Archives: jack

A feeling there’s much to say & a brain that still can’t get past the rudimentary. I guess this is what all parents are like… Too tired to think too hard.
Louise thought the 1st day of the summer holidays went quite well. The kids played well & the day went surprisingly quick. Jack was starting to act up a bit by the time I got home – an accumulation of petty things & ‘that look’ (I know it all – I’m better than you). Not something that sits well with your 5 year old.
Louise went off to the shops & Jack & I stayed a home. Eve is very willing to go with Louise & the pushchair – essentially as we now have a buggy board. We went off on a great trek on Saturday to John Lewis in Manchester. It’s in Cheadle; we needed a train, tram, train & 20 minute walk to get there. All for a retail outlet with a buggy board. It was not something that was really planned. Jude woke us early on Saturday (as mentioned) & Louise piped up that she thought it might be a good idea to try to get there… Heck – why not! The train etc went well to get us to Cheadle Hulme, but it was a little odd when we got there as we had no idea where we were & where Lewis’ might be. Got direction & started the hike. Jack coped well, but got truculent because he kept missing the planes that were coming into land, & blamed us for not pointing them out to him well enough… He was not actually listening when we were trying to point them out. This made the journey there more difficult. When we finally arrived, it was a tad busy… We do not get along that well with busy shops… but never mind. We managed to stay together for the most part & get the new buggy & buggy board. We had arrived there with no buggy/pushchair. The stock collection computers were down, so rather than have our crazy kids running back & forth through automatic doors to the ‘collection point’ outside, we opted to try to get some food. Cafes crazy busy. Supermarket sandwhiches, then. Jude does a poo, Louise goes off to change him while the kids nearly sit down to eat. Eventually we get back to the store & still have to wait an age for the buggy & board. Assembled & homeward bound. There may well be mac computers in this store for me to drool over & Rowan wool for Louise to muse over, but we cannot get out of there soon enough.

Eve took a jolly long time to go to sleep last night. Teething is suspected. Unfortunately she was also up before I left for work this morning. This does not look like an easy day for Louise.
It occours to me I might be more tired that I thought I was as I seem to have difficulty thinking this morning.
Jack brought home a lot of school work yesterday – books & pictures & writing. No word as to whether we are allowed to keep them or not, but logically, I guess we must be able to. After all it’s the end of term… hang on.. is that this week??
Blimey

Hmmm having whittered about the run in with Jack on Friday, I would like to point out that Jack is usually an exceptionally good boy. In writing down the times when bad behavior does occur, I don’t want to give the impression that this is normal. I write it down because it is exceptional. He may even remember such run ins as he gets older, but he won’t remember all his little acts of kindness & being so lovable.
Jack called out in the night for me. I staggered to his room barely awake & he told be that he had a sad dream. Something along the lines of ‘We were at a bus stop’ – ‘You & mummy got off the bus, but I didn’t’ – ‘I should have got off the bus because I got lost’. He told me this; before I knew it he was sound asleep again. To be honest, I think that sounds quite frightening. Louise thought that it sounded like an anxiety dream & I have to concur. So, did I write the previous paragraph because I’m feeling guilty about Jack one way or another? It’s a distinct possibility, I guess.
“Friends Reunited“. Well – I spoke to one of my main cohorts at ‘middle school’ the other night, for probably over an hour on the phone. There were 3 of us that used to be very into art when I was – um -how old? – 11 to 13 or something… Anyway – One of these best friends of mine turned up on the Friends Reunited website. I was rather excited to actually see the name ‘Simon Francis’ there. Cor! I looked at it for a week, & then thought, bugger it – & stumped up some money to register myself on the site to get the ability to send him a mail to say, “Hi”.
Over half a life ago…

