We went swimming today for the first time in almost a year. All Duncan was worried about was the showers; he hates showers. I promised him that he wouldn’t have a shower.
‘No shower?’ he asks.
I answer, ‘no shower’.
He confirms, ‘no wash hair?’
‘No wash hair,’ I respond.
‘No hair wash?’
‘No hair wash.’
‘No shampoo?’
‘No shampoo.’
‘No wet hair?’
‘No wet hair.’ I say.
He’s happy that he’s covered all the possible permutations now and decides he does want to go swimming. We have the same conversation every bath time.
We had a great time. Duncan had a huge grin on his face the whole time. He jumped and splashed and asked us to chase him and had me sing the ‘Tots TV’ song and was so happy. Thomas is so much more cautious than the other 2 children in the water. He moved slowly and carefully, taking little, tiny jumps. Lady has always been a dare-devil and is so keen to go swimming more often. This will definitely have to be a new family tradition.
29 May 2006
Happy Birthday Little Sister!!
I couldn’t ask for a better sister. She’s smart, funny, kind, thoughtful and everyone who knows her thinks she has the best laugh ever!
The day she was born, I ran down the country road from the school bus stop to my Granny’s house to find out if the baby was born and yesss, she told me I had a sister! It was marvellous, especially after having 3 (now 4) brothers.
I hope you have a nice easy day today C!
The day she was born, I ran down the country road from the school bus stop to my Granny’s house to find out if the baby was born and yesss, she told me I had a sister! It was marvellous, especially after having 3 (now 4) brothers.
I hope you have a nice easy day today C!
28 May 2006
Deep discussions and mouse tails.
On Saturday morning Thomas joined us in bed for his morning cuddle and chat. He started talking again about how he was going to get older and then he would die. Then he surprised us with by discussing his own theory of re-incarnation; ‘when I am dead, I will be a baby again and then I start to grow all over again and get old again.’ It’s funny to think about what’s going on in that wee head of his.
Duncan decided to dress up as Mickey Mouse. He went up to his room and returned a few minutes later having removed all his clothes and replaced them with a nifty pair of red underpants and a navy blue t-shirt. I was not even aware at first that he was in costume, but he explained matters to me soon enough and he sought my assistance with the finishing touches; a strip was cut from a black bin liner and stuck to his pants, voila, a tail! Then I had to stick 2 white buttons to the front of his pants in just the right place. He then added a pair of white gloves and he was looking good, or so he thought as he preened in front of the mirror.
Duncan informed me this morning that he wanted some soup. ‘What kind of soup’, I asked, ‘brown soup, Snow White soup’. Now I get it! He’s been watching the Disney Snow White video a lot recently, and obviously the 7 dwarves make the brown soup Snow White prepares look so appetising! He had his wish granted at lunch time today. His Grandma joined us for lunch. All 3 children ran up to great her and kiss her when she arrived, which was a much nicer incident than when she last came round for Sunday lunch. Gordon cooked a beef stew with chocho. There’s a woman selling Caribbean food in St George’s market now, isn’t that amazing. Bless multiculturalism, making this place better. The food was delicious and Duncan wanted to try the ‘brown soup’, so he did. He didn’t have much but I do love to see him trying more foods.
Duncan decided to dress up as Mickey Mouse. He went up to his room and returned a few minutes later having removed all his clothes and replaced them with a nifty pair of red underpants and a navy blue t-shirt. I was not even aware at first that he was in costume, but he explained matters to me soon enough and he sought my assistance with the finishing touches; a strip was cut from a black bin liner and stuck to his pants, voila, a tail! Then I had to stick 2 white buttons to the front of his pants in just the right place. He then added a pair of white gloves and he was looking good, or so he thought as he preened in front of the mirror.
Duncan informed me this morning that he wanted some soup. ‘What kind of soup’, I asked, ‘brown soup, Snow White soup’. Now I get it! He’s been watching the Disney Snow White video a lot recently, and obviously the 7 dwarves make the brown soup Snow White prepares look so appetising! He had his wish granted at lunch time today. His Grandma joined us for lunch. All 3 children ran up to great her and kiss her when she arrived, which was a much nicer incident than when she last came round for Sunday lunch. Gordon cooked a beef stew with chocho. There’s a woman selling Caribbean food in St George’s market now, isn’t that amazing. Bless multiculturalism, making this place better. The food was delicious and Duncan wanted to try the ‘brown soup’, so he did. He didn’t have much but I do love to see him trying more foods.
26 May 2006
Starting over, again
I’ve moved to a new blog as I couldn’t figure out how to do what I wanted with the old one and I don’t have time just now to learn.
So…I’ve been filling in the Disability Living Allowance form for Duncan and it’s bloody depressing. I have to write down all things he has difficulty with, has problems with or is delayed in and then to make it clear to the decision makers, I have to compare him to typically developing children who don’t need all this extra help. The whole document is a concentration of all the negatives. I can’t put anything positive or hopeful in or he’ll not be considered eligible for financial support. It’s nearly as bad as watching the infamous ‘Autism Speaks’ video, but unlike that, I won’t be writing about suicide/homicide thoughts (erm, to clarify, that would be because I don't have them). Writing my last post about how great Duncan is was such a pleasurable respite.
Lady made her Brownie promise on Wednesday. I went into the hall to watch her with both boys. If I was a bit more organised, I would have made sure Gordon was home in time to look after them, but no. She did great and the boys were loud and I couldn’t stop them running around the hall. I mean, what 4 or 5 year old runs into a church hall without wanting to clatter up and down the wooden floor. I was a bit embarrassed though and we went out as soon as Lady was finished. The Brownie promise still has the bit about ‘serving my god and the queen and my country’; blah. I can’t help the hackles rising slightly at that queen bit. But, I’m trying to raise a new breed of northern irish child who isn’t bothered by all that symbolism, so I keep quiet.
We continue to live in a Harry Potter world. Lady has been listening to the audio books and has almost finished the lot. She just came to the really emotional bit in ‘The Half Blood Prince’, so we had a big talk about that.
Thomas was having his morning cuddle when he said ‘dieing is bad isn’t it?’ I replied that it usually is, then he said that it wasn’t so bad if you die at home and not outside because carpets are softer and you wouldn’t hurt yourself. He’s not quite got it yet.
I’ve been reading all these wonderful and moving posts on the Autism Hub marking the death of a 3 year old child. It's too sad.
