722. 723 + 618, 619 Weeks

So, I have no photos from the past two weeks.  Not one.  Arley and I took a couple on our morning walk this morning, but they are horrible.  Carmie and I decided this morning that we were going to go for a walk at Currimundi Lake and then out to lunch, but on the drive there she came down with a headache.  I stopped at a pharmacy to get her some Advil, and continued driving to the lake, but within a few minutes she was nauseous, 7/10, and asked to go home.  Our morning was a bust, and Carmie is now in bed.  I have made an appointment with her endocrinologist, as her coeliac numbers are still high and our paediatrician requested it...but guess how much an endo appointment costs?  $510, with only half back on Medicare.  How can a half hour doctor's visit cost $510??!!  Ugh, it's crazy.  But, we've got to figure out what is going on with her belly.

We've had a few ups and downs over the last few weeks.  Arley and I have been butting heads - mostly because he is having trouble doing whatever is asked of him.  It's kind of driving me crazy, but there's not too much I can do except praise him when he is cooperative.  He had a good day yesterday - he was with Clint in the morning and at his social time with his buddy Liam until the afternoon.  I took Carmie to her physio appointment, and while she was there I took a walk through the neighbouring rain forest, and it was just what I needed.  I will be doing that whenever I take her to physio, as long as it's not raining.

We have made all the bookings and arrangements for Jeff's trip back to the States in June.  He will be gone for three weeks, which is the longest we've ever been apart...I'm not really looking forward to it!  I would love to go too, but we couldn't take the kids.  Vacations are all too difficult for us, I'm afraid.  Luckily we live in such a beautiful place.

We haven't been doing a lot.  We went to Lolo & Dida's for dinner.  One morning Carmie and I met up with Nicky and Lexi at Cotton Tree beach.  Of course I forgot to take any photos, but it was a really lovely morning.  We left Arley at home, as he was refusing to come.  I'm just going to start going out now, whether or not he and/or Carmie joins me.  I turn all the screens and internet off when I leave - I figure one day he might just be bored enough to join me!

Hopefully I'll have some good photos for next week.

720, 721 + 616, 617 Weeks

It has been a big two weeks, but despite this, we are all remarkably chill.  Easter was this past weekend, but in Jeff's own words, he "singlehandedly ruined Easter".  On Saturday morning I bought hot cross buns from the bakery, and I picked up a loaf of traditional sourdough bread, which I never do.  That night we had pasta, and I had the brilliant idea of asking Jeff to make garlic bread for us with the sourdough.  Unbeknownst to me, he gave Carmie a slice.  To his credit, the sourdough loaf did look exactly like one of Carmie's gluten free loaves of bread.  But anyway, Carmie ate it for dinner, and we were none the wiser until around 8:30 pm when she started vomiting.  The poor thing.  She was violently vomiting for the next two hours, and then when it seemed like there was nothing left, I went to bed.  When I woke up the next morning (Easter morning!) I discovered that poor Carms had been awake all night, throwing up on and off, and she couldn't get out of bed.  We cancelled our morning tea with Lolo and Dida as well as our Easter egg hunt, and poor Carmie spent the next two days in bed.  She was physically sick until Monday morning, and then was only able to get some food and drink in by Tuesday morning.  Arley was surprisingly patient about us having to postpone the egg hunt until Carmie was able to participate.  So, Easter was a bust!  Carmie is almost fully better as of today, but she still isn't eating much.

