468 + 364 Weeks

The weeks are racing by, now that we are actually moving (in 3 weeks and 6 days!).  I feel completely unprepared even though it has been a long time coming!  We have worked on clearing out the garage and selling off items but haven’t had much luck with packing anything yet.  Or with finding a house to rent, for that matter!  We are not sure which area to live - whether it should be close to the learning centre so the kids and I don’t have to commute, or more central to Coffs...

Today was a big day for us.  We had to get Arley’s little rat Jackie to the vet (more on that later) at 8:30 this morning, on the way to horse riding.  After riding we came home to eat, and then had to drive up to Nowra for Arley’s paediatrician appointment. Then more errands in Nowra, then errands in Ulladulla, and we didn’t get home until 4:30.  Arley’s paed is trying him on a new medication, but he is also staying on the Lovan.  He’ll be taking Catapres as well.  He started it this evening, and two hours later he just could not keep his eyes open.  I’ll have to give it to him a little later on, because he was too tired to brush his own teeth!  We are supposed to see an improvement in his anxiety and aggression in about two weeks, and I’m so hopeful that it helps.  He told me today that being autistic and angry makes him feel like a loser.  Breaks my heart.  Poor little guy.

Now on to Jackie the rat.  I noticed a few weeks ago that he is not looking so good and might be sick.  He’s just not thriving, but he is still eating and drinking, so I let it go. Then late yesterday afternoon I noticed that his penis was out, and I mean really out!  Totally freaky.  I spoke with my amazing friend Ciri who is a vet and she told me I had to get him help right away, and told me what to do.  I didn’t actually want to do it, so I then messaged my other vet friend Carrie, and she confirmed my nightmare.  I had to lube Jackie’s penis up and try to put it back in.  She very kindly suggested that I dim the lights and put on some mood music.  Jeff held Jackie, and we put sugar on his genitals first to absorb some water, and then I had to lube my fingers and try to massage his penis back in.  Oh. My. God.  Never in my life did I ever think I would have to do that to a rat.  And I completely failed!  After a good 15 minute go, Jackie’s penis was still hanging out.  And Jeff made terrible jokes for the rest of the evening, because how could he resist?  Little Jackie got all fixed up this morning, spent the day at the vet’s and came home with some anti inflammatory medication as well as some antibiotics for a lung infection he has.  He is looking perkier already, and I don’t mean in his nether regions!  Oh. My. God.

There’s not much else to report.  Jeffrey has been working a lot, which is annoying because we have so much to do.  I am still taking the kids to horse riding and tennis, and they still went to their grandparents’ on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Arley isn’t talking too much about our impending move, but Carmie is.  She is very excited, but also very scared too.  I feel the same!

Carmie and Jackie, before the penis incident!

467 + 363 Weeks

We have good news this week!  Finally!  Our house has officially sold!  Settlement is on July 30th, and we expect to be moving out on July 24th.  We are so relieved.  And we have decided not to stay in the area - instead we are moving about 9 hours north, to the Coffs Harbour area!  Warmer weather, warmer water, more to do, and more importantly, a place to send the kids.  In the US, they have "democratic schools" and learning centres where kids are free to play and socialise, and learn by doing what they want through play, with facilitators there if they need help.  I always told Jeffrey that if there was a place like that here, I would send the kids in a heartbeat. And it turns out there is!  It's called the Alithia Learning Centre, and it is about half an hour from Coffs.  The kids can attend from 1 to 4 days a week, hours are from 9-3 but are loose and very flexible, and it ranges in kids aged from 5-13, no more than 20 a day.  It has kids who don't quite fit the school mould, like ours.  Carmie and Arley have watched a video about the centre, and Carmie is desperate to go.  We originally wanted to move up to Coffs Harbour 5 years ago before we bought our house here, so it is a stroke of luck that the learning centre is up there.  It wasn't hard to convince Lolo and Dida either, as that area is one of their favourite places, so they will be moving up there next year too.  We are so excited!

