Definitely a Monday!!

Boy Wonder took some waking this morning, two alarm calls singing One Direction and an over active kitten! Still he slept....

Eventually BoyWonder got up, had a shower and came down for breakfast.  We left for the hospital at 7.30am to avoid the city traffic.  Boy Wonder played on his phone throughout the journey , yawning and fidgeting around.

Once at the Hospital, Boy Wonder became obviously distracted and anxious . He started with the baby talk, putting himself in the third person ( something he does when he wants to remove himself from a situation) and very flighty.  He was called in more or less straight away and had his hearing test. He coped with this well and then played whilst I spoke with the Doctor. His hearing tested fine this time but she remains concerned about his hypersensitivity to sound and the tinnitus that he continues to have, although never really speaks of. We spoke about the hearing nurse coming into the school to advise on ways to support him with noise reduction in the classroom and how this could combine with the O.T referral.   She asked to see Boy Wonder again in six months.

I dropped Boy Wonder off at school and went to work.  His teacher reported that he had become increasingly restless as the day went on and needed several prompts to stay on task.  On collecting him again after football he had his head on his hands and was crying, I asked him what was the matter and he told me that he had banged his head during football and it was hurting and he felt ill. The football coach didn't seem to think it was a significant injury and there was no marks, all very odd! As he was complaining of being ill I asked his teacher to have a look at him before we left. She advised him to have a drink and rest before swimming. She was as baffled as I was .

We picked Cat Girl up from after school club and got in the car to go swimming. Boy Wonder ate a bar of chocolate on the way which was in the car from earlier. When we got to swimming we agreed to talk to Boy Wonder's swimming teacher as he had voiced that he was frustrated by doing the same thing over and over. She checked his progress and said that he was due to move up so would ask his instructor to check him tonight. Boy Wonder appeared okay with this but as he walked off to get changed he became very upset, shouting and throwing himself about. We went into a cubicle for some privacy and Cat Girl asked me firmly to calm him down! Eventually after more shouting and hitting out I got him into the shower to attempt to calm him and then moved him swiftly into his lesson. His instructor was brilliant and diverted him straight away. If I hadn't have taken him into his session, Boy Wonder's meltdown would have continued and heightened with panic as his class began . A difficult decision to make but often diversion is the best option albeit a temporary fix.

After swimming Boy Wonder had another lengthily shower whilst waiting for Cat Girl to finish her lesson. We then got ready and came home. On the way home Boy Wonder started to become anxious again, demanding that Cat Girl does as he says ( play a game) . I intervened and told him ' no games just chill time.' He moved swiftly on to demanding that he needs more love to make him better and that he was loved more than Cat Girl. I spoke to him briefly but clearly about love being equal .....

This evening Boy Wonder struggled to settle . He didn't know what to do with himself  and just couldn't relax.  Super Man pinned  him down to a game of Ker Plunk and the 'Yes, No' game. He then went up to bed looking very tired. Hopefully he will wake up a little happier. Not nice for him being this anxious. It 's one of those times that you feel totally helpless.  Although we couldn't do a great deal for Boy Wonder, we had THE chat with Cat Girl ( not the first time) explaining that Boy Wonder struggles with his worries and that we need to help him and know that he loves her a lot as do we. She simply said ' Yes I know ' smiled and asked to play sweetie bingo!

Bumph....

Boy Wonder has had a busy weekend in part starting with his dance class on Saturday morning. The local football team was playing at home against another local team so the town was very busy. Luckily we got there on time ( just ), parking was more of a pain than ever! Cat Girl and I resorted to sitting in the car waiting whilst Boy Wonder had his lesson.

After dance we met Boy Wonder's new 1:1 support worker, she had planned to take him out for a few hours. They went off and Cat Girl and I went to Meadow Hall to collect Super Man's watch which had to go in for a service / battery. Cat Girl persuaded me with her doeful eyes that we needed to go to Build a Bear and get a cat! As if we don't have enough cats! It was very busy so we left after this and came home.  BoyWonder came home a little later. He seemed to have a good afternoon but was a bit unsettled. A new thing for him though so we will see how it goes.

In the evening I went to a Murder Mystery evening ( hence no blog yesterday, sorry!) it was a good night, and my skills as an 'autism parent' stood me in good stead  as I questioned everything and left no stone unturned! And like so many of our lives, there was a twist at the end which meant that even though we were bang on track throughout, we were side lined at the end! Will get it next time!!

We had a lazy Sunday morning where Boy Wonder spent time with his kitten. The kitten was snuggling up to Boy Wonder and he remarked ' He has learnt to trust me now and see me as his rightful owner.'  How sweet!

We then attempted some literacy homework which he struggled with the concept of and wasn't able to take in the mix of instructions, meaning that what would have been a straightforward exercise became complicated by bumph. Boy Wonder doesn't do bumph, he much prefers the straightforward approach.

We spent the afternoon at the local park den building and conkering. The children weren't too taken with conkering so the adults played whilst they built dens. A lovely sunny afternoon, homemade Victoria sponge and chocolate muffins and happy children. A lovely combination 

We returned home this evening and Boy Wonder quickly altered in presentation. He complained of tummy ache, struggling with noise and insisting on quiet. I attempted to talk to him but he was becoming very angry because I should know how ill he feels. We agreed that he would rest in the dining room and watch TV. Boy Wonder ate tea and settled in front of a re run of Great British Bake Off. 

Hopefully he will settle soon as we have an early hearing assessment appointment tomorrow at the City Hospital .....

An Odd Day

The odd, stressy mood continued this morning. A lengthily shower followed by a lot of help to get ready and Boy Wonder came downstairs and ate a little breakfast. We went off to school armed with his swimming certificate to show in assembly.

Throughout assembly Boy Wonder appeared pre occupied and distant. Even when talking about his  certificate in assembly he didn't give any eye contact and didn't really engage in much discussion. I spoke with his teacher about the concerns over Boy Wonder's preoccupation with the funeral of April.

After school they both went to after school club and Super Man picked them up from there. He said that Boy Wonder appeared okay and spent most of the evening out playing with the boy next door. When he came in however, he had a bruise on his face and cuts and scratches all down his side. Boy Wonder said that he had fell off of the trampoline. It looked sore but wasn't bothering him.

Whilst Boy Wonder had a bath, I read his school diary where he clearly had, had an emotional day. Complaining of tummy ache, looking stressy but not giving much away to his teacher. One thing that is coming across though is that they are trying to get him to express himself. It's early days .....

Late to bed after his bath, armed with prawn crackers and his bible stories.

TNT

Boy Wonder resorted to reading the bible last night. That really isn't a bad thing in general terms however for him it is a tell tale sign that anxiety is high. He eventually settled but not for long and in the morning I found him in bed with an entire toilet roll wrapped around his arm! His explanation being that he thought he had broken it in the night. And this was really a measure for how the day continued!

