Thursday - first visit to Autism SA

Some remarkable things happened today. Yesterday, I had decided to give up my little bit of free time in the day when Angus slept to give my full attention to Tasmin. I usually expect her to have quiet play time on her own so I can get on with things, but this has never been successful. She's a child who never stops talking while she's awake, LITERALLY, and cannot play or do anything independently without adult prompting. So I let her paint, the first time in ages. She did the usual things, like paint on herself and get paint all over the kitchen floor but at least she was happily occupied for a while. I gave her an early bath and dressed her with her undies and pj's.

So on Thursday morning I was AMAZED to discover that (a) Ian had forgotten to put her nappy on at bedtime, and (b) she was totally dry. At the age of three years and eight months, she had her first dry night.

The other thing was that on Tuesday night I decided I would TRY to stop yelling at her. I didn't used to yell like this, but this year I've become a yelling mum, not at Angus, but at Tasmin who tests every minute of the morning before she leaves for the day. So I stopped. And while we were close to being half an hour late, because that's how long it takes to get an uncooperative Tasmin ready in the morning, things were more harmonious at home and I felt better about it.

Angus and I had a little trip to Autism SA and it took about three quarters of an hour to convince them to let us be borrowers from the library (even though I had called to check this the previous day). It's been four weeks to the day since our diagnosis and we are still waiting for our Autism Advisor to meet with us. Considering this is only a small organisation, and that more than 700 people are diagnosed with autism every year in South Australia, perhaps it's not surprising.

So we returned with four books and a DVD for Angus.

Wednesday - playgroup with a twist

On our way to playgroup. Angus was thinking about how he'd rather be running around the backyard and why did I have to strap him in to the backseat anyway?


Both children enjoy going to playgroup, and I really look forward to the respite it affords, the chance to sit and relax with other mums and watch the children play. I did intervene a few times with Angus, such as grabbing the chalk off him before he scribbled on the walls and furniture. Tasmin was unusually cuddly this morning, wanting to stay on my lap a lot of the time.





The twist at the end happened when the playgroup parachute was brought out. The mums hold the parachute while the kids stay underneath, and we sing songs. Angus suddenly ran over to be involved, as he does every week. But it was only when another mum commented about this that I made the connection for myself: he was suddenly WITH us, making eye contact, laughing, hugging me, and running in and out. In other words, this sensory activity had engaged with him, and unlocked his little world for a brief chance to step out. Wonderful!


This is me later in the day at 4.30pm, stepping out to go to my other (paid) job, tutoring senior high school English students.


Angus was particularly upset when I left this day, but Ian brought them over to the window to wave me goodbye.

Tuesday - Early Days part two

No photos today.

I took Angus shopping because funnily, Ian and I had not managed to find the time to do our online shopping order. It's supposed to save time, but well... It had been a particularly difficult morning with Miss Three and I felt very angry with her when I dropped her at kindy care rather late. So the shopping was a good mental diversion and I took Angie to the park afterwards for a play. Felt pretty exhausted when I returned home. We had to get our paid babysitter to mind the kids because Ian had forgotten he had something important on after work and I couldn't miss my Early Days workshop, about autism, so it was an expensive and tiring evening. I didn't get home til about midnight, but for me it was worth it, to hear what other parents are experiencing and to talk with them. There are two mums in particular I've met who have been really great to get to know. This night was also important because for the first time, I got some insight into why we might be having the problems with Tasmin that we are. More on that later.

Monday - my day

I love my coffee in the morning. Especially on my new Mondays when I return from the childcare dropoff and it's just me at home. I spent the first two hours cleaning and tidying the house since it looked like a nuclear reactor had exploded somewhere nearby. Strangely, I felt much better after doing this and I felt relaxed enough to sit at the desk and mess around with my photos on the computer.

Sunday

No photos. Ian was away today for other commitments, and it wasn't a great day.