Moving House

We are moving house in a couple of days.

We returned from Queensland to find a note in our mailbox for an item of registered post that we had missed and had to collect from the post office. I didn't get around there till 2 days later. It was a notice to vacate (obviously we are only renting - desperately trying to save up a deposit to buy our own place). I was shocked and upset. We are good tenants. We pay in a timely manner and take care of the premises well. We have a good rapport with our landlords. Some inquiries to the agent revealed that our landlords were in fact retiring. They had sold their home and wanted to move back into this one. So of course, it's time for us to go. They were also quite sad at asking us to leave, and expressed that we were good tenants and that it was nothing we had done. That was a relief to know, because it meant that we would have a very good reference when looking for a new place. And a new place was indeed found in a very short time. And so, here we are.

Half the house packed and still lots more to go. We have way too many toys and more books than one family should rightfully own. Both hubby and I are hoarders. My daughters both seem to have got our genes, especially Big Miss (eek! She is BAD!), so it really is shocking how much stuff we have. The good thing is, I do occasionally get crazy and start throwing things out. But since we still have a little one in the house, I can't really get rid of the toys just yet.

My SIL and her hubby will also be moving in together with us - it is a big house, five bedrooms and double story. Big living areas. So there will be plenty of room for everybody. We will share the rent and utilities, and so this way, both families get to continue saving for our own homes. There are lots of positives with this move, and we are all looking forward to it, which is great.

Some definite perks for me....? A DISHWASHER!!! Yay!!! - and a sink with a double trough! So no longer will I have to wash a family of six's dishes all by hand in a single tiny sink, I will have a dishwasher. SO excited about that!

It has TWO well-designed pantries!! Currently, this is what I have to work with......

A horrid tiny little thing where most of the storage space is cramped behind a wall!! You know... one of those L-shaped designs? No wonder everything ends up on top of itself...with a family of this size and a mummy who cooks alot, there is just not enough room! It's a very poor design and I have expressed on many occasions how much I really hate my current pantry. So that's another thing I'm really looking forward to.

It will be some time I think before we settle in properly. There are some things that need to be done around the new place in order to make sure it is safe for Little Man. Some concerns I have are that he will escape out of the backyard due to fencing not being secure enough - we need to fix that. And that he will push his little sister down the stairs just by way of 'moving' her out of his path-pattern. Might put a safety gate in front of that one. And I think, given some of his more recent discoveries and habits, we may need to start considering locks on the fridge and pantry - and the big girls bedroom door.....

If you don't hear from me before we move, it will be hello from the new place :) Better get back to packing.....

xx

In The Hospital At Miles

The morning after we arrived in Dulacca, I was changing my son's clothes when I found some mysterious bites on his feet. There seemed to be a little swelling, a little redness - alot like a mosquito bite that has been freshly made. There were at least three or four on his feet. I didn't like the way they seemed swollen though, so I gave him some children's antihistamine, and decided to keep an eye on them.

As the day went on, the swelling slowly got worse. He spent alot of time just laying around on his bed. Most of the morning in fact. He didn't want to come out and play or eat at all. I would coax him out to play, and as soon as I'd finish a game, he'd just go back to his bed. After some time, I carried him out and sat him on the couch in the lounge room. He was happy to be in company, but - unusually for him - he remained seated on the couch. The swelling was much worse by now, but hadn't moved past his ankles. Being in the middle of nowhere, I was not convinced it was worth a trip to a hospital or doctor at this point. He had no problems breathing, and there were no other issues besides the swelling.

But then I saw him visibly uncomfortable when trying to stand on his feet... when I saw him very consciously and carefully climb back onto the couch to sit...something clicked inside.

He was in pain.

It's so hard to tell when he is hurting, not only because he simply can't tell me, but also because he just has a high threshold to pain anyway. So seeing him react this way to the swelling immediately triggered a panic inside me. He must be in agony to show this much reaction.

We decided to ring the hospital in Miles, the next town, for advice. They basically said to come in so they can observe him. It seemed like so far away, but in reality, it was less than an hour to drive. I guess it seemed far to me because where we live, we have clinics all over the place and a hospital barely 25 minutes away. (Having said that, we'd usually have to wait about 1 hour to see a doctor anyway).