 Boy Wonder had a lengthily shower whilst sat down cross legged in the shower tray. He eventually came out and I helped him to get dressed and cleaned his teeth. He was very flighty this morning.

On the way to school, Boy Wonder asked to listen to the news, an odd request. I explained that it wasn't on at that particular time. He said nothing further.  We got into school and he immediately ran off and was later found playing in the toilets. He was removed and put in his class line for when the bell went.

I got back into the car and the news came on. It announced that it was April Jones' funeral today. The little girl from Wales who was abducted and murdered a year ago. Boy Wonder became very obsessed with this at the time and for a long while after so it dawned on me that he had heard this news and was becoming anxious over it again,

 I picked Boy Wonder and Cat Girl up from school. Boy Wonder's teacher explained that he had just nipped to the toilet. I said that I bet he has told her that and had really gone to pick up Cat Girl from the infant end of the school. The teacher went one way and I went the other, She found them both, he had done what I thought he had done. His teacher and I explained to Boy Wonder that he should tell the truth and not go off and do something different. Boy Wonder seemed to understand but wasn't at all happy about it.

We walked out of the gates and Boy Wonder started! To start with he felt ill and said that he had felt ill with tummy ache and headache all day. He then said that the man that he had walked past this morning was smoking and this had infected him. We got in the car where he shouted and cried for quite a while. I dropped him off at dance which didn't seem to improve his mood any.

His frame of mind didn't get  any better after dance. We got in the car to pick Cat Girl up from Jiu
Jitsu . As we parked outside waiting, a TNT delivery lorry stopped on the other side of the road. Boy Wonder became upset and shouted  'stop bringing bombs!' I explained that TNT were a delivery company and didn't deliver bombs! This evolved into a full discussion on explosives.

Boy Wonder continued to say that he was ill but still played out once home and went to Kobudo. Once home later he went up to bed with his Bible stories.

Our Wednesday Angel

I don't need to tell you that last night brought little sleep . I probably don't need to tell you that this morning was madness on a stick. But what I will tell you is that we have a Wednesday Angel! This is in the form of a lady that comes round to the house and makes it all clean , sparkly and ironing free. This morning I left her a note that simply said 'sorry,' The house was in a distressed state, tell tale signs of the week so far. On our return after school it looked as good as new.  She is indeed an angel.

Boy Wonder's teacher and I agreed an IEP meeting date this morning for next Tuesday after school. We spoke briefly about yesterday's meeting but
concluded that we would discuss this further  next week.

Throughout the day I spoke with various people who wanted to talk about their involvement on the statutory assessment.  The Psychiatrist and I spoke in particular about  the anti anxiety medication and whether or not it should be removed. We agreed that this wouldn't be in Boy Wonder's best interest.

Today is an odd day. We feel tired, deflated and in limbo.  We don't feel like this very often as we have grown tough skin, however this evening we have temporarily downed tools to give our heads a break! I don't know whether you can ever do this completely but something is always better than nothing.
Boy Wonder and Cat Girl watched a film before bed, I had a bath and a Super Man made wine!    

'de-jar-vu'

It was another night of sleeping with Boy Wonder to get him to sleep. Eventually he settled but had developed an awful cough that kept waking him up. Consequently it was a disturbed night with a very restless boy.

We got up, got ready for school in the usual fashion and stumbled out of the door into the car. Boy Wonder announced as we got to school that he was wearing odd shoes. We decided that because they were similar that it was okay! Well they were both black!

After dropping them off I went to work to train out a first aid course and was very pleased ( on this occasion ) that only half the candidates arrived  as I needed to leave early for a school meeting. Course completed I managed to get there on time.

The school meeting was to discuss the Educational Psychologist's report for the statutory assessment. After a couple of observations, teacher and pupil questionnaires and history reports the conclusion was quite frankly that Boy Wonder, although obviously tense in a classroom situation doesn't require a statement of special educational need as he waits till he gets home to 'vent!' Needless to say that this  opened up a whole debate on responsibility and consequences. (Again ) Talk about de-jar-vu, I  am sure we had this 'discussion' at the tribunal to get a statutory assessment in the first place (and won)  

Yes, it would be fair to say that we are a little miffed but firmly in the battle zone! It seriously concerns me that not only Boy Wonder but other children with additional needs  don't get the help that they desperately need  because they spend their time containing their anxiety because they don't want to break the school rules. And we know that these children are generally academically bright but what good is that if they are or will become clinically depressed or riddled with anxiety?

After the meeting Super man played mum and took the kids to their clubs as I had a PTA meeting to attend. I picked Boy Wonder up after my meeting where I agreed the role of vice chair for the next year and told him this on the way home. ' Oh good' he said 'as I have problem with the school railings . I have reported them to the school council but just in case they do not  raise it, I am now raising it with you!' Wonderful I say, I will mention it. He then went on to tell me every intricate detail.

Once home we watched the end of the bake off programme and went upstairs to settle down, books at the ready!

Nightmares, Headaches and a Sing Song

Last night was a long, long night. Boy Wonder was encouraged to read in bed ( in hope that it would make him sleepy.) Six books later and he was still wide awake, running up and down stairs getting new books to read. When he finally got to sleep he quickly awoke shouting out. I went up to him and he was upset. He explained that he had had a nightmare where the pedometer he had lost earlier in the day had come to find him and kill him! He had been worried about losing it, but I didn't realise how much!  I ended up going in his bed with him to get him to sleep, it was getting very late .

This morning Boy Wonder got up late and we entered into our usual mad rush before school.  He ate breakfast and ran outside to play football. Cat Girl and I got everything together and I herded them into the car.  Once at school I reminded his teacher that I needed to pick him up at 12:30 because of the hospital appointment we had.

This morning I was meeting with the arts therapist that Boy Wonder had been referred to. The meeting was it 10 o'clock when I got there we had a good chat about Boy Wonder's needs. He spoke to me about how he supports children with anxiety through Art. It all sounded very interesting and quite possibly something that Boy Wonder would enjoy and get something out of. He starts his sessions next week and has a once a week slot for the next six weeks. The sessions are then reviewed to see if they are helping Boy Wonder.

I picked Boy Wonder up from school after his dinner and we travelled to the hospital to see his Consultant. We spoke about his headaches and that because he struggles with describing pain ( or indeed feeling it at times!) they would want to do another MRI scan to see if the headaches are linked to his Chiari Malformation. Aside from that, he tweaked the Melatonin by adding in some slow release and that was that.

Boy Wonder returned to school for the last half an hour so that he could join in after school football and I went home to catch up on some work. It wasn't long before I was out again to pick Boy Wonder up from football and Cat Girl up from after school club. Both seemed quite happy although Boy Wonder was inattentive  and loud. It had been a strange day for him so not surprising.

