27Apr08 - Joining In

We all piled in the car on Saturday morning and set off to spend the weekend with my sister’s family. It is great having Lucy’s big Motorbility car which easily holds all her stuff and we even had space for Joshua’s bike which he was really pleased about. Lucy is so much better in the car these days and she was calm and content for most of the 3 hour journey. In the past I can remember making the same journey when she cried and screamed for the entire duration. Thankfully those days seem to be over, although with Lucy I have learnt to never take anything for granted.Joshua and Lucy were not short of attention for the whole weekend. Lucy even made friends with their new cat who spent a long time trying to work out what Lucy was. Joshua spent the whole weekend outside playing on his bike and making new friends which was great for him. He so rarely gets the chance to “play out” at home. Lucy’s cousin, Samantha took her out for a walk in her buggy which was fine because they live in a relatively quiet and safe village. I was just happy for Lucy to be involved with the other kids. After they had been gone a while, I went to look for them and found them both at a small play ground near the house.There was a whole group of children playing and messing around. Lucy was right in the middle of it having the time of her life.It was wonderful to see how naturally they involved her in what they were doing. To me she had gained a certain amount of independence, out playing with her friends on her own without her parents or any adults. Of course we were keeping an eye on her but she didn’t know that. I thought about her dreaming about her day when I put her to bed in their newly converted attic.She complained a little because she wasn’t ready to go to bed and wanted the fun to continue. Is wasn’t long before Samantha, James and Joshua had dragged makeshift beds up into the attic so that they could keep Lucy company.Lucy had her first proper sleep over.
They all stayed up late chatting, giggling and generally carrying on and coincidently Lucy was completely content the whole time. Eventually all the excitement and fun took its toll and Lucy could not keep her eyes open.It was such a great day for her and for Joshua, it’s just a shame they don’t get the opportunity more often. For Lucy, children are some of the best therapists because they do all the right things so naturally, without thought and without prejudice. This weekend Lucy was accepted as just another kid.....brilliant!!