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Waif weighed in at The Maudsley today at 37.4kg (dressed) which is 400g more than a fortnight ago, and 900g more than her first visit in late September. She has also grown a cm. Hmmmm....... this is so much better than losing weight but I feel that we are swimming against the tide and have only just been making headway through supreme effort which can't last for ever. I guess I have to put that thought aside and we have to keep battling. We had fajitas tonight but Waif refused the sour cream and the guacamole, and had only the pancake, red pepper and chicken. She basically will not eat any food with a high fat content. She managed some cake and a strawberry yoghurt for pudding, and I will make her a hot chocolate and kitkat later in the evening.

Oh, Waif also had her blood taken today for the tests - fbc, kidney function and coeliac disease screen. I bet they will come back as normal, which will mean we can really concentrate on the eating.

I had lunch with one of my oldest friends earlier in the week. I had known her mother was psychiatrist from when I was 11 years old, but my old friend told me that her mother was actually a psych at The Maudsley specialising in children and families, including eating disorders. It was thus interesting to listen to her perspective as we watched Anish Kapoor's red wax cannonball strike the walls of the Royal Acadamy and splatter blood coloured drops. Perhaps this is out of date but Old Friend reckoned that something must be deeply upsetting Waif and that the reason she refuses to talk about it is because it is so painful to her. I can't fo the life of me imagine what it could be. OF wondered if there was any tension between me and my husband but there isn't really (the normal jaded been- married- 17 -years- stuff - and- wondering-whether- there -should- be -more- to -it - mid- life-crisis, that's about it).

The psych now wants to see Waif weekly and is firm about wanting progress. He has also asked her to keep a permanent food diary, which is something I mentioned to him by email as being very helpful when we have done it.

Meanwhile, I tried but failed to see Waif's Headmistress today (it turned out that the long call I assumed the school was on turned out to be a day long power cut), and am seeing her instead first thing tomorrow to discuss leaving arrangements for Waif. I am also aiming to ask her professional opinion about how much to disclose/ involve Waif's new Headmaster - this was OF's suggestion, and a good one.

Waif has only 2 more days left at her old school. I have told her that she doesn't have to go in if she doesn't want to, but she does. I hope that is a good sign.