time for an update!

seems it's been awhile since my last blog update although i could use all the excuses under the sun i wont bore you with the details except to say life is busy for me just as it is for you...lol! anyhoo we have been on school holidays for the past 2 weeks and come monday the kids go back to start a new term. not a single teen of mine is looking forward to it...not that i can blame them but for stephanie and maddi....there are huge changes taking place with the first part of their new school now complete and ready to go when they get back and new neighbourhoods to get use to. of course with the start of a new term comes a very busy time for us at least within the next 2 weeks....meetings and appointments galore....how fun!

prior to school holidays maddi had a cognitive assessment done and although i am still waiting to have an appointment with the psychologist that did it (he's on leave), what it suggests will have a serious impact on his teachers and his learning at school if they choose to take it onboard. although i won't tell you what his full scale IQ is, i will mention that it's low and all i can say at this stage in regards to the teachers that have recently given him such a hard time because they believe he is capable of so much more....it's time to listen and take notice because you got it so wrong.....if only they would listen to parents!

next on the list is the fact that we have finally been given an appointment with ADAS (autistic disorders assessment services) here in bendigo so maddi can have a full assessment done. this has been such a stressful and difficult journey for the past 10 months because he does not have a case manager and we have had to do it pretty darn tough because of it. we have some paperwork to fill in for that...a developmental behaviour checklist, 1 for tim and i and one for his teacher to work through.

stephanie is in next week for a cognitive assessment....took 2 whole weeks to organise that....but you know the difference? steps is case managed and maddi is not. we have just filled in her developmental behaviour checklist as well which goes to ADAS and so that's been sorted out. we also need to get her off to the doctors this week because we need another referral for another psychiatrist to see her and help with what's needed there and then she is also off to see our own local autism specialist ken armstrong who is a paediatrician that specialises in ASD's.

in regards to lance we have this coming wednesday a meeting with his mentor at netschool and another support worker/case manager in relation to his funding for school in what to do and how best to support lance in relation to adults with a disability and where to next year.........................and speaking of lance he has had it pretty tough the past couple of weeks. 1st his paediatrician has weaned him off his heart medication and come next tuesday it will be a full 2 weeks. since then i have had to call him as lance has not done so well. breathless, heart pains, dizzy spells, almost fainted twice and has had pain down his right arm. dr just wants it out of his system completely, see if things stabilise and if it so then they know what the problem is and if it doesn't then it finally clarifies his coronary artery spasm for good. needless to say we are watching and making sure if things become urgent we just get him up to the hospital asap so we are being very very cautious. on top of all this he had a hair cut and although i think it looks great and so much better then what he had lance is not always coping at his best....a huge change is a hair cut in an autistic kid and oddly enough his last proper one was almost 12 months ago. anyway not only is it a physical change, a tactile change but indeed a social change as well. time will tell and it came close to ringing our triage service here the day he had it cut this week...yep things have been full on here.

grace is fine....checking out the local job places for a casual possie now that her health is pretty much 100% since she's had glandular fever. it was really nice to see her and steps playing with the wii this arvo for ages....loads of giggles and laughs and i'm certain heaps of cheating....lol but really great to listen to it all minus the stresses and the anxieties that plague this family full on.

oct 6th is almost here.....yep one year since dad past away suddenly...still can't get my head round it all and everything that has happened since then and there are just too many times that i expect him to just walk in the house still or start chatting to me on the phone when i ring mum or she rings me. how i miss you dad xxxxx

so like i said earlier we've been on 2 weeks of school holidays and you know when you have goals and aims and then pfffft nothing? yep thought so well i don't think i got much done at all. the truth be known is that although we did not have to worry about the school runs i still had appointments, still took lance to righteous pups 2/3 times a week and because he doesn't cope with his personal carer or staying there by himself just yet i need to stay with him so that takes out about 3 arvos a week. then there are all those times that i have been completely unmotivated to scrap and simply felt blah. oh and the weather.....well although spring sprung officially come the first of sep, we have had pretty much nothing but cold, wet, rainy, miserable days with barely a hint of sun or warmth! i did manage to potter about with a little bit here and there with my canvases, oh and i did by some gorgeous new paper scrapping products just the other day because our local spotlight store that was affected by the tragic bushfires on black saturday (feb 7th) earlier this year reopened, had a grand opening and is looking fab-u-lous!!!!! so had to sus them out.

anyway time for me to stop and do something else that hopefully will be just as constructive or close too blogging and i may even attempt to do some scrapping....yep digital as i have some new kits to play with and some gorgeous frames to fill. outta here....ciao xoxo