The Terrible Two's

Don't you just love that toddler stage when they are hilarious one minute but throwing the tantrum of a lifetime the next...no? Just imagine the terrible two's in a six year old and there you have Lucy. I always thought I was so lucky because Lucy didn't have tantrums as a toddler. In fact I remember her very first tantrum which was because she didn't want to leave a fairground, she was about 3 1/2 yrs old. She only really had one or two more over the next year or so. So why now? I suppose it should be expected, isn't that what autistic kids do, have tantrums, play up, drive you nuts with their obsessiveness and continuous repetitive speach? Am I being made to pay for having an easy toddler? She was a difficult baby, constant crying and screaming, I never got any peace, but the toddler years were so nice. Even when her sister came along she took it fine, she didn't mind mummy spending so much time with the baby, she didn't seem bothered. Then Joseph came along and again, she didn't mind, it was like she didn't even acknowledge him for the first six months.
She went to nursery fine, everyone loved her, she had lots of friends. School became a little more difficult as she starting to seperate from her friends, preferring her own company. Things got tough at school but with working with her teacher, who has been great (she knew nothing about autism before she met Lucy but she's educated herself well now) we had got to the stage where Lucy was happy to go to school again, and has friends again. I get so much pleasure seeing her in the playground talking to her peers. But something isn't right. Her behaviour at home has got really bad, not only with the tantrums (we get the full throw herself on the floor and stamping of feet routines) but she's also very aggressive with her sister and with me, both physically and verbally. If Leila is upset or hurt and crying then Lucy cries along in a mocking way, it's so nasty, especially when it's Lucy that's made her cry in the first place. She's started waking up during the night a lot again, and she's up at 5am in the morning. She knows she's not supposed to get up until 6am and we got to a stage where she would read quietly until the clock said 6am, but now she's throwing things off her bed (Top bunk) and stamping her feet as well as moaning constantly, so I have no choice to get up with her or have her wake the whole family.
This morning I had the review letter from the occupational therapist we saw last month. I thought the meeting had gone well but even though Lucy was on her best behaviour (She even got undressed and dressed with no fuss all by herself....if only she would do that every day *sigh*) the letter points out so many problems that she needs help with. It's crazy I know, but I still think of her as 'normal' despite her diagnosis, and some days she really does seem like a normal little girl, so when I get it down in writing like this my heart sinks. Sometimes I feel like a 'fake' claiming to have a disabled child, but I think it's my own mind trying to trick me otherwise. Ok, she doesn't look different, and she can be really well behaved and so adorable at times, she can sometimes show empathy and compassion for others, and sometimes I get kisses and cuddles, everything you would expect from a six year old, I get sometimes. It's the times I don't that I hide away from.


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Lazy Boy!

People keep telling me that Joseph is slow because he's a boy and boys are lazy. Sometimes I can't help worrying that it's not laziness. Even after he learnt to sit up his favourite position was lying down flat. He didn't crawl for ages, when he did move it was a shuffle. Then he crawled, then he scooted along the furniture, and he took his first steps alone weeks ago, but he's still not walking. When he sits in his highchair he slumps, when he sits in his pushchair he slumps. Is he lazy? He sure looks it most of the time!
Here is a picture I took yesterday. The girls had made chocolate coated banana lollies and given one to Joe, who as you can see enjoyed it immensely.

can you see him slumping though?

So How Come....

Joseph can insert a game, turn on the DS and press the buttons, but he can't bloomin' walk yet?
He's slowly getting there though, more and more he's letting go and taking a few steps, I'm sure it's just a confidence thing. He's eighteen months old in a couple of days, so he'd better be mobile soon.
His speach is picking up, he has a little repertoire now, mostly only I can understand, but he's getting there. He can say, Leila, Lucy, meow, hot, dark, nigh nigh and I'm sure there are a couple more he's said once or twice.
Like Lucy he's an excellent singer (Leila is tone deaf, bless her) He's a big fan of Kasabian, particularly 'Days Are Forgotten' which he loves to 'sing' along to.
He likes to scream a lot, there is nothing wrong with him, I think he's just getting used to what he can do with his voice and screaming is something he can do really well, really really well, you just can't shut him up!
He's still not sleeping through the night yet :-(

Snow

Lucy has been waiting for the snow since before Christmas so imagine her delight when on Saturday it actually snowed. She couldn't wait to get outside so as you can see from the first picture there wasn't a lot of snow around. Then on Sunday the first thing she did was look out of the window and squeal because the snow was still there. She built a snowman with her sister and then her dad took her sledging on a nearby hill. She loved it so much. Leila, loved it too but did start complaining about the wet and cold, whereas Lucy didnt' seem bothered. I didn't go out much. I took Joseph out to see the snow and he wasn't really impressed. Maybe if he could walk it would have been more fun.
Piccie time