They went for swimming lessons and on the way sang 'beautifully' to Starliught Express. Boy Wonder explained to Cat Girl that he is naturally a perfect singer and that he can sing like anyone, exactly as they sound. Cat Girl lost interest in this very quickly, not that Boy Wonder noticed! He was busy singing at the top of his voice!

Swimming went without a hitch and Super Man met us at the leisure centre to take Boy Wonder home for his session with his education worker. I stayed back to watch Cat Girl  swimming. She did really well and is coming on now and has lots of confidence.

Boy Wonder had a good session this evening doing social stories about it being okay to say that we are feeling unwell if we are. They also spoke about why some people get tummy ache or headaches if they are worried. Hopefully this has gone some way to reassure him that it is okay to tell his teacher if he feels unwell.

He watched a DVD before bed and then read several books. Sleep is not looking likely any time soon!

Research and Reports Kinda Day!

Boy Wonder was up at a reasonable hour this morning and excited to be going to Gulliver's Kingdom! He had a lengthily shower and got dressed with little help. The contrast between week day ability and weekend ability is quite alarming! 

Whilst Cat Girl went for her swimming lesson, Boy Wonder and I made a start on his power point presentation on Mammals in the Atlantic Ocean. I showed him the workings of power point which he seemed very interested in and picked up quickly. We then set to work gathering information on whales, dolphins and pinnipeds ( Finn footed mammals !)  Boy Wonder brought loads of books off of the book shelf and searched through them. We Googled and found some good images and managed to do six slides of work. A good start!

We went off to Gulliver's Kingdom, having a picnic enroute.   It wasn't too busy as we got there but Boy Wonder was becoming really quite stressy. We saw some odd behaviour today. This mainly consisted of him having total disregard for anything or anyone and doing  his own thing. Not great at a theme park, especially when he ran off on two occasions and put himself on a ride!  Nether the less we had a good time and they got to meet the Zingzillas, so a good day all in all.

This evening Boy Wonder completed his questionnaire for the statutory assessment. I have to say that this was the first time he has actually been honest  to others about what he finds  hard. In short he wrote 'reading, waiting, changes and sitting still.' We also finished our questionnaire which totalled 9 pages! And yes I am thorough but made sure Super Man read it through  as he is good at 'de-rambling'  and he didn't remove a word . Lets hope it now pays off ! 

We are meeting with Boy Wonder's art therapist tomorrow to discuss the therapy programme that he will be delivering. The plan is that working with him in a less formal way will allow Boy Wonder to talk or draw out his worries. It's worth a try and has worked with his sessional therapist in social stories, so fingers crossed.

Tomorrow afternoon Boy Wonder is seeing his Consultant for a meds review and an update. A day of appointments tomorrow! 

Late night, late morning!!

The film last night only served to hype Boy Wonder up. He went upstairs at bedtime and couldn't settle. We agreed that he could build Lego in bed. It would seem that I fell to sleep before he did as his light was still on this morning!

Obviously in need of sleep, Boy Wonder woke up at 10am! That's an absolute first. He had breakfast and got ready for dance.  Lots of practice ready for the exams today, he really seems to be enjoying it.

After lunch Boy Wonder played with the boy next door and a smaller boy.  At one point he had the smaller boy up a tree with him which was a little scary. I suggested that they played at ground level, possibly for my sanity rather than anything else. He reluctantly agreed. They played running around like mad things for what seemed to be a very long time.

After Cat Girl and I had completed a mammoth baking session we had tea. Boy Wonder ate his quickly so he could go back out to play. The Grandparents visited but he remained outside playing rugby on the lawn until it got dark. He then came in and told the Grandparents that they had been here over an hour and asked if they were leaving yet? I am sure he meant this nicely!! They left shortly after and we continued to watch Miranda Hart interviewing Bruce Forsyth on TV.Boy Wonder didn't like this at all. He couldn't understand why she wasn't being funny! In protest he went to watch a Miranda episode on Iplayer on his lap top.

We are off to Gulliver's Kingdom tomorrow to see the Zingzillas! Boy Wonder has been told however that he has to do some of his project first whilst Cat Girl is at her swimming lesson. Watch this space..... !

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Extreme sums it up!

Thank goodness it's Friday! Another morning of mayhem and all before 8am.  We got to school just in time and hung everything on pegs as the bell went. Boy Wonder got into line and I rushed Cat Girl to hers. I waited for them to go in and went off to work.

I spent some of the day completing the parental advice form for the statutory assessment , think it will take all weekend to complete this form, talk about lengthily! Hopefully it will be worth the ink! We also got Boy Wonder's blood test results today, they were normal except for two areas one of which is liver function, however the abnormality apparently was 'acceptable for Boy Wonder' whatever that means! Will speak to the Consultant on Monday.

Boy Wonder's birthday is coming up shortly and it is starting to become a pain as we haven't managed to sort anything for his party. Boy Wonder wants to go go karting but there is an age and height restriction that doesn't go in his favour! Any way today I took the liberty of booking half a dozen kids places on aerial extreme high wire course. Now we just need to find a group of kids that are as 'adventurous' as Boy Wonder!

When I returned from work the kids had been picked up by Super Man and were watching TV. Cat Girl had got 5/5 in her spellings, clever girl! Boy Wonder did well too with 8/10 but he was not at all happy with this and became very distressed and angry. Lots of shouting and thrashing about, mainly aimed at Cat Girl as he thought that she had done better than him and therefore he had failed. We had a chat and I explained that his score was very good as the spellings were hard. It's unfortunate that he took it so badly as it was the first week that we had got him to practice his spellings in a long time.

We decided to end the night by watching a film. They chose 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid.' They have watched it a thousand times before but they love it and I don't get bombarded with 'new film' questions so its a winner!

He's Snogging Her Face Off!'

It can safely be said that the night times and the mornings are merging into one and this is not good! After a late night concert of Boy Wonder on the piano and a morning of fight and flight I went to work for a rest! Boy Wonder's inattention and hyperactivity is becoming more and more problematic in the mornings to the point where I am needing to help him dress and sit with him to make sure he eats.

School seemed to be okay as they had a session with a football coach so everything else was forgotten except for the headache throughout the morning.

We went straight to dance after school which was more successful than last week in that he went without fuss. The teacher reported that he did very well and seemed to enjoy 'Cotton Eyed Joe' at the end. I used to love that song! We picked Cat Girl up from Jiu Jitsu before going home for tea.  On the way home Boy Wonder let our an almighty YUUKKK!!! Before I got chance to respond he stated ' That is absolutely disgusting. He is snogging her face off !' I explained that he obviously loved her and possibly hasn't seen her for a while ( a man and lady fully embraced outside a pub) He disregarded my plausible explanation and went on to say 'It's illegal, he will suffocate her!' Boy Wonder was clearly quite shocked by such an elaborate display of affection!