So…I’ve been filling in the Disability Living Allowance form for Duncan and it’s bloody depressing. I have to write down all things he has difficulty with, has problems with or is delayed in and then to make it clear to the decision makers, I have to compare him to typically developing children who don’t need all this extra help. The whole document is a concentration of all the negatives. I can’t put anything positive or hopeful in or he’ll not be considered eligible for financial support. It’s nearly as bad as watching the infamous ‘Autism Speaks’ video, but unlike that, I won’t be writing about suicide/homicide thoughts (erm, to clarify, that would be because I don't have them). Writing my last post about how great Duncan is was such a pleasurable respite.
Lady made her Brownie promise on Wednesday. I went into the hall to watch her with both boys. If I was a bit more organised, I would have made sure Gordon was home in time to look after them, but no. She did great and the boys were loud and I couldn’t stop them running around the hall. I mean, what 4 or 5 year old runs into a church hall without wanting to clatter up and down the wooden floor. I was a bit embarrassed though and we went out as soon as Lady was finished. The Brownie promise still has the bit about ‘serving my god and the queen and my country’; blah. I can’t help the hackles rising slightly at that queen bit. But, I’m trying to raise a new breed of northern irish child who isn’t bothered by all that symbolism, so I keep quiet.
We continue to live in a Harry Potter world. Lady has been listening to the audio books and has almost finished the lot. She just came to the really emotional bit in ‘The Half Blood Prince’, so we had a big talk about that.
Thomas was having his morning cuddle when he said ‘dieing is bad isn’t it?’ I replied that it usually is, then he said that it wasn’t so bad if you die at home and not outside because carpets are softer and you wouldn’t hurt yourself. He’s not quite got it yet.
I’ve been reading all these wonderful and moving posts on the Autism Hub marking the death of a 3 year old child. It's too sad.
24 May 2006
A 3 year old autistic child
This post is part of Katherine McCarron Memorial Day, by the Autism Hub. On Wednesday, May 24, Hub members will post memorial messages about Katherine McCarron. The next day, the hub will be closed in her memory.
My son will be 6 in 17 days. He is beautiful, sweet, inquisitive, interesting, messy, gentle, troublesome, funny, very active and loving. He loves trains, playing chase, watching videos and rewinding them to see the best bits over and over, bouncing on his trampoline, baking and making a mess. He is a whiz on the computer and can always tell us what he wants and how he feels.
When Duncan was 3 he was much the same, except he couldn’t communicate his wishes so well and was frequently frustrated. But much more than that he was happy and learning and developing every day, like all other 3 year olds.
This is Duncan aged 3. He was enjoying a tickle game with his Dad when this was taken.
We went to Legoland on the day of his 3rd birthday when this photo was taken. Duncan was taking a break from the splash pool to chill in the buggy, eat some candyfloss and look at the Peter Pan book he carried round all day.
Here's another Peter Pan themed photo taken last Christmas. He has since started to really enjoy dressing up and always customises the outfits to suit his own vision.
This picture was taken on a family day out on a steam train. All the children, but Duncan especially, really enjoyed the train. They are such good friends and Duncan plays with his siblings more than anyone else.
I am so lucky to have them all. I am lucky to have a son like Duncan who has opened my eyes to so much. It has been a voyage of discovery for me.
I am lucky that I realised myself that he is autistic when he was 2. I am lucky that the UK autism charity, the NAS, promotes reasonable, realistic information about autism and not scaremongering. I am lucky that I was able to take part in an NAS EarlyBird course for parents of autistic children and gain a better understanding of how to connect with Duncan. I am lucky that my husband is intelligent, level headed and promptly put me right when I was briefly seduced by the dark side- the autism biomedical quackery. I am lucky that I didn't spend too long investiagating ABA before realising it was a totally unsuitable way for my son to learn. I am lucky that I didn't spend too long reading 'autism is hell' sites like CAN before coming across heart lifting, joyous places like Oops...wrong planet. I'm lucky because I read Jim Sinclair's essay 'Don't mourn for us' and found web sites by people like Amanda Baggs and Michelle Dawson.
I'm lucky that Duncan went to a wonderful nursery 4 mornings a week which he loved and whose staff were kind and helpful and I'm lucky that he is now learning at home with his family, living, loving and growing every day.
My heart goes out to Katie, 3 years old, murdered by her mother who placed a plastic bag over her head, the little girl who didn't make it, the little bud who never had a chance to blossom.
My son will be 6 in 17 days. He is beautiful, sweet, inquisitive, interesting, messy, gentle, troublesome, funny, very active and loving. He loves trains, playing chase, watching videos and rewinding them to see the best bits over and over, bouncing on his trampoline, baking and making a mess. He is a whiz on the computer and can always tell us what he wants and how he feels.
When Duncan was 3 he was much the same, except he couldn’t communicate his wishes so well and was frequently frustrated. But much more than that he was happy and learning and developing every day, like all other 3 year olds.
This is Duncan aged 3. He was enjoying a tickle game with his Dad when this was taken.
We went to Legoland on the day of his 3rd birthday when this photo was taken. Duncan was taking a break from the splash pool to chill in the buggy, eat some candyfloss and look at the Peter Pan book he carried round all day.
Here's another Peter Pan themed photo taken last Christmas. He has since started to really enjoy dressing up and always customises the outfits to suit his own vision.
This picture was taken on a family day out on a steam train. All the children, but Duncan especially, really enjoyed the train. They are such good friends and Duncan plays with his siblings more than anyone else.
I am so lucky to have them all. I am lucky to have a son like Duncan who has opened my eyes to so much. It has been a voyage of discovery for me.
I am lucky that I realised myself that he is autistic when he was 2. I am lucky that the UK autism charity, the NAS, promotes reasonable, realistic information about autism and not scaremongering. I am lucky that I was able to take part in an NAS EarlyBird course for parents of autistic children and gain a better understanding of how to connect with Duncan. I am lucky that my husband is intelligent, level headed and promptly put me right when I was briefly seduced by the dark side- the autism biomedical quackery. I am lucky that I didn't spend too long investiagating ABA before realising it was a totally unsuitable way for my son to learn. I am lucky that I didn't spend too long reading 'autism is hell' sites like CAN before coming across heart lifting, joyous places like Oops...wrong planet. I'm lucky because I read Jim Sinclair's essay 'Don't mourn for us' and found web sites by people like Amanda Baggs and Michelle Dawson.
