Archives: jude

Train home. The kids actually went off to sleep OK yesterday…well… ok perhaps that’s an exaggeration. Jack wanted to play downstairs with his Lego rather than consider coming upstairs to bed & screamed & shouted & accused me of trying to make him unhappy when I carried him up. I had made him cry & scream earlier in the evening as well. He wanted some crisps just before tea, & was refused. We endured a good ten minutes of howling & harrying on the subject. We did settle on the compromise of letting them (as Jack wants, Eve wants) have a bowl of rice crisp things in a bowl with tea.
Louise is still worried about Eve, so I think she is going to ask the health visitor’s advice, as she doesn’t feel confident with much else. Essentially Eve seems OK, she seems a little pale, & she does have a cough at the moment to compound things. She does not seem quite her usual self though. She is more often than not having a sleep through the day & seems listless. She does not sleep so well in general. It’s difficult to put your finger on precisely, but after being ill the other week, she seems to still be drained. The Health Visitor is due to see Jude, I think, but Louise is alerting her to the fact that she’d like to have a word about Eve.
Occurs to me I’m tired now… might sleep.

Jack was late off to sleep again last night. Hopefully he will sleep in a bit thins morning…
Perhaps “A Comet in Moominland” is just too stimulating for him… I dunno. He seems to be enjoying it as his bedtime read, as do I, but he got alarmed that Momintroll fell off a cliff pushing a boulder over with Snufkin. They were roped together though – so he didn’t fall, but I had to explain twice that the boulder was not going to fall on then as they had pushed it. Then he wanted to root down further into his bed, so I had to move Jude, who was sleeping on Jack’s bed after falling asleep with Louise (Louise subsequently having gone to do sandwiches for lunches & ironing & suchlike). Jude did not go into the cot without waking up, so Jack did not get more stories, but had to try to get off to sleep on his own while I went through the process of trying to calm Jude down & then put him back in his cot. Jude was not for being put down, & Jack had a struggle to get asleep. He did sleep eventually, but time probably drifted past 10:00 – which was even later than yesterday… Poor boy will be tired at school.
Oh, & I’m tired as well as it was past 11:00 again before I managed to get to bed, what with having a bath & all. At least Hattie is coming over to day to look t the shower & see what needs to be done.
Oh, talking of work to be done on the house. The roof. I’m not sure what it is, as Louise was discussing it& I only got the end of the conversation… & have not got round to getting it clear in my head what is going on. Anyway – they are coming back to put some ventilation on the roof. I’m not really sure what this entails. I think Louise says ventilating ridge tiles – which should be interesting as imagine that they will change the profile of the roof. May have completely the wrong end of the stick, though.

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?

Did some rearranging of the back room over the weekend… Hmmm… I wonder if that added to the ‘unreality’ of that weekend. It really did fell like I would not have to go back to work this week… hey ho. Anyway – got some cardboard draws yesterday, in Manchester, & was surprised when I got home to have the opportunity to put them together – which I did. A further attempt to clear the clutter off those shelves into something more manageable. It’s getting there. Household clutter is something we will probably never win the battle against – but we will continue to try to make the whole thing more sane.
Jude was the only one awake as I left for work today. I carry him to my stomach/chest so that he faces out from me holding him with one hand round his chest & sitting on my other arm, so he can sit & watch the world as I walk about. There are certain things that he really seems to like. In the bathroom he is delighted to see the bottles on the shelf above the sink/below the mirror. In the back room downstairs, this morning he was most keen on the drawing board. It has some photos & pictures by the kids on it. There is also a rainbow – a few strokes of paint on a caved cut out paper, & he likes that quite a lot. He was also having a good chew on my thumb while we wandered about.

We were just having some pudding – stewed apple & custard. Eve got to use her much treasured ‘pudding bowl’. She’s finished about half when she went quiet & stared for a moment before, “belch-vLAAAArp!”.
Again, she’s sick.
This time it was just her drink really – most of her tea stayed down. Also – she had magnificent aim – it nearly all ended up in her pudding bowl. Very little clearing up. She was a lot better yesterday. She ate quite well earlier in the day. We suspect that the blackcurrant & cranberry juice was a little harsh on a delicate stomach.

