I tried to take a photo of my Christmas tree the other night. Pretty lights flashing, tinsel catching the light, and a half grown cat clinging to the trunk of the tree, freaking out and destroying the entire thing.
Christmas trees were not made for households with toddlers and cats. My floor is littered with baubles, torn down, thrown away, batted around. There is a thin veneer of glitter over everything; the herpes of the craft world.
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It was warm today, pushing 30C during the afternoon. Evelyn ran around naked, refusing to eat and drink. By 5pm she was angry, tired, thirsty. She flailed, and fought, and screamed, and refused everything.
We went to bed at 5.30pm, with a couple of books and a soft blanket. 90 minutes later she wasn’t asleep (dammit) but she was ready to join the household again. I’m not looking forward to Evelyn in summer. She doesn’t deal well with heat, and when you add liquid refusal to the mix, it has the potential to be an incredibly crappy few months.
But at least it will be crappy with sunshine. These are the silver linings.
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We see her doctor this week. I’m nervous, hoping to find a solution to all the feeding issues, but also hesitant to pin too much hope on one person. There are no silver bullets here. I learned to stop hoping for magic a long time ago.
What we do have is a strong team, a dietician and speech pathologist advocating for us, and a support network spanning the entire Internet.
I am more grateful than you know.
Just wishing you well.
I think you are truly amazing and inspiring , even to an oldie like me.
Trust your instincts and observations.They are golden.
I found an interesting author you might be interested in, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young, who wrote “The WOMAN Who Changed Her Brain”, it is a neuroscience approach, very interesting, and helpful in overcoming learning difficulties, program developed, with special cognitive exercises that have been successful with overcoming reading and maths learning problems, in adults and children.
This is a reference to an earlier entry you made about encouraging reading in your older children.
You may or may not, find it useful or interesting.
Your instinct about making reading, indirect, fun, enjoyable was right on, also helpful, is rewarding with non-food, positive reinforcers, and games works, hand in hand, with fun and pleasure. Secret messages in unexpected places, when read with a reward in the reading of it. Little ditties and nonsense rhymes popping up on walls here and there similar to Easter bunny trails, piques interest. Special words for each day for each child sparks love of words.
Your writing, even about mishaps, makes me feel there is hope in this world and that life is surmountable.
I am enjoying your writings and insights.
I am really pleased you made through it through your writing challenge.Yay!
Your Christmas will be well filled, with your large heart, humour, gratitude, appreciation and the love of small happenstances, that glow and make a difference in your mindset.
Thank you for the recommendation Krista. I’ll check it out in the new year, if it helps me with Amy, it will be priceless.
xx
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