We arrived home and Boy Wonder went out to play, tree climbing with the boy next door. He then came in to get ready for Kobudo.  A late one tonight, practicing for the tournament in November. Will it wear him out so he will sleep tonight ? I doubt it!

Never Felt a Thing!

Another rushed morning due to a lengthily shower. Boy Wonder was full of attitude this morning and  really quite vile! Lots of back chat, being awful to Cat Girl and messing about. It earnt him a time out on the bottom step. This isn't a very successful strategy as he frets when alone but it was out of sheer desperation to get him to stop. It had some affect as after a minute I allowed him back into the kitchen to eat breakfast and until we left the house to get in the car for school he did stay calm. However, as soon as we got in the car, wild child returned!

I delivered them both into school, spoke with Cat Girl's teacher about the dinner time situation ( she said that she would take Cat Girl in first and make sure she is let out to play after half an hour ) and left.  I then spent the next half an hour tracking down sensitive diet kitten food for our two kittens that  keep randomly being sick! Two pet shops later I got what they needed and went back to school to fetch Boy Wonder for his blood test ( testing for bowel inflammation.)

At the surgery we waited to be called to see the nurse. When it was Boy Wonder's turn she appeared slightly panicked about his age to the point where I thought she was going to refuse. I convinced her that he was really not bothered and that she should just explain to him what she needed to do and do it. And it was as simple as that. Boy Wonder never even flinched. I would go so far as to say that he probably didn't feel it at all! He discussed with the nurse about how much blood she had taken and how long it would take his body to make it up again and then we left to go back to school.

After school we went to drama and Jiu Jitsu. On the way Cat Girl told me that she had eaten her dinner and gone out to play, result! Boy Wonder said that he had, had a headache for two hours. Not so great. They both enjoyed their clubs, Boy Wonder got his part for the Christmas production playing the 'toy maker,' and Cat Girl had learnt to shout very loudly!

This evening we played spelling test bingo which worked a lot better than expected as both Boy Wonder and Cat Girl practiced their words without protest!  ( the chocolate may have helped!)

Wearing their new fleece onesies ( peppa pig and buzz light year ) which I bought whilst they were at clubs, they went to bed and settled down. ( however Boy Wonder is still awake as I write due to breaking his laptop and waiting for Super Man to fix it!)

Literal Intensity!!

No sooner had I published the blog last night, Boy Wonder was up saying that he couldn't sleep. He seemed very preoccupied but wasn't able to say why. We convinced him to go back to bed and read. He chose a book on super trucks, if that doesn't get him to sleep nothing will! However he was still awake when we went to bed, oh dear.

Another lengthily shower this morning meant a bit of a rush, especially as Boy Wonder insisted on pancakes for breakfast. He seemed very excited about Super Scientist club after school and that he had 'inside information !' The Grandfather of a boy in his class was taking the group and had told Boy Wonder what they would be doing.

I picked both Boy Wonder and Cat Girl up after school clubs. Boy Wonder was excitable and demanding. Cat Girl was just not happy. The teacher explained that she took some encouragement to get started on gardening as they were weeding the beds. I said that Cat Girl has never really been one for manual labour! Cat Girl told me later that she didn't like the club, didn't like the people and wanted to be at after school club with her old nursery teacher. Cat Girl really doesn't like change, lots of people ( it was a big group) and being told to do things that she doesn't want to do. It really makes you wonder who is the autistic one sometimes!

It became clear as we drove to piano why Boy Wonder was tetchy. He started telling me about Cat Girl having to stay in all dinner time to eat her dinner and that she had only eaten potato and an apple. Cat Girl started to cry as Boy Wonder got more and more worked up by the matter. I told Boy Wonder not to worry about it and that Cat Girl and I would have a chat about it later, reassuring Cat Girl that it was okay even though it clearly wasn't.  Cat Girl isn't a bad eater but is lactose intolerant so her diet can be quite restrictive. However the more emphasis that is put on her eating the more upset she becomes ( naturally). Boy Wonder is obviously not helping the situation.

Boy Wonder went for his piano lesson and Cat Girl and I went to the bakers for sausage rolls and gingerbread men. We then spoke about dinners at school and agreed that packed lunches may be the better option for her. There is only so long a little girl can live on potato and apple!

After piano we spoke to Boy Wonder's teacher about practicing. Because the teacher wasn't specifically telling Boy Wonder what to practice and how long for after each lesson, he took it that he didn't need to practice at all. The teacher had a chat with him and explained that he would expect him to practice for ten minutes a day. Boy Wonder agreed to this happily!

We dropped Boy Wonder off at Jiu Jitsu and went home. Super Man picked him up later and when they got home, watched the end of The GreatBritish Bake Off, biscuit stacking. Boy Wonder promptly went into the kitchen and attempted the same with mini pancakes, sticking them together with jam. That's supper sorted!

He went off to bed to settle down with his book ......

A Showery Day !

Another school week kick starts with a..... well it stumbles to a slow start.  Tetchy and all over the place I coaxed Boy Wonder into the shower and there he stayed for what seemed forever.  Once out and ready for school he seemed a bit calmer and we had pancakes before school.

Football club was cancelled today so Boy Wonder went to after school club instead with Cat Girl. He said that he was okay with this but he wasn't too convincing.  He also said that at school he had tummy aches and a head ache but hadn't told his teacher.

Boy Wonder was quickly distracted in the car by Cat Girl telling us the different words that she had learnt and what they began with.  Boy Wonder asked her what 'astonished' began with? I explained that it was a hard word for Cat Girl to work out. He ignored me and proceeded to ask her what an adverb was?   I explained again to Boy Wonder that Cat Girl is four years old and has just started school. He appeared quite shocked and stated that she was at school so should know these things! I changed the subject as this was going nowhere!

Both Boy Wonder and Cat Girl went for their swimming lessons and worked really hard.  Boy Wonder achieved his 25 metre badge and Cat Girl did really well in her new hat group. Whilst waiting for Cat Girl to finish her lesson, Boy Wonder took a twenty minute shower. There was no getting him out, there wasn't a queue so I left him to it and waited near the cubicle for him whilst still watching Cat Girl in her lesson.

We arrived home and Boy Wonder and Cat Girl settled down to watch tv before bed.  Boy Wonder looks quite tired today so hopefully will settle at a reasonable hour. Quite possibly the lengthily shower has chilled him out.

Lazy Day

Boy Wonder was playing on Mine Craft until late last night but remained calm and settled. He eventually went to sleep in the early hours and was up again fairly early this morning.  We had a day at home today as the weather wasn't looking great and we felt due a lazy day.

