Archives: jack

Yesterday was a day of crap ‘no table’ trains. Hey ho.
Also Mac OSX arrived at home with a confirmation of suspicions that it does not have an OS9 upgrade with it… & there’s me in OS 9.0.4 limbo (it won’t work in conjunction with X – bah).
Never mind – I’ll just have to be grown up & patient while I await the redemption of the apple fulfilment thing (You have to PAY a little more – which seems somewhat sharp).
Jack has adapted to the holidays very well. The 1st day he was directionless & was causing a bit of a headache for Louise. He settled down though & is now been constructive & helpful (not ‘over helpful’ either – not, “I want to clean the house from top to bottom”). Eve is not quite over throwing up – but she is less delicate in this matter. She lost her tea last night though – but this was because Jack upset her because she was messing with his sums (sticker) book. He’s been very fond of his sums book. It was something that my brother sent for his birthday, but he was not really ready for it at the time (not much in the way of sums at school). He’s now rather keen on sums & the holiday seemed a perfect time for him to have a go with it. It’s also a sticker book – you don’t write the answer – you use stickers – another very big good point in Jack’s eyes.
Oh – I got into an old password protected diary the other day – from when Jack was born & we 1st got a computer. I’m not really sure why I put a password on it, but I cracked it the other day. It was a little odd reading words from Louise & I from that time. Slightly different world. I’m not really sure if I would put any of it up to accompany this stuff as it’s got Louise in it as well, for one thing – & I know she would not appreciate me doing that.

hmmm
Eve – she fell asleep on me going up to 6:00 yesterday…. poor lamb -jiggered. Put her off to bed with only a small protest, she did very well for it. Stirred only once before bedtime. She & Jack have swapped beds. She was falling asleep in his bed while he had his bath & then I’d move her… but Jack kinda decided that he’d have her bed. This is fine by Louise & I because she’s the one who usually calls out in the night for attention & for someone to come sleep with her. Jack’s bed is a full size (single) mattress & this is a darn sight more comfortable than the other & the futon, which was the other solution for sleeping with her. It all works better. Soon we hope to be getting them a bunk bed, which should be OK for having to sleep with them. Lately I seem to have been sleeping more with Eve than with Louise… which isn’t right… but then Jude sleeps in ‘our’ bed anyway (after he’s done his requisite in his own cot – hopefully it’s after midnight he stirs). If you’re not a parent – all this bed swapping business may seem odd – but parents of young children will realise you sleep where you can. Jack sleeps well nowadays. He rarely wakes up to call out. I’m sure he probably does stir, but he keeps it to himself for the most part. Can’t think when he last called out.
Jack has been very excitable this weekend. He’s had difficulty in … I was gong to say ‘keeping still’ but that’s always a problem. He’s certainly been feeling chipper, & understanding ‘no’ – or rather getting through with ‘no’ has been harder. He wants to – he really wants to. I had to turn the computer off a couple of times over the weekend as he was just getting carried away. With Eve off to sleep early last night we had to continually remind him to lower his voice & to stop jumping about the room… These are very difficult things for a 5 year old to do. Out walking over the weekend, he was either trailing behind seemingly lost in his thought or gleefully skipping on ahead. All this, of course makes Louise worry that this week’s half term break might be a little hard, but as she has said before… If Jack is in a good mood then it makes everything else easy. Of course, if Eve is ‘off colour’ which she well might be, then the balance tips negative again. She’s clingy & screamy when ‘off’. She was very dopey this morning – wanting to lie down & rest, where she’s usually full of beans to be up & about. Jude being awake when I got Louise up helped; he excites her. She was coughing a bit & demanded a drink. I wonder is she has a sore throat? She was also sick just as I was about to go out of the door. Didn’t see what happened, but she was eating some of Louise’s cereal at the time & blearg! Nothing dramatic in reach – just down herself, but still a mess… Quickly cleared before leaving though, & did not have to rush for the train to much.
On the computer front… I believe that I have managed to get it working for the most part – the CD writer, that is. I’ve ‘burnt’ most of my files, & the mac actually saw the disks. Next backup is applications & thence the may be the next big move. I have more memory ordered, & I have (dun-der-daaaaa!) OSX (10.2) ordered. Blimey. So – many more hours spent wrestling with the computer to get the darn thing doing what it’s supposed to do… but… but.. I have been rather keen to move to ’10’. I have a lot of applications that are going to have to stay in ‘classic’ – but nonetheless, I feel it will be worth it. I made up my mind after checking that all my peripherals would be OK – & it seems they will – even the scanner (although the drivers are still beta – but at least they are there!).
The plunge, as it were.

