So, I definitely owe myself (and you) a blog post.
For me, time is a little harder to come by these days because Harriet is exploring and generally being an 18 month old!
She is into everything. If you turn around for one second she is into something or, more often than not, on to something! Her ability to climb continues unabated even with the odd tumble.
The garden table, the kitchen table, the kitchen worktops, the bunk beds, the freezer, the chest of drawers, and last but not by no means least, the side of the bath! Nowhere is safe.
These experiences are all equally horrifying and inspiring. Not a single time do I not panic but, barring two occasions that spring to mind, she very rarely slips/falls. She is an adept climber.
Harriet isn't saying any words yet which I am grateful for in some ways but, surprise, surprise, in others, I'm not.
I swear that being a parent is basically being equal parts impressed and terrified at pretty much all times.
Hannon is collaborating on a few games with a new friend. They are beta testing one another's games, they are creating artwork for one another and Hannon has even begun to experiment with voice acting, inserting 'easter eggs', making cut scenes and is just today working on soundtracks! It is so impressive, and yet utterly terrifying at the same time.
Lily is asking very grown up questions all of a sudden. She is still growing at a rate of knots. She has been poorly too and a bit clumsy and in the wars. It seems many of her changes are to do with her physical person and her level of maturity right now.
But, that is not to say that she isn't taking part in some activities! We walked the whole of Bedford, and learnt some of its history doing a treasure hunt from Treasure Trails (highly recommend), she was boosted over the barrier around our local 'music in the park' event by my mum (!!!) so she could see what it looked like inside and to hear one of her favourite songs played live and she has also managed a full 3 hours at a science event this month.
Her capacity for 'life' is improving all the time and Lily has far fewer meltdowns right now. It is such a relief for us both really and a well-deserved break from her usual level of stress.
On to Dominik! His is perhaps the most surprising of tales! We have now been therapeutically brushing for a fair while. The biggest difference on the surface is the amount of time he is spending actively playing games compared to doing other things. The balance is heavily in favour of editing, dubbing and drawing comics. He got through his birthday without much incidence this year but it was the most low key it has ever been. Not sure he would choose for it to be that low key again, but we might have found a balance for next year!
Dominik has also experienced his first breakup with his American girlfriend, He was definitely thrown by it but recovered quickly. His emotional state in general has been superb. He is still developmentally behind his peer group, but he has gained some ground for sure.
Dominik is also far more able to express himself. He is achieving a level of clarity (and honesty) never before seen. This alone has made a huge difference to his self-esteem and to his level of active co-operation.
He has a date for his operation (yes, we have been advised by several different professionals that we cannot avoid the tendon surgery for his tiptoe walking now) and whilst he is scared, he is also managing well. He is willing to talk about it and he is helping to plan what we will do/what he will want to do during his recovery. It was at this point during the appointment with the surgeon, when he realised that he would have a legitimate reason to stay in bed and literally do nothing! That was when he accepted the operation without a fuss! I must admit, I heaved a huge sigh of relief that he was not a more active, outdoorsy type boy, or else my house would be like living with a time bomb right now!
Dominik has also taken his relative successes in the voice acting and comic dubbing world to a whole new level! He was stressed yesterday about something (and the reason I could tell was because he was being particularly controlling and rude to me) and so I asked him what was wrong (during our evening brushing session). He said that he had taken on several projects and was struggling to manage them. He told me that one of them involved 20 different voice actors! I laughed out loud! My PDA son was trying to project manage 20 people! I have pretty much always known that he works best when he is in charge...but did I ever imagine that he would be voluntarily managing 20 people from all over the world by the age of 12?! Never! He himself has now realised that this is a mammoth task! He has learnt from it and I think he will be more careful what he takes on from now on.
His personality is equal parts terrifying and utterly impressive.
I am sure there is more to say but I am going to go to bed now. I am exhausted and Dominik and I are going to Windsor for our second appointment tomorrow and I simply hate driving there so I must sleep.
Thanks for reading. I hope your summer is as lovely as ours.
N x
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