I'm lucky that Duncan went to a wonderful nursery 4 mornings a week which he loved and whose staff were kind and helpful and I'm lucky that he is now learning at home with his family, living, loving and growing every day.
My heart goes out to Katie, 3 years old, murdered by her mother who placed a plastic bag over her head, the little girl who didn't make it, the little bud who never had a chance to blossom.
15 May 2006
Respect me!
Duncan’s latest quote;
‘I’m not a figure o’ fun, I waa respec’ an’ I waa it now!’
I had to record that one!
(Taken from the film, Matilda).
‘I’m not a figure o’ fun, I waa respec’ an’ I waa it now!’
I had to record that one!
(Taken from the film, Matilda).
Catching up
Long time, no post.
I’m trying to remember the significant events of the past week.
The best thing is that we have Gordon’s Jamaican cousin staying with us for a long weekend. It’s great having more family around. Lady and Thomas love her and she’s so good and sits chatting with them for ages and playing snakes and ladders with Thomas. Duncan merely tolerates other people staying here.
We’ve split up to take her out to various tourist attractions. Duncan has stayed at home with either Gordon or me except when they all went for a long walk to the local beach. Yesterday everyone had a nice time; I went with the boys to a friend’s birthday party while the others went to Carrickfergus Castle. They were well impressed with the castle and joined us at the party later for some good food and company, our kind of party!
Today, I’m staying at home with the boys while Gordon drives with the girls to the Giant’s Causeway. It’s a wet, miserable kind of day so they’ll be seeing it in its natural state!
I took Thomas to see the GP on Friday. We had a long wait around due to a mix-up by the receptionist, but Thomas was busy playing with a little boy then a little girl. He chatted away to her and to her mother and found out all he could about them. They were so cute together, especially when she took him by the hands and started dancing around and singing with him. He was happy to play along; after all, she was only 3! I managed to let her Mum know about home-ed too, she was interested especially as her daughter has Down Syndrome and it’s good to know there’s an alternative to fighting the system to get an appropriate education for your special child.
So we saw the GP and Thomas had 2 vaccinations; 2nd MMR and a Meningitis one. Just before this the GP checked his testes and Thomas giggled and said (oh so clearly) ‘Oh, I like that part’. He was most unhappy about the jabs though and called the GP a stupid doctor and said he was completely fed-up. Poor wee man. We had a quick visit with the health visitor next. They do a 4 year check here so we played along. Thomas started building the blocks into a tower and counting them before the HV finished saying hello to me. She asked him if he knew any letters and he proceeded to spell his name phonetically. She asked about school and nursery and wondered how I would cope with more than one at home. She was even more surprised when I told her Duncan wasn’t at school anymore. She asked if he was seeing any professionals and what they thought of this. I told her how the clinical psychologist though it was great! HA!
The other BIG news is that we had an important delivery on Monday- Zeebad has arrived, praise all that’s good!
Duncan immediately latched onto a new requirement – Henrietta the coach. It is never ending. Ah well, he’s been very happy with Zeebad and has carried him everywhere.
I had a nice present too, I asked him for a kiss one day, so he kissed me then turned away murmuring, as if it was an afterthought, ‘love you Mummy’. I think it’s the first time he’s said that without hearing me say it to him first. It’s nice anyway and made me smile :-).
I’m trying to remember the significant events of the past week.
The best thing is that we have Gordon’s Jamaican cousin staying with us for a long weekend. It’s great having more family around. Lady and Thomas love her and she’s so good and sits chatting with them for ages and playing snakes and ladders with Thomas. Duncan merely tolerates other people staying here.
We’ve split up to take her out to various tourist attractions. Duncan has stayed at home with either Gordon or me except when they all went for a long walk to the local beach. Yesterday everyone had a nice time; I went with the boys to a friend’s birthday party while the others went to Carrickfergus Castle. They were well impressed with the castle and joined us at the party later for some good food and company, our kind of party!
Today, I’m staying at home with the boys while Gordon drives with the girls to the Giant’s Causeway. It’s a wet, miserable kind of day so they’ll be seeing it in its natural state!
I took Thomas to see the GP on Friday. We had a long wait around due to a mix-up by the receptionist, but Thomas was busy playing with a little boy then a little girl. He chatted away to her and to her mother and found out all he could about them. They were so cute together, especially when she took him by the hands and started dancing around and singing with him. He was happy to play along; after all, she was only 3! I managed to let her Mum know about home-ed too, she was interested especially as her daughter has Down Syndrome and it’s good to know there’s an alternative to fighting the system to get an appropriate education for your special child.
So we saw the GP and Thomas had 2 vaccinations; 2nd MMR and a Meningitis one. Just before this the GP checked his testes and Thomas giggled and said (oh so clearly) ‘Oh, I like that part’. He was most unhappy about the jabs though and called the GP a stupid doctor and said he was completely fed-up. Poor wee man. We had a quick visit with the health visitor next. They do a 4 year check here so we played along. Thomas started building the blocks into a tower and counting them before the HV finished saying hello to me. She asked him if he knew any letters and he proceeded to spell his name phonetically. She asked about school and nursery and wondered how I would cope with more than one at home. She was even more surprised when I told her Duncan wasn’t at school anymore. She asked if he was seeing any professionals and what they thought of this. I told her how the clinical psychologist though it was great! HA!
The other BIG news is that we had an important delivery on Monday- Zeebad has arrived, praise all that’s good!
Duncan immediately latched onto a new requirement – Henrietta the coach. It is never ending. Ah well, he’s been very happy with Zeebad and has carried him everywhere.
I had a nice present too, I asked him for a kiss one day, so he kissed me then turned away murmuring, as if it was an afterthought, ‘love you Mummy’. I think it’s the first time he’s said that without hearing me say it to him first. It’s nice anyway and made me smile :-).
7 May 2006
Lady makes the grade
Lady graded in Ju-Jitsu yesterday. She’s now a white belt. We’re very proud of her and she’s very happy herself and tells me it’s the 1st step to getting her black belt! It’s the first time she’s had any kid of outside formal assessment.
It’s been a lovely day and we’ve just played about in the garden. The trampoline was a great purchase. They spend hours on it (and I like having a bounce every so often too!). I would love to grow some vegetables this year. I went food shopping last night with Lady and spent too much money, but at least we have loads of nice fresh food to keep us going. (I made our 1st Greek salad of 2006 for lunch; sunny days make me crave salad.) It was hard last week when Gordon was away for 4 days at a conference. Duncan was going on and on (and on…) about that toy he wants and I knew it would be a disaster to take him to the shop when he had it on his mind so much. I considered asking my Dad to come over to look after them for a while so I could dash out and get what we needed, but Duncan would have been so cross if I’d not come home with what he wanted. He asked me to draw a series of pictures, identical to those I drew when we went to Italy to explain what would be happening. He is using this method now to describe what he wants to happen!
