love being an Australian and celebrating this awesome country.
love that my kids get to celebrate alongside (and inside!) of me too.

On the day we received Jovie’s initial diagnosis of Autism and a Global Developmental Delay, we took home a package of pamphlets of services we might be interested in. Some were support playgroups, financial advice and then there was a small brochure for an Autism specific day care centre that was opening near us. The cut off for first applications was in 3 days, so we quickly registered our details and hoped for the best.

After sitting for a family interview, our application was accepted and we were excited! Only problem was… the centre was not built and they had no idea when it would open.

That day, was today! Almost 16 months after we first submitted our details (I can’t believe it’s been that long), Jovie has spent her first day at daycare/school and you better believe I shed some tears, lol.

Alot has changed in the last 16 months (e.g. having the diagnosis of Rett Syndrome instead of Autism), but ultimately we still wanted Jovie to be a 3 year old girl. We still want her to have friends and her own independence, her own schedule and to keep her stimulated. Rett Syndrome doesn’t stop us from wanting what every 3 year old could/would be doing, it just means she needs alot more support throughout the day. (Everything from navigating the room, nappy changes, eating, drinking, sleeping etc). Jovie’s always been taken care of by myself (or my parents if something has come up – like pneumonia, ugh), so leaving her was tough on me but I love the staff there so much and they know her so well that I knew she would be totally ok for a few hours.

Her teachers are all trained therapists, psychologists and early childhood teachers – they all have a background in working with kids with Autism and other special needs – so it’s a very special place for the kids to be. The centre itself is awesome, the outdoor area is amazing and very Jovie-friendly.

We picked her up early because I knew she wouldn’t sleep (and didn’t) and she nodded off as soon as we pulled out of the carpark. Success! Now to repeat once every week until she goes to school….

This year marked the first Christmas with our Rett Syndrome diagnosis. And it wasn’t half bad at all.

If you visit our house, you will see many toy boxes. They’re all filled with things we’ve bought Jovie because it was ‘age appropriate’. All of them are pretty much brand new and untouched because she never was interested in them – tea sets, xylophone, wibble wobble things, soft toys. I’ve likened it to toy boxes filled with my love and desperation to find Jovie something she would like to play with. I’m my father’s daughter – I do like to buy stuff, but sometimes all that stuff doesn’t cut it.

So it’s the first year that we know what Santa should bring Jovie, it’s the first time where we don’t expect her to be ‘at a certain level’. It means we can forget about what should be, and just have Christmas. I find that really awesome

Jovie’s first Christmas, 2009

This Christmas, 2012