Lots to tell!

Well, I know it's only been a few days since my last post, but so much has happened!

Sean's game was not called off and was miles away from where we live. However, they won! Clarets under 15yrs are now in the semi finals of  ????? cup. Go Clarets! On a bad note, Sean went over on his ankle during the game and as he doesn't feel pain very much (to do with his sensory processing disorder, related to his autism) he continued to play for the rest of the match. The result? A very swollen ankle which needed a trip to A&E Monday morning. He has pulled the ligaments in his ankle and was told it could take as long as 6 weeks t heal. Not a very happy Seany :( Bless him, he has spent the last 2 days alternating hot and cold compresses to get the swelling down and sitting with his foot raised even whilst he is asleep. It's so much better but I think he may be disappointed about playing on Sunday, we shall have to wait and see.

Kurt has had  a no better week so far either. On Sunday he had a massive anxiety attack and it was midnight before we could even get him into bed :( He has still been waking up after about 4 hrs of sleep also. Today He has seen both his Psychiatrist and his new Psychologist. His melatonin has been increased, though I made a mistake on the telling the Psychiatrist what does he was on, say 3mg instead of 6mg. I meant he takes 3 tablets! So tonight he has had 4 tablets - 8mg. He can go as high as 12mg, and we need to return in a month to review it. Fingers crossed for sleep tonight xx He also saw his new Psychologist and we have worked out a plan for desensitisation. Need to start with small dead spiders in a jar, increasing to larger ones, so that he will hold the jar. Then move onto small live spiders. Also we need to do some fact finding about spiders to increase his knowledge of them not being harmful in this country.

Ever the teacher, I have begun to make him his own book to work through, and now need to type it up and draw the pictures for him. I hope it helps him as it is a very scary thing to undertake, but he is being very positive and brave about it all. What a star!

Speaking of being a teacher, I have news on the job front! I went to look at a school this morning for a SENCO position, one day a week. It was really nice and I felt good vibes from the head, so I am definitely going to apply. AND I have had replies from 2 people asking me to tutor there children. I think I can do both, so I am now waiting to see if they purchase my details.

Phew! What a week and it's only Wednesday!

something different

Another night with Kurt in with us. 2 weeks now! At least I could go back to bed this afternoon, and boy did I need it! 2 1/2 hours sleep!
Kurt started his communion lessons today, which he was very pleased about, he wanted to do it last year but couldn't as I was away in Devon for 6 months. So he's doing it a year later and is very eager. It's nice to have somebody in my house share my faith with me, and I think it helps give him something which nothing else can. He is a Catholic through and through!

Then we went to the cinema to see Mission Impossible 4. A really good film I would recommend it! How good though, it only cost us 45p for 5 tickets! A mixture of a Christmas gift card and points I'd saved on my Odeon card. A real treat, especially considering how skint we are this month.

And OK, I have given in for the time being and started smoking again, I lasted just over a week, but was so tired this week that I just couldn't be bothered trying to fight the cravings, I'll quit again in about a weeks time, just gotta build myself up to it. And yes, I have caved in the diet also! Again, just too tired to have to think about it. So tomorrow I am well and truly back on it, it's an easy plan so I really don't have any excuse for it other than pure laziness lol!

And so to tonight. After 2 weeks of not sleeping properly, we are going to try a different tactic tonight. Kurt is going to stay up with Vince until about midnight. An easy thing for Kurt as he won't sleep until he's given his melatonin. I'm hoping that the change in his sleeping pattern tonight may just be enough to let him sleep through, and disrupting the pattern of waking at 2-3am and jumping into bed with us. It might work, fingers crossed!

I know it's awful, but I'm also hoping that Sean's game will be called off tomorrow, His training was cancelled today due to a frozen pitch, and it's certainly cold enough outside - don't really fancy standing around in this weather for a couple of hours. Does that make me sound like a bad mum? No, just a very tired one!!

Wish us luck for tonight xx

A surprising end

I'm so tired!!! Kurt still isn't sleeping through. I really thought yesterday he may have done as he did a double lesson of karate. But no, 2.15 on the dot, in he comes. Don't know how much longer Vince and I can keep doing this, we are both exhausted!

