It seems Eve was a little terror yesterday. Jack was playing very well, & Eve would not let him have a moment’s peace, but still he did not really react to provocation… Louise got him doing some Xmas cards for his friends at school & Eve was making it very difficult – wanting the book he was writing on or the pencil/pen he was using – things like that. When I called home to tell Louise I would be a tad late home from Work Jack answered the phone when I called with a quite responsible “who is it?” . You wouldn’t think he was just 4. Louise was a bit non-plussed at my bad timing as things were just getting a little hectic. Jack was unwilling to give the phone to her to start with, but did surrender in the end. When I had the shopping list I spoke to Jack again & he complained that Eve had stood on his arm… I would imagine that this would have been when he was trying to write or draw. He wanted to chat a while, but I had to tell him that daddy had to go. He does not quite have phone etiquette yet as he just put the phone down me. I could hear him say (rather forlornly) in the background to Louise, “Daddy had to go…” <Click> Sigh – heartbreaking.
nurgh – this does not feel like Tuesday – my body clock is convinced we’re later in the week… must be the working Saturday that done it. Well – having been to the doctors (we still had to wait 10 mins after I arrived for Jack’s appointment) he ‘officially’ has impetigo. His friend Jessie has the same thing, & we saw him arriving as we left. Actually he had the same sort of over ebullient hyper that Jack had as well – lurching round his mum with a cheeky grin. Louise says that she was glad that I arrived when I did as Jack was starting to try to be naughty to provoke her – which he had been doing a lot that day. He calmed down a bit when I arrived & wriggled about on the chair next to me jumped on me a bit – but for the most part stayed with us & didn’t run about (which he has done on previous visits). He also told a lady who came to sit near us that, “When you get really really really old… then you turn into a baby again!”. Not sure at all where he got that one from – that’s not very CofE (as per his school) – sweet tho. We popped in on his school on the way home to pick up his ‘Santa outfit’ which he was to be wearing at the school concert that evening. One of the teachers we say said that it was a shame & all that & she hoped that he would be better enough for their Xmas party on Thursday. Louise hopes so to as she has her weekly midwife visit then, & it would be all the easier with just Eve to manage. Jack was apparently to be one of the Santas for the ‘I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus’ routine… as was Jessie – they were going to be 2 mummies without Santas that evening…
Jack konked out on the sofa watching kids TV (he falls asleep in few minutes)
Definitely a morning to be asleep, rather than writing, & going to work? Out of the question… funny how I’m doing both then <sigh>. Quite a pleasant Sunday all n all we seem to be doing quite well at them at the moment. At home – no adventurous wandering – we did that Friday after I got home from work – dashed off to Burnley on the bus with Louise & Eve. Louise’s mum picked Jack up from school & took him to Bradford to see the Xmas lights. That was the plan anyway, but they only got as far as Halifax & looked at some lights there… Louise’s mum seems to say that it was Jack who wanted this, but… perhaps not. We got a few bit of Xmas shopping done in Burnley, but not that much really. Tried to fix the old Dyson by taking out the bit of shorted wiring, but it did not work. The wire going ‘bang’ has either had a more serious effect on the wiring or the motor… ah well – I tried a little bit. Jack’s bang on the head mentioned last week needs to be looked at further. I thought it odd that an area that looked like a recovering bad graze had no bruising associated & have been keeping an eye on it. Just past his hairline, there is this area of scabbing dry skin… & it’s starting to behave more like an infection (getting a little bigger) – so he’s going to school this morning, just to check with the teachers as to whether it’s OK for him to be there. He is likely to be going to the doctors at some point in the day. If he cannot go to school, then that blows his appearance in the school Xmas presentation – which is a bit of a shame – I was kinda looking forwards to that. Not sure how Jack will react to this as I’m sure he would like the opportunity to show off.
Jack’s map of the world um…. its representational
Train home
Phoned in on home to see how things were doing. Merry hell – Jack was playing up by the sounds of it – Louise is tired because Eve was at 6’s & 7’s in the night – making a fuss & wriggling about, so she did not get the nights sleep she needed. Jack has not gone to school today as they suspect impetigo… poor lamb. He has a doctor’s appointment at 2:45, (someone cancelled) so I will go there directly from the train. In all likelihood they will not have seen a Dr by the time I get there – it’s just the way the surgery runs, but you never know! Jack confessed while on the phone, in whisper that I was just about able to catch, that he was ‘mad’ (angry) today – thus his bad behaviour with Eve & Louise I guess. Interesting that he confessed this… but what he is mad about? I don’t now, & if I get a chance to ask him, I don’t think I’ll get a straight answer. Perhaps it’s just not going to school that has set him off? He does like his routine. He will also, as mentioned, miss his school concert. Eve is also delicate for the same reason that Louise is – she will not have had a good night’s sleep, & on top of that, she has not had a sleep in the day for a few days now. She can do this; miss daytime naps, but she does need to ‘catch up’ every few days to with a daytime sleep. Jack being at home will rule that one out, as she will want to play.
Eve looks like she’s won, but Jack’s only playing up for the camera.
Jack & I made Xmas cards yesterday… well – we made drawing & scanned them into the computer & fiddled about. By the end of the evening I had actually got what was in my head down onto paper – which I was quite pleased about. Printed off a couple & left them there. Was late to bed though – although falling asleep with Jack as I tried to get him off to sleep offset this. He didn’t seem able to ‘switch off’ last night – a few stories & so forth & he still did not seem relaxed, so had to do the, “OK it’s time to turn the light out now” thing. We rested & he chatted a bit about this & that… The attic in his house, I think; he has his own imaginary house & boys & a whole town for that matter. I drifted off to sleep & awoke a little later – I would normally be free to leave the room at this stage, but as I moved, so did Jack – uh-oh, caught. Sheepishly: “I was just, um checking you were OK”. Back to snoozing & it was already late before I stirred again.. Still, I got what I wanted done (the cards). I just have to print a load out & try to sort out the other designs as well (already done, but how to assemble…). Didn’t get anything done in the attic for the 2nd night in a row… but – well – what the heck – If I’m not back up there tonight it will be tomorrow. Eve was over tired yesterday & was in a mess of tears at bathtime – completely a mess. Louise managed to get her to bed & start reading to her, & suddenly she starts to perk up again, coming to see what Jack is doing in the bath & messing about laughing & all that. Suddenly she’s a bundle of energy again – not able to sit still & preferring to sit up to be read to rather than lie down. She did succumb to sleep eventually without too much fuss. She has been, on the whole in a really jolly mood of late.
I resisted telling Louise I had managed to do the cards last night, so that when she came downstairs this morning & saw them she was pleasantly surprised & was pleased with the way they looked – which made me chuffed :)
Hmm Well- Jack being ‘bumped’ it seems could just be that he is not looking properly where he is going. He did not complain about it yesterday when he left school & seemed bemused by any concern… so perhaps that is just as it is – not looking. He does have a new pair of shoes at the moment – & they are his 1st to have little LED lights in the sole that flash as he walks. He is rather pleased with them & has taken to racing about & jumping & twisting round as he jumps in them… so perhaps he is apt to more accidents at the moment. Louise’s concerns were noted at the school. He had a haircut yesterday & it suits him well. In the bath I noted he had taken quite a knock to the side of the head recently (what looks like a healing graze). He is not sure when he did that. It was not fresh today, so it’s difficult to say when he did it. Kids – they make you worry.
Yeay – they’ve come to do the roof around the chimney again – Louise called to let me know (& that she was getting a haircut). Hopefully the wall will dry out up there now. Louise said that they reported that when they took the lead flushing up they found that it was damp underneath – so it looks likely that this is where the fault lies… Possibly some previous shoddy workmanship disturbed by the general work we’ve had done in the attic. I’ve started doing a little more work up there on an evening, so I expect that I’ll be slowing up with regard to updating ZUM! as much as I’d like to & sorting out other aspects of the site I want to mess about with. Hey ho. Jut been stripping the final bits of paper from the beams & making a start getting manky paint off the skirting board. Hattie came & put the radiator back on the wall yesterday. Neat job – the copper pipes bend into the radiator very nicely – no heat burnish on the copper either – pretty. Same the radiator is an old one of ours that a previous foolish owner of the house has put another layer of paint on – but can’t be choosers. Jack came out of school unhappy on Monday complaining that he had been bumped a lot… Odd. Apparently he did yesterday at school – he mentioned that he was being bumped when he was ‘playing out’ – playtime. He was generally in a good mood yesterday evening, but a little tired & on a short fuse. Eve was playing with a jigsaw with Louise’s mum & Jack wanted to join in, or take some of it & was refused a couple of times – so he got mad & threw jigsaw around the room & jumped on the box. Eve cried & Louise’s mum was probably quite shocked as I don’t think she was ever seen him do such a thing. Louise, as we have learnt best, did not confront him there & then, but left him to it – he ran out of steam quickly & was helping to clear up moment later. I got similar when I was trying to get him out of the bath, except he was intent on getting me wet – so I left the room & closed the door, leaving him for a couple of minutes. When I went back he was out of the bath (the water had drained away) with his towel around himself & had got his toothbrush down & even put the toothbrush on himself. Very good. Louise is to mention the bumping thing at school today – so we will see how that went…
Home again, home again, jiggetty-jig. Been Xmas shopping in the way home this evening. Can I be trusted? heh Got a few stocking fillers – & sneaked a present for Louise in there as well… She doesn’t really read all this what I writes- so I’m basically safe writing this. She is starting to get to the final stages of pregnancy now – makes me feel a little more jumpy (AAA Baby! AAA) & it is tiring her out a fair bit. Sitting down when you have to corral small kids (& one big one) is a bit of a luxury, but when she does she finds it a lot harder to get going again. Gotta watch out for the, “oh, I feel a lot better – everything’s suddenly easy again” day as that may mean it’s immanent! Must make sure there are no lose ends at work either. May have to take time off in a hurry! Jack is no longer the ‘angry Jack’ of the end of last week. He’s reverted to ‘normal’ giving & sweet Jack.
Blimey – that digital camera doesn’t half eat batteries! Jack went bonkers with it for a bit & took pictures of absolutely everything he could & poof – no batteries left. I shall have to get a charger & some decent rechargeable batteries. hmmmm… I wonder if I can sneak off after work to get something… Ah, whatever.
He’s being a little wild in general at the moment is Jack. Two nights running there’s been an air of rebellion again. He did not have bath last night & when I followed him upstairs to put the plug back in & turn the tap on I received a few shin kicks. I responded by picking him up & holding him sitting on my knee on the stairs. He could do me no damage there & was forced to try to calm down (which didn’t work). It all started because we would not let him decorate Louise’s teacup with cellotape & suchlike… sigh