Anyway. I managed to buy a Zeebad on ebay so I hope it comes soon. I’ve really heard enough about that now!
As I was writing, Duncan opened the big window in our dining area which is at the front of our house. He then stood half-way out on the window sill and when I turned to call him inside, I saw that he was peeing out the window. I wonder if any of the neighbours noticed that one?! (He broke a TV once by climbing on its back; he liked to watch the screen by hanging over it and looking at it upside-down, and while in this position, he peed and it broke with a fizzle and a pop. It was fun telling the home-insurance people what had happened, ‘ah, my 3 year old son urinated on the back of the TV’, hmmm. They paid up though!)
It’s been a lovely day and we’ve just played about in the garden. The trampoline was a great purchase. They spend hours on it (and I like having a bounce every so often too!). I would love to grow some vegetables this year. I went food shopping last night with Lady and spent too much money, but at least we have loads of nice fresh food to keep us going. (I made our 1st Greek salad of 2006 for lunch; sunny days make me crave salad.) It was hard last week when Gordon was away for 4 days at a conference. Duncan was going on and on (and on…) about that toy he wants and I knew it would be a disaster to take him to the shop when he had it on his mind so much. I considered asking my Dad to come over to look after them for a while so I could dash out and get what we needed, but Duncan would have been so cross if I’d not come home with what he wanted. He asked me to draw a series of pictures, identical to those I drew when we went to Italy to explain what would be happening. He is using this method now to describe what he wants to happen!
Anyway. I managed to buy a Zeebad on ebay so I hope it comes soon. I’ve really heard enough about that now!
As I was writing, Duncan opened the big window in our dining area which is at the front of our house. He then stood half-way out on the window sill and when I turned to call him inside, I saw that he was peeing out the window. I wonder if any of the neighbours noticed that one?! (He broke a TV once by climbing on its back; he liked to watch the screen by hanging over it and looking at it upside-down, and while in this position, he peed and it broke with a fizzle and a pop. It was fun telling the home-insurance people what had happened, ‘ah, my 3 year old son urinated on the back of the TV’, hmmm. They paid up though!)
4 May 2006
A standardised measurement of one's Irishness
All uncertainties have been calculated with a 95% confidence limit.
My blog buddy Elderfairy had a Irishness quizz on her blog. I did it and then left her a comment saying I could write a better daft quiz than that. She suggested I stick it on here so here it is. I'm too lazy to do anything other than cut and paste what I wrote already! Oh, and feel free to leave your own questions too.
My blog buddy Elderfairy had a Irishness quizz on her blog. I did it and then left her a comment saying I could write a better daft quiz than that. She suggested I stick it on here so here it is. I'm too lazy to do anything other than cut and paste what I wrote already! Oh, and feel free to leave your own questions too.
Why does that picture have a 4 leaf clover on it? Is it supposed to be a shamrock? Ah well. I took that test and am pleased to say that I only scored 50% Irish!
There’s a bit of an American slant to the questions. I gained a few marks for knowing a bit about Gaelic games and I lost points by not liking beer!
Now, what would I set as the questions in such a test?!
Do you know the words of 2 verses of Danny Boy?
Do you know any rebel/loyal songs at all?
Do you know more about the history of this island than would be reasonable?
Do you know who Dinny Byrne was?
What’s the most embarrassing thing Dana has done in the past 30 years?
What is the biggest lake in the UK and Ireland?
What’s the story of Cuchulainn?
Why do loads of northerners flock to Donegal in July?
Why do nightclubs now smell of farts?
Why paint the curb stones?
What’s wrong with Kevin Myers?
Jeez I’d better stop. I really should be doing something more useful with my time ;-)
But at least I’d score well with that test!
Anyway, nationality should be a fluid thing. When we moved here from England my dad asked Lady if she was now Irish or English. She said she was a bit Irish, a bit English and a bit Jamaican. So no worries about knowing where she fits in there!
Gathering of the clan
I should be tidying my house instead of sitting here blogging, but blogging is more fun. When I’m looking back on this on 5 years time, will I be glad I’ve written a bit about my children and what they’re getting up to, or will I regret the time I didn’t tidy up my room after Duncan trashed it looking for a toy Zeebad that he has convinced himself I’m hiding there? You see, I can justify this!
So, we went to Sligo on Saturday. The journey was fine. Lady listened to Harry Potter on an MP3 player while Thomas watched a Barney DVD on a player we had in the car. My brother and L have a beautiful house in a nice little town. I’m so pleased for them. Their daughter was 4 two days before Thomas so they had a joint party. The bouncy castle they’d hired wasn’t used much since it was raining heavily, but the children all had a great time. 3 out of 4 of my brothers were there with their families and my sister had flown over from London for the weekend (hiya Mavis ;-)), so it was a great gathering of the clan too! We stayed the night at my older brother’s house. Lady and Thomas enjoyed playing with his daughters (aged 4 and 2 and oh so cute). It was just a nice, happy way to spend the weekend.
When I got home, Duncan was so pleased to see us. Gordon had been busy sorting out the house; putting pictures up and cooking and he’d even washed the carpet on the stairs. It had been horribly dirty. They’d gone to Belfast on the train and Duncan even had a new wooden Percy. You can never have too many Percys you know!
While I’ve been doing what I do best (procrastinating) the children have been busy learning in their own way. Lady has been listening to her Harry Potter and has read some of the book too. She was also reading a book we had about English kings and queens. But mostly she’s been drawing pictures and practicing her handwriting. We keep getting little love notes as she’s so happy about her new, fancy, joined-up writing.
Duncan is absolutely obsessed with having a Zeebad toy. I’m going to get one on ebay; where else could you find a toy that was given away in Rice Crispies boxes a year ago. He was Googling for it and wrote it from memory himself! He also wrote ‘trnpercy’ yesterday on Google, meaning ‘train Percy’. He knew that he’d get too many false hits if he wrote ‘Percy’ only. I’ve been trying to encourage him to type more on the computer. I think he will learn to write and read together.
Thomas has been learning more letter sounds. The phonics approach works well for him. We read the 1st story on Starfall yesterday together; Zac the Rat.