Last night I had insomnia.  I don't feel stressed, but I obviously am.  I fell asleep at around 7am this morning, and slept lightly until almost 10am.  I'm feeling pretty woozy today, and had to cancel the kids' horse riding.  I have the mover coming over to give us a quote this afternoon, otherwise I'd be back in bed right now.  I have told the kids it's a "do what you want" day, so Carmie is back in bed reading, and Arley is sitting next to me playing Minecraft.  They are in heaven.  Me, not so much!

We have had a good week.  On Friday I took the kids to my friend Mark's to pick some citrus fruit.  Afterwards we went to the fig tree park in Milton.  The kids made a friend there, an 8 year old boy called Sol who was visiting with his mum form Canberra.  They had such fun with him that they begged to meet up again the next day, so we went back on Saturday for another huge play, and now the kids are going to be penpals.

On Monday Jeffrey and I packed up the kids and headed up to Wollongong for an overnight stay, because Arley had to see an ear, nose throat doctor on Tuesday.  Wollongong is 2 hours drive away, so we thought we'd make a trip out of it.  On the way up we stopped in Nowra and Kiama so the kids could play in different parks and get ice cream.  We stayed in an Air Bnb apartment, and we took the kids to this brilliant park on the water there.  The park has two really big zip lines, and the kids had a blast.  Arley had quite a bit of trouble sharing the zip lines with other kids, so it was a little stressful for us.  We went out for Mexican food that night, and the kids were allowed to stay up a bit watching tv.  The next morning we went back to the zip line park and it was a lot less crowded, and the kids pretty much had a zip line to themselves.  Arley was way more timid than Carmie, who was getting pushed massively by her dad, so she was just flying.  It was really fun.  After the park we went to a cafe for lunch, and then Arley saw the doctor.  We needed to rule out enlarged adenoids which can cause some of the problems Arely is having.  He got an Xray done, and everything is fine.  He has trouble breathing through his nose though, but it is due to his very small mouth, high arched palette and overbite.  The doctor said once we get his palette expanded, things should be a little easier for him.  We will tackle that after we move though!  Not looking forward to it at all :(

After we got home, we were commending the kids for being so brilliant while we were away...and then Arely had a massive meltdown during and after dinner.  I guess it was to be expected, after two big days away form home, but it was a doozy.  I voice recorded some of it to play to our paediatrician when we see him next week. Just as Arley wound down, Carmie had one of her own.  You'll see in the photos that Carmie's snaggletooth had gotten really bad.  It was hanging so low, and looked quite inflamed, and was SO wobbly, so Jeffrey and I made the decision that it had to come out.  She tried to wobble it out for a while, but to no avail, and that's when it got ugly.  Poor Carmie was hysterical and hyperventilating, and fighting and physically struggling with us.  It was just awful. In the end, after about 45 minutes of hysterics, I got it out with her permission using a piece of dental floss.  She said it really hurt, and I believe it did, because the gum was so inflamed.  But it is gone now, thank goodness.  It was a very stressful night!

The mover just called and has asked to come tomorrow morning instead, so I am going to go to bed now!  Just for a nap, but I might just sleep all the way through to tomorrow morning!

 Here is a video of Carmie on the zip line:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6EQvHRZ8JU

Arley took a ton of photos of Bella, and the rats, and he also started a ninja lego man series.  This photo of Bella is one of my favourites.

At the fig tree park

Spot Arley

In Kiama on the way to Wollongong

 At Stuart Park in Wollongong

466 + 362 Weeks

So, we are super frustrated this week, as WE ARE STILL WAITING ON SELLING OUR HOUSE!!!  I just can't believe it.  The bank is taking so long to approve their loan.  They needed proof that their tenants had jobs, and then they needed proof that she will be going back to work after her maternity leave.  We were told it would be last Friday (after being told it would be the Tuesday before), then we were told Tuesday of this week, and today we have been told it's with the final assessment team today.  This is maddening! We are beyond frustrated.  It has been about 5 weeks since we accepted their offer.

