Another week flown by.
Not really sure what happened there?
Just tired, I guess.

Back to normal trains again. No doubt there will be more strikes before the dispute is settled – but apart from the slightly involved journey home, it’s been a pleasant change. I just would rather not have to do the bus on that final leg.

Eve is certainly back in good health again & is back to being happily loud. She was the one who would not calm down to go to sleep yesterday. I thought it might be Jack as we had a run in out bath depth – he wanting to be too deep, me worrying that there would be water everywhere. He got mad at me, but we managed to calm down in the end. We went downstairs for a bit & he let me talk him round. He was in a bit of a wind-up mood for most of the evening, so a clash was not unexpected.

Health visitor came yesterday & Jude weighed in at 9lb 15oz. It seems quite a lot in such a short time. He was weighted 2 weeks ago as well & was 8 something then. Louise checked Jack & Eve’s charts & he is heavier than either at this stage, but not by as much as she had envisaged. He’s a strong lad – able to lift his head when lying on his tum already & holds his head quite straight when looking about – which he is doing with a lot more focus. He has no real toys – like an arch baby gym thing at the moment, but he seems to not get bored enough to worry about that yet.
Jack used to be under the baby gym very early. He was jaundice & it was summer – so he’d lie under it in the sunshine from the window in the hope it would help the jaundice. Jude was jaundice as well & on his 2nd or 3rd day he stopped pooing & weeing – which worried us – but he recovered soon enough. The intensity of the 1st few days with a new baby makes you much more focused on things like that.
There were a list of other things re Jude’s early days that I’m sure I wanted to mention, but memory is fractured when typing on the train in the morning. This writing is all very immediate. Surface brain ramblings.
See I think too much & I grind to a halt.

Making a stab at a bit of typing on one of these bouncy no table trains where you can smell the engine fumes in the heating.

Bah. Busy at work again as we have taken over another ISP again & things are not going as smoothly on the technical front as envisaged (do they ever?).

Jack has slept through the night 2 nights running – doesn’t sound much – but it’s good.

“It’s going to be commuter chaos in the north & north east today” Radio4 are saying.
This is another train strike day – so I will be taking a later train from a non-striking company. This gets me to work, but I only get halfway home – the other half has to be done by bus. Hey ho – a considerable increase on my travelling time & no real chance to type as these trains do not have tables – even flip down jobbies on the back of the seat in front.

The kids are still asleep this morning (at the moment). It’s all quite.
Right – best get me bag ready to be off… bah!

All awake as I left this morning again. Unlike last – was it Thursday – no one was crying.
Eve most certainly is getting better now. She had quite an appetite yesterday & she slept through the night. Jack is a little off colour again. I think the cold ran him down last week as he got a spot of impetigo again. What looked like bump on his eye became a little sore, which only got a little bigger before we decided to get something for him. As it’s on the eyelid, it’s a bottle of medicine. Went late to the surgery on Saturday. It was shut, but Louise saw a pharmacist waiting to leave who is also a mother whom she know. She let Louise in to the surgery & she got a prescription from a Dr who took pains to point out how lucky she was to have seen him. It’s true – we were very lucky there as if we’d allowed the rash on his eyelid to get any worse (it was only tiny at that point) Jack could have been in quite a bit of discomfort; pain, even.
Jude is growing. I wonder how much he weighs now. Louise was speculating 9lbs… I guess it’s distinctly possible. Jack has grown as well. At first we though he might just be looking a bit skinnier because he’s been under the weather with the cold he got from Eve, but looking at him again yesterday, he was taller. Noticeably having that little more clearance looking onto tables & the work surface in the kitchen. Able to reach higher that you’d like him to have the ability.
brain has started drifting – I stop typing today

The kids went to bed ‘early’ last night. Only a matter of half an hour to an hour… but they certainly needed it. It was an order as well.
Just after tea Eve had got a wooden jigsaw out & was playing with it very happily – & doing rather well with it as well. It’s a proper wooden one with big chunky pieces. She was just figuring out the penultimate bit when Jack noticed & pinched the final bit. So there we were – at stand-off. Jack refusing to give up the final bit & Eve very upset that he had it. No reasoning worked & Eve got so upset she just pulled the jigsaw apart again. Hmph!
I got on with the washing up & the stroppiness continued in the front room. No, I don’t really recall what exactly happened, but Jack was not playing nicely at all. I came into the front room to try to calm things, & didn’t succeed. Could I really expect to? Jack wanted the toy that Eve had even though there was another near exact one that he was rejecting. I ended up having something thrown at me, & Louise after trying various things said that it was definitely time for bed. I carried a protesting Jack upstairs & Eve following upset that Jack was upset (but still carrying the toy that was causing the confrontation). I managed to get Jack nearly calmed down, when ‘that toy’ started it all off again. Louise followed upstairs with Jude. Jack was in full tantrum howl & she held onto him while I ran the bath for Eve to distract her & calm her down. Jude woke up so I held him while Eve had a bath. She quite enjoyed her bath & was not really worried that Jack was still protesting. He wanted to go downstairs, but Louise was not letting him. What would he do there now anyway – we had the bath done; it was – without denial – now bath time. He became more compliant (somewhere there a hold turns into a hug) & had just about drifted off in Louise’s arms (changed into pyjamas), by the time Eve was out the bath. He stirred again to be put into bed & be read to. They both fell asleep in Jack’s bed. They were both somewhat over tired. Sleeping angels.
Jack was awake before went to work & although not in a great mood (he’s still not feeling “very well” & was not sure he wanted to go to school) he was in a sweet & loving mood. He is going out with William after school. There’s a group of adults & William’s older brother & a friend of his as well. Something called ‘The Wacky Warehouse’. Has food – & a veggie menu- so he should be OK. Hope he enjoys it.

On train home.
I’m sure there is a lot more I am meaning to say, but my fuzzy brain is not getting past the here & now very well.
Things seem to be calming down in the house more at the moment. Jack & Eve still have coughs & Eve still seems to run the occasional temperature, which is worrying, but then she may well also be teething – so it’s not exactly unusual in those circumstances. Jack is less apt to ‘play up’ at the moment, so that is good. Louise & I were chatting on this last night & he seems a lot like me really – needs positive affirmation & telling him not do something meets with obstinance. Ah well…. I wonder if such things are genetic?