When we got to the hospital, they immediately took him in to be checked. No waiting. It was wonderful. The doctor on duty didn't really know what to make of the bites. We were pretty sure they were not spider bites - I am still certain they were just mosquito bites. From little black mosquitoes. Different to the ones around home. But he seemed to be reacting to them badly. As we were inspecting, I noticed another huge lump on the side of one knee, one on his right wrist, and more lumps around his feet. The only thing that concerned the doctor was the formation of blisters at the site of the bites. Little Man's feet had swollen so much, that pockets of fluid had built up at the bite sites. This didn't seem to fit what she understood about allergic reactions, so she referred it to the regional paediatrician, in another town.

Honestly, the pictures here don't show just how bad the swelling was.

But it gives you some idea of what was going on at least.

So photos were taken and emailed off, and we waited for a response.

They didn't know what to make of them.

Another doctor was brought in to check his feet, someone more senior in position than the first doctor.

She didn't know what to make of them either.

By this time, Hubby and I were sort of looking at each other askance, wondering if these people knew what they were doing. Fortunately, our son was managing ok... especially given that it was way past his bedtime by now, and he was extremely tired, and in an unfamiliar environment. He cried and wouldn't stop moving long enough to get good photos. He fell asleep, then had to be woken for various checks every 20 minutes. Needless to say, he was not impressed. But given what we all know about kids on the spectrum and their tendencies for meltdowns, he was doing very well.

Some of the blisters had popped or wept and crusted over by now. And much of the swelling was reduced.

Basically, the conclusion was that although the source of the bites was unknown, it was an allergic reaction of some sort (ya think??). He was prescribed phenergan and prednisolone to manage the symptoms, and admitted overnight for observation.

And so my son and I spent a freezing night in a country hospital, (it turned out to be 3C that night, and the air conditioner was stuck at 'on' all night - freezing!!), with the loveliest hospitality but questionable abilities. I didn't panic anymore once we had been checked, but I was concerned about getting my son to sleep in a hospital bed. As it turned out, I didn't have to worry... the phenergan took care of that.

Waiting to be collected the next day was very stressful. He was well enough to walk around, and was no longer satisfied sitting in a hospital bed. He kept trying to abscond. We had tantrums and tears. I was starving, cold, feral and in desperate need of a shower.

Our ride finally arrived and we were discharged with instructions to keep his feet covered when outdoors to protect them, and continue with the medication, presumably until the swelling is gone - but they didn't actually specify how long to continue it.

I remember thinking with a strange kind of sick humour that I should be awarded a ribbon of some sort for my first night spent in hospital with a child, by someone who was far more experienced than I - my little sister. The experience wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it was very annoying and most inconvenient. I am very consciously grateful that it wasn't for anything more serious. And I am glad my son's feet are ok, and that he recovered from the swelling alot quicker than expected.

xx

Red Egg & Ginger Cake

This cake was made for a friend who held a red egg & ginger party for her son. I had never been to one of these before, much less made a cake for one! So I was really pleased when she asked me to do a cake for her.

In keeping with the theme, the cake is ginger, sandwiched together with white chocolate ganache to add some sweetness in contrast to the spiciness of the cake. The giant red egg was nestled in a chocolate nest, and the iced writing was gilded with edible gold for the perfect finishing touch.

I fell in love with the sleeping baby on the egg.... so cute!

xx

Sons Of Anarchy Cake

I made this a while ago for a friend of ours turned 30. It was my darling husband who kindly volunteered me to do his cake. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE doing cakes for people - especially good friends - but at 3 days notice!!? Aarrgh! So I had all of 3 days to design, plan and make this cake, which is why the logo and rockers are very, very simple.

The idea for the theme came from hubby, and judging by the reaction of the birthday boy's friends and family, it was just perfect.

