Archives: jack

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.

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.

What’s been happening of recent? Hmmm
The weather has been uncommonly pleasant – We’ve been playing out (the kids & I). Been enjoying the evenings. Jack has had the scooter out again. My parents gave him for his birthday last year, but Hamish fell off it & split his lip (falling on the wall?) so badly that he had to go to hospital to have a stitch or 2 in. Louise finally relented & let him play with it again. Initially in the front garden, as the space is limited to up & down the path. He then managed to bargain venturing out onto the street a little. He’s now tearing up & down the back street – with its moderately steep incline. He’s quite confident on it, & doesn’t fall off it much. Still – with one thing & another his shins are rather bruised at the moment. Dalmatian.
I did not go to work yesterday, as it was Good Friday. We went to Bradford & it was quiet; not a frantic push past the shoppers day. Nerves stayed intact. Rather enjoyed that.
Manchester arrives at the train again – darn it -sometimes I wish it would not keep running into this train. Perhaps the train will find somewhere more fun for me one of these days?

Eeee – it right feels like spring at last. Beautiful sunny (crisp cold) mornings. When I got home yesterday I played in the front garden with the kids for a good long time. Eve is a bit of a mud monster. Louise says that she’s definitely ‘her girl’ as she was a mud maniac when she was young. Hmmm – I did a comic strip about that once.

Jack is on holiday now. It did not feel right at all this morning going off to work. It had been a pleasant weekend & should well have carried on all week without me having to go to work. I should be at home with family… bah!
Didn’t do much typing while travelling last week as – well – I was reading & I was tired.
Jack was not sleeping well to the end of last week. He got a fever & was distinctly under the weather on Saturday. We were going to go to Bradford, but we scaled down to Halifax, & then opted to just stay in town & go the The Bear (veggie restaurant in town & highly recommended). Jack went in the pushchair, & just flopped when he arrived. Didn’t really touch his food & fell asleep on either me or Louise (in that order). Eve was happy – she is certainly back on form. There may be something going about & thus it was not just teething last week. Amber a couple of doors down had a temperature & was ill for a couple of days last week & her oldest brother was also (very odd for him) laid up in bed on Sunday.
Still – Jack was better again Sunday & we were able to pootle off to a party to which he’s been invited by his classmate Thomas. Quite good fun, although it was just enough distance away to leave me stranded there without anything to do. I was initially quite put out by this, as I forgot to take anything to keep me amused, like pen & paper for drawing, writing – or me eMate for typing. Bah.
Drank a pint of beer, let me head swim a little with the novelty of alcohol. Popped out of the building to check for public transport timetables home, & walked about a bit in a desperate attempt to see if there was something interesting in the locale… well – maybe a shop really – that might sell pen & paper. No joy. Resigned myself to going back & sat with a couple of other parents who I felt uncomfortable with. I then let myself get lured into throwing the balls back into the ball room playground adventure thing while Jack & pals through them out at me. What the hell – it was a laff. That passed the time very well until it was time for the party tea.
I think Jack enjoyed having me all to himself for a while – he doesn’t usually get that. When Jessie’s mum offered us a lift home, I left it to Jack to decide, & he wanted to walk home with me. Fortunately by the time we eventually left the hour had gone so far round as to let us catch a train home. Jack would have got tired & I would have been very tired from carrying him.

Eve actually slept better last night. Not something we expected. She is/was teething – she has cut a lower left molar. She is still not well because of this. Orange juice is off the menu – which she will not like, as she enjoys drinking it, but it does not sit well on her stomach. She finished her tea yesterday & then brought the whole lot back up again. That was the second vomit of the evening, so we really should not have been surprised. Unpleasant to clear up, but as it was on a flat surface I found a dustpan & cloth the most effective. Despite telling Jack not to look – he did, looked worried, with bulging eyes & backed off. Hey – I thought he did well. In those circumstances I would have joined in – contributed to the mess. It’s funny – I do not have a very strong stomach at all – but when needs must, you just get on with it.
Right put me off eating the rest of my tea though… It’d gone cold by the time I sat down again.

Eve will hopefully sleep a little longer this morning, as she kept me quite awake between 4 & 5 this morning. She’s not that well – suspected teething. Fragile. At the supermarket yesterday she got upset that Jack was in the ‘Bob the Builder ride’ – it being only a one kiddie ride. Jack tried to accommodate her, but it was too tight a squeeze. She went off bawling to the checkout where Louise was packing up & promptly threw up everywhere. As I was carrying Jude, there was not a lot to be done other than prompt the blank looking checkout girl to call for a mop. Stares all around. I have to admit that the farcical nature of it all made me find it amusing. She still has the ability to puke when really upset. (Violet Elizabeth?)
Getting a lot more smiles from Jude. On Sunday he seemed to take one of those little leaps of comprehension at the world around him. He is watching more & engaging more. You sometimes have to remind yourself that he’s only 9/10 weeks old. Mind you – he’s not up for watching, or wanting to take much notice of things other than lights lines & people. It’s the people one that’s interesting. He was watching us eat breakfast most intently. If you are doing something like that he seems positively keen to observe. He quite likes a quick ‘baby chat’ as well now.

Hmmm- it’s been a week or so since I charged this emate up – just gave me a battery warning – so that seems a good excuse to stop for now. I’m sure it would carry on, but a ‘thinking impasse’ & a good excuse….

All awake as I left this morning. Louise not impressed. It’s a shitty day – cold/wet/windy & Eve is up too early. She is probably going to be tired & shouty later.
Friday is a ‘big day’ with playgroup in the morning & ‘college’ in the afternoon. She gets over emotional & loud when she’s tired – Eve. She’s always been loud though. The prospect of this & dodging soakings can be a bit off-putting.
Still didn’t do any attic work last night. It was a little late by the time I got downstairs from getting the kids off to sleep. Jude was a little unsettled, & although tired, Jack & Eve seemed to have got it into their heads to keep each other awake that little bit longer. They did do quite well though. They were not antagonising each other. I bored them to sleep eventually reading “Paddington dines out”.
Had to take Jude downstairs again by then, as he was quite awake again. His eye was a lot better yesterday. Still a bit gunky, but it wasn’t getting stuck shut. Pirate Jude.
Ralphie sent me a copy of his latest comic “Giant Clam”. I’m in it – published cartooning work. The 1st since… uh… No, I’d rather not think about that too much.

It was Parent’s Evening yesterday. Went to see Jack’s teacher again (only the second time) & discussed how he was getting on. He is, on the whole, doing quite well. They like him a lot as he is well behaved, keen & interested. Whether it is a general point or not, we came away with the perception that he is feeling unconfident. Socially, Louise & I feel he seems to be confident, but in his school work maybe. He was quite perfectionist in his work & would scribble things out at home rather than live with an error. He has reduced that to crossing things out. His schoolwork has some crossings out in it, but on the whole, that’s fine. It seems that sometimes, when left alone, he will reach a little crisis of confidence & not be able to do something. At least he goes to ask a teacher, but still, you worry about such things – whether he is feeling ok in himself – whether he is happy? What does he have to measure these things to himself? He is only 4. Perhaps we worry too much/perhaps we don’t worry enough is one of those things we will always… um… worry about. The best ambition we could have for him is that he be happy.
Been guilty of neglecting attic work – must be better resolved.