Little Cotton Rabbits

Done!

Time for a quick family portrait before they all go their separate ways.

Off to rest my fingers and have a cuppa!

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PS: better individual photos over on flickr

Christmas jigsaw

Where is November going? Has anyone else found that it seems to have had less days than it should have?

I had hoped to do a new calendar design for 2011 but have had to abandon that idea for this year. I'd also hoped to have my little christmas batch of animals ready by now, but at the moment most of them are still waiting for various limbs etc. It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle working out which legs to put with which head and then which dress or jumper suits them best.

I'm determind though to get them all done by the end of this week, so I had better go and get on with it! Will email the mailing list with details soon (I hope!) and in the meantime best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends in the USA.

Wood walks

Going out to the woods has become a definite highlight in Toby's weekend. A few months ago he would cling on to me when we were out but now he's more confident and likes to skip off and explore a little. It's lovely to see him enjoying the different textures of the path under his boots as it travels through crunchy leaves, squelchy puddles and over echoy wooden walkways. It's a special and gentle time together.

In keeping with our drive to build on his communication I'm going to be using these walks to add to his vocabulary by using a comment board. I'll be trying to teach him to name what he notices so that when he comes home for instance he can tell Amy and Daddy that we saw a dog in the woods.

Hopefully we can add to this and in time help build him a functional language.

Thanks so much for all of the kind comments on the last post. It's always really helpful to hear from anyone else with experience and great to read some different ideas that we may be able to adapt for Toby, it's also a very nice feeling to know that there are people out there just wishing us well - many thanks x

changing tactics

Albert Einstein once said

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

And as he was quite a brainy chap it seems sensible to heed his advice, so we're changing tactics with Toby in an attempt to get a different result to all of the tantrums of recent times.

I believe that communication is the key to helping Toby manage his rages. Communication from us to tell him what is happening next, what is expected of him and what to expect of a situation and communication (in a more appropriate form than tantrums and biting) from him to convey how he's feeling and what he's thinking.

We don't know if he'll ever learn to speak and so it's essential to provide him with an alternative and P.E.C.S (Picture Exchange Communication System)is definitely it. I've mentioned before that we've found P.E.C.S invaluable as it's given Toby a way of communicating his wants and needs (food, dvds, play etc) but it's proving hard to move it on to a fully functional language for him. For instance how do you teach a non-communicative child the word for headache? I know sometimes that he's in pain but I cannot tell where it hurts and he has no way of telling me yet. It's a catch-22 situation sometimes but I suppose the only way forward is to start small.

So we've introduced a timetable at home which sets out Toby's day, where he's going and what he's doing.

I hope it will help him on inset days and school breaks when he'll have a visual clue that the routine is different and hopefully the reassurance of seeing that later in the day we're going out etc.

They are small and simple steps but I hope it will lead to him being able to express himself more fully and reduce the levels of frustration that have led to his recent agression. If you're interested I'll keep you posted on our progress!

"a bird in the hand...

...is worth two in the bush" as the saying goes. But I've already got 2 birds in my hands today because I've finished the mittens and I'm chuffed to bits with them.

Knitting the Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn on 2.5mm needles really makes them thick and warm and the gorgeous tonal range of the yarn really does Kate's beautiful pattern justice. I love the secret little bird on the inside of each thumb and the design seems fairytale like, so it seemed appropriate to take them into the woods for their first outing.

Though I did have to keep checking over my shoulder to make sure Mr Wolf wasn't sidling up behind me through the trees!

It's a really lovely pattern and I'd definitely recommend it. If you're put off by knitting in the round or by the estonian braids then take a look at my ravelry page for some cheats and tips.

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PS: I had an email from a dear friend with a request:

Kate and Gerry McCann are looking for people to sign a petition that they hope will result in an independent review of Madeleine's case - the text of Gerry's letter follows.  I was wondering if you'd be able to highlight this in your next blog and give a link to the petition so that your readers can sign up?  As you know, I struggle with physical pain most days but the pain of losing your child, wondering what has become of them, being vilified in the press - Julie, I think that would drive me mad.  Consequently I feel I should do anything I can to help them ... so I do hope you don't mind me turning to you once again. The link to the petition is:

 

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/madeleinemccann_case_review/signatures

If it's a cause that has resonance for you please take a moment to sign the petition - you can visit their website too which details the history of Madeleine's disappearance three and a half years ago. Thanks x