Where are the sausages?

Lucia woke early again and requested a biccie. After the biccie she wanted an apricot – and all this before 7am. She doesn’t eat it all but she nibbles and chews in a very exaggerated way and seems to be enjoying it. Bath with Tony while I prepare some ‘snacks’ for her bag – what a genuinely new experience! We have been advised to encourage her subtly but at every opportunity so we need to be prepared for any request! Regretably the eating of ‘real’ food is also having a dreadful effect on her bowels and the constipation is causing her to scream and bleed at every visit; she is now refusing to go because of the pain so we need to address this with the hospital. I guess her system has taken a battering in the last couple of weeks.
It took us only 10 mins to walk through the wood this morning – it was raining so we picked up the pace due to unsuitable clothing - very unprepared on that front! No joggers today. Lucia asked to go to the loo no less than 8 times but was very distressed each visit and with no results. Today we were meeting the physio, Bettina and Elizabeth, the speech pathologist also joined us to assess Lucia. All the notes and summaries that I have presented them with have been well received and they are interested to hear about all the methods our therapists have been using back in Australia. For me, I can finally see how those weeks, months and years of attending therapy sessions have actually paid off – at the time the progress seemed so miniscule, so painfully slow, so desperate sometimes, but today as I looked at Lucia playing on the mats with Tony it all came together. The therapists will work on an active programme for her and we meet again next week. At play picnic it was my turn to go in while Tony watched from the adjacent room. Lucia sat in a different spot today and with some coaxing reached for a plate of grilled chicken. Avi, the Israeli doctor, had heard about her constipation and was encouraging fruit juice and yoghurt in various forms by placing plastic cups and containers within arms reach , but Hermania tipped most of these out all over herself whilst spraying Lucia too. She remained pensive throughout but edged closer to me, but still seemed 'involved' with the food. Of all the children present, she seems to be the most at ease with the food.Forgot to mention a very important fact - weight still th esame which in kilnik terms is, and I quote Prof.D-S 'champion!'
We walked down to the tram station after the spielsein - Tony still hasn't eaten a sausage and is getting quite anxious...ham, bread and cheese are not cutting it for him!