Eve woke up in a good mood on Sunday; chirpy, smiling. What a difference it makes! She’s been teething of recent, & has been in a sod of a mood; always whingeing & carrying on. It wears you down, grating at the nerves so much it makes you physically tired. Louise copes extraordinarily well with it all. One main tactic was to just get her out of the house, really so that she has distraction other than complaining. She’s got our sense of humour though… Louise says that she was on her shoulders on her way to playgroup when she did a massive burp, “Pardon me” she said. Louise must have chuckled as she repeated with fake burp all the way through the park. Louise burped yesterday as she was relaxing in the house & apparently Eve jumped on her & wanted “Again, again” – thus the game continues.
Sunday was not all good. We had a run in with Jack, or should that be Jack had a run in with us? We were just in the Co Op car park, after doing some shopping. We were going to go back to the park & see what was happening. There looked to be the music event for the end of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival with a fair attached. This is what it looked & sounded like from the playground anyway. Not too loud… Could be fun. In the car park, Jack noticed a small light bulb. He picked it up, much to my concern – it being rubbish & glass rubbish. I told him to put it down, he did. Whether I remonstrated for lack of care, or whether he just got the idea, he picked it up again & threw it down… He wasn’t successful in breaking it – so he did it again – by which time I was nearly shouting at him. He did break it – to which I exclaimed “JACK!” very loud. Louise had cottoned on to what he was doing & made the swift ‘right – that’s it!’ decision. We were going home NOW! Jack immediately burst into tears. How could it be fair? Well – if he had listened to us & not messed about… He cried & denied that it was his fault most of the way home on the bus. Only getting into town did he calm down. He later even conceded it was his fault for being naughty… but that was only after another smaller incidence (stone kicking, “don’t kick that stone Jack… No… Stop that Jack …JACK!) & punishment (not going to the bike shop for a bike stand) & another flood of tears. It’s hateful to see him so upset & to have caused it, but… but he really does need to listen & have more respect for things. Having said all that – he has been very good since then. He’s come back to more his normal self.
Jude was a ball of energy yesterday evening. Louise says that he hadn’t really had a proper sleep all day. He was asleep when I got home, but I probably disturbed him. He was kicking his legs & waving arms like mad – not in a frustrated way, he was happy & burbling most of the time. Just energetic & happy. He wants to be off & crawling I’m sure… I’m also sure he’ll probably be doing it sooner that we imagine. Not immediate – but soon.

Pleasant weekend.
We did not really do that much, by way of adventuring out, but I’m left with the afterglow of contentment. I would doubt that Jack sees it the same way. He had gone into ‘cocky mode’ to the end of last week, & it was starting to grate. He was not listening, & it all eventually ended in tears. We were having a fine time in Hebden Bridge yesterday. We went to the playground after collecting some sarnies from a cafe, & found that the paddling pool was full of water. Why not? – It was a lovely day after all. Jack & Eve stripped down & played in the water. Jack rushed about & splashed with the others, & Eve kept more to the edges, splashing her feet while sitting on the edge. Enjoying it, but not a boisterously. She eventually decided when she’d had enough & wanted to play on the swings & the rest of the playground. Jack had sunburnt shoulders in the bath that night – “my arms & neck tingle”.

Jude has started baby talk. Well – he was last week, to be honest. “La, la na ya ya na aya ya ya” . He’s 6 months old now & you wonder where the time goes… where the days & weeks go – is it Thursday already? Louise had a hectic day yesterday – Jack off to school, then off to playgroup with Jack & Eve, then home, (11:00) then off to ‘college’ for Eve’s afternoon playgroup there. Eve is starting to be left there on her own. The off to Supermarket, then drop shopping at home, then off to see Jack at his sports day, then off to pick up Eve. That’s where I met up as I was making sure that I got there in time in case Louise was held up at sports day.
Jack won the race where you have to run to a point, run back run to the next point, run back etc & then to the finish line. Louise says he got boxed in, in another race & could not win that (memories of losing the sprint when I was young there). He was upset at not being able to do the skipping race. All in all he did well & got a few 2nd’s & 3rd’s – but he did sound a little disappointed. He might be competitive… I’m not sure. I’m not really sure I want to find if I’m competitive by proxy – the last thing I’d want to do is become pushy. I’ll have to keep a check on me just in case.

