A Relaxing Day for a Change · Thursday May 24, 2007 by Abbie
Things were much more relaxed today. I can always tell when Ram wakes up how the day will go. If I am careful not to upset him, then the day usually continues like that.
After reading and breakfast we did our little house chore which was put the clean cutlery away from the dishwasher. I don’t know why Ram will do that, and that only, but I just can’t seem to get him to move on to put dishes away too.
We did some bouncing straight away this morning again. He does like the alphabet bounce game. I think he has been thinking up long words and phrases all night! I think we may introduce alliteration into the mix as well!
We had a look at the yams that Dxh brought back and we are still not too sure of what to do with them, so we left them.
We did watch The Wyrd Sisters on DVD instead. At first I thought that the Terry Pratchett books wouldn’t be as educational as other books we have read, but I think I have changed my mind. There are loads of references to Shakespeare in this but Ram is adamant that I am not going to read Shakespeare to him! I think he knows that it is always studied in schools and he may think of it as too educational. In the end every time I said, ‘That is from XXX play.’ he told me to shut up!
Instead I am going to have to use my usual more subtle ways. I have found a good website that has an annotation for Wyrd Sisters. Once I read though it I will be able to drip feed things into conversation. As we haven’t actually read this book yet I will be able to do the same as we read the book.
I was really please when the post came today as it had the last two supporting letters for our DLA renewal! I printed off my cover letter, attached the letters to the form and put it in the envelope. I did read the letters first, and I know how hard they were for the authors to write. One in particular was from our next door neighbour who has now moved down the road and across the field. She has known Ram from the day he was born, and just as I am very fond of her two children, I know she is of Ram. She had the same reaction as I do. Once she wrote it she couldn’t bare to read it over again. I feel the same way about the form. Once I had written it I couldn’t bare to read it through as it is so depressing to see a child this way.
On a day to day basis you become as positive as you can, and the behaviours become ‘normal’ to the family. That is the way many people who live with disabilities cope. So to suddenly have to dwell on the negative sides of the child is very depressing. I think the DLA people should offered post traumatic stress counselling to the parents when they have finished filling out these long forms!
But it is done now, and in the post. That in itself is a feat. Ram can’t walk to the post box on the other side of the village, and doesn’t like going in the buggy in the village either. I think it is because we are well known in the village and every time we go out on foot someone comes up to talk to us which Ram finds too distressing. So I had to get him into the car and drive there! Not good for the environment, but then we can make up for it by reusing and recycling as much as we can.
In the evening we spent some time bouncing again. Ram doesn’t get on with the heat of summer and is much better in the early morning or evening. That is why I don’t mind him watching DVDs and recorded TV in the afternoon on hot days.
This evening we made up another game. This time it is animals. I thought that it might help his speech (he often finds it very hard or even impossible to say things because all the words get caught up in his brain and won’t come out in time) if we call out the name of an animal when the ball is thrown at him. Unfortunately he found that too hard so we made it that we call out the animal as we throw the ball, rather than when catching it. That way we are in control of when we say the name.
We had some really funny ones. Ram said blue bottle fly, then green bottle, then coke bottle and so one! I said preying mantis, so his next one was meditating in lotus position mantis! This is all done while bouncing and catching a ball! That should get his brain working!
All in all it was a very relaxed day. I am glad we have days like this. It makes up for the difficult days!
I relate to this so much.
When we were given a detailed written report about dd2’s disabilities, I cried buckets.
It didn’t actually tell me anything I didn’t know, but to see it all written down was so upsetting.
I think we spend all the time, focussing on the poistives, making the best of things and working for improvements for her. The report put all the downsides and problems all together and was so depressing!
— Ann May 26, 01:02 pm #