Smiley Saturday, now I have one too.

I regularly read the Smiley Saturday post links on Lightenings blog, today I have one of my own.

Yesterday was DD#1 first day at a main stream school, she started Kindergarten which in NSW is the first compulsory full time year of school. Why this is smile worthy - 18 months ago we got the paper work for a special autistic school that is near us cause no one who saw her thought she would be able to go to a mainstream school, we were told over and over again to hurry with the forms cause of waiting list etc. Something held me back and I devoted my time to finding therapys we could do now to improve her ability to cope within a society that is not set up for a child like mine.

Yesterday she went off to school with all the other little kids who live in our suburbs and not only did she cope but she loved it. She made a new little friend, she doesn't know his name so is calling him 'the boy' but this is huge for us cause she knows two little girls in her class, the school put her with those two girls so she would have some familar faces and feel more at ease. I asked her if she played with either of the girls and she said no, which both amazed and excited me - she made a friend, I want to do a happy dance.

Once in the car instead of the meltdown screaming match I both expected and prepared for I got a detailed description of her day and how great it was. I honestly want to cry, I can't believe how wonderfully great this is. I know its only one day and it could all change on Monday but one day of calm happiness is... enough to give me chills. Her teacher was gushing when I picked her up, she was so excited and happy at how great the day was and how much she interacted with both her and the other kids. We had done as much as we could to set her up for success, I had started having meeting with the principal and her current teacher in April last year and its truly proved to be benefitial.

So thats my Smiley Saturday. I have not stopped smiling since I picked her up yesterday afternoon.

Week In Review and Me update all in one

This week I didn't lose any weight but I'm not overly complaining, I did get a bit of exercise in and my muscles have that slightly sore feeling so thats OK.

Its been a hard week. The kids have been real out of sorts, my youngest who is naturally a sooky crying child has been in tears at the drop of a hat every single day. The three boys in her swimming class made her cry 4 times in a half hour lesson. I ended up changing her lesson to a later time so she can be in a class with more girls. Why they thought one girl would be good with three boys is beyond me. My eldest has been relentless in annoying, hurting and generally being mean to her so tears are happening all day at home too. Speaking of my eldest, argh... I'm actually glad school is starting on Friday, I never thought I would say that cause I love having kids and being at home with them but she is going crazy. Unfortunately she is a overpowering mix of being extremely intelligent who is moderate but high functioning autistic and suffers from severe anxiety. Yesterday she spent a hour screaming at me through a closed door that she wanted to go home to her real mum!!! I would love to explain to her that I still have intense memories to giving birth to her 37cm head. (Only slightly replaced by giving birth to her sisters 38 cm head).

Deep down I think she is really worried about starting school, she is really excited and desperate to learn (though she is doing 2nd grade maths so she is going to be a bit bored I think for the first 2 yrs) but she is anxious and worried, yesterday she ended up breaking down at the end of the day and saying she didn't want a new teacher when she moves up a class. Poor little thing, worrying about something that won't be happening for a year. I told her if she ended up being really unhappy then I would do something about it for her, I promise. I have pretty much gotten to the point of accepting one day I'll have to homeschool her.

Anyway all in all its made for a pretty full on noisy week and I'm so tired. Last night I went to bed and my head was running and when hubby started to snore I ended up moving to the lounge to watch a movie - I woke at 6.30 this morning with the TV still on.

Today is a public holiday in Australia, Australia Day in fact. There is a movement going to change the day cause the aborigines feel that its not a day to celebrate seeing its the day the white man came to this country. I'm not sure where I sit on it all really I am considered white in this country but have alot of aborigines in my family tree, my mums grandfather was a aborigine.

Most of my family still work on public holidays, my mum is a nurse and she is working this afternoon, my father works in a RSL Club as a supervisor so that is open today as well, hubby is self employed so if he doesnt work he does get paid, and my future sister in law is currently working in a cafe until Uni starts so she works too. But we are all going to be available for brunch today so we are grabbing the opportunity to eat together, we are about to leave for mums shortly.

This coming week is a huge one for us. #2 child starts her extra day at preschool as well as move up into the next class, she goes off to school next year so is in the 'big' class at preschool, so she is there 2 days a week from this week on. And my eldest starts school on Friday. Also mum and I are going to not only go to the funeral on Wednesday but while down in Sydney we are going to take the opportunity to visit my cousin in hospital. Its been a marathon to get the girls minded for the day. I'm dropping them off at mums so my future SIL can mind them until my MIL arrives to have them for the day then she is dropping them off to my dad who will then take them to hubby when he finishes work. What a mess but the drive is going to be too long for them to do and come back in one day and also my eldest is already obsessed with death as it is, a funeral would be... awkward.

On the organising front and budget mess. I've gotten no further. With the kids being they way they have been I've been far to crazy to think straight. Hubby did move some stuff from the garage this week so I have a bit more room in there to do some sorting. But really our accounts and budget must come first.... and I'll keep working on it.

Me - 21/1/09

I'm a bit late in the update on me this week. I had a pretty bad week, I only lost 0.1kg. About mid week I ended up getting the worst migraine, which made me feel really sick. Hubby ordered in some thai for dinner and I consumed a huge portion of coconut rice, the more I ate the less i felt like being sick. Not happy. Anyway then the week just went downhill from there.

I'm not in a great head space, things are a bit busy. Hubby's not been around much cause the plasterer starts at the house today, so when he is here we need to touch base and make decisions etc and we aren't agreeing, we are both so tired and run down and its just so damn hot, I don't think I spoke to him at all last night, cause of a disagreement we had earlier in the afternoon. The kids have been at each others throat as well, its hot and almost too hot for outside so they are a bit over it. DD #2 is at preschool tomorrow so hopefully it means they can catch their breath and start again. DD#1 has had a few meltdowns - its hard cause with all thats going on we aren't as routined as we usually are and she doesn't like that at all.

So basically I feel I need to start again. We have nothing planned today and I'm hoping we can just plod along and have a nice day, the house is tidy and all I really have to do is make the beds so it might be a good day to read books, rest, recharge.

My plans for this coming week is to try to stick to my weight watchers eating plan, drink more water cause I've slipped with this again and also to try to go for a walk if the temperature ever drops.

Waaaaah

Just got back from the specialist, DD#1 tear ducts still don't work, after 4 operations with no success he has just recommended the 'next' stage which is 3 more operations spaced out with one every three months and also we'd need another surgeon with more experience. I have no idea what to do, her eyes are often gunky and red looking. We have to supply letters all the time to prove she doesn't have an infection. But they are heaps better than before operation 3 & 4. They are heaps worse in the morning or if she is unwell, so during the day they are a OK.

But... with her autism and severe anxiety another operation could cause some severe reactions and regression. We have done so well to prepare her for school, and to calm her down the last 6 months, I just don't want to enter into something else new yet. Just the 1.5hrs at the clinic ended with her mute and rocking, the rocking is something we haven't seen now for about 5 months, argh.

I think we will probably wait a year or 2. Hubby couldn't come today but we just spoke about it and he is still holding out that it will fix itself, I think there is only a 0.1% chance of that happening. We will need to sit down and really hash out the pro's and con's and decide what to do.