to think it happened on The Parade

We were stuck in most of the various roadworks around Wellington. Every route Abacus and I took was unfinished, as though writer's block was stalling the story of our ride home. Aba was due a toilet break, there was one near the supermarket we were going to and I was probably only making her think more about it by encouraging her to hold on, as we sat idle in the 5 o' clock traffic clot.

We had to park two blocks away from the supermarket and walk and when we finally make it to the public toilet - which was the epitome of 'last resort' - it was occupied and its occupant stayed inside a very long time. As we waited and waited a lady came running up to join us. I noticed she was holding a cash box and looked up to see her bus parked on the main road with its hazard lights flashing and knew I'd have to let her go ahead.

A guy finally emerged from the toilet and left quickly without meeting anyone's eyes.  I let the bus driver go ahead of course and for the brief moment she was in  there, a boy of 8 or so appeared beside us. He said 'I've been drinking coke over there at the restaurant and I REALLY need to pee!' I had to refuse his plea and explain that Abacus had been holding on a LONG time. The bus driver left seconds after entering saying - "Oh good, it's a mess!" and a look she gave exaggerated her disgust and she continued to mumble her revulsion as she walked back to her bus.

I sighed and we entered. The toilet was full of toilet paper and looked backed up. 'You can't go here.' I said more to myself than Abacus. As we exited we warned the boy but he went in regardless and I realised that Aba would have to too.

So we waited again.

The boy emerged after a while, saying the 'stand up toilet still works, she could use that.' I thanked him with a smile and we entered. Aba had to brave the 21st century toilet that functioned worse than its medieval counterpart and after she was done and we opened the door to leave - as though something watching us knew we needed an ending to our story, something to tie it all up - the toilet flushed by itself.

also. abacus has taken to peering over the side of her pushchair, watching the road or the pram wheels or something, it must look so strange to the other pedestrians, this baby just hanging over the side of her pram. When she isn't doing that she is sitting upright, refusing to recline back into the seat, she sits there as though some alert sentry, surveying everything around her, the only problem is when the pram stops suddenly and she bangs her head into her toys in front of her.

also. we went to get a dvd out on her library card, but weren't allowed to because the dvd was rated for adults. haha.

abacus the star

yesterday abacus had her paediatrician appointment. After waiting around for a long time, because apparently we had been misplaced (we were waiting in the room where the nurse had measured and weighed her), we had a really good meeting with the doctor. It couldn't have gone better. Dr Richardson loves Abacus and we would love for him to be in her life forever. He was so impressed with her progress and gave us so much positivity that any doubts we had by michelles report a few days earlier were completely put out mind. He didn't want to bother taking bloods because she was so obvioulsy not affected by any of the things they would be testing for and deferred them for her next appointment in 6 months. Her growth is phenomenal, she is above the 100 precntile in height for downs kids and about midrange in weight, so tall and skinny, bucking the trends - as usual!

She has been giggling a lot lately and giggled a lot at the hospital while we were waiting. She has also taken to a very pained expression in the face of strangers (and potential babysitters), which the dr thought was good. He was impressed also with how she was social at creche, not feeling anxious around other kids or adults, smiling at those she knows, watching situations carefully. We can't wait to visit Dr. Richardson again, as we left he said he had a family of four kids to see next and smiled that he wasn't looking forward to it. He walked out with us and yelled playfully the family name of his next patients and they came running as he bit his finger nails in playful overacting, while yet another of the clan emerged from the play house and followed his siblings into the office behind the dr.

Such people as Dr. Richardson are indespensible in this world.

I already knew the conclusion from the letter, as Danielle had told me. Even so, reading through it myself I think I had the same reaction as her. It was a letter from Abacus's neurodevelopmental therapist to her paediatrician. It went through all of the things Abacus can do and it reads like a proud list, but it's in the last paragraph where it is concluded that this list of accomplishments puts her at the average ability of someone her age with downs syndrome, that kind of takes one back a bit. I don't know why this makes me feel anxious, I shouldn't, but you want to know you're doing the best for her and you wonder what you can do to make things better, we can't know what that means at this point in her life, and maybe it is only because her progress is so meticulously scrutinised and documented that we're exposed to such grading. . .

kia ora.

Abacus had a good day today. She still has a bit of a cough and her face is still pretty oozy around her eyes and nose, and she woke up this morning with a snotlock ( a dreadlock formed by snot), but she is very happy. She went to creche where she met with her neurodevelopmental therapist. She impressed her with all her sitting and vocalising and rolling around to get get things, she is very inqusitive and reaches everywhere for objects out of her reach, even to her own detriment as her scratched up nose will attest. She really likes baths again(in Thailand she had grown some aversion to the small baby bath we'd bought her and we had taken to washing her in the shower with us, which she didn't mind, except she got a bout as slippery as a bar of soap!), since we've been back and in our new flat with a big bath, she loves splashing around and playing with her sponges.

a message from abacus

h, cxz
"".L;.PP

Abacus has been a bit sick the last couple of days, which makes her quite cuddly, but also snotty which makes cuddling less fun. Her voice sounds like a cross between a rusty squeeking gate anda  chalkboard, which occasionally, when said in sharp bursts sounds like a dolphin. While she is more cranky she is also manically happy, last night she cried so much when we put her to bed that we let her watch tv on our bed, she stayed up for another 2 hours happy and wide awake before slowly falling asleep i think she just wanted to be around us. Unfortunately though this morning, after waking up at 5 crying, she had to miss creche, and consequently her neurodevelopmental appointment who was to have a session with her there, but she'll meet her on monday instead.