Monthly Archives: April 2002

Nightime – watching telly – there’s a novelty.
Shagged today – up late last night prattling about getting a bit of ZUM! sorted out that no one will look at anyway – but that’s not the point.
Up early as Eve wanted to see me (I had been shuffled out of our bed by the numbers therein, & retired to Jack’s bed. Woke too early to “Want Daddy” shouting down the hall holding Louise’s hand. Really unwilling to rouse, but did. Tried to leave Louise & Eve in Jack’s bed & sneak back to our own, but no, it won’t really do – just a delay – a respite before giving in to waking up.

Started the shower & it broke. The fascia literally broke off in my hand. So, I’m left holding the control cover. ARSE! This is a disaster; it really is – I mean – I rely on my shower for non-committal waking up before breakfast. Let it all run over me. After reporting the catastrophe to Louise she advises my confused morning time brain to have a bath. Oh yes – we do have a bath. We at least have a combi-boiler, so that we can have a bath full, not a piddling puddle from the time when it was in a tank.
Anyway – although Louise & I were both grumpy, we managed to break the cycle of grumpy & get out to Hebden Bridge. Jack & Eve had a good play in the playground & had a picnic & some ice cream. We dragged them away & had a little charity shop trawl. A first – we got videos from a charity shop. Louise found the weddingpresent video collection *punk & I found the ‘Absolutely Vido’ . A bizarre ‘Letterland’ tape measure thing on wheels, a tape & a couple of books for the kids. Ah, charity shop booty…
Jack has been uncommonly good today. He has been helpful & listened to us. Guided Eve as well.
Right – it’s too late again – I’m off to bad. My brain has suffered all day from a lack of sleep. Left hand sinuses ache. I whine when I’m tired.

Work is too too busy. I don’t wanna play. Lots of grumpy people seeking voice to go on & on about the mail server not working proper the other day.
Still I travel to Manchester.

Eve was very difficult to get off to sleep last night & also seems to have had a poor night of it as well. She’s probably teething as she was chewing on a soft toy duck & my t-shirt shoulder as she was being read to for sleep. I think it was past 9:30 before I got both her & Jack off. I’m sure Eve being so fidgety helped Jack fight sleep. Most kids, if they get read to get a couple of Arnold Lobels’ Frog & Toad stories. They got 2 books worth & were still fighting on with drowsy heads. Once I’d separated them into their own beds they were asleep within 10 minutes.

Fuggy brain no wanna wake up 3 snooze rings before rising shower (at least didn’t drop soap & wake everyone).
Not really in the mood for typing. Not because I don’t want to, but i can’t think. Details of yesterday seem unattainable, like dreams after waking. There’s something there – what was it?

Louise is feeling better. Eve is coughing – but seems to be keeping food & drink in her stomach, at least. Jack was not so wild yesterday, so perhaps it was the boiled sweet he had, rather than he feeling ill. Loud shout from his room of “Mummy or Daddy!!!” this morning. A demand that one of us sleep with him. Louise had gone earlier, so as he managed to rouse me from slumber I dithered off down the hall.

OK – I missed yesterday. I was at home. I was not ill, but I don’t feel so bright today. Louise was ill. She would have coped, but for the fact that the cold she has probably is in her sinuses & getting at her inner ear – making it all rather painful for her. She had a good portion of sleeping done in the morning & was feeling a tad better. She was due a doctor’s appointment, but she cancelled. I stretched my credulity by pouring a drop of warm olive oil in her ear. Louise says that her mum used to do this when she was young, but I’m still not really sure on that. Jack’s behavior was not great yesterday. He did not get a good night’s sleep the night before (So neither did I) possibly because he was fretting over the fact that he was going to school in the morning -1st day back after the holidays. On the whole though he’s being annoying & provoking. Last time he was like this he was ill – so, I think we can take it that he is not feeling grand either. Eve is warm – she probably has a temperature, but is coping quite well with it all. She gets the occasional dose of paracetamol to keep her temp in check. She is not wailing as much as she would usually when ill though, or are we getting used to it? Jude is… Well – he’s a baby – there’s no particular trait that would indicate he is ill. His nose runs when he gets upset – there you go.

I was feeling a bit guilty for not going into work, as I know it’s mad busy. We have people phoning up to complain a lot as one of the 3 mail servers we run was down. I should bear in mind that there were 3 on & not just me on the phone as the day before though.

Well, at least I had Monday off.

A very low-key day yesterday. Carolyn (Louise’s chum) Paul & baby Katie came a visiting yesterday. We nearly said ‘don’t’ as Eve was ill the night before. She threw up her pasta from tea in the early hours & was running a temperature. She was quite a mess, but somehow Louise managed to prevent her making a mess of our bed & everything as well. In the morning she was pallid & gray 1st thing & Louise was ready to call off the visit, as if she was ill – then it would not be good to have Eve spreading such a thing to a younger babe. She perked up considerably after having some breakfast though – so the visit was still on. Jack had been looking forward to it their visit for some time – so was rather relieved. They enjoyed it, & seeing a 6-month babe made you realise that Jude is not that big after all. We were starting to think that he was starting to get big, but he looked all small again. Katie was 6 months that day. A happy little soul who can roll about. She rolls rather than crawls much as a method of propulsion. Jack & Eve were crawlers… well – actually, Eve spent little time crawling from what I recall – so determined was she to be on 2 feet that she was never truly proficient. Jack could crawl at one hell of a pace.

Heh… a piece of nice abstract understanding from Eve. I was changing her nappy & she noticed that she had the same design nappy as Jude (Same make) & she decided that I was putting on one of Jude’s nappies onto her. So, I play along a little & after the nappy was fitted, I asked her, “Is that comfortable Jude?”. She paused to think a minute… “Yes!” says she in a slightly squeakier voice (pretending to be Jude).