Right, Duncan is just making me a cup of tea (pouring cold water from the kettle into the teapot) and admiring his reflection in the curved surface of the steel teapot. Must go help him!
So, we went to Sligo on Saturday. The journey was fine. Lady listened to Harry Potter on an MP3 player while Thomas watched a Barney DVD on a player we had in the car. My brother and L have a beautiful house in a nice little town. I’m so pleased for them. Their daughter was 4 two days before Thomas so they had a joint party. The bouncy castle they’d hired wasn’t used much since it was raining heavily, but the children all had a great time. 3 out of 4 of my brothers were there with their families and my sister had flown over from London for the weekend (hiya Mavis ;-)), so it was a great gathering of the clan too! We stayed the night at my older brother’s house. Lady and Thomas enjoyed playing with his daughters (aged 4 and 2 and oh so cute). It was just a nice, happy way to spend the weekend.
When I got home, Duncan was so pleased to see us. Gordon had been busy sorting out the house; putting pictures up and cooking and he’d even washed the carpet on the stairs. It had been horribly dirty. They’d gone to Belfast on the train and Duncan even had a new wooden Percy. You can never have too many Percys you know!
While I’ve been doing what I do best (procrastinating) the children have been busy learning in their own way. Lady has been listening to her Harry Potter and has read some of the book too. She was also reading a book we had about English kings and queens. But mostly she’s been drawing pictures and practicing her handwriting. We keep getting little love notes as she’s so happy about her new, fancy, joined-up writing.
Duncan is absolutely obsessed with having a Zeebad toy. I’m going to get one on ebay; where else could you find a toy that was given away in Rice Crispies boxes a year ago. He was Googling for it and wrote it from memory himself! He also wrote ‘trnpercy’ yesterday on Google, meaning ‘train Percy’. He knew that he’d get too many false hits if he wrote ‘Percy’ only. I’ve been trying to encourage him to type more on the computer. I think he will learn to write and read together.
Thomas has been learning more letter sounds. The phonics approach works well for him. We read the 1st story on Starfall yesterday together; Zac the Rat.
Right, Duncan is just making me a cup of tea (pouring cold water from the kettle into the teapot) and admiring his reflection in the curved surface of the steel teapot. Must go help him!
29 Apr 2006
Thomas turns 4!
Thomas was 4 years old today. He jumped into bed beside me this morning and we had a nice wee chat.
‘Happy Birthday darling’,
‘Is it really my birthday today? Am I 4 now?’
‘Yes’
‘But I liked being 3!’
‘Being 3 is great, but it’s lots of fun when you’re 4 too!’
‘Oh. OK then’
Lady came in and I gave him his present then; a plastic castle with a few medieval characters. He was very pleased with it. They woke Duncan so he could play with them.
We had a party for him this afternoon. It was just so nice! We had a great gang of kids in and out of the house, making good use of the new trampoline, playing with each other and making their own fun. We adults enjoyed pizza and plenty of chat.
I’m driving to my brother’s house tomorrow for another birthday party. My niece was born 2 days before Thomas so we’re having a family get together at their place. It’s a 3 hour drive though! Ah well, it’ll be worth it.
‘Happy Birthday darling’,
‘Is it really my birthday today? Am I 4 now?’
‘Yes’
‘But I liked being 3!’
‘Being 3 is great, but it’s lots of fun when you’re 4 too!’
‘Oh. OK then’
Lady came in and I gave him his present then; a plastic castle with a few medieval characters. He was very pleased with it. They woke Duncan so he could play with them.
We had a party for him this afternoon. It was just so nice! We had a great gang of kids in and out of the house, making good use of the new trampoline, playing with each other and making their own fun. We adults enjoyed pizza and plenty of chat.
I’m driving to my brother’s house tomorrow for another birthday party. My niece was born 2 days before Thomas so we’re having a family get together at their place. It’s a 3 hour drive though! Ah well, it’ll be worth it.
28 Apr 2006
Birthday preparations
I wrote a long post last night in bed but I lost it when the laptop ran out of power and it wasn’t saved. Bummer.
It was only my usual waffle about what we’d been doing.
We had a tree-surgeon in to remove 2 big conifers from our garden. They were too close to the house and blocking out light. I took some tea out to the couple doing the work and we had a chat. I explained about Duncan (when he tried to lift the massive chainsaw) that he doesn’t understand much language as he’s autistic. I was surprised at the woman's reaction; she asked if I was able to cope and did I have family to help me out enough. I told her we managed fine and the children all get to see their grandparents quite often. A while later the man mentioned the shocking incident in England where a woman is said to have killed her son and then herself on the Humber Bridge. I was really pissed off at the way that story was reported at the time in a way that made it seem as though it was the boy’s autism (Fragile X really) that caused these 2 deaths and not the woman’s mental illness. I was glad they were able to see Duncan running around having loads of fun with their beautiful Husky dog, which they brought round in the afternoon. It might help change the false perception of autism that the media usually portrays.
We went to W5 on Wednesday and met up with another family. We all had a great time as usual. Duncan loved his lunch of unlimited ice-cream at Pizza Hut, while the rest of us had the more standard piles of pizza and salad. Soon after my friend’s 4 yo son fell and banged his head on a bench. He was bleeding quite a lot so she had to take him to the A&E. Thankfully he was OK. Two of her sons came back with me to our house while she was at the hospital. The children loved having a few extra friends to play with.
On Thursday they all played outside a lot. Lady told me they were playing a game called ‘Wild’. They were all in bare feet and were filthy by the end of the day.
Today I took Lady shopping for everything we need for the party tomorrow. Thomas is going to be 4! I bought a round, 8 foot trampoline with an enclosure. We all helped to put it up this evening. It is a big hit already!
Now, I need to start baking. I’ve a cake and buns to make and I want to make some pizza dough. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’ll be the first party we’ve had since moving to this house.
It was only my usual waffle about what we’d been doing.
We had a tree-surgeon in to remove 2 big conifers from our garden. They were too close to the house and blocking out light. I took some tea out to the couple doing the work and we had a chat. I explained about Duncan (when he tried to lift the massive chainsaw) that he doesn’t understand much language as he’s autistic. I was surprised at the woman's reaction; she asked if I was able to cope and did I have family to help me out enough. I told her we managed fine and the children all get to see their grandparents quite often. A while later the man mentioned the shocking incident in England where a woman is said to have killed her son and then herself on the Humber Bridge. I was really pissed off at the way that story was reported at the time in a way that made it seem as though it was the boy’s autism (Fragile X really) that caused these 2 deaths and not the woman’s mental illness. I was glad they were able to see Duncan running around having loads of fun with their beautiful Husky dog, which they brought round in the afternoon. It might help change the false perception of autism that the media usually portrays.
