Something to laugh at every day

Last Sunday, my dad and step-mum came for a visit. Duncan wanted my help with something or other and kept asking me to come with him. A few times I stalled and told him I'd help him soon and he then grabbed my hand, telling me to come on and to wake up. I told him he was hurting my hand (he was squeezing hard and my hands are sore anyway at the moment) so he kissed them both, walked round behind me, and started pushing my back in the direction he wanted. Dad thought that was so funny. Duncan always does that, or when I'm having a meal or a cup of tea and he's waiting for me ('cause I always tell him I'll help him when I've finished eating/drinking) he sits watching each mouthful, encouraging me, sometimes putting the cup to my lips.

On Monday we went to the Transport Museum and met up with M. our NAS befriender. A large room full of steam engines ensured Duncan was a very happy boy. He did get a bit worried as the Thomas and Percy trains were not in their usual position in the model train display case. He kept going back to it and looking for them. I said that they might be at the works. I said perhaps Percy had gone into the water (as in the story, Percy Takes the Plunge) and had to be mended. He didn't agree with this assessment and decided they were stuck deep inside one of the tunnels. He thought hard and searched in his mind for the right words; 'Not at the works, Thomas is...underneath...inside...in there.'
I remember a speech therapist telling me about the difficulty she was having helping him to understand such concepts as under, over, beside etc. Many hours of playing trains together have sorted all that.

At home he impressed me by completely independently taking a piece of paper and some markers and drawing a huge number 6. He copied it from his 'Percy' engine, so it was yellow and red and green in the middle. He then covered it with sticky tape, asked me to cut it out and stuck it down his trousers a bit so it sat against his side. Then he ran chuffing round the house. It was bedtime soon after, and I was able to do my Fat Controller impression and instruct all the engines that at the end of their busy day, they all had to go to the shed for a well deserved rest. Somehow, the little engines responded to this, and I had one of the easiest bedtime sessions for weeks.

Our slightly more structured schedule is working well for Lady. She's working well and getting through a lot. Thomas still just writes little notes when he wants, draws rainbows, plays computer games and with his toys. Well, they'd be able to play with a few more toys if I could find the key to our spare room. Most of the toys are stored there and locked up, so they aren't all pulled out at once and it's easier to tidy up. But we can't find the blasted key or any of the spares. If it doesn't turn up soon, I'll have to seek Anthony's intersession.