Boy Wonder started the day with a bit of  Mine Craft before breakfast. He then had a lengthily shower where he predominantly just sits crossed legged and let's the water rain down on his head. I coaxed him out and  we had breakfast.

Whilst Super Man took Cat Girl for her swimming lesson, I suggested to Boy Wonder that he did his homework. Surprisingly he agreed without fuss and we started with his numeracy. This took all of one minute, really not challenging at all, consisting only of rounding numbers up and down. We moved onto putting a plan together for his Blue Planet project. I was concerned that he would struggle with the wide topic range and presentation but he had already decided that he would be finding out facts on mammals that live in the Atlantic Ocean. I asked him how he had decided on this subject and he looked at me very confused before saying, ' obviously because dolphins are mammals that live there and they are my favourite mammal!' ' Oh yes of course ,' I said, never really considering this!   We spoke about the content of his project and this is where it got tricky. Boy Wonder flatly refused to consider putting anything that he already knew the answer too as to him, there would be no point.  He wouldn't take the point that his previous knowledge would help him. Therefore we ended up with a very specific content, I.e what depth do each of the mammals live at and how many different types of mammal are there. Looking forward to this one!

We spent an hour before dinner setting up Boy Wonder's castles in the conservatory.  He enjoys preparing them for battle and doesn't forget any detail. However, once set up, he doesn't actually play with them!

After dinner Boy Wonder decided to go outside and pick the apples from his tree. It is still a very young tree so the apples aren't great and are very little. He brought them inside and decided that he wanted to make apple juice.  I equipped him with the tools, namely a blunt knife, a masher and a bowl and left him to it. Half an hour later he had extracted a teaspoon of apple juice! 10 out of 10 for perseverance!

He played with his friend for the rest of the afternoon and got very wet whilst outside. I asked him to come in and change but was met with huge resistance and agitation. Due to the weather they came inside to play. Boy Wonder remained stressy and aggressive in mood, about nothing in particular.

After a late supper of pancakes, Boy Wonder went to bed ....

Win, win

Wolf Blood seemed to do the trick as Boy Wonder fell to sleep at about 11pm and once taken to bed, slept until 8.30am. This was a little miracle in itself, owed mainly to the lack of sleep from the previous week.

Boy Wonder went to dance this morning happily, only briefly complaining of a headache before it started but this quickly passed. Possibly talking at me about football statistics did the trick!  We ordered his new tap shoes that will make more of a tap now he is in a bigger size. He liked this!  I picked him up after the lesson and dashed home due to the 'boys'going to watch the local team play football this afternoon.

Boy Wonder ( and Superman) were very excited, Boy Wonder changed into his football top, found his scarf and after lunch they went off to support the local division two side. Cat Girl and I stayed at home and had a real girlie baking session which was great and really messy! The highlight being Cat Girl's Syrup Surprise! This consisted of a pastry case, golden syrup in the bottom and a sponge top.  Really quite nice.

The boys returned at the same time as our grandparent visitors arrived and we had tea. The team won 2-0  and although Superman reported that Boy Wonder seemed to have a great time he arrived home very tetchy.  He ate very little and went to play.  He and the boy next door played Sky Landers throughout the evening, this seemed to level him off.

No further headaches or tummy aches today :-)

Is it Urgent?

Last night developed into a bedtime reading session on ' Planet Earth.' This ranged from talking about  Mount Everest and why is it a range of mountains as apposed to a single mountain? We than moved onto poisonous frogs and their extinction rates. I don't know about you but this type of lesson late at night is way over my head, sleep however is high on my list of priorities ( but sadly not Boy Wonder's!)

This morning brought a high and stressy boy. We got ready for school and deciding that they both wanted to take their Jiu Jitsu certificates to show in assembly, we concentrated on get them ready.
The assembly was somewhat amusing. Cat Girl was asked what she had to do to achieve the certificate and she said 'I had to work very hard!' Boy Wonder when asked where they did Jiu Jitsu proceeded to give the entire school a history lesson on the building and its location. That will teach then to narrow down their requests for information!

Boy Wonder was being observed today in class by the Educatioal Psychologist for his statutory assessment. Although the report suggested that Boy Wonder appeared aware that he was being assessed, when asked later Boy Wonder said that he was in to see the whole class as that is what his teacher said! I think sometimes professionals get a little preoccupied with their own presence and don't just observe what they see as what it is.

I spoke with the Consultant today who felt like we did that the medication wasn't likely to be causing side effects like the headaches and tummy aches. She asked that I take him to the G.P and get him checked over and query IBS. Unfortunately getting the appointment wasn't so easy as the request needed to fit into immediate/ urgent or routine which was for a week's time. Although it wasn't urgent  the surgery suggested that he was seen today so I took him after school. The G.P was very good and also agreed that this was unlikely to be medication side effects and more likely to be anxiety. He suggested that we discussed the headaches with Boy Wonder's Neurologist as they may require more specialist advice although he didn't seem to think they were sinister or relating to his Chiari Malformation. He requested a blood test to look for inflammation of the bowel which we have the pleasure of next week!

This evening Boy Wonder played on Sky Landers and later on watched back to back Wolf  Blood on the Iplayer. Maybe not the best programme to watch before going to sleep but it kept him quiet and relatively chilled!

What a Headache!

The boring tv didn't work last night so it was a late, late one! Boy Wonder must have had all of a few hours sleep before I pulled him from his bed this morning. Grumpy, irritated and angry sums it up but this was fleeting and before long he was outside giving himself skateboard lessons. He had first attempted this in the kitchen and couldn't understand why I wasn't too happy!

We went to school amidst the crying reception kids and parents and added a bit more stimulation to the senses before the bell rang. Boy Wonder went into class a little distracted.

I picked them up and went to dance / Jiu Jitsu sessions. Boy Wonder became very distressed in the car saying that he had, had a bad headache at school and felt sick and nearly fainted. He then complained of tummy ache. This is a child that rarely complains of anything and doesn't seem to feel pain. However he has now been complaining of such things for a couple of weeks now which is longer than the normal anxiety pattern. His medication has altered within this time but it is similar just long acting as apposed to three times a day, no quantity change.  All a bit strange.  Awaiting a phone call from his consultant to see if there is anything that she can suggest.

On picking Boy Wonder up from dance he seemed to be a lot happier. He had been learning jumps which he was very excited about ! We had a chat about anxiety and how he has been feeling but somehow this got onto a discussion about bad driving and points on driving licences! He clearly wasn't interested in what I wanted to talk about!

Cat Girl came bouncing out of Jiu Jitsu and we went home for tea. I helped Cat Girl to practice her words which Boy Wonder said that he had never needed because he is far too clever! (And modest!)