We went to W5 on Wednesday and met up with another family. We all had a great time as usual. Duncan loved his lunch of unlimited ice-cream at Pizza Hut, while the rest of us had the more standard piles of pizza and salad. Soon after my friend’s 4 yo son fell and banged his head on a bench. He was bleeding quite a lot so she had to take him to the A&E. Thankfully he was OK. Two of her sons came back with me to our house while she was at the hospital. The children loved having a few extra friends to play with.
On Thursday they all played outside a lot. Lady told me they were playing a game called ‘Wild’. They were all in bare feet and were filthy by the end of the day.
Today I took Lady shopping for everything we need for the party tomorrow. Thomas is going to be 4! I bought a round, 8 foot trampoline with an enclosure. We all helped to put it up this evening. It is a big hit already!
Now, I need to start baking. I’ve a cake and buns to make and I want to make some pizza dough. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’ll be the first party we’ve had since moving to this house.
24 Apr 2006
not yet then
After all that transpired at the zoo, I was so tired when we got home and Duncan was so distressed that we snuggled up on the sofa for half an hour together under a blanket while Gordon cooked dinner. He made burgers using some bread dough I’d made earlier and as I told him, it was the tastiest burger I’d ever eaten. I know it was also his way of trying to patch things up and get good feeling back in the family. He went out to PC World next (I wrote that previous post then) and came home feeling much better about things, having had time to think.
I’m not sure why he often feels so ambivalent about home-education, for Lady in particular. When this has happened before (many times) we always talk it out and he always ends up staunchly pro-home-education. He doesn’t have the insights I do regarding the children nor sees what amazing steps they take every day. I tell him, but it’s not the same. He doesn’t spend time with other small children so doesn’t know what is age appropriate.
But he was telling me that when he was with Lady and Thomas at the zoo, he was so impressed with her reading ability as she read and understood the information signs about the animals to Thomas. We’ve decided that we should take the children out separately sometimes. He loves taking Lady to Ju-Jitsu most Saturdays and they usually visit his Mum afterwards and it’s a really nice outing for them both.
There are so many things I know, with a bit more planning, we can do as a family. I will list them, maybe time-table it because that’s how Gordon likes to do things.
I’m not sure why he often feels so ambivalent about home-education, for Lady in particular. When this has happened before (many times) we always talk it out and he always ends up staunchly pro-home-education. He doesn’t have the insights I do regarding the children nor sees what amazing steps they take every day. I tell him, but it’s not the same. He doesn’t spend time with other small children so doesn’t know what is age appropriate.
But he was telling me that when he was with Lady and Thomas at the zoo, he was so impressed with her reading ability as she read and understood the information signs about the animals to Thomas. We’ve decided that we should take the children out separately sometimes. He loves taking Lady to Ju-Jitsu most Saturdays and they usually visit his Mum afterwards and it’s a really nice outing for them both.
There are so many things I know, with a bit more planning, we can do as a family. I will list them, maybe time-table it because that’s how Gordon likes to do things.
23 Apr 2006
So close to giving this up
It’s been another bad day. We all went to the zoo and it didn’t work out so well. Perhaps I should have learnt my lesson at the aquarium last week, but when I saw it was a sunny day, I suggested we all go out again. We’ve visited the zoo before, and although it has involved lots of running after Duncan and some crying from him about buying ice-cream from the shop, it was OK. Not so today.
Firstly, it was very crowded and then there was a bloody ice-cream van right by the playground. We decided right away to split up, I was to stay with Duncan for half an hour while Gordon went with Lady and Thomas, then we were to swap. But it was all I could do to keep my boy away from the ice-cream van. I didn’t want to buy one right away (I didn’t have any money left either) but so many other people were eating ice-cream that he just couldn’t get it out of his mind. He wasn’t interested in the playground or the animals. When we all met up again, we walked about together for a bit. Duncan was unhappy and I had to carry him on my back most of the time. Then Thomas was in a really whiney mood too and I didn’t have the physical or emotional energy to help him while dealing with Duncan. So we split up again. I was going to just go back to the car with Duncan and let Gordon take the others around to see the animals. Then Duncan started to notice what was around him and was really enjoying the animals. We spent ages looking at the sea-lions and penguins. He kept running from one enclosure to the other; they’re adjacent and there’s quite a steep slope on the path between them. I marvelled at his energy as he raced up and down this path. He was singing a penguin song he’d heard on the computer. He splashed about for a bit in a mucky puddle (before I caught up with him) and was saying ‘Dr Foster went to Gloucester’! We saw the bears next; there was Daddy bear, Mummy bear and baby bear, so he was looking in the enclosure to find Goldilocks! After a while we went back to the car to wait for the others. I was exhausted as I was always either running after him or carrying him on my back and the zoo is very hilly, and he’s getting heavier. He’s skinny, but not that skinny!
Lady had a wonderful time and Gordon told me they’d seen so much together and he was really impressed at how much she knew about the different animals. Duncan cried and shouted the whole way home for ice-cream. Gordon was really fed up and wanted to ask about my ‘plans’ for Duncan, now that I’ve decided to educate him myself. He thinks I give in to Duncan’s crying requests too easily. I probably do. He said that I’ve become too accepting of Duncan’s condition and says I need to train him up somehow to cope better in more situations. He reckons that Duncan is a virtual prisoner and he’s just getting worse and he doesn’t know how to react to anyone but me- and the same for Thomas.
He suggested again that Lady and Thomas would be better off at school getting an ‘ordinary’ education. We have this same talk all the time. I have to talk about the benefits of what we’re doing for everyone so many times. He has always concluded by agreeing with me.
But perhaps ordinary will have to do.