Hey ho… Brain still awaiting catch up on the sleep thing. Nice & Groggy this morning.
Got my new CD-RW working last night after faffing about for a good while. The software the manufacturer supplies is… not great. By that I mean that certain unrequired components seem to freeze the mac on startup. I conclude that it is probably a clash with Login on my verson of Mac OS – which is well stinky.
It’s taken me a couple of nights of pratting about starting with extensions off to come to that conclusion – which is far more time than I’m willing to concede to any problem – but needs must. I now actually have facility to do a proper backup of my files – which is like – really amazing! Hmmm – that sounds a little ‘gosh, wow’ of me – but I have not been able to do a proper backup since I got the computer – which in my opinion is very unwise. I’ve had a few scary moments where I thought I’d lost all – & the risks become greater the more I accumulate. I’ve been taking loads of photos for nearly a year now without any safety net if I suffered major problems. Anyway – now begins the process of putting back extensions & hoping it doesn’t all go wobbly… Hey – That does give me the very good excuse of prattling with the kit to back up all files before doing that.
Thinking of doing some passive newspaper reading.
Summary on the home front: Jude is happy – seems past recent tummy upset. Standing up against everything he can. It is wise not to stand still for too long as he will crawl up to you & stand up against your legs now.
Eve is fractious – she has a back upper right molar which still has not come through proper. This makes her more barmy & volatile than usual. She is now going to Monday afternoon school playgroup as well. She likes it all & is not troubled by Louise leaving any more.
Jack is … well Jack, really; loving & boisterous.
Louise is going for an eye test tomorrow. The 1st in many years. A new pair of glasses! She may even get a pair of wire framed ones & a pair of free sunglasses!! Louise has never, as far as I know, had a pair of sunglasses – let alone prescription sunglasses.

A pleasant weekend, all in all. Out & about on Saturday. We had money things to sort out & Louise managed to get an appointment with the opticians in Bradford. She also likes the glasses I’ve been thinking I want. We went to a toy shop as Jack had a party to go to on Sunday & we ended up getting presents for Jack & Eve as well (how can you escape such in a toy shop?). Eve got a small dolly which had a tiny bottle & dummy etc. She sat in the pushchair & played with it a lot. Kept her quite happy all afternoon. Jack got a bit of technics lego – a ‘drome racer’ which flies apart when it hits something. He was a little frustrated that he could not have it until he was home – but we had to be sensible with it really. Thinking about it he was a little easily frustrated this weekend. This could be an indication that he’s not really well. Retaliated at Eve a couple of times. Oh, & there was Hamish; he upset Jack. Jack wanted to show Hamish the neat technics/bioniclish car that he had & Hamish brushed him off. Seems Hamish was being busy being a ‘big boy’ & didn’t want to bother. Jack came back in tears. Amber came round a little later to play with Eve – but they didn’t really cotton on to this neat car & bionicles thing. He tried, but she just left in the end – which she (& Hamish for that matter) have a habit of doing.
Jack enjoyed his party over at Tom’s a lot. He was a little worried as I took him that I might not hang around, (I didn’t) but as soon as he was there he was happy & last seen dashing off with pals up the stairs. When I came to get him later he was full on giddy. He charged out of the door at me happy as anything. Crashed into me, as he likes to do. I bent down for a hug & got a real good slap on the head for my trouble. Diane, Tom’s mum was really good & gave us a party bag for all of our brood which included hair grips for Eve & a rattle for Jude – uncommonly generous! Jack had a couple of his party bag sweets on the way home & Louise said he was completely bug eyed when we arrived back. He danced through the door & announced to Louise – happy as anything – that he’s had, “too many sweets” – which was, by & large, patently obvious. He remained in a happy & convivial mood all afternoon/evening. Played well with Eve – ate his tea – gadded about – played with Junkbot on the lego site & did not worry when I was not there to assist. Actually – he played quite happily on his own – completing the puzzled to complete the levels quite well. OK then, all in all Jack has been abundantly loving this weekend. It’s true what Louise says – when he’s in a good mood everything goes smoothly.
I stayed up a little late last night watching most of ‘A Clockwork Orange’. I gave up in the end as I realised that I needed sleep more than I needed to know what happens in the end. I’ll watch it again sometime, & I’ll be able to play proper attention. Sleep will nag at me now this week – I must remember to get to bed on time to make up the deficit.

