#1285 Saturday 25 June

This evening ...... in the "calendar routine" that happens after tea ..... we told Kaylia that we're going to Bali next Friday .... she danced with excitement!  She was overjoyed.

We just have to overcome the hurdle of "The Flight"!!   Even though she is getting much better, it can still be a very anxious time..... especially for Naomi.  

#1284 Thursday 23 June

Busy day today ..... It began early with an visit to a gastro paediatrition .... to check on Kaylia's regurgitating at night ..... is it voluntary?  Or is it a symptom of real stomach problems?  We have rule it out the hard way.  Kaylia is now booked in for an endoscopy in mid July.

After that I took her into the CBD to meetup with her class on their "transport training" excursion.  Kaylia and I waited for them on a corner on Wellington St.  It was really special to observe the reactions of her class mates when they saw Kaylia waiting..... they were VERY pleased to see her.   One of the other girls came over to Kaylia and stroked her cheek.  It was quite an experience.

#1283 Wednesday 22 June

In the ABC news today is a report on research published regarding the use of anti-psychotic drugs in children .... I am appalled by the complete absence of commonsense in the conclusions reported ..... they seem to be conclusions invented by the ABC reporter in order to produce a sensational news report.

After consulting with more knowledgable heads it seems that the research is just supporting existing knowledge .... the report by the ABC infers links that don't exist ... thus making for a much more newsworthy article.   The unfortunate result is that affected parents will be upset without cause.

#1282 Tuesday 21 June

Kaylia surprised us today .... she had been promised that she could go swimming after school .... but after school she changed her mind and didn't want to go!   In many ways she's developing teenager behaviour patterns .... she loves being on her own in her room now.   

Her speech is still very poor .... with encouragement she will very carefully enunciate the words in a sentence .... but it's hard work.   We often scratch our head wondering just what it is that she's saying.   Her use of written language continues to improve.  Last night I watched her find a YouTube site by changing the suggested search text till she persuaded it to bring up the correct result.

This week she starts a series of medical appointments.  Thursday is a gastro session to see if she has reflux problems .... or whether she regurgitates on purpose.   Then she has a fitting for a back brace on Friday .... hopefully to correct kyphosis that she has.   And then next week she has a day in hospital to have two teeth removed.... she doesn't have enough space in her jaw for the number of teeth she has.  For her this means general anaesthetic .... she really loves the hospital time.

#1281 Sunday 19 June

Kaylia is in happy mode today .... she's been entertaining herself all afternoon ..... what a change from the old days.

Yesterday we were visited by the black cockatoos ..... they come once a year to feed on the gum nuts up in the trees.  This time it was quite intense!  So much so that the roof of Naomi's car is all dimpled from the impacts of the falling nuts.

#1280 Friday 17 June

The new hot water system is being installed as I write.

The HWS being replaced is perhaps 20 years old .... so it doesn't owe us anything!  It has given good service.

The new one is a "heat pump" system .... it uses the same principle as an air conditioner.  The main heating is solar with the heat pump as a booster.  It uses much less power than the traditional solar system.  The hot water in the tank stays there .... the water we use travels through a heat exchanger.  The electronics are quite sophisticated and all the operations of the pumps are recorded ... and could be analyzed remotely if desired.

#1279 Thursday 16 June

The pain continues to be a problem for Kaylia .... at times she gets very upset.  We still have to guess at the cause of the pain. Our best guess is still the neck/shoulder muscle spasm idea from the recent doctor visit.  I hope that's it cos it's better than the alternatives.

Two weeks to Bali now .... we avoid talking about it so that we don't start her nagging.