Aussie Adventure, Part 2

With a week to go before our one-year visas expired, Big A and I went back Down Under for a hopefully-not-last hurrah.

Once again, we spent a week in Sydney and Melbourne, but this time we knew where we wanted to go in each city. While the retail scene in Sydney is better, Melbourne can't be beat for nightlife, dining, arts, and culture.

We explored some of the "suburbs" this time, as next trip we hope Little A can accompany us. There is so much he would enjoy, with numerous nearby zoos (including a safari-type adventure), an island filled with penguins, open water whale viewing, and an operating steam train.

When we got back Little A went straight into summer school, a month of morning classes on weekdays which he thoroughly enjoyed, and very much looked forward to attending.

He begins his fifth year at this school in a few weeks, and continues to love it, something we hope does not change in the many years to come.

Birthday Party

Last April, for only the second time ever, Little A was invited to a classmate's birthday party.

When each class only consists of a dozen children, over half of which have limited or no speech, along with social skills challenges, parties (and other social interactive occasions) are a rare thing.

Until he was seven, all of Little A's own birthday celebrations were either held at school, or comprised of cousins and our fellow godchildren.

He has attended parties of cousins and fellow godchildren, but never with more than one or two other special needs kids present. This would have been a first, had Big A known to take him as I was away in Europe.

After arriving a day too late and making my apologies to the birthday celebrant's parents, I fretted that there might be fewer occasions like this in future and he had to have missed this one.

One of the other mums though, whose son had never had a "real" birthday party before, was thrilled to see the kids enjoy themselves, and decided to celebrate her child's birthday a few weeks later in the same place.

This time, I made sure Little A was present. He and his classmates had a grand time, and I gave the parents notice that the next birthday coming would be Little A's, in another month. This time, his party would be made up of classmates, and it would not just take place at school. We look forward to it already.

He, and his classmates, had a grand time.