Other than that, it has been a fairly good week, with some ups and downs.  Arley has had a few hard times.  Jefrey took the kids horse riding on Monday and Arley couldn't find a helmet to fit (we have had to order him a new one), and he had a meltdown, refused to ride, and then at the end refused to get in the car so that Jeff could bring them home.  After 45 minutes, I finally drove out there and coerced him into the car to bring him home.  He was terribly upset, and it took him a while to come good again.  My heart breaks for him when he is upset, and I can't explain him out of it, because he is not rational.

I was rather stressed yesterday when I dropped the kids off at Mum's for the day.  Arley was yelling at me because he didn't like his hairstyle (!), so as soon as I left, I took myself for a walk on Mollymook beach.  It was a little overcast and very silvery, and the beach was practically empty but for a few surfers.  Exactly what I needed.

The good news is that we had horse riding again this morning and Arley wore a helmet he didn't love, and the kids had a brilliant lesson.  We also got the kids and Bella out to Collers Beach this week, and we went fossicking, which we haven't done in a while.  Arley is still taking a zillion photos with my phone, and still loving it.  Carmie has another really bad snaggletooth which she won't let me pull out.  We have been playing a lot in the cul de sac, doing shadow drawings and handball, as well as a bit of bike riding.  I feel like I'm just in limbo waiting for this house to officially be sold.  I want to start packing, but I don't want to live amongst boxes for months on end!

Arley took this shot of Bella, and it makes me smile:

Carmie, handball champion

Shadow drawing

At Collers Beach

Ratty love

Arley saw this tree and needed to climb it

465 + 361 Weeks

I am happy to say that not much has happened this week in the way of drama.  We are still waiting on news of our house officially selling, but the realtor called me this evening saying that hopefully we will have word tomorrow morning.  We are so impatient for this to go through, it is no fun living one foot in and one foot out the door.  I have been purging belongings but I’m not sure if we should be packing yet!

Arley had a much better week this week, mostly because I took great care in listening to him, giving him a lot more wiggle room, and basically putting very few demands on him.  He still needed convincing to get certain chores done, but all in all, he had a much better week.  And therefore, so did the whole family :)

We headed out to Tabourie Beach on Saturday, just to get to a different beach (we have about a hundred to choose from!), and it was a beautiful day.  We made sand castles, took a walk, the kids played at the park; it was exactly what we needed.

And little Carmie?  She had a bit of a breakdown today because I made her stop reading.  I never thought I’d hear myself ban reading for the rest of the day, but it had to be done!  She was very upset with me, but apologised tonight.  She has been reading books on her iPad, and she is doing her eyes in.  After the reading ban, I sat down with her to look at our human body model that breaks apart so you can see all the organs.  Her head is full of knowledge.  She knows exactly what each organ does, why we need certain vitamins and minerals, why we need UV radiation...she was schooling me! That’s YouTube school for you!  Ha ha.

Arley has gotten really into photography on my iPhone this week, and has taken some brilliant shots! He has done quite a few photo sessions, taking tons of cute photos of the rats for our Instagram account, as well as walking through the neighbourhood (and our naighbours’ gardens) to get photos of flowers.  He really has an eye for it, it’s awesome!

I took the kids to the dentist today.  Carmie’s teeth are perfect, and the dentist even left her loose snaggle tooth in place.  Arley’s teeth are a mess though :(. In the words of the dentist, Arley has a “very very very small mouth”.  She said within the next twelve months we have to get him to an orthodontist to see about getting his palette widened, which will be really fun for an autistic kid with eating issues.  Dreading it!

Here is a video of the kids cantering at horse riding this morning.  Carmie has been riding a different horse the last few weeks, this little guy called Billy who is very cute and surprisingly fast!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d114FXBHMIc&feature=youtu.be

Walking to Tabourie Beach

\

Treats in town after horse riding.  They ended up having a few bites, saving their donuts and then completely forgetting about them.  I’m not complaining!