Updates...

I've just realised that I don't think I mentioned any update on H. So here it is: She was discharged from mental health services in Autumn last year, so there will be no more contact with the probation service. She can do as she pleases, she can go wherever she likes, she can visit Lily's grave as often as she wishes. She can do all of that without the probation service needing to by notified.

In one way, at least there won't be any letters on updates, which always ruined my day. On the other hand, it means that the possibility of seeing her is higher, which ruins every grave visit. Mark is too ill to confront this, and I don't have legal stance really to take out an injunction, and the longer you wait, the least likely it is that a judge will grant an injunction. The other option is to remove Lily's grave, but she has been resting there since early 2006, so to disturb her after 7 years just doesn't seem right.



And to update on my daughter, the council have now decided that they will assess her for a statement. So hurdle number one has been jumped, now for hurdle 2: actually getting a statement (one that's funded too).

The sad thing is, if she was in a foster home or something similar, she would have had the help by now, but because she is in a relatively stable home (I say relatively due to the fact that her parents aren't together at this time) they just drag their feet.

All this fighting for her has made me so mentally exhausted. Every time I actually receive some form of help along the way, I mentally cry - as in I don't shed any tears, but I get the feelings that you get when you cry. As part of the assessment, she has to have an appointment with a paediatrician. This isn't an official diagnosis appointment, more of a basic assessment. I have been asking for 3 years to have a diagnosis, and finally she is getting seen in some capacity by someone. If I had been standing at the time of reading the letter my knees would have buckled. I'm hoping that the basic assessment will lead to a formal diagnosis appointment, which is usually a few hours.

Trying to get support for someone with a disability that isn't physically obvious is hard work, and something needs to be done about it. If she had been born without a leg, she would have been seen by doctors from birth and would have had some sort of aid within a reasonable amount of time. It should be the same for those with 'invisible' disabilities.

SJB x

I wish I had something exciting to write, but unfortunately I don't.

All I can comment on is that it's quite cold here, and there's a leak in my car so I'll need to investigate where it's coming from.

My son had his first haircut this week, and now he looks more like a little boy than a baby, well he IS 2 1/2 years old I suppose. :-(

My daughter had her first Brownies meeting last night and she loved it. She really enjoyed Rainbows, so I knew she would love Brownies.

Well, have to go, Seth is pestering me to play with the hand puppets, I guess my silly animal noises are just too hard to resist.

SJB x