so are they human, too?

A Real Boy: How Autism Shattered Our Lives - and Made a Family from the Pieces by Christopher Stevens with Nicola Stevens is a nice paperback which doesn’t have a “he was cured” ending - but does show how life with an autistic child can settle into some kind of routine – with the right school and respite in place. In the end, he is just a boy with a different view of the world.

It is more women’s magazine style light reading than the deeply philosophical, intriguing, but nonetheless upbeat, Joe: The Only Boy in the World by Michael Blastland which I enjoyed. Recognizing my own child in both these books.

I would recommend them both for insight into life with an autistic child with severe learning difficulties.

lice and mice

aargh. had to get the pest control man in after finding six dead mice on the glue trap. and heard them squealing in the nite. landlady very nice, organized pest control. he has put more glue traps and super bait. since then - no rustling! maybe the catch six at once did the trick...

meanwhile, another lice infestation. and after one treatment, had call from after school club - "L has a severe infestation!". i mutter about having just treated her but promise to be good and re-treat...all of us.

we never had nits/lice in my day!

(in)dependence

Ix is wholly dependent on an adult for most of daily life - when/what to eat, dressing (he can do it with prompting, even without but he would not care if he went out in pyjamas...). He is toilet trained but often needs reminding to go - and cannot wipe.

he knows what he wants and can do a lot, but he can't be left alone, as a typical 12 year old could.

meanwhile, I am dependent on a host of people to help run the days and weeks. His after school carers, his tranport to/from school.

school mornings are finely tuned - get everyone up, breakfast, teeth, dressed..all timed by cbeebies. during Big Barn Farm the bus calls (a missed call) and i take Ix to the bus. girls get ready and we jump in car to get to their school by 0840, drive back, park, hit tube to work.

last week the usual driver was sick and the replacement didn't know where he was going..i called the escort and it was clear they would be very late.

so..bundle Ix into car as well as girls, drive to their school, leave him in car, take girls to gate, back to car, drive to school. drive home, get tube -arrive late for work. school told me the others on bus arrived 1130 a.m.!

next day, i call escort after Big Barn Farm..she assures me she nearby and won't be so late. but they dont arrive til 0915 - meaning girls are late for school and I have to sign late notes. i am late for work etc. all so intertwined...

next day, bus arrives as BBF ends, phew..back to normal.

then there are the holidays, a few days playscheme for him, playscheme/friends for girls, all intertwined with who needs to be where and when. and when one link in the chain fails, quick thinking...like any family, but more so because Ix's arrangements are dependent on people who already know him - easy enough to call another parent to pick up girls in a crisis but you can't do that for him.

meanwhile, I have beome more independent. when living with the ex, technology was kept as a mystery only he could deal with...yet I've set up a desk top, installed software, and printer. easy!

nearly killed the hamster....

rodents again.

got up for some water in night. felt something furry and alive under my foot.

eek.

swatted at it with nearest heavy book...then realised it was very furry -

and very definitely the pet hamster

NOT the pest mouse.

yikes.

was he dead.? oh sh&t....

..scooped him up and returned to cage - our visiting children had not put the cage door on properly.

thankfully he seems alive and well today....

I am not a pet person but L is...

a singular Christmas and New Year

and a lot to be said for doing it alone... no griping hassling person complaining.

we all been sick with Xmas virus and i could not talk this morning! but overall it has been good - Christmas with the children, my aunt came for the day, opening presents, turkey lunch, chilling out...no hassles.

(except the ex called my aunt on xmas eve and harassed her as to why had she given me her car? she was not allowed to do so! he also called my landline and i picked up in error but cut him short. he claimed he only rang my aunt to wish her a happy xmas...after calming down my aunt said not to give him the attention he was seeking eg by asking him to refrain from calling - she has caller id and will be more careful not to pick up. he just seeking attention...)

so much nicer dealing with just the three children - and an old aunt - ....we've been in and out and had my sister visiting etc but two of the children had high temperature couple days...now I am exhausted.

a single-mum friend and her two children came over last nite and we had a good new years celebration. they stayed over and we had a nice day together today.

so eliminating the (moaning, griping, complaining, critical) ghosts of Christmases past and looking forward to Christmases and new years future!

L and the huskie!

L and the huskie...Tradar...at Bankside Winter Festival.

Went down with M in charge of Ix, which was just as well as he wasn't interested in huskies and had a wander while girls had a ride on the huskies-pulled chariot!

walked across (not-)wobbly bridge past St Paul's then home again.

rustling rodents...

last nite - 3.00 a.m. the scrabbling rustling sound of rodent.
get up, turn on light, check pet hamster safely in cage.
definitely the house mouse/mice...

day before - after zero success with humane traps, nicely designed baited traps, bought the sticky pads.

after being told in robert dyas - "we dont sell these the p/c brigade wont let us. they too effective. we had complaints"...bought three packs down the road in amy's ardware... success! two dead ones...

back to last nite...identified rustling from sainsburys bag near door containing chocolates for the teachers. whipped chocs from bag, carried rustling bag to sink, turned on tap full blast and drowned the thing; feeling like a mad lone mouse killler... ugh. needs must.