Have decided that I may ask his Psych on Wed about upping his tablets a bit more, just to see him through this period as we all need sleep. It's only melatonin so it's a natural substance and not powerful drugs, I wouldn't want him on anything like that. 4 More sleeps until we see his child psychiatrist and the new psychologist. At least we can rest over the weekend.
Oh wait, no we can't! We have to get Luke to work for 8am tomorrow, then Kurt has his communion lessons at 10.45, then on Sunday we have mass and Sean's football match ... my goodness!

I hope one day our boys may look back and thank us!

I have to say though, I think the support we give pays off as Sean once again has come home from school with an amazing preliminary grade for his work. Distinction level possibly! I'm so proud of him xxx

And just to top it all off, I got a message from tutor search saying someone is interested in me tutoring their child 8 - 8.5 hours per week!! I only put myself on there 2 days ago. I have accepted them so now I have to wait to see if they pay for my details. I hope so, this could be really good. It's a year 4 child in English and maths, so right up my street. Fingers crossed for me.

Now, if I can just get Kurt to sleep as he is pacing on the landing ...

another day, another night!

Well poor old Kurt still isn't sleeping through :(
I found a clinical psychologist and got an emergency appointment yesterday evening. I have to say, he was really good. We spent some time discussing what the problem was, really pin pointing exactly what he is scared of and how it started. Kurt was brilliant at explaining himself.
We also mentioned a couple of his other fears he has. The view from Dr Lovett is that yes, he does have a serious and extreme phobia, but it's made more complicated by the Autism as Kurt is obsessing over it . Yes, it does really need sorting out and this is actually the best time of year to do it.

So the plan of action is, go back and see him next week, by then he will have drawn up a few plans of action and we can discuss the most suitable one for Kurt. It will involve some desensitisation, looking at spiders and learning about them etc. Then we go away and try it out for a few weeks before going back to discuss how it's gone.

Do I feel I did the right thing finding a private psychologist? Absolutely! Do I worry at the £160 a time fee - OMG most definitely! I have no idea how I am going to find it, but it's the right thing to do.

On the other hand, Sean is doing brilliantly. He has got one of his essays back and has got really good comments and the highest mark he can get. An amazing achievement for him considering his difficulties. It just goes to show what hard work and an Autistic interest in a subject can do!

He has also been chosen to be part of a 15 strong group of boys from his year to be training with some Chelsea bods!! They come to his school and teach him training techniques, fitness, management skills, captaincy skill and at the end of it all, he gets to train with the actual Chelsea side! I am so proud of him I could burst xxx

Well, it's late and I am tired so I'm off to bed to catch some zzzz's before little man wakes up again for the 9th night in a row.

Night bloggers xxx

Sleep Please?!

I have just put Kurt to bed, and I am really hoping he sleeps through tonight.

Kurt has developed a very serious fear of spiders after watching Charlotte's Web at Film Club at school. Since then he has had nightmares and sleepless nights and we are going through a run of them again. It's been 4 or 5 nights in a row now that he has woken up and refused to go back to sleep. Last night he was up from 1am - 4.30am! I ended up curled at the bottom of the bed waiting for him to go to sleep. He was so tired I couldn't send him to school this morning and let him sleep a bit longer.
So tonight I have been rummaging through the search engine mine-field looking for child psychologists in our area.
I have already asked for help from his Psychologist and I know they have sent a letter out, but I don't know how long it will take, and in the meantime, we have a 9yr old who is terrified and refusing to sleep :(
I'm now just waiting for a call back to see if anyone can help - and to find out how much it's going to cost!

So tonight if he wakes up again, I'm just going to let him into our bed, at least we will both get some kind of sleep - him more than me! and he can go to school properly tomorrow.
Wish us luck
xx

Welcome!!

Welcome to my family! This blog is all about the ups downs and sideways of my family and friends. Let me introduce you to some of them;
My name is Carrie and I am married to Vince, we have been together since I was 15, that was 18yrs ago and we are still very much in love. We have 3 beautiful boys whose picture you can see. They are Luke (17yrs), Sean (14yrs) and Kurt (9yrs). Sean and Kurt both have autism and can be a real hand-full and a challenge sometimes! But I wouldn't change them as it's who they are. Luke is absolutely fine, and does very well considering his home life is not always straight forward.
We have a quite large extended family, but I'll introduce you to them at a later date.
I hope you find the blog interesting, feel free to post comments!