Not again!

They say truth is stranger than fiction and I definitely agree. For the second time in her short life Bea has broken a bone. This time it's "just" her wrist (a torus fracture of her radius) but it's going to be harder than her collar bone as she's in plaster. So I'm sitting here debating whether to fork out a small fortune for a waterproof plaster cast cover or to risk improvising with a plastic bag and an elastic band. My husband has pointed out that since I've become obsessed with recycling there aren't many plastic bags in the house so it may have to be a bin liner!

In many ways I was lucky - this time it happened at the end of the day so we haven't had to endure a whole day of screaming and tears. Plus, as it was the weekend my husband was able to take care of James while I rushed to the hospital. There's no way he'd have been able to cope with the waiting area if he'd come along and I don't know if I'd have been able to manage with both children on my own.... She was so brave and let the nurse and radiographers handle her, wiping her tears away with her muslin and whimpering for James. Recently she's developed such a strong attachement to him that at times it's heartbreaking. If he isn't around in the day she'll cry and ask for him and if he is around she chases him around (while he ignores her), desperate for him to play with her. I find that so hard to watch as I worry that one day she'll stop trying. I know as she gets older we'll be able to explain to her that James is autistic and that's why he behaves the way he does, but right now she's not old enough to understand it properly. I do sometimes tell her that James is different and hasn't learnt to use cutlery/ wee on the potty/ not chew his tee shirt but usually it encourages her to copy his behaviour. At least that's a reassuring feature of normal development!

She wasn't too impressed when it dawned on her that the plaster cast was here to stay although now monkey is trussed up to match we're hoping she'll tolerate it a bit more. The plaster will be on for two weeks, which means we'll get it taken off just in time for our annual trip to London Zoo for "Special Children's Day". I guess my plans to take her swimming while James is at nursery are on the back burner for a while....