Archives: william

I allegedly slept well last night… funny that. Seems I beg to differ with the actuality.

Eve is “The biggest girl in the wide world”. I thought I’d share that with you. She’s bigger than Jack, she’s bigger than Grandma, she’s bigger that daddy (me). I’m not sure where this opinion originated, but she is very pleased with it, & has often mentioned it over the past weeks.

Her playgroup has moved from the college to a room at Jack’s school. She went for the 1st time again yesterday & loved it immensely. She did not want Louise to go though… So Louise stayed & Jude enjoyed himself as well. Louise says that Eve really enjoyed herself. She was running with her head held high as she left.

Jack has settled into school again well. Louise was a bit worried on the 1st day back when the seating arrangements cast him as the only boy on a ‘girl table’, but this has not effected him. I think there was more concern he might get ribbed by more ‘boy centric’ boys for being on ‘the girl table’. Not so, & he does not really seem to have that distinction enforced as much as others. William, his old pal who moved to Spain has returned again – which has made him happy. I think he’s off to William’s after school this Friday. All in all, i think he’s enjoying school (as much as one does).
He’s a social animal.

I got Jack home from school quite quickly yesterday. William was there (his friend who moved to Spain). Don’t know if he had been there for the day, but I think Jack was pleased he was there. It’s always so difficult to judge Jack’s mood as he leaves school with how his day went, as he’s onto the next angle already – how to get me to pick him up & carry him, or something like that. Anyway – I told him that I had already taken the stabalisers off his bike. That got him home in a good mood. He was off as soon as he got home. The street full of kids : Hamish & Amber, Jill’s Tara & Maraid. & Kristen – who had just had stabalisers taken off her bike by looks of things. Hamish got his bike out as well – he’s been off stabalisers for a good while, but his transition was a little shakey. I think because Jack has got so adept with the scooter he’s got good balance & he made the transition quite easily really. Pedaling along with ease after a while.

Ah – another Saturday travelling to…. Work!
Bah
It all went smoothly this morning, although it came as something of a shock when I realised I needed to be setting off to work. What a bugger! Hugs, kisses, scarper.
I found the bit of paper that had William’s address on it; Jack’s friend whose moved to Spain, but no – the address says Majorca! I went to Majorca when I was a young kid (7/8??) on holiday with my parents. There are some old photos they have somewhere. It was the only holiday we had abroad as a family. My parents were always working in the pub, & it’s hard to leave such a thing, as they don’t run themselves.
Anyway – Jack has now the option of writing to William, but I’m not sure I should mention it as a prompt to him, because he does get glum when he realises that William isn’t about. On the plus side William is supposedly coming back to the UK for Easter – so they should get to meet up then!
I had a good night sleep last night, but still woke up feeling grotty. I guess I have to conclude that it’s not just lack of sleep, but my sinuses are blocked & I sneeze & cough… lordy I have a cold! tsk.
Eve & Jack have the same. Jack had a nasty cough in the night, but in the day it doesn’t