The train has been more crowded of recent. I have been told why now – the ‘turn around’ from Tod to Southport has been removed from service. This does not bode well as that was my ‘stand by’ train in case there were any problems with this one. This means I have a much higher chance of being late for work. Bah. Not happy about this. Especially not happy about the ‘little things’ like having to start typing as soon as the train starts, rather than wallow in the paper for a while my by brain solidifies from the liquid state induced by sleep & waking. Again, BAH!
<Tries to tune brain in to thinking> ummmmmmm
Duh yeah – went to school last night. One of those ‘parents meet the teachers to discuss schooling’ things. Just 10 minutes. It seems Jack is happy, confident & social at school. Such things are happily reassuring. He is also willing to answer questions & be involved. He did have & still does to a lesser extent, it seems, have a tendency to be a perfectionist. He wants to get things right. He is less worried about this now though. Whereas last year this impeded him – slowing him up to the extent that he was not getting things done; he now completes tasks in the given time. I think he’s less afraid of mistakes – which is a good thing. Having said that…. Louise & I have noticed a tendency to be worried more about making a ‘social’ mistake. He seems to be worried more at the moment about doing something wrong. It’s a little odd, as he can get himself quite upset if you reprimand him for some minor misdemeanour. It’s like suddenly we have this aura of ‘they must be obeyed of you suffer the consequences’ – which can be quite disconcerting.
Jude still has no teeth. He has very very lumpy gums at the moment though. He was throwing himself about as I was holding him the other day – jumping up & down in my arms to the extent that I thought he was going to hurt himself on my shoulder. He didn’t seem to – but still – you think – that surely can’t be good for him.

Cough cough.
Oh great – I now cough. Dry tickling little so & so that keeps nagging. Mind you that’s better than the asthmatic guttural phlegmmy ones :)
I would, it has to be said, appreciate feeling healthy – if nothing else so that I would stop whittering on like some flagrant hypochondriac.

I left work early on Friday. Feeling abysmal. Whole body hurting & head spinning. It’s quite probable that I should not have bothered going in at all. I was in a filthy mood & that’s probably what propelled me in – the adrenaline from anger. Once I sat down & started work I fell to pieces a bit. It seems when I am truly ill I get mad at everything.

This morning the limbs don’t feel so bad. Yesterday was a bit awful – & I just started to perk up at bedtime… great.
The whole family is a bit off at the moment. Jude was being sick lot yesterday – which is a little unusual for him – he’s not got a predilection for barfing like Jack did & does not often ‘loose it’ when really upset, as Eve can still do. However – he was sick on my leg at the start of the day. Later at midday Louise gave him some lunch (a jar of baby food – not that common a meal for him). He tucked in happily & was doing well… that is until Louise had him sat on her knee & was getting him ready to go out &, well, I’d like to say, “VlAAArp!”, but he’s very quite with his being sick. Just opens his mouth & away he goes – yellow gunk all down him & all over Louise’s dress… Louise was… not impressed. Jude didn’t flinch – he was only mildly upset by having to have his clothes changed. So I get to carry the time bomb for a bit… But he’s fine. I play with him, carry him around, let him jump up & down at the window, banging the window (he enjoys that) while Louise gets a change of clothes. She comes downstairs & starts putting some washing out again, & I follow her. Jude stretches out, so I go to Louise, & we just get to where she’s taking him off me, – he’s on her shoulder &, “Vlaarp!” again. More yellow dappling! Louise does not quite see the comedy of it all, somehow. That was, thankfully, the last of it though.

Again with the feeling shite.
This time I have heavyweight limbs. I ache all over. It would be very nice to not have a cough & to feel sprightly. Suspect Jack has been suffering something similar – a reluctance to walk & the glands on his neck being up. Louise is similar. Eve & Jude… I dunno. Eve has been wingey, but Jude is too happy to notice such things.

