Another year here

Monday

We visited Grandma Julia - expectations were stressful but the visit was actually fine, thank goodness. F wrote her name, witnessed by a very keen Grandma, and counted various items in Grandma's flat, such as windows, lights, mirrors, etc. J installed his mum's new speakers, which were really good quality, nice to hear them working. I sorted out the presets on her kitchen radio. And we all played Tiddlywinks! F and I also had a few goes at Connect 4 which she found rather baffling as I kept winning.

On the way back, we had chips on the train - bliss on a cold night! F very late to bed and tired after lots of walking wearing her new trainers - I think they are helping her walking a bit, easing out the asymmetry slightly. Although wherever she can, she jumps rather than walking in them.


Tuesday

Spent some time reading to F from her mermaid stories book this morning - definitely would like to be doing more of that at this point. Will attempt to make more time for it.
We went into town to renew our tenancy. There! We are now signed up for another year, which will make this F's longest home. She will be 5 in summer and this is her third place of residence. Finally feeling settled here, and glad about my plants in the front, hoping they will do well. Back garden needs attention now, badly.

The trip into town entailed some impulse-buying, largely for F - some fab jim-jams (dark blue with yellow moons and stars on - I want some, I want some), a green comfortable summer dress, some rainbow trousers and a few bits and bobs, then some books, including Roald Dahl's Matilda, a Disney Princess stencil book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and a few others. Not necessarily for now, but for future use sometime in next 6 months to year.

After all this, we went to Music and Movement where there were only 2 participants, so mums and dad (J) had to join in with shakers etc. F demonstrated her worst concentration levels ever, I think, and was very clingy, coming over to us every few minutes, instead of being an elephant like the other little girl. She did some of the activities but really didn't listen at other times. Still debating whether to go for one more term of this or not. Is it of benefit to her to be in a structured class at this stage. She does quite enjoy it, but just doesn't ever do everything she is asked. To me, she appears excited by the music and wanting to express that in her own movements - don't know if that's an indulgent maternal view! It seems reasonable to me when I think of it like that - the music is evocative of things and instead of wanting to express what the teacher thinks it evokes, she wants to do her own thing. Wish I could find a more free-expression dance type group for her, but then again, is it 'good for her' on some level to be in this more formal environment? *ponders vaguely*

We picked up houmous wraps and chips on the way home, and ate them watching Pocahontas as J hadn't seen it yet. We didn't cry this time, we're all inured - oh yes, we're so over Pocahontas. Later F drew Ariel the Little Mermaid with a starfish and a crab - she had tried using the stencils but got impatient with them and done a real drawing - stencils are hard for anyone mildly hemiplegic, holding them in place with the other hand whilst drawing is extremely difficult. She can do it, but it's hard.

This past week to 10 days F has generally been different to the last 3 or 4 weeks before that. She is really quite needy/clingy, regressing like mad, babytalk and whining, tantrums about nothing. I guess it's a phase, probably a reaction to the new skills/imagination/independence she has been experiencing since Xmas.

Tomorrow we have someone visiting us from Home Tuition Support Services, in other words, the LEA...