Boy Wonder seemed to brighten up this evening, playing fairly nicely and later on going to Kobudo. They are practicing for the November tornament at the moment, I for one wouldn't want him as my apponent!

Teenager to Teacher....

Today I think my head is going to explode! For no other reason than Boy Wonder has turned into a teenager! The morning started with back chat, not listening, refusing to get dressed, bribery, manipulation and all before 8.30!!

I packed them off to school and took a breath. Six hours of peace ( well work but a change is as good as a rest!)

Unfortunately the 'teenager' was still very much present at the end of school, however he had moved onto attempting sarcasm (which did make me smile.) He was obviously copying what he had heard but had no comprehension of it. He said things like ' Durrhh, yeah you're really sick !' to Cat Girl. She looked at him bemused, he didn't pick this up so I asked him what he meant to which he replied ' it's sarcasm.' 'But what does it mean?' I asked. 'I don't know, it's just cool !' he said.

We went home to get ready for clubs. Dressing Boy Wonder was like trying to wrestle an octopus but eventually we got there and left for drama and Jiu Jitsu for Cat Girl. In the car they both argued about  nothing. Boy Wonder decided that he would be giving Cat Girl dance and singing lessons on a Friday after school, Cat Girl was less than enthusiastic! He couldn't understand why she wasn't overjoyed by his offer so he tried to sell it further using his charm. ' Cat Girl, you are rubbish at dancing and singing, I am perfect. With my lessons you could be good too, but not as good as me.' Surprisingly this didn't have the desired effect!

After clubs we picked up a MacDonalds and went to cousins. Boy Wonder remained loud and silly throughout and started to becomes agitated on leaving. As we arrived home, Cat Girl went to bed and Boy Wonder decided that he needed an immediate download on his iPhone. Super Man couldn't do it straight away as the phone wasn't charged. Boy Wonder became very distressed and couldn't comprehend the situation. As a result he remains up and wide eyed!!

I am now attempting to bore him with awful tv in hope of sending him to sleep ;-)

School Rules Police!

A morning like any other school day this morning. I tried a new tactic of sending Boy Wonder's kitten in to rouse him but this had little effect! We got ready, had breakfast and dragged him to school!

We had a bit of a situation to sort out this morning which Boy Wonder enlightened me about during the night.( I had to sleep with him for most of it because he just couldn't settle.) A girl in his class had told him that she was a billionaire and that her dad will bring Boy  Wonder a Lewis Hamilton racing car on Friday. I had suggested to Boy Wonder that she may have been joking but he was very clear that this girl didn't lie and the teacher would confirm that! Wonderful!   I spoke to his teacher about this and we discussed a suitable approach to letting Boy Wonder down gently.

I picked Boy Wonder and Cat Girl up from after school club and was informed that Boy Wonder had lost his coat and bumped his head and Cat Girl had got the wrong bag and hadn't eaten any dinner. A successful school day all round then it seems! Boy Wonder picked up on the fact that Cat Girl hadn't eaten her dinner and was astounded as to how she had gotten away with it! The staff explained that force feeding children is not allowed and smiled at him.

We got in the car and the fun began! I am a bit out of practice with car meltdowns I have to say, but the new bigger car served its sole purpose and meant that albeit loud and unpleasant, no one got hurt! Boy Wonder had become very distressed about Cat Girl breaking the school rules and just couldn't understand how this could have happened. He couldn't accept the fact that Cat Girl is quite restricted with the menu due to her lactose intolerance and it wasn't that she wouldn't eat but more that she couldn't eat what was on offer.   Boy Wonder was not processing at this point and so I left him to calm whilst I drove. He then started complaining of tummy ache.

We arrived at the piano lesson and took Boy Wonder for his session, pretty certain that the distraction would help. After half an hour of this he did indeed come out smiling. This quickly disappeared as the tummy ache returned. Jiu Jitsu was the last activity of the evening and although Boy Wonder wasn't refusing to go, he seemed quite uncomfortable.  I dropped him off at Jiu Jitsu with the understanding that they would ring me if Boy Wonder was unwell. We all knew that once he was in the session that he would be okay.

Boy Wonder returned from Jiu Jitsu in high spirits and eager to watch football. He went up to bed and watched until he fell to sleep.  

Exterminate!!!!

Up but not bright and not early this morning. Tired grumpy and complaining of tummy ache instead. Boy Wonder barely ate breakfast and seemed distracted. We went to school and had a quick chat with his teacher about his tummy ache. He seemed to be quite a bit brighter at this point.

I picked him up an hour before school finished to visit the school Doctor. We spoke in the car about  the appointment and what the Doctor would want to talk about.  However, Boy Wonder became very preoccupied by the hospital and that he hadn't been there before. The Doctor was ten minutes late seeing him and he was becoming quite stressed about this. The Doctor explained what she needed to know, starting from when Boy Wonder was a baby. He interrupted me throughout with snippets of very accurate information that I didn't even know that he knew! Escaping the car seat as a toddler, details about what time he was born and when we left the hospital. All very bizarre! We then refocused and started answering questions about school. Boy Wonder responded by saying ' Stupid school, that's alliteration that is. School is uncool, that's rhyming.' He then continued with numerous little repetitive rhymes about school.

I asked him to tell the Doctor about anything that he didn't really like. At this point he disengaged and started pretending to be a tank, using the chair as his tank and moving it loudly across the floor trying to exterminate the Doctor!  It took quite a while to distract him and when I managed to do so he sat and started copying me word for word, staring at me intently.  I had to talk more firmly to Boy Wonder to try and bring him back to what the Doctor wanted to do and he stopped copying and started jumping on the treatment bed asking if that is where she slept?! We decided to draw the meeting to a close and I asked the Doctor to ring me if she needed further information. I think this is one if those times where actions speak louder than words! 

On the way to the car I asked Boy Wonder if he was alright and why he had behaved in such a way? He looked confused and said that he didn't like the hospital as it was too different. He appeared to have no understanding of his behaviour being inappropriate and asked me genuinely if he had done well answering the Doctor's questions? I reassured him that he had done well in the circumstances. This wasn't uncommon behaviour in all honesty, in fact quite typical of an anxious little boy. 

We picked up Cat Girl and went swimming. The exercise was a welcome distraction. He had a lengthily warm shower afterwards and we went home in time to see his sessional worker for his first meeting since the school holidays. 

They did some work on being back at school through social stories and talked about being in a new class. Boy Wonder was fidgeting and flighty so little was achieved, however it had been a busy and intense day so it was hardly surprising. 

Boys will be Boys!!

This morning we were greeted with words written on the mirrors upstairs. Superman had a shower and the word 'boo' appeared on the bathroom mirror. Boy Wonder promptly informed us that he had learnt how to do this when reading the science experiment instruction manual last night. Apparently it is done with soap and is invisible until the mirror steams up.

