547 + 443 Weeks

The excitement of Christmas has come and gone, and I am relieved!  There is always a buildup of excitement with the kids and no matter how calm we make Christmas, there are inevitable troubles due to change of routine and overwhelm etc.  We had a chill Christmas day, which was lovely.  Jeffrey and I woke up before the kids!  Arley woke up at 7:20 and then waited a while before he woke up Carmie.  They opened stockings on our bed and then went out to presents under the tree.  They both did well, with their main presents being Apple Watches (thanks to our therapists and NDIS).  Carmie was totally stoked by the watch, Arley not so much.  I think he was in such a funk because present opening was over and he couldn't get excited.  It was a little cold and rainy on Christmas Day, and Arley wanted to have a family swim, but no one really wanted to go in, so he started crying.  He was quite upset.  Carmie and I ended up swimming with him, and having lots of fun too, so that improved his mood.  Later on towards the evening he put on his new Apple Watch and realised how cool it is, and has loved it ever since.

The weather has been really bad this week, rainy and even a little chilly (Christmas in the subtropics is not supposed to be chilly!), so we have spent a lot of time playing games together.  The kids' favourite new game is Cards Against Humanity, family edition.  I have to say, it is hilarious.  So, we've played that a lot, along with a few others.  We haven't actually left the house except to go on a walk around the lakes!  We have collected lake water and rainwater in soil to look at through the microscope. The kids have played XBox and played with their giant bubble kit.  And there has been a fair amount of bickering between the two.  Carmie is having a hard time dealing with Arley who in turn is having a hard time adjusting to being off his meds.  He needs to be stimulated at all times or else all hell breaks loose.  Poor Arley had a meltdown last night, starting at the dinner table over an incident between him and his dad, and it got out of hand fast.  It was a bad one.  It's nice to have a break from all of our therapies over this time, but on the other hand, it would be really great to get some help and advice!

Tomorrow is New Years Eve and the forecast is for rain.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!