Willow - An Update...

Well, the time is currently 3.50am and I decided now would be a good time to give you a little, very brief update of the things that have been happening since I spoke about my battle up to now with Willow.

I don't usually get chance to get the computer out (or to do anything un-Willow related if I'm honest) when Willow isn't asleep or at school - she's a gal who certainly likes my undivided attention - all of the time - so I just don't bother trying anymore, but I'm chancing it - Willow's currently on jigsaw number four of the morning and is very occupied with them.

She's all-consumed with jigsawing lately - they are one of the first things she does on a morning (although she did do a bit of the play-doughing I had set out for her first today) and the first thing she does when she walks through the door after school - I mean Amazon must bloody love me with the amount I've had to buy recently...

She used to hate them with a passion until a few weeks ago so we didn't own any at all - she used to say they took "too long" and would just launch them around the room when the first piece she picked up wouldn't match up - I mean, don't get me wrong, when that fateful piece won't fit properly after a few fist slams, or if we accidentally mess up her line of finished puzzles laid out across the floor then the poop literally hits the fan still, but on the whole, she really loves them.

Anyhow, like I said it's really early right now - Willow first asked for some milk around midnight today and then spent two hours stirring and asking to be itched (as she does every night) by my tired-ass-self, sat, bleary-eyed on my (un-comfy as hell, squeaky) £7 fold up Ikea chair next to her bed.

I gave up coaxing the sleep out of her at about 2am and gave her my phone - with Willow there's a point and once she reaches that there is simply no chance of her going back to sleep regardless of the time. So I gave in and got myself another 30 minutes shut eye whilst she watched foreign YouTuber kids play with mega expensive toys (Diana and Roma anyone?).

Trust me, in these always-early-morning situations you do what you need to do to survive.

And so here I am, the kitchen is cleaned, the floor has been scrubbed, the dishwasher is on and I have a semi-cold coffee in hand.

I've already yammed two giant chocolate buttons and a Pringle into my chubby face - anything to sugar up my eyelids to actually stay open.

It's no wonder I'm so...plump shall we say...these days - no matter how hard I try with all the good food and exercise intentions, these mega-early-days come around far too much and totally sabotage me.

It's such a bloody problem but sometimes the only way to pull through is to "get that sugar-laden food in my face as quick as I can"

* s i g h *

Anyway, how has it all been going?

Well...

~ I've read over the report and am waiting for the official one to land on my doorstep

~ I've read - and re-read - all the leaflets I was sent and I've started scouring the A4 sheet sized list of recommended websites

~ I've booked myself onto five (yes FIVE) courses - two are seven or eight weeks long, specific for parents/carers of Autistic children and will go over the basics I suppose; two are a few hours long each and are specifically designed to help with completing an EHCP - yes, there's a two-session course just for that...speaks volumes as to how easy - not - that whole process is going to be doesn't it; and one is a few hours long and is a general parent's information event

~ I've sent my formal request to our Local Authority to request an assessment for the EHCP to be started

I'm not going to lie - it's been a lot to take in - I haven't even started reading the (mega expensive) TalkAbility texbook or putting it's "try this" advice into practice yet, but what I am doing is remembering why I'm doing all of this.

 

I'm doing it all to best support and understand Willow.

But Willow is still Willow and she always will be - a book loving, jigsaw adoring, early morning liking, being-forever-busy-needing little Wildling - and really, as long as she is happy, settled and managing with life then that's all that matters isn't it.

And I really couldn't be any more proud of her...