Boy Wonder spent the morning with the boy next door ( a bit older than him) building a den in the 'woods' a bit of waste land at the side of our garden. It was really quite nice watching them play, Boy Wonder being gently guided into a secret den scenario by his older friend. I intervened only once to tell Boy Wonder not to pull down the garden fence to use for his den.  He was a little miffed as he said that it was just what they needed. I explained that the fence was already being used for something so it wasn't to be used. 'Really' he said ' What is that then?' I diverted him with a couple of pieces of stray wood in the garden! Superman  then took them blackberrying whilst Cat Girl and I did some baking. Boy Wonder returned with a big bag of blackberries squashed to bits as he had been banging the bag against his leg whilst walking home with them! Nice attempt though.

Later in the day the boys went back to den building and tree climbing, later being joined by Boy Wonder's friend's big brother. He said he had some tips to give them about den building! Boy Wonder came back in not to long after saying that his friend had been naughty after being dared by his big brother to 'poop in the woods.' Oh dear.  Shortly after we were joined by his friend's mum who wanted Boy Wonder to tell her what had happened. Boy Wonder told her the specifics of the matter and added that it was okay because he did wipe himself using a leaf!

We ended the evening by playing chess. Boy Wonder is getting quite good at this game and enjoys the battle theme. He also spends a lot of time adding up the values of the pieces and calculating his best move! We left the game to finish off tomorrow as it was getting late and Boy Wonder needed to get ready for bed.  He went upstairs and watched a DVD before going to sleep.

Not such a quiet day

Boy Wonder was up fairly early after his kitten got upstairs and jumped on him! He thought that this was funny and became quite excitable.

This morning they played in the conservatory, Cat Girl with her princesses and Boy Wonder lining up his Playmobil policemen. He then went off to dance after having brunch.  He  is very excited about dance at the moment as they are working towards dance exams in ballet and tap. Of course if we called them exams he would freak out but we just call them gradings like in Jiu Jitsu and he's fine with that. By all accounts he is very good at dance, maybe because it is structured and routine led. He attempted street dance first but hated it, freestyle requires imagination and natural rhythm. These don't come easy to Boy Wonder. I suppose that most ballet dancers rely on natural rhythm and technique to perform whereas I think Boy Wonder relies soley on technique. I wonder if there is a noticeable difference when performing, especially as he gets better at it? I guess only time can answer  that question.

After dance we went to my work 's summer fayre. Boy Wonder gets fixated on raffles and Tombolas so we give him a set amount of money and leave him to it. He stops when it runs out! It was very busy with lots to do. Boy Wonder became high and excitable and this continued throughout. He won numerous teddies and other tombola prizes and a small raffle prize. He particularly enjoyed the stocks and penalty shoot out which cooled him down somewhat!

Boy Wonder remained in high spirits for the rest of the evening, getting quickly to the point of not listening and processing being very slow. We attempted to engage him in something quiet and eventually he settled on reading an instruction manual for science experiments. I wonder what delights this will bring tomorrow!!

So much for a quiet day, will try again tomorrow!

The start of a long road .....

A late night for Boy Wonder meant a late morning.  He took a lot of motivating and eventually got ready for school and had breakfast. We had the pleasure of rain this morning which turned the playground routine on its head.  Boy Wonder ran into his classroom even though we had agreed to take Cat Girl first, sat down and got out his reading book that  I promptly got him to change, explaining to his teacher that his original choice wasn't suitable as it was very dark and disastrous in topic (even for a kid's book!) We spoke about Boy Wonder's anxiety last night and that he may complain of headaches/ tummy ache in the day. His teacher stated that she gets stomach ache and headaches when she is anxious so can understand how he feels.

I dropped Cat Girl into the madness of Reception class where kids were crying and parents were worried. Luckily Cat Girl is used to madness so just went to sit down with her little friend. Good girl! There are clearly benefits to living in a mad house!

Today has been an odd day. Lots of people attempting to gather information for the statutory assessment, arrange meetings and so on.  I have to say that we were a little sceptical of the statutory assessment process given that the tribunal ordered the process rather than the local authority feeling it necessary.  However, everyone is being very thorough in ensuring that all areas are covered. We are therefore hopeful that Boy Wonder's story will finally be told.

This evening was fairly settled. Boy Wonder spent three hours on Sky Landers and we let him. This is a rarity so we relished the quiet time and chatted to Cat Girl about her day where she enlightened us to the delights of school dinners 'we had some sort of meat that might have been chicken and blocks of potato,'  Sounds wonderful!

We are planning a quiet weekend to allow Boy Wonder to try and relax and hopefully go into a new week at school with a more settled tummy and head. Busy time ahead but starting to feel a little hopeful.

Little Gem

First day back to school,  a busy morning more so because Boy Wonder had to be extracted from his bed and intensively motivated to get ready.  Memories came flooding back of our typical school day antics. We have been so spoilt in the holidays!

Both children safely delivered to school, teacher updated, I went to work. The day passed quickly today. Emotions running high with a mixture of Cat Girl's first day and worry about how Boy Wonder is really coping . It is a shame that Cat Girl's first day was clouded with the ongoing battle we are in but she is a strong little thing and wore a permenant smile. She is our little gem.

I picked them both up after school. Cat Girl was still smiling, Boy Wonder was reserved. As we got into the car he went from okay to agitated very quickly, complaining of  tummy ache, headache and becoming tearful. We went to dance and his teacher distracted him for an hour with the lesson. She had her work cut out tonight but as usual rose to the challenge.

This evening Boy Wonder played with his friends. His behaviour was impulsive and resulted in him attempting to eat berries found on a bush growing into our garden.  He flitted from activity to activity, his friends bowing down to his every move.  We called him in from the garden to settle down and are in for a long, long night I feel!

Wow, this blog is a little (a lot) emotional today. I guess this one blog sums up the huge difference between a chilled and happy Boy Wonder and a highly anxious little boy. I promise that I will lighten up after today and find at least one funny moment in the midst of the madness!!

From Truck to Dinky Car

 A busy day today, the last day before school starts back .  Cat Girl also starts in Reception tomorrow so it's a double whammy! We seem to be having a cardigan problem as every  one bought so far is massive. Boy Wonder's school shoes arrived at the last minute ( the ones that last more than two weeks!) and now just a couple of water bottles and snacks needed and we are good to go.

The day started by going to collect Boy Wonder's new medication for when school starts. We then had to take the car to the garage for a respray due to it being scratched when it was delivered. We were given the keys to the courtesy car which was the smallest car in the world! Boy Wonder quizzed the lady about the technical abilities of the car whilst I stood there amazed by its size and the fact that it had a gear stick, a real handbrake and no air conditioning. The next three days is going to be a testing time!