It was chocolate cake with jaffa ganache - absolutely delish! And yes, he loved it :)

xx

In Dulacca

Dulacca is a tiny little town about 5 hours west-ish of Brisbane. This was our next destination after the first few days on the Gold Coast. The purpose of this visit was to attend my Father in Law's wedding, where my husband was to be the best man. Little Man was much better at accepting the new environment this time, though he still chose to circuit one room for most of the evening. We stayed with family this time, so the bedroom set-up was very different to the one at the Gold Coast!

All the children were in one room together - which suited me and them beautifully! They think it is fun and love being in together. Little Man loves it too, and I love that he loves the company of his sisters. His bed was a mattress on the floor - he had no issues sleeping in it at all! All we had to do was put his 'blanky' there, and tell him this was his bed. He would put himself to bed at random times, and spent alot of time there, just being in his own space.

Little Man behaved reasonably well at the wedding. We had him "trapped" in a pew with us, and he would walk up and down along the kneeling plank (is that what it is called?? We don't have those in our church!) and periodically try to escape out into the aisle. Great-Great-Uncle Lenny was there to catch him before he could though. Those two were sweet to watch. Little Man really liked Uncle Lenny. He would lean on him and just loved to hang around him. I loved to see it, but felt really bad because my boy actually had pooped in his pull-up just as we got into the church, so I couldn't change it right then - and it reeked!! Uncle Lenny and my husband's grandmother who was beside us both said they didn't mind, but I think they were just very polite, hah!

My FIL has a dog, Radar, who seemed to take a curious affection to my boy. When Erik first saw the dog, he freaked anytime Radar came near him. But gradually over the next couple of days, he became accustomed to the dog, and ventured outside anyway. It didn't take long before he was perfectly cool with Radar following him around, and being a blue heeler, the dog would even try 'rounding' up my son to make sure he stayed in the right place. It was very funny to watch. Little Man would walk his circuit around the back yard there with the dog gently nipping his heels every so often. Erik would frown and look at the dog as if to ask 'what are you doing?', but then just continue on his merry way.

Maybe it's the way they interacted with him, or maybe it's some kind of other sense that Radar had, but he certainly treated Little Man differently to the girls. He was so much more gentle with him. It occurred to me that now might be an idea time to get our son a pet of his own. A good dog like Radar to interact with and have as a friend. The benefits of animals and pets are well documented, and it is common for people on the spectrum to have a special relationship with their pets. With my son though, we never really saw him take to animals very much..... until now. Unfortunately, we also know full well that we don't have the time to care for or train a dog properly right now, so it would really not be a good idea to get one just yet. But it is definitely something we are aiming for.

In true country style, my FIL also keeps a couple of horses. On the day we were leaving Dulacca, we went off to feed them for my FIL, as he and his new wife had left for their honeymoon. We put Little Man on a horse for the first time.

....Not that boys are better than girls, but when Little Man was born, something my husband really looked forward to was having a little mate to share his life with and pass on his interests to. Erik is our only son. Finding out that he was autistic was a blow in many ways. But we have learned that it doesn't mean the dream is necessarily wiped away. It might just be a little different in reality, that's all. So we put our boy on a horse for his first 'ride'. I don't think he minded one bit, although he did seem to feel a little unsteady. But hey, who doesn't with their first time on a horse! He also studiously avoided touching the horse! - Just his aversion to textures coming through.

Yes, that is my hand there holding him steady, haha. I just couldn't let him go! Not yet, anyway. But I'm sure the time will come.

The stay at Dulacca was mostly without incident, though there was one thing that had my son and I spend a night in the local (next town!) hospital. But more about that in another post.

xx

At The Theme Parks

As you can imagine, I was more than a little nervous about taking my boy to the theme parks. How will he cope with all the people? How will he cope with being on his harness all day? Will he try to abscond? Will he tantrum when he can't walk his own way? What about all the waiting we will have to do for rides and such? Lots of questions.

Didn't stop us though. While I was tempted to stay at home with him sometimes, I wanted this experience for him as much as for the big girls. I also knew I had help on hand if I needed it, so off we went.