We disappointed Jack last night. He was keen to go to the park again & we had basically said, yes, OK… but then he went off to play with Jessie, & came back half an hour later & we said it was all too late now. He howled at the injustice of it all. He had not heard the warning not to go out as we were due to go. Eve was even more tired than yesterday, so it would have been far too much for her. She is back to whingeing a lot at the moment. Was doing it at 05:00 this morning (nyyyuuurg). It drives Louise a little to distraction. It’s probably all to do with teething.
They came to measure up for fitting carpets yesterday – the attic & the front room. We will get a quote in the next couple of days… & I imagine that we’ll take it (even though it will be more than we want it to be). It will be most pleasant to actually have the carpet in the attic (after all this time). The walls may not be painted, but it’s time we were thinking of moving up there. Didn’t manage any painting last night, as Jack was not keen to go to sleep. I went up to convince him asleep, & ended up asleep myself. Louise woke me at 10 to watch some of the wonderful inanity of Big Brother, & then… to….
…bed

Picking Jack up from school, I was told by his teachers that he was telling them of the bad dream he had the night before – possibly even a nightmare! Difficult to say nightmare, I know that he had a disturbed sleep, but I don’t think as far disturbed as that. Nevertheless ‘disturbing’ is the right word. He says He went to Halifax (with us – more than just us, with friends) & Eve was with them. Suddenly Eve ran out into the road & there was a car coming & she was run over. I’ve tried to phrase it a little how Jack did. Then it seems it wasn’t Eve at all, Eve had painted a balloon & made it run out into the road & it was the balloon that was run over. That last bit is a bit weird. It’s either real dream logic, or embroidery on Jack’s part to save my feelings a bit. He’s quite capable of rolling with a story – he does it to me every so often. I had a whole story about ghosts at school the other week while he was in the bath. Apparently they broke a bit of Leila’s lunch box, & then it went into this whole thing about bad, naughty & good ghosts. The bad & the naughty ones messing about withy the dinner ladies’ preparation of school lunches, pouring water on things & making them soggy, & the dinner ladies putting things in bags to protect them form ghostly interference but the ghosts still managing to spoil things & the good ghosts killing the bad ghosts (but not all of them, so the bad ones come back again). All quite bizarre & delightful. Last night I was also told that an invisible person had pinched 2 oranges out of Leila’s lunch box, but returned them to the classroom.
We all went to the park after tea yesterday. Jack wanted to practice on his new bike. He’s a bit big for it, but it is a very nice bike. It was a good practice session for him, & although he fell off a few times round the bike circuit in the park, this was mainly because he was trying to ride up grassy banks & alike, so it wasn’t that surprising really. Eve was so tired after this that by bedtime she was incoherent with disagreement. Not wanting bath, not wanting bed, not wanting what she wanted. As soon as she stopped yelling about it all she was asleep.
She’s been changing of recent – a growing spurt. She’s losing the rounded belly physique of a toddler & starting to get more upright – straight up & down…. Little girl.

Another one-day weekend. Hurumph – it never seems enough… well, to be honest, I don’t think 2 days are enough; I’d prefer to have the whole week at home, but then, I never could get my head round the concept of the necessity of work? Still – there is that problem with money & where to get it?
Jack said in the bath last night, that he likes Sundays best… Basically it boiled down to the fact that I was at home. Saturdays, I’m sometimes not home, but he does like it when Louise’s mum & auntie Alice come over to visit (which happens when I have to go to work).
My cough seems to have dug itself in deeper this morning. I thought I was getting better, but I spent my 1st half hour awake coughing. Jude seems the same. We were sure he was getting better – his breathing seemed a lot less wheezy. He had a rash, that has cleared up as well & he was a lot happier in general. He was still happy this morning, come to that, but he’s just a wheezy as ever. The weather seems ‘croup weather’ (warm & damp) – so we worry that this cough might get worse.
Eve was barmy yesterday we put that down to her teething. She was not paying good attention to what she was doing & she certainly wasn’t listing to what we were telling her to do. We had to resort to carrying her yesterday as she ran to cross a road without waiting for us. Very foolish & not really like her at all.
She’s quite cautious of traffic, even if she doesn’t seem to understand the idea of roads & ‘cars are dangerous’ & all that. Louise told her off for going too close the edge of the pavement the other day ‘because of the lorries’ – so consequently she does not like lorries. If there’s a big lorry coming down the road she runs to be picked up now – a little bit of an over-reaction. That made yesterday’s behavior even more out of character at the moment. Louise is worried how the walk to school this will go this morning, as she was not able to get a wrist band for her. Still, we still have her ‘reigns’ if she’s proving barmy again. Louise is also going round to another mum’s house to see how their ‘buggy board’ attaches to their pushchair, to see if it might be possible to get one to it ours. There are doubts that it would fit on ours, but it would make life a lot easier at the moment if we could find one that did.