Another Day Another Surprise

Although there was a surprise yesterday as well.  Emily actually went to school.  She dragged the chain and I really didn't think she'd go, but Phill gently persevered and encouraged her.  I stayed right out of it.  We had planned to drive to Wagga so I got dressed and was ready to take the modem and my jewellery and the usual stuff and leave  her here.  When I saw her dressed in her school clothes out of the corner of my eye I nearly fell over.  We had our first "normal" day in ages and drove to Wagga and talked about things.  We did the things we needed to do, got stuff to service the car and ended up buying a new doona for our bed, the one we had was about 16 years old we got it when we got our bed not long after Sarah died.  We got a really good one for about half price in a sale and it's just so comfy and cosy.  The money we have used to replace all our old crappy stuff was the lump sum they gave Phill from his holiday pay to relocate to Tamworth.  And we're also getting instalments of his back pay.  It's so great to be able to pay cash for it all and not go into any more debt.
We picked the kids up yesterday afternoon not knowing what to expect from Emily.  She was glowing.  Bubbly and happy, the old Emily we knew and love.  The school really came through for her and looked after her and put her in a scheme called the "A Team" which I am gathering is for kids with problems but are a group of them who use their talents and expertise to help the school, in Em's case it's her artistic and design talents that they will be using.  She was so excited and happy.  We went down and got her a new uniform as Spittin' Kim stole half of her old one and this morning she got up and got ready for school and looked really spiffy.  I know she is still hating school but she is being so brave and strong.  We went up to Young to take back my bedside table which had a dodgy drawer.  Guy tried hard to fix it and we waited and waited and he got exasperated (it was totally put together crooked) and ended up giving us a new one.  Got Josh his new king single bed for a great price and then went and got his sheets and came home.  We had to pick Emily up at 1.45 for her psychologist appointment and to be honest I wasn't really holding out much hope for it.  She's seen Felicity before and gave up in the end.  Felicity saw all three of us, Phill me and Em and asked all the relevant questions and listened to our concerns.  Then she talked to Emily alone.  When we went back in she told of us a course she wants Emily and me to do that is called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.  We have to go every week to Young for two hours for twenty weeks so it's a pretty huge commitment for the two of us, but it sounds amazing and just what I think we both need.  She gave me the information sheets to bring home to read and as I did I cried and thought that this finally might be the real, tangible help we need.  Not just for Emily, but for me as well, as I know I have many of my own issues that impact on my parenting and my relationships with others.  Most of these go back to my own childhood.  In any case, it is certainly worth a shot and we are going to embrace it with all we've got.
We went to the local furniture shop to get a really good mattress for Josh's bed and ended up with a new bed for us as well and the perfect rug for the lounge room.  We have polished floors in the living area here and I had decided not to get a rug, but last night the four of us were talking and laughing in here and my head nearly exploded with the noise of it all and we realised we needed a bit of carpet in here to absorb the noise.

Harley certainly approves of it.

So tonight I sleep my last night in the bed we have had for most of our marriage, and I LOVE my bed, although I had to admit it was getting old and saggy and all the moving hasn't helped it.  Our two youngest weed and pooed and sicked and slept and got breastfed in that bed and it's sad to see it go.  When Emily and Josh were little we'd do "nest" in the mornings.  They'd run and jump onto the bed and Phill and I would make a nest with our legs and they'd get in the middle.  Such lovely memories.

And Josh, even though he has had Em's better mattress since we moved in here, will sleep his last night in the first big boy's bed he had when we moved him out of his cot when he was two.

So we've pretty much replaced all our major home furnishings with better quality in the last year or so and it's good.  And I have cautious optimism for the future.  The human spirit never stops amazing me, and that includes mine!

I'm rambling a bit now as it's been a big day and I'm tired.

Check out Maxy's new coat.

If you can't make it out it says "No, YOU sit!"  We got him a new bigger kennel yesterday as well and he seems much more comfortable in it, his heat pad fits it better and it's only got one vent at the back that we can adjust so it's warmer.  I went out late this afternoon to put his washed polar fleece blanket in his house and went to pat him and he felt so warm.

Almost time for bed, so it's over and out from me.

Oh and I found out that my darling friend from UP MI, is having a grandson!  She already has a little grand daughter.  Lucky her, a pigeon pair, I am so happy for her.  Love you Peggy!