We went to SeaWorld and Warner Brothers Movie World. Movie World was first up. And the first test of the day: Lining up at the front entrance to get in. This was annoying. Long, long lines! But he was good. He only tried to walk off once or twice the whole hour we were waiting. He leaned on me a lot ... nearly knocked me off my feet with his weight several times. Haha.. big boy :). Once we got through it was easy walking. I think it was a stimmy paradise for him, especially in main street with all the lights and colour.

Unfortunately, most of the day was spent waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting for dad and others to go on rides. Waiting for the big girls on their rides. Waiting to go on his own rides. Waiting for food. Waiting to have another turn. Lots of waiting. I don't think I realised how much waiting there would be. Compared to how many hours we actually spent at the park, waiting actually takes up a huge chunk of that time! And Little Man was amazing. I can honestly say, he didn't meltdown once. Didn't even tantrum really. He voiced his protest once or twice when he didn't understand why he couldn't just push to the start of the line and get on the ride. But for the most part, he was very good. And as the day went on, he began to understand how it all worked, and what was required of him.

On the carousel.

On the mini train.

I knew he would enjoy the rides, and I couldn't wait to take him on. They don't have many rides there for smaller children. At both Movie World and Seaworld, the main rides for kids were a carousel, a ride that goes around and up and down at the same time, and a mini train. Little Man's favourite was the second one. He looooooved the up and down movement! Grins of sheer delight on his face, while he tried to tolerate the breeze blowing in it - (he does not like wind blowing in his face or around his head). It made me so happy.

On the birdcage ride (up and down and 'round and 'round!)

But even we were not going on rides, there was so much to look at. Displays of water and lights, colourful fences with squiggly lines, lots for him to just stare at. And because I know that my boy likes to look, that was all ok with me. His favourite thing to watch though, was the roller coasters going along their tracks. Favourite by far!!

Lines in the cafeteria kept him busy while we waited for lunch to arrive.

Coming home after the long days was always good for him. Although he enjoys sensory input, he does tend to get tired and have enough - like any pre-schooler I guess. So he never protested going back to the car to leave. He slept well in his big bed (except for one night when he woke up at 12am and did not go back to sleep for 3 hours!), and began to anticipate where we were headed the next day. Because of the weather, most of our time was spent at Movie World, except for the last part of our trip where we actually stayed at the Sea World resort. It was too cold for Wet'n'Wild, but maybe we can do that later this summer.

I am so glad to be able to give him these experiences. While it is a lot of extra work for me - mainly mentally - and while freedom for all in our party is somewhat limited because of him, it is well worth the effort. I came out of this feeling confident that I could take my son on a plane if I ever chose to. And that is a big question answered for me!

xx

Baby Shower Cake

I made this cake for my friend's baby shower this weekend just gone. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to fit it in with everything I have going on at the moment, but I really wanted to do it, and I'm glad I did. Doing cake was just what I needed right now. I enjoy it so much, and it's such a relaxing outlet for me, despite the late hours that go into making one.

My friend is a very special lady. Her and her husband had been trying for a baby for so long. Something like 8 years, before they conceived this child. The day she pulled me aside at church and whispered that she was pregnant, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. So, so, SO happy for them. They are just the most awesome people, and they are both going to make such great parents. And so all of that makes this cake extra special, and I am so pleased to be able to do this for her.

You wanna know whats inside though, right? Well, I never did get a snapshot of the insides once it was cut, but I can tell you it was a cookies & cream mud cake with white chocolate ganache. It sounds rich, but actually, it was just really delightful. So many people raved about it that I wanted to go and hide, hah! I get shy, mmmkay?

I think this is the first baby shower cake I have made, and certainly the first tall cake I have made. So yeah, anyone who knows what they are looking will be able to see I had some issues with that tall cake, hehe. Nevertheless, I'm pleased with the outcome for a first try.

xx

I forgot to credit where I got the silhouette from! I certainly didn't design it myself - I can't draw to save my life, heh. This is where I found the picture, and the idea for the cake comes from a whole bunch of cakes after a google search for 'baby shower cakes' and 'pregnant lady cakes'. Credit where credit is due!