Aloha,

[misdee]

didnt want to hi-jack emkanas thread.

How is ds doing? DD2 is now at nursery, and i think they are noticing some stuff, but need to speak to her keyworker. no closer to dx, i dont think that will happen till she starts school. She started writing, just little things like her name, and also writing numbers. i'm sure 4yr olds arent meant to be able to write one through to 20

How are you doing as well?

He's doing really well in many ways, though his writing is appalling. Really, really appalling and I have two writing schemes I've bought which I want the school to help me implement. He has absolutely classic dsypraxic writing - the spacing is all over the place so it is totally illegible and it really doesn't do his intelligence justice.
He's reading fluently and also loves numbers and at four was writing them easily - though it is early. He can now do calculations with minus numbers and stuff (not very complex ones, but he certainly gets the concept). He's loves the computer and spends hours on translation sites, translating English to French! Socially its more of a struggle. He finds it hard to play with people, except his baby sister really. He tends to talk 'at' people, and flaps his hands a lot when excited. The school has been very good with him since we got all the professionals in to talk to his teacher/TA. He got a lot of one-to-one in the classroom and at lunchtime but he was in a class of 12, now the other half of the intake have arrived at it's 26 or something, so I'm not sure how that will work. He's not naturally terribly cooperative, (though he's not aggressive or deliberately 'naughty' either) so he can be frustrating. I'm OK. Did you know my dad died just before Christmas, which was a shock. Still is, really.
So sorry about Peter, I really am. I can't believe he's still waiting. It isn't fair.
How are the girls?

yes, i did know about your dad, i left you a message but was name changing then. that must have been a terrible terrible shock.

dd2 has started hand flapping more, and twirling more, i have to literally hold her still and get her to calm down as she just cant focus. |She starts school in sept and i am glad as she will be in the first intake in a small class of about 12 as well. Even though her speech isnt too good atm, she has come along in her confidence in speakign since seeing a SALT so chatters away all day long (and i do mean all day). i am trying to teach her not to talk to strangers but she doesnt get it as she just wants to talk all the time.

Yup, Peter still waiting, it wil lbe 2 years in march. and now 19months on the LVAD. cant belive it. Other girls are fine, all got a relatively clear cardio check last month, dd1 has a leaky valve, and dd1+2 have murmurs. how is your dd? almost 2? hasnt it gone quick.

They are pretty much the same age, aren't they? She's fantastic really. So sweet and funny and talks all the time. She says 'I love you, Mummy' now, which is obviously good. Still breastfeeding, which I can't believe! She's very keen though and I can't see how I'm going to give up when she is two, which was the plan.
She's really cheerful and sociable and gets a lot of attention in the street as she smiles at everyone and trots along looking so busy. She absolutely loves her brother and misses him when he is at school. She loves drawing too. The time has gone so quickly - I am amazed she's nearly two, and feel a bit sad sometimes at the way time whizzes past.

Oh, and re calming and flapping, ds does it much more when he is stressed or excited. I sometimes find deep pressure such as a hug or just squeezing his arms and legs can help calm him and help him focus more.

yes dd3 still breastfeedign as well i am still in shock myself that its still going on, but have been gratefulfor it the last week as she has been ill and couldnt keep anything but breastmilk down.

i have to be careful with crayons, i have a lovely little mural on my wall courtesy of dd3 lol. and in the girls room is a moody pencil piece.

I love the relationship between siblings, dd3 has learnt dd1 name so shouts for her at the school gate and gets excited when we collect dd2 from nursery as well. She has become a right little cheeky monkey, who says 'cheese' at the camera and gets into more scrapes the other 2 put together. She is getting her own seat at A+E soon i think.

i do the deep pressure thing. I hold her arms to her side firmly. and get her to focus on me. some people think i am hurting her, bit its literally to stop her arms flapping and whacking m,e in the eyes.

it's funny that even though she is so fearless and adventurous she doesn't seem to have accidents apart from falling over and banging her knee etc. She terrifies me sometimes! She does stuff that ds is nowhere near doing. She is so good for him, she really forces him to interact with her, and he tries to teach her stuff all the time, so it works very well. And I love having my very own dress up dolly! She has some lovely clothes.

Ds loves really, really strong pressure. When I hug other people's children you can practically hear their ribs crack and they wince!

Message withdrawn

dd3 astrounds me as she does al lthe imitation stuff that dd2 never did. she was licking her own feet the other day after dd2 started doing it. oh its a mad house here.

DD3 is still small so is in some clothes from last year still, though mainly in 12-18month stuff now, i am hoping she outgrown all her summer sdtuff as i want to get her some pretty dresses.

will do essbee.

dd2 loves big beary hugs. or squishy hugs as she calls them. literally squish her tight in my arms. dd1 says i do it too hard, but dd2 loves it.

Hi Essbee...got to go to bed now (have been sleeping really badly recently but get a lot of reading done) but hello. I didn't know you had a definitely diagnosis. What does it say? How is your ds?
I feel very lucky with ds and think of him as very,very mild, but he does stick out as different at parties and he's been expelled from his motor skills group! Actually he's not been expelled, it's just that he doesn't join in at all and they think it would be better just for him to have some exercises to do at school. The leader of the movement skills group looked shattered when I went to pick ds up after the first session. I was a bit disappointed as I hoped he would get something out of the group situation, but if he just won't join in then it doesn't do him any good.

Snap Misdee - we call them 'squeezy cuddles'!

Oh, and email me Essbee and tell me what you are up to!

Aloha is that really you?
Good Lord I have missed you.

Thought all the old timers have gone ( I nearly had, too much superficial chat for an old biddie like me)

your ds sounds just like my bf's little boy ( now 6)

He is ADORABLE

Hi Jasper!