We had a paediatrician appointment for both kids on Tuesday morning.  We had known it was coming, and knew we had to get blood tests done on the kids.  We have never successfully gotten Arley's blood drawn except for under gas at the hospital, but they have closed that unit now, so we were fully prepped to go into a regular clinic.  I put the numbing cream on both the kids, and myself as well, as I had opted to get my blood drawn with them in solidarity (and to demonstrate to Arley how it is done).  Clint met us down at the clinic, and I got my blood drawn first, then Carmie (it took about 10 minutes to get her calm), and then it was Arley's turn.  The drama!  Oh my goodness, it was awful.  It took 45 minutes to just get him into the chair (all the while there were people waiting and listening in the next room!).  There were many tears, lots of shouting, lots of begging and bribing, and then finally Clint just picked him up and sat him in the chair with me.  I wrapped one leg over his legs, arm around his shoulders, hand shielding his eyes, then Clint had to pin him at the shoulder and at the wrist while two nurses took his bloods.  It was not fun!!  My heart broke for him.  He was terrified, poor bugger.  Afterwards Clint and I took the kids to McDonalds - it was one of the bribes I had made to get Arley into the chair.  Another one was that the kids could have unlimited screens until after Easter.  And then of course, Easter was postponed because of Carmie getting glutened...and now we have a three day long weekend ahead of us, so it looks like we will get back on track on Monday!

Other than those two big events, things have been fairly smooth sailing, I think mostly because of the unlimited screen time. LOL. I've been doing a little art work, getting some exercise in, and started a short painting course.  Jeffrey is still doing well at work, with three new sign ups this week, and three trial lessons already scheduled for next week.  The cooler weather is here, which is quite a nice change, and I've been able to get the kids going for a short walk with me in the mornings (separately - I have to do two walks!).  We had to cancel a few appointments over Easter, but the kids still saw Clint on Wednesday morning, for a bit of fishing off Chambers Island.  We are hoping to have a chill long weekend and start back full throttle on Monday.  Fingers crossed!

After Arley's successful blood draw. The patience of that nurse was remarkable! LOL

The only two photos I got of our postponed Easter egg hunt.  They are terrible, I know!

Fishing with Clint.  Note Carmie's t-shirt.  Haha

718, 719 + 614, 615 Weeks

Usually I don't have much to say, but it has been a busy few weeks!  Jeffrey's 54th birthday has been and gone.  His birthday was on a Monday and Jeff had to work, so we celebrated it on Sunday.  I made him his favourite chocolate brownies, and Mum and Geoff come over for cake and presents.  It was pretty chill, with no dramas, which is a success in my book.  Jeffrey and I spent the day hanging out together and I tried to spoil him rotten.  He says he had a good birthday - a day of fun with no drama.  Win!

This past Sunday Jeff and I flew to Sydney for a quick overnight trip to get his passport renewed.  It had expired, so we couldn't do it by mail, and Jeff missed the deadline to submit the paperwork for the regional travelling US consulate, which meant we had to go to Sydney.  We left early on Sunday morning and returned on Monday night, while Mum and Geoff looked after the kids.  It was such a short trip, but we did so much and had such a good time!  On Sunday we met my old high school friend Anna at the Opera Bar.  I hadn't seen her in about ten years (time flies!), and we had a blast.  Anna and Jeff get along really well too, and it was very easy to spend the afternoon with her.  We went from the Opera Bar at the Opera House, to travelling to Anna's place in Manly via the ferry.  We spent the afternoon at Anna's, then ferried back to the city and then over to North Sydney to our hotel.  Dinner out was lovely.  It was really good to be away having some alone time.  The next morning we went to the consulate to get his new passport (Success! We just have to wait a few weeks for it to arrive).  We then caught the train into the city, had morning tea at the QVB, walked to Darling Harbour where we had lunch, then made our way to Circular Quay.  We spent the afternoon travelling to Watson's Bay on the ferry, and we stopped there for some afternoon tea before ferrying back to the city and catching the train to the airport.  Busy busy!  I realise how much easier it is to get around when we don't have to plan for the kids!  LOL.

It is nice to be home knowing that we have taken care of Jeff's passport.  He is heading back home to the States in June.  I'm not looking forward to it, and so wish I could go too!

