oh Joy!!

#1475 Friday 10 February

It's 4pm .... I'm having my ol codger nap time .... and Kaylia has just arrived home from school.  She's now sitting beside me flapping and droning .... she's very happy.

7:30 I spoke way too soon!  By 5pm she was badly upset and I just didn't know what to do.  Naomi rang home and suggested taking her for a drive to get tea .... that calmed her fairly well .... and once we had the food for the trip home, she was into it big time!  The problem had been that she was hungry!!!  When we're tired, the most obvious solutions are hard to see. 
Now she is back in her routine ... soon she will come out of her room and want "Dr Daddy".

#1474 Thursday 9 February Part 2

We will soon be in the last week for Joe and Ellie .... they leave on Monday week (20th) to drive round the Top End .... concluding in Sydney where they will jump over the ditch to Kiwiland.  After a while there they will head to New York and then home to UK.

Ashley and Abbie will be joining us on the 19th .... It's going to be a noisy house that night .... Ellie's sister Alex will also arrive so she can do the road trip.

[I'm writing this very carefully .... I've hurt my wrist again.  I had a snooze yesterday arvo and I had my hands under my head.  ...... Don't do that again!  "The Wrist" is very painful .... so I'll stay away from the shed till it recovers.]  see Blog #267 25 May 2011

Kaylia has settled into a delightful routine after school ...... each afternoon, I'm having a nap by around 3pm when she gets home .... she always comes and flops on the bed with me and has some down time for an hour or so.

I wrote a while ago about the way Naomi is working on an idea to ..... in a few years time .... set up a small business to give Kaylia an occupation.  Marg in Qld has passed on this 'good news' snippet ....

Man-with-autism-plans-to-start-business

Evening: We're waiting for Naomi to get home from work so we can eat.  K's eating is up at present .... she doesn't eat much during the day but has a good meal at night.

#1473 Thursday 9 February part 1

At breakfast each morning, the topic always seems to be "What has HE done today?"  .... so this poem seems appropriate .....

SAID HANRAHAN  (John O'Brien 1921)

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.

The congregation stood about,

Coat-collars to the ears,
And talked of stock, and crops, and drought,
As it had done for years.

"It's lookin' crook," said Daniel Croke;
"Bedad, it's cruke, me lad,
For never since the banks went broke
Has seasons been so bad."

"It's dry, all right," said young O'Neil,
With which astute remark
He squatted down upon his heel
And chewed a piece of bark.
 

And so around the chorus ran
"It's keepin' dry, no doubt."
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

The crops are done; ye'll have your work
To save one bag of grain;
From here way out to Back-o'-Bourke
They're singin' out for rain.

"They're singin' out for rain," he said,
"And all the tanks are dry."
The congregation scratched its head,
And gazed around the sky.

"There won't be grass, in any case,
Enough to feed an ass;
There's not a blade on Casey's place
As I came down to Mass."

"If rain don't come this month," said Dan,
And cleared his throat to speak--
"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"If rain don't come this week."

A heavy silence seemed to steal
On all at this remark;
And each man squatted on his heel,
And chewed a piece of bark.

"We want a inch of rain, we do,"
O'Neil observed at last;
But Croke "maintained" we wanted two
To put the danger past.

"If we don't get three inches, man,
Or four to break this drought,
We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,
"Before the year is out."

In God's good time down came the rain;

And all the afternoon

On iron roof and window-pane

It drummed a homely tune.

And through the night it pattered still,

And lightsome, gladsome elves

On dripping spout and window-sill

Kept talking to themselves.

It pelted, pelted all day long,

A-singing at its work,

Till every heart took up the song

Way out to Back-o'Bourke.

And every creek a banker ran,

And dams filled overtop;

"We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,

"If this rain doesn't stop.

"And stop it did, in God's good time;

And spring came in to fold

A mantle o'er the hills sublime

Of green and pink and gold.

And days went by on dancing feet,

With harvest-hopes immense,

And laughing eyes beheld the wheat

Nid-nodding o'er the fence.

And, oh, the smiles on every face,

As happy lad and lass

Through grass knee-deep on Casey's place

Went riding down to Mass.

While round the church in clothes genteel

Discoursed the men of mark,

And each man squatted on his heel,

And chewed his piece of bark.

"There'll be bush-fires for sure, me man,

There will, without a doubt;

We'll all be rooned," said Hanrahan,

"Before the year is out."

#1472 Wednesday 8 February

I have just read of a coronial inquiry into the death 8 years ago of a 28 year old girl who had an intellectual disability.  It describes how she was in hospital with an ear infection and was discharged because the doctor thought her behaviour was a temper tantrum ..... the girl died seven hours later.  From the description of the hospital scene, I can easily imagine Kaylia behaving in that way in a similar situation.  The lesson from this is to expect that her behaviour is going to be misinterpreted .... to be prepared to help the hospital staff understand what is happening for our child.

#1471 Tuesday 7 February

Poor thing ... she is really struggling tonight.  We think her period is coming .... and it does horrible things to her.  She gets very upset and it's hard to talk her down and calm her.  It's 9:30 and she can't sleep.

10:30 She actually was able to tell me what the problem was .... a sore neck.  The kyphosis often gives her a bad time. We also realised that that the pillow arrangement wasn't good for her .... so we fixed it.  We then  prepared the warm bean bag .... and a couple of strong painkillers..... and she was clearly very happy and settled to sleep soon after.

#1470 Monday 6 February

We're having our enjoyment sucked out of life .... I was about to use a good ol Southern greeting from Alabama .... and the I cringed ..... in the current Trumpian atmosphere, I don't want to even think in that tone.  The racism and bigotry is so rife .... and now our own politicians applaud it!

Today I was chaffeur for Naomi while her car is needing attention .... while she worked I went to a nearby Bunnings with an underground car park ..... I could do an explore and then go back to the cool car and have a snooze.

This evening I allowed Kaylia to use my phone .... for the first time.  She wanted to find all the YouTube videos that she's used to on her iPhone ..... not to actually watch them ..... just to make sure that they are there!

Yesterday I wanted Kaylia to fetch something for me .... I've forgotten what it was ...  but I just caught her eye and nodded toward it.  She immediately knew that I wanted it and went to get it.  I find this amazing .... such a normal thing yet a few years ago, it would have been impossible.

Wow!

#1469 Sunday 5 February

The iPhone was upstairs!

Today she has clearly recovered from the tiredness..... she slept really well last night .... and this morning she just wanted to stay in bed!   She is very, very happy ..... giggling and laughing.... what a delight.

It's 1pm and we've returned from a routine car drive ..... now Kaylia and I are resting.

8pm
Naomi has just returned from storytime .... when she walked into the room, Kaylia immediately began negotiating for the number of stories .... 5 ... 6 .... 7!   ..... 9!!  That tactic did not work.... but it was very funny.