Happy New Year

It's the last day of 2011 and our family has just achieved one of my long-standing dreams. We all went out together, as a family, on New Year's Eve.

It has not happened in the last six years because Bright Eyes has always been difficult to handle, belligerent, unwilling or unwell.

This year, everything worked. He was in a great mood, and very open to going across to the neighbouring town's New Year's Eve fireworks show. We had our normal dinner and TV routine, and then instead of going to bed, we piled into the car and drove half an hour over the mountain.

When we got there, it was a bit of a side-show alley affair and he saw a ride that he wanted to go on, so he managed to stand beautifully in the very long queue until he finally got on. The fireworks started at 9 and he loved them, although he did yell, "It's a bomb! It's going to hit us!" loudly at various intervals. It was alright though, because no one could hear him over the loud crying his baby sister was doing. Evidently she doesn't take to fireworks.

So I've come home happy and hopeful. I've got a calm boy who seems to be able to self-soothe at the moment, who is taking an interest in a few other things apart from his usual obsessive stuff and who is playing beautifully with his siblings (for the most part). He's managed a dentist's appointment and a blood test in the last two weeks, and I'm very proud of him.

Here's to 2012, and I'm hoping for LOTS of great growth and development to come.