Playing cars yesterday afternoon with Jack. There’s a lot of crashing of goodie cars into baddie cars. This with the occasional looks at the television that had a compilation of MGM musical numbers on. We were hoping that there would be some ‘wizard of oz’ as that’s what was on the telly when I turned it on. He likes the tune “if ever and ever a Wiz there was the Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because… etc” – but he’s never really seen any of the film… It’s staring to take on mythic qualities… I hope he’s not disappointed when he does get to see it.

Trying to think why I was tardy in writing the end of last week… I might have been reading – there might have been trains without tables…
There were no trains on Friday at all what so ever. In the days of British Rail, if there were a train strike then all the trains would go. Nowadays – with competing train ‘companies’ a strike usually means I can still get the sparse service of another company (we being at the end of their reach into this ‘territory’ there are a couple of ‘turn back’ services a day, but no through runners’). Ah, but the shame, oh the shame, of the fact that both companies had a strike on Friday. I was forced to stay at home with the family :)
Got a little attic work done. More sanding, although this was curtailed by the auto sander packing up on me. Dunno why – it just stopped. The electric motor that runs it decided it didn’t want to play no more. It wasn’t like it was getting over heated or anything either…. Gah! Nevertheless, did get a good amount done before then. I’m now muttering to myself over the colour scheme I should use. I think, although I would like to go for a more daring warm purple for the woodwork, It will have to be a slate blue. I cannot see me doing the ceiling beams purple, & that means thinking of another colour to add to the balance, which won’t do at all.
We were discussing the problem with the chimney/roof & the leak up there somewhere. Now it has been dry for over a week we he suggested that he go up & have a look at it. I will not get onto the roof. I’m sure I could but I’d rather not dare to rationalise my vertigo. He had a good look & noted that there was some mortar, which was still damp – which seems odd. If I stand on a chair looking out of the velux window I can see it myself – so I took a couple of pictures with my digital camera. They are printed off now & Louise is going to call Jill to have a look at them, (or in fact the roof it self) to see if she thinks that this may be at the root of it all. It would be nice if it is – to finally get this all sorted. I worry now that the plaster may be afflicted to the extent that it needs to be redone. That would really be tedious (but hopefully covered on the insurance). Louise & I had a good ol’ chat about what we’d like to get done in the house. We would like to get the downstairs sorted out – kitchen & carpets – but we think that will have to wait another year. This year; window maintenance & painting the back room (as well at the attic). Louise has dangled the carrot of a CD writer for the completion of the latter…
Louise was not feeling well yesterday & was not really any better when I left this morning. She is worried that she has mastitis, but it may just be a cold as I have a few flu like symptoms as well (not as badly as poor Louise though). The kids seems basically OK as well – although there have been a few running noses etc to deal with.

The kids where in the front garden as I got home yesterday, so it seemed natural to do some gardening. We got some plants from our neighbour, Caroline, for Easter, & popped those in where I hope they will go well. Jack & I also set about trying to dig some of the moss from the beds. Its been trying to take over & makes it all look rather untidy. Jack does like gardening. It’s not just the mud (which seem to be Eve’s favorite) but the plants & the care as well.

Eve was ill again yesterday. Louise is worried that she has a milk intolerance (basically doe to the consistency of yesterday’s puke). It seems to have started all of a sudden if that be the case… She is reported as falling asleep twice during the day, & refusing medicine. Although, after tea, she did ask me if she could have some medicine -which I found worrying… Was she feeling poorly? I quizzed her as to where it might be hurting? Head? Stomach? She pointed to the back teeth in her mouth we know is teething at the moment… Hmmm… I really can’t conceive that all this disruption to her system is caused by teething.

Jude & I played ‘put the baby down/pick the baby up’ at bed time yesterday. Jack & Eve were asleep, & so (in theory) was Jude… So Pick Jude up to put him in the cot. He lays down fine. Put some books away… Snuffling noises – Oh, Jude’s got his eyes open & is waving indignant arms & legs. I picked him up & he’s a mad little boy, but hold him firm & he soon drifts off to sleep again (before we’ve made our way to the end of the hall). Delicately meander back to the bedroom & try to put him down. He detects the horizontal, so eyes are open once more, & protest starts. OK – back to shoulder …and hey, he’s asleep again… How does he do that? Different tack. Still holding at carrying height, I get him to the horizontal. Purses lips & relaxes again. Try to lower him into the cot… gently… slowly… head on the cot… let go of his bum so only my hand on the back of his head… slip my hand gently from the back of his head.. EYES OPEN!
Doh!
Start again.
All the above only more cautiously, but this time I keep my hands around his head… he holds onto my arm, but starts to relax & his arm drifts back… He has his face nuzzled into my palm, so gradually move. Not gradually enough – he starts to stir. Lean over right into him so that it might just give the impression I’m still holding him. It work – he relaxes again. Pull back again to the point where he release my arm & I can start moving my palm away again… ok – just a little further… Yes – he is asleep in the cot. YES! Pootle off switching the baby monitor on & triumphantly let Louise know that he’s asleep at last. Turn the monitor on downstairs – wait 2 minutes & dash back upstairs as I can hear him waking up again <sigh>. This time he’s not so easily tricked. He is mad at me & calm down won’t so easily when I pick him up. Bother. Louise comes up to announce that she’ll go to bed, & he can go in with her. It’s a good excuse to go to bed (she admits later) as she’s tired out anyway. By the time Louise is ready for me to pass him over he’s just about calmed asleep again – but what the hell – if he wasn’t with Louise he probably wouldn’t be happy. Some nights he’s compliant, some not.