Firstly, it was very crowded and then there was a bloody ice-cream van right by the playground. We decided right away to split up, I was to stay with Duncan for half an hour while Gordon went with Lady and Thomas, then we were to swap. But it was all I could do to keep my boy away from the ice-cream van. I didn’t want to buy one right away (I didn’t have any money left either) but so many other people were eating ice-cream that he just couldn’t get it out of his mind. He wasn’t interested in the playground or the animals. When we all met up again, we walked about together for a bit. Duncan was unhappy and I had to carry him on my back most of the time. Then Thomas was in a really whiney mood too and I didn’t have the physical or emotional energy to help him while dealing with Duncan. So we split up again. I was going to just go back to the car with Duncan and let Gordon take the others around to see the animals. Then Duncan started to notice what was around him and was really enjoying the animals. We spent ages looking at the sea-lions and penguins. He kept running from one enclosure to the other; they’re adjacent and there’s quite a steep slope on the path between them. I marvelled at his energy as he raced up and down this path. He was singing a penguin song he’d heard on the computer. He splashed about for a bit in a mucky puddle (before I caught up with him) and was saying ‘Dr Foster went to Gloucester’! We saw the bears next; there was Daddy bear, Mummy bear and baby bear, so he was looking in the enclosure to find Goldilocks! After a while we went back to the car to wait for the others. I was exhausted as I was always either running after him or carrying him on my back and the zoo is very hilly, and he’s getting heavier. He’s skinny, but not that skinny!
Lady had a wonderful time and Gordon told me they’d seen so much together and he was really impressed at how much she knew about the different animals. Duncan cried and shouted the whole way home for ice-cream. Gordon was really fed up and wanted to ask about my ‘plans’ for Duncan, now that I’ve decided to educate him myself. He thinks I give in to Duncan’s crying requests too easily. I probably do. He said that I’ve become too accepting of Duncan’s condition and says I need to train him up somehow to cope better in more situations. He reckons that Duncan is a virtual prisoner and he’s just getting worse and he doesn’t know how to react to anyone but me- and the same for Thomas.
He suggested again that Lady and Thomas would be better off at school getting an ‘ordinary’ education. We have this same talk all the time. I have to talk about the benefits of what we’re doing for everyone so many times. He has always concluded by agreeing with me.
But perhaps ordinary will have to do.
21 Apr 2006
A bit of diversity
It’s been nearly a week since I last blogged. It was a nice Easter week: we’ve eaten well and we’ve had a few outings, some more successful than others!
We had a really good day here on Easter Sunday. We sorted out the garden a bit in the morning and the children liked their presents of new mugs, windmills and a few mini chocolate eggs.
My Dad, Step Mum and the children's Grandma all came over for lunch. The food was delicious, and it was just a lovely, relaxing day. The children enjoyed the company too. Thomas told me at one stage, ‘I like visitors. Is this my party? Am I four now?’ My wee sweetie! He also demonstrated his ‘magic’ by repeatedly hiding things behind his back, them using his powers to make them reappear, to the astonishment (hmm) of his audience. Lady did a fair bit of showing off too and read out a story she’s written, ‘The Witch Tale’. Duncan loved all the attention and games and best of all, chocolate!
On Monday we went to Downpatrick to ride in a real steam train. It was magic. The journey lasted only 15 minutes, then we got out to watch the engine turn and re-couple. This was a most exciting endeavour involving lots of steam and whistle-blowing and men down on the tracks clanging bits of metal. Duncan’s little face was a picture of pure joy. We then chuffed back to the station, crossing a bridge and waving to the people in canoes and the man driving a tractor. Duncan was singing and smiling and calling ‘hello’ to anyone we saw. There was a little shop at the station selling, oh god no, ‘Daniel’s’ engines! That is one of the other types of trains that we’ve managed so far to do without buying because he’s never seen them in any shop before, just on the internet. Well, I bought him a ‘Percy’, I think he has 6 Percys now! Thomas got a ‘Thomas’ flag and Lady got a bunny necklace. All in, a good trip.
We didn’t do much on Tuesday or Wednesday but we did manage to sort out some household management stuff. On Thursday we went to the Aquarium. It’s a great place but it wasn’t such a successful outing. First of all, Duncan was disappointed that we weren’t going on a steam train again, (the train only goes 5 or so times a year). When we went in, he was running around all over the place. That was understandable since we’d been in the car for a long time so he was like a wound spring. They all liked touching the rays and sticking their hands in the touch pools. Lady liked the anemones and Thomas liked the giant crabs. I stuck right by Duncan, and he spent most of his time in a children’s section full of play tubes and dressing up clothes. Duncan dressed as a diver and wanted to jump into the water with the fish! At one stage Gordon was with him and he threw his shoe away and it hit some other poor child. Gordon was really embarrassed and upset and wanted to go home right then. But we stayed another while and before we left, they went to watch the seals for a while. The seal was right up against the glass beside Duncan who was loving it, especially when it started barking and he barked right back! They were rolling around together and just making friends! That made the trip worthwhile. Everyone was grumpy on the drive home though, pah.
Today we had some friends over. When they’ve been here before, Thomas has usually stayed near me and my friend and her 1 yo daughter. Today though, he spent the whole time playing with Lady and the other little boy. They were playing Harry Potter; there was a bit of an issue about the casting but Lady set some challenges and her friend K bagged the main role while Thomas had to accept the part of Ron. They said Duncan was Malfoy! Not that he was interested anyway.
Lady has suddenly started reading well which she’s happy about. Thomas was playing in the bath last night with some foam letters. He had an ‘N’ and was thinking of N words. Then he got an ‘O’, put them together and said NO. Pretty good, I thought. Both boys have enjoyed some maths stories I bought in the charity shop and do well with the little puzzles in them.
I’ve realised why I had to draw the same picture over and over for Duncan. He started producing his own rocket pictures, and they’re really good. He enjoyed watching the process of creating the pictures as well as the finished product. He likes to have these objects and characters to hold and I think that’s why he likes to dress up too. He likes to see himself in character. Lately, he has been wearing a knight costume, a Pocahontas dress (with pretty shoes and a pink hat), an angel dress with wedding veil and Lady’s yellow top under a ‘Big Chief’ waistcoat. We embrace all kinds of diversity here ;-)
We had a really good day here on Easter Sunday. We sorted out the garden a bit in the morning and the children liked their presents of new mugs, windmills and a few mini chocolate eggs.
My Dad, Step Mum and the children's Grandma all came over for lunch. The food was delicious, and it was just a lovely, relaxing day. The children enjoyed the company too. Thomas told me at one stage, ‘I like visitors. Is this my party? Am I four now?’ My wee sweetie! He also demonstrated his ‘magic’ by repeatedly hiding things behind his back, them using his powers to make them reappear, to the astonishment (hmm) of his audience. Lady did a fair bit of showing off too and read out a story she’s written, ‘The Witch Tale’. Duncan loved all the attention and games and best of all, chocolate!