We have had a good couple of weeks.  I have made a new rule that the kids do not get to go on any screens until they have been up for three hours and done something productive.  At first this involved a lot of tears on Arley's part, and some very dramatic dialogue telling me I have ruined his life.  However, after a few days it has become our normal, and things aren't going too badly!  Clint has taken the kids out a couple of times.  Carmie has had physio and done very well at it.  We got a surprise this morning when Penny, the kids' behaviour specialist, didn't show up.  When I checked my email I found that I had been sent a message from her company saying she no longer worked for them and that all appointments, today and future, have been cancelled!  Carmie was a little upset, as she really likes Penny.  I am a little relieved as I am getting very tired of all of these therapy appointments.  I think we will take a break from behaviour therapy for a while - hopefully we won't need it at all in the future!  Carmie has also asked to stop doing speech therapy, and she has done so well that her therapist and I agree that she can stop, at least for the time being.  Happy days!

I had better run, as Jeff is on his way home from work and I need to get his dinner on.  He has had a good week too, with quite a few trial lessons lined up and a couple of sign-ups too. :)

716, 717 + 612, 613 Weeks

Yes, it appears that I am only writing the blog every two weeks at this point...time seems to be speeding up, because every time it comes to Thursday, my blog-writing day, it feels like I have nothing to say because it was just yesterday that I wrote the last post! I have also been a little concerned about the kids' privacy, but I had a chat with Carmie and she has actually requested that I keep going until she is 18 so that she has her entire childhood recorded.  LOL. No small task, but I've been doing it for almost 14 years - what's another four?

Carmie has dropped another group this week!  She is now only attending two D&D groups, which really frees up her time.  She has been joining Arley on his outings with Clint, and she has now asked for her own separate outings with Clint each week too.  I don't know what we would do without that man!  On Tuesday he took Arley to the Military Museum in Maroochydore, which Arley really enjoyed, and then the next day he picked up both kids and took them to the aquarium.  Saved my sanity, is what he really did.  Haha.

Carmie rocked her physio session yesterday, and Arley had OT on Monday.  He and his OTs baked ginger cookies.  They are working to get his sensory avoidance under control.  It would be really great if he could start making his own snacks and small meals, but at this point he can't due to sensory issues and anxiety.  It would really take the pressure off me!

On Friday Jeff and I took the kids to a place called Holy Moly where we played indoor mini-golf.  It was kind of an experiment in a family outing, as usually it's a bit of a disaster.  This time it wasn't!  We had a few small hiccups, but nothing like it used to be.  This gives me high hopes for doing more together in the future.  The main problem for us and going out is trying to feed the kids.  It is near impossible and I think will be a hurdle for a long time to come.

The kids and I have started going up to Mum and Geoff's for dinner on Monday nights while Jeffrey is at work.  I am loving our dinners.  It feels like a night off for me, and it's good to sit down as a family and have a meal.  Afterwards Carmie and I have been playing Uno with Mum.  It feels like we are building memories, which is really nice.

I don't have much else to say.  We have a few days of torrential rain head of us, which I'm quite looking forward to!  I love having an excuse to stay home!

I found this online when I put Carmie's name into Google search.  There was once another Carmie Willbanks!  We can't believe it!

715 + 611 Weeks

Well, the cyclone that we were prepped and waiting for last week dissipated before it hit us!  We were waiting for it for days, watching it slowly move south, then east, then west, then north west...until it hit Moreton Bay (about 45 minutes south of us) and downgraded to a tropical storm.  I have to say, we got very lucky.  There were 300,000 people without power, but we escaped that torture.  We did have a couple of days of torrential rain and a rather large thunderstorm, but that was it.  Our behaviour therapist had to cancel her appointment with us because she was flooded in.  But that was the only disruption to our lives due to Cyclone Alfred.

My brother Jay and his girlfriend Erica have been in town.  Clearly they haven't had the best of weather, but that worked out a little better for the kids, I think.  It meant that Jay and Erica came to our house to spend time with the kids, which is always better as the kids are more comfortable here.  The kids got to play board games and Xbox with their uncle for two afternoons in a row, and they were very happy indeed.