We bunny hopped off in the dinky car to Boy Wonder's CAMHs appointment which went well considering that Boy Wonder was very high and completely fixated on the car. We spoke about the Art Therapy referral that has been requested. Boy Wonder is top of the list now so hopefully we should get an appointment soon. Art Therapy was chosen over CBT as it was thought that this was less direct and may support in helping Boy Wonder to start recognising feelings and associate the physical elements with the emotional stuff. This is something this he really struggles with.

We went over to a friend's for lunch and took a cake to celebrate her birthday. The kids were all high and tetchy but rattled on happily for a couple of hours. Boy Wonder spoke to them about the dinky car and the problems with it. ( I actually quite like it but it will take some getting used to!) They ran around a bit more before it was time to go. Before going home we collected the flag that had been designed by Boy Wonder and made by our artist friend for his Head Teacher who climbs mountains in the holidays.  This flag is for her to stick at the top of the last mountain that she is due to climb in Wales in the next holidays. (We think!)

Clubs restarted today so Boy Wonder went off to music theatre and then Kobudo and Cat Girl, Jiu Jitsu. We were given the dates for the Christmas performance and they both passed their Jiu Jitsu / Kobudo  gradings which they had missed due to being on holiday, well done kids!!

After a brief visit to cousins for tea we came home to settle down for the evening. Boy Wonder has remained high and flighty all day. Complaining of tummy ache and frequent trips to the loo indicate that the stress levels are building. School had not been mentioned too much but as per the planner, tomorrow is the day !

Lucozade versus the Anxiety Monster!

On going to bed last night we found Boy Wonder tucked up and fast asleep. Super Man moved him into his own bed. This is likely to become quite a habit I feel but he looks so peaceful (which is a rarity!) He woke up early this morning and it was clear that the anxiety was well and truly back.

Boy Wonder went off to holiday club and I would see nothing of him until the end if the day when I picked him up from Jiu Jitsu.  As I left him he seemed agitated yet flighty. Today would be a day of mixed emotions, especially with it being the last day of holiday club and school drawing closer. 

I anticipated another explosion of anger when I picked him up later in the evening. This is typical when he sees either myself or Super Man after a day somewhere as his anxieties come spilling out as soon as he comes into contact with a safe haven. Instead Boy Wonder was high and excitable. He struggled to contain this and giggled and shouted all the way home. This continued when we got home as he ran around the house shouting. It then became clear!! Out if his bag came a near empty bottle of Lucozade. He had forgotten to take his drink bottle to Jiu Jitsu and had bought this instead. Wonderful!!

We attempted to settle Boy Wonder down but this was a slow process. He jumped around his bedroom, attempted to play on his Lap top and ran up and downstairs frequently. After some time he settled to read a book. He started with his David Walliams book, Billionaire Boy and then moved on to reading a book on Asperger Syndrome for kids. This was enough to make him sleepy and he eventually closed his eyes, still in our bed! 

From Happy to Grrrrrrhhhhh!!

The early night attempt wasn't successful and Boy Wonder ended up distressed and crying. We settled in my bed and after reading to him he eventually fell to sleep. Super Man moved him into his own bed when he came up to bed.

This morning Boy Wonder remained anxious about returning to holiday club and pretty much everything and anything else that we spoke about. He took a while to get motivated and needed a lot of help to get ready for the day.
We eventually got to holiday club and Boy Wonder went straight to sit down at the Lego table.   He barely acknowledged me saying goodbye as he was so engrossed.

I picked Boy Wonder up from the club to take him to his swimming lesson. He was racing up and down the play ground on a scooter. I asked him to come over to me as we were leaving but he just carried on. After the fifth attempt he did stop what he was doing and come in and we got ready to leave. The staff reported that he had been fine and had, had a lovely day. However as we walked outside Boy Wonder exploded into anger. He shouted and cried, hit out and thrashed around. Boy Wonder shouted about not wanting to go for his swimming lesson . I attempted to reassure him but he quickly moved on to the next reason for his anger, the time! I explained to Boy Wonder it was okay to be angry and that I understood that he was getting worried about going back to school. He responded by shouting at me to stop talking as he couldn't talk about THAT!!

We did go swimming and he did well in his lesson, the increased adrenaline put to good use in the pool.   Once out he spent 20 minutes in the shower and this seemed to calm him down further.

At home he and Cat Girl watched a DVD, the same one as last night with a full running commentary from the Boy! He then attempted to settle down in bed but as per the last couple of nights, he remained restless and anxious.

More Toothpaste?!

Last night was indeed a late one. Bed wetting is becoming more problematic as the anxiety increases. We think that the physical signs that our bodies give us to tell us go to the loo are blocked by the head fuzz Boy Wonder experiences when his anxiety heightens and processing becomes more delayed. We hang on to the 'hope' that the school nurse says that bed wetting in boys under eight years old is normal. (We will start to worry in October then?!) It is frustrating at times when professionals can't see what is in front of their eyes - it is anxiety driven you fool!!

Boy Wonder slept in whilst I took Cat Girl to her swimming lesson. The swimming on holiday has really brought her on. She's is going into group lessons next week now that she is of school age. Her first lesson being tomorrow. When we returned home Boy Wonder was up and jumping on the sofa whilst watching kids tv. Who says he can't multi task?! Super Man was mowing the lawn. I prepared dinner and we went for a leisurely walk at Sherwood Pines whilst the children rode their bikes.

Before our walk we had a chat about pocket money and that we would like to start giving them both pocket money each week to teach them the value of money. In return they would need to tidy up after themselves without fuss! A big ask but it's worth.a shot!  Boy Wonder became bogged down by the detail and wanted to know exactly what he could use it for? I explained that he could buy what he wanted or needed if he had enough money. He stopped and thought briefly and then explained that he has nearly run out of toothpaste, would he need to buy himself some more ?

Unfortunately, the leisurely stroll turned into a three mile hike! We took a wrong turn and ended up on the longer route which was a bit too bumpy for Cat Girl's stabilisers. Between Super Man and I we pushed her round the whole route! Boy Wonder would usually be off but he went a little way and waited, let us catch up and went a little way and waited and so on.  Not in adventurer mode today! Before leaving we went onto the park but again Boy Wonder showed little interest only in finding Cat Girl who was off playing.

On returning home we were greeted by cousins who had also been on a bike ride. The kids played a bit, more so with the kittens but had fun running about. We then had dinner and watched a DVD before bed. It's always a mistake to watch a new film with Boy Wonder as he questions every aspect of it and misses the point of it completely! The second time around ( or the fourth, fifth, sixth .....) he remembers everything and then tells you what is coming next throughout!

We are attempting an early night tonight in hope that Boy Wonder settles down at a reasonable hour :-)