<sigh> I’m missing the broader picture really with this writing; I’m only really scribing bits of the evenings with the kids.
It would be more complete if Louise was writing what the kids are up to as well, but I would be torturing her in making her do that. She does tell me what they’re up to, but my brain is not sponging up the details at the moment. Last night she told me a bunch of stuff as we were falling asleep… Things that made me chuckle… but it’s completely the wrong time to tell me stuff I’ll remember in any detail.
Jude was awake as I left this morning – watching intently as Louise ate her breakfast. He gave me a couple of really wonderful smiles before I left.

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.

Did no work in the attic last night – but I did finish off a delayed project that I promised someone – so one less niggling guilt to contend with now.

Jude has had a gummed up eye the past 2 days. As he cannot cry tears properly as yet, I think such things affect babies more. Mucus gunk keeping his eye closed. I’m sure Eve suffered similar at some point, & possibly even Jack, but I just can’t remember. As he went for his 1st inoculation jabs on Tuesday (polio/whooping etc etc) they gave us some eye drops to help him – which he naturally would rather we wouldn’t bother with. He is most resistant to having them applied, so has only ever had them once. The jabs do not seem to have left his legs bruised too much. Eve was with them at the doctors & whoever was giving Jude the injections was worried that Eve would be distressed. Louise says that Eve was not for being distracted & watched with interest as the injections were administered. Craning her neck – trying to view as closely as possible… hmmm… Eve has been less manic in general these last couple of days. If it was teething, it’s died down a bit. If it was flu, she’s recovering. Ate heartily yesterday, although… She had a new bowl, which she said was her ‘pudding bowl (a week ago she would not touch pudding & custard). She wanted her pudding bolw at tea, but was most distressed when her normal tea arrive in the pudding bolw!! She tipped her tea on the table & cried & cried & howled for a good 10 minutes. Not impressed. Perhaps she was expecting pudding (oops!). When Jack decided he had enough (not much into his meal) Eve elected to polish his off in grand fashion. She’s eating so well – perhaps she’s on a growing spurt.

Jeeez- another month! I mean – a month!– what happened there?
<sigh> – I only used to get caught out by weeks passing.
Will years be next?
No fair – no time to enjoy things.
Train home – brain is a blur from it being busy at work yet again. Nothing notable to explain such other than lingering tidying up of previous problems.
No time to complain at being underpaid the hours I work & all that crap – hey ho.
That’s all ‘work’ – leave as much of it at work as I can.
Jude was smiling over the weekend. Yet to catch such a photographic image of such an elusive thing. Heh – we did catch one of Jack’s early smiles on film. Smiling at you rather than the ceiling. There is communication stuff starting to set in his brain.
Wonderful things – baby smiles.

Jack was called up in front of assembly at school on Friday. This was because he was “the best behaved boy” in his class/year. He got a little sticker & a lot of pride. He was chufty about it. He has been especially lovely recently. Had the occasional flare up, but nothing as protracted & as involved as he used to do with us at home. He is no angel, but Louise thinks that he has made the decision to be good at school. His reading is starting to work better for him as well – he understands & recognises things better. He is also able to write more words on his own. He filled as few lines in a notebook with “yes no yes no yes no yes no” the other day. It’s all less frustrating for him.
I wonder sometimes if we expect too much. I suspect we are probably quite quietly demanding parents, but I have no yardstick to compare.
Heh – we got Jack another coat the other day as the one recently bought did not really seem good enough for the frightful weather we have been experiencing (Old Lincolnshire saying that Louise reminded us ‘tother day: ‘February Fill Dyke’). I got it on the way home Wednesday, I think, & it was put away as I got home so as not to be noted by Jack or Louise’s mum. Louise got it out in the morning as they were about to go & Jack is under the impression that ‘a lorry came in the night’ to deliver it (as if we ordered it off t’net). We had tried to order one previously from t’net t’other day, like, but they were low on stock – so we cancelled the order when fannying about started. Louise thought it easier to flatter Jack’s assumption – so, he thinks the coat is more ‘special’ due to this phantom delivery & maybe he likes it all the more (?).
Eve has been cheekier of recent. She’s always been an opinionated little thing, but is trying to get her way more. She picks up Jack’s bad habits & runs like billio with them bath water gurgling & spitting, taking things from the fridge. She is probably the loudest member of the household, & when she is upset has really started to be piercing. High-pitched over-scream. OW! She has been getting up too early & still has not properly resolved the ‘sleeping during the day’ thing. Sometimes she just does not – gets over tired – over emotional & loud. She is also winding Jack up occasionally, which he does not respond well to (& she should know that by now). Still – that’s all part of being brother/sister. Perhaps there’s a bit of attention seeking now that Jude is here.