Carmie has dropped down to only one social group at the Nest in Caloundra, and two groups at Social Studio.  She's down to only three group in total a week, from seven.  I am loving having her home more.  I think she burnt herself out with all the groups she was going to.  Instead we have been hanging out a lot more, and it's really nice.  She can still be a grumpy teenager, but for the most part, it's so nice to have her home.  Yesterday I took her to physio, and she had a great session.  On Tuesday she joined Arley in his outing with Clint.  They went to the aquarium, which might just be Arley's favourite place here.  Both kids had OT on Monday and that went well too.  Arley's OT is going to specifically start trying to help with Arley's aversion to touching wet and cold things.  If we can crack that, things will be a lot easier in our household!

I don't have much else to add.  It's been a good week, despite the trepidation we dealt with due to the non-cyclone!

713, 714 + 609, 610 Weeks

So, I didn't post last week as there were no photos and not much to say... and now I'm posting a day early because we might lose power tomorrow, as we are going to be getting hammered by Cyclone Alfred.  We've never experienced a cyclone before and it's a little daunting.  The only thing I'm really worried about is the loss of power and internet!  How do we feed the kids (particularly Carmie who hates gluten free bread which means no sandwiches), and how to do entertain them?  Our lovely survivalist support worker Clint dropped off a camping stove for us yesterday, which will definitely save the day as far as food goes,  But how to entertain the kids in the house with no power and not able to go outside?  Potentially for a few days?  Ugh, dreading it!  I'm quite excited for a bit of action though.  Right now it's the calm before the storm, which feels kind of eerie.

My kid brother Jay and his girlfriend Erica flew in yesterday for a vacation.  They left Bali a week ago and have been in Sydney, and are now doing their Susnhine Coast leg of the trip, right in time for the cyclone.  Such bad timing!  However, I am very glad Jay is with Lolo and Dida in case anything goes wrong.

We've had a good week so far.  On the weekends we have been spending more time with the kids, mostly playing Xbox with them, which brings on a lot of laughs.  I'm fairly terrible at all the games they choose though.  Jeff and I ran out on Sunday and surprised the kids by buying a new tv.  Our old tv was ten years old, and we did not realise that we were such dinosaurs!  The new tv is 65 inches and voice activated and a hundred times better than our last one.  Arley's neighbourhood buddies are happy too.  LOL.

Arley had a checkup at the dentist this week.  He is still right on track but they won't do any more work on his teeth until all of his adult teeth come through, which will be a couple of years.  They have expanded his palate to give the teeth room, and it hasn't moved back and things look good.

I don't have much more to add.  Wish us luck surviving the next few days!!

A semi-cooperative Arley from when Clint took him bowling this week:

We have just discovered that Arley is smiling for photos again (it's been years!!) so we are making the most of it :)

712 + 608 Weeks

It has been a fairly good week.  The weather has finally cracked and we aren't in the middle of stifling heat anymore, which is great.  It's still hot, but not heatwave-hot.  We've been bombarded with the neighbourhood kids - Arley and his buddies are hanging out a lot.  Too much, in fact.  We are setting up some ground rules and time restrictions, because our house seems to be taken over by the three of them!  The boys' mum is on board, so hopefully there won't be much drama.  We are shooting for two afternoons and one weekend morning a week (as opposed to every day!).  Jeff keeps making fun saying that I now have three boys to look after.  Well, that's changing!

Carmie is doing fairly well.  She had a friend, Vilia, over yesterday.  Carms has dropped out of two of her groups, but she has picked up two more, so she's still out and about being a teenager five days a week.  Her sleep has gone to hell again, which has big knock-on effects every day, so I'm trying to get on top of it.  Her phone is now locked up along with her iPad every night, so I'm hoping that helps.  It didn't last night, but it's all about getting her into a rhythm.

I don't have much more to add. There were no big dramas this week. Old angry Arley returned for a tantrum last night when he couldn't play xbox, but we had a big talk this morning and I told him to imagine his dad acting that way.  He got a laugh out of that, and recognition that it is very immature behaviour.  He is still a tough cookie, but definitely more rational and understanding.

No real complaints!  Just cruising.