Can’t be arsed typing any more today.

Brain was on the verge of giving up most all of yesterday. Feeling more chipper today, but not exactly sprightly.

That’s weird… someone who just got on the train smells of soiled nappies. Bleh!

We finally managed to get Jack a haircut yesterday. He was happy with it. There’s a lack of curls at the moment (just a little flick at the back) but they will return. Jack’s hair grows lovely, & then it just comes to this critical point & goes ‘flop’ – turns into a more moppy do.

Now Louise just needs to be able to find time.
All children awake before Ieft the house. Jack was the last to rise & that was my fault. I like to give him a little kiss before I go off, but today he must have been drifting on the edge of sleep as he shot awake. They are all early risers at the moment. Still – Eve is happy to go to have a bath almost directly after tea – so that’s a plus.

Not a thought in my head. Is that so unusual? It would be nice to just drift for a bit.
Pootled about after work in Manchester yesterday & looked at a few pairs of glasses. Humph. The pair I liked will most likely be too expensive at £120.00. The shops that sell glasses are always the same. D&A will remain my least favorite, although it’s where I always got my glasses as a kid. My parents must have liked them… were they different then? Now they are very aggressive (with that mask of helpfulness). Just browsing I try to say to the hawk that swoops on me when I start to look at frames, but she persists & waffles extolling virtues & outlining offers. She also suggests that I partake of the ‘designer matching’ service (or some such) – seemingly unaware of the implicit suggestion that I do not know which pair of glasses might or might not suit me. It’s not just about the vanity of how they sit on yer face; it’s also about personality. Whatever – suffice to say, as soon as her attention switched to a helpless looking old lady, I was outa there.
Also wandered round large record store wondering what on earth I was doing (looking for) & feeling bilious.

Eve was tired last night – she wanted to get in the bath almost straight after tea (which she wolfed) – so we ran her a bath. It all worked quite well. Jack most likely got to feel he was up later than usual, & was very good going to bed. She woke at 5:10 hollering for mum – which was a drag, but unlike yesterday I managed to get her to sleep again (phew). …It’s just a shame I didn’t get to sleep again, but never mind.
brain would like to stop having to commit to thinking now. Thank you, & good day.

Gripe: shite train – no tables – typing on lap (oh, & it’s running late, but that never bothers me as I leave plenty of time for getting to work).
Jack was… well I’m feeling conscious that I seem to put every run in we have down here & it’s not really fair on him. He was difficult at bedtime yesterday & I upset him because of this. We managed to calm down eventually & we were left with the situation that Jack & Eve were in his bed as I read to them. Eve was just dropping of to sleep & Jack started knocking her. I said not to & he just about started hitting her. Granted, it’s his bed & he does not share it when I read to him, but it was a situation that his behavior had created. So – Louise had just managed to get Jude asleep & took Eve into her bed to get her to drift off. I was mad at Jack for being insolent & unhelpful again after we had just been through all that, & he had moved on. Grumpy as I was I was not willing to read anymore to him, but Louise told me off & told me to read. I was rather pleased about this as it gave me the room to be grumpy & voice said displeasure at the situation, but still carry on reading so that things progressed ‘normally’ & Jack drifted off to sleep instead of getting annoyed with me & staying up later than he should.
This morning did not go to plan either. Eve awoke crying just as I was getting out of the shower. Hurriedly scooped her up & got her back into bed, but she was settling to sleep again, but… not quite – which was frustrating. She eventually won when things were starting to get too late to be practical – I needed to be getting going to actually have some breakfast. In the end all the kids are awake before I leave the house in a dash (but determined not to be too much of a dash, as I’m not confident I’m fully better). I dislike hurry in the mornings, but sometimes it seems difficult to avoid.
Eve is very ‘clingy’ with me at the moment – I carried her all the way to pick Jack up from school & on hunt for an open barber for a haircut for him (which he desperately needs at the moment). She also clung to me. We did not find an open barber.

Louise’s mum comes today & I get to linger in Manchester a little after work. A couple of little jobs to do & I’m going to have a look at glasses. Both Louise & I are going to get new glasses. I want to do a little window shopping today