On Monday we went to Downpatrick to ride in a real steam train. It was magic. The journey lasted only 15 minutes, then we got out to watch the engine turn and re-couple. This was a most exciting endeavour involving lots of steam and whistle-blowing and men down on the tracks clanging bits of metal. Duncan’s little face was a picture of pure joy. We then chuffed back to the station, crossing a bridge and waving to the people in canoes and the man driving a tractor. Duncan was singing and smiling and calling ‘hello’ to anyone we saw. There was a little shop at the station selling, oh god no, ‘Daniel’s’ engines! That is one of the other types of trains that we’ve managed so far to do without buying because he’s never seen them in any shop before, just on the internet. Well, I bought him a ‘Percy’, I think he has 6 Percys now! Thomas got a ‘Thomas’ flag and Lady got a bunny necklace. All in, a good trip.
We didn’t do much on Tuesday or Wednesday but we did manage to sort out some household management stuff. On Thursday we went to the Aquarium. It’s a great place but it wasn’t such a successful outing. First of all, Duncan was disappointed that we weren’t going on a steam train again, (the train only goes 5 or so times a year). When we went in, he was running around all over the place. That was understandable since we’d been in the car for a long time so he was like a wound spring. They all liked touching the rays and sticking their hands in the touch pools. Lady liked the anemones and Thomas liked the giant crabs. I stuck right by Duncan, and he spent most of his time in a children’s section full of play tubes and dressing up clothes. Duncan dressed as a diver and wanted to jump into the water with the fish! At one stage Gordon was with him and he threw his shoe away and it hit some other poor child. Gordon was really embarrassed and upset and wanted to go home right then. But we stayed another while and before we left, they went to watch the seals for a while. The seal was right up against the glass beside Duncan who was loving it, especially when it started barking and he barked right back! They were rolling around together and just making friends! That made the trip worthwhile. Everyone was grumpy on the drive home though, pah.
Today we had some friends over. When they’ve been here before, Thomas has usually stayed near me and my friend and her 1 yo daughter. Today though, he spent the whole time playing with Lady and the other little boy. They were playing Harry Potter; there was a bit of an issue about the casting but Lady set some challenges and her friend K bagged the main role while Thomas had to accept the part of Ron. They said Duncan was Malfoy! Not that he was interested anyway.
Lady has suddenly started reading well which she’s happy about. Thomas was playing in the bath last night with some foam letters. He had an ‘N’ and was thinking of N words. Then he got an ‘O’, put them together and said NO. Pretty good, I thought. Both boys have enjoyed some maths stories I bought in the charity shop and do well with the little puzzles in them.
I’ve realised why I had to draw the same picture over and over for Duncan. He started producing his own rocket pictures, and they’re really good. He enjoyed watching the process of creating the pictures as well as the finished product. He likes to have these objects and characters to hold and I think that’s why he likes to dress up too. He likes to see himself in character. Lately, he has been wearing a knight costume, a Pocahontas dress (with pretty shoes and a pink hat), an angel dress with wedding veil and Lady’s yellow top under a ‘Big Chief’ waistcoat. We embrace all kinds of diversity here ;-)
15 Apr 2006
Jolly uncles
Thomas is playing ‘snakes and ladders’ on the computer and Duncan is digging holes in the garden. He likes ploughing his trains through the dirt. Earlier I was listening to him playing with a few toy men; ‘you NASTY man, you are so grumpy. I have a happy face. You have a grumpy face. You are HORRIBLE.’ I wonder what that was all about…?
I went for another run the other night. It was lovely. I went to the park, followed the burn (stream) to the sea and then walked along the beach alone listening to the wind and waves and birds. Gordon goes to the council gym and thought I might enjoy that too. But I much prefer to go away by myself somewhere quiet, instead of a gym with noisy machines and 5 big TV screens. I need some screen-free time!
My ‘little’ bother C came for a visit yesterday with his girlfriend and her 3 year old son. My Dad came with them. The boys had so much fun playing together. Uncle C is big and strong so is great at picking up small children and swinging them up over his head and generally tossing them about in a way that Duncan just adores! Lady wishes she wasn’t too big for all that. Duncan enjoyed lots of chase games and our little visitor was right at home, since he loved playing in the boys’ toy car outside. We all went to the beach for a while too and as expected my children had socks and shoes off and paddled in the cold sea. Thomas came to inform S, my brother’s girlfriend, that her little boy had fallen and needed help. He said ‘your son has fallen down’ in his formal little serious voice. Thomas fell himself too and bumped his forehead on our wooden bench. He got a huge bump and a little cut. When he saw it in the mirror, he was very pleased to have a scar on his forehead, just like, well who else, ‘Hairy Potter’!
Oh I have to describe what my crazy daughter is doing; she came in wearing a yellow bath towel over her head, and yellow rubber gloves on her hands and feet, while Thomas was wearing blue rubber gloves. She was pretending to be a duck and Thomas was the water!
I went for another run the other night. It was lovely. I went to the park, followed the burn (stream) to the sea and then walked along the beach alone listening to the wind and waves and birds. Gordon goes to the council gym and thought I might enjoy that too. But I much prefer to go away by myself somewhere quiet, instead of a gym with noisy machines and 5 big TV screens. I need some screen-free time!
My ‘little’ bother C came for a visit yesterday with his girlfriend and her 3 year old son. My Dad came with them. The boys had so much fun playing together. Uncle C is big and strong so is great at picking up small children and swinging them up over his head and generally tossing them about in a way that Duncan just adores! Lady wishes she wasn’t too big for all that. Duncan enjoyed lots of chase games and our little visitor was right at home, since he loved playing in the boys’ toy car outside. We all went to the beach for a while too and as expected my children had socks and shoes off and paddled in the cold sea. Thomas came to inform S, my brother’s girlfriend, that her little boy had fallen and needed help. He said ‘your son has fallen down’ in his formal little serious voice. Thomas fell himself too and bumped his forehead on our wooden bench. He got a huge bump and a little cut. When he saw it in the mirror, he was very pleased to have a scar on his forehead, just like, well who else, ‘Hairy Potter’!
Oh I have to describe what my crazy daughter is doing; she came in wearing a yellow bath towel over her head, and yellow rubber gloves on her hands and feet, while Thomas was wearing blue rubber gloves. She was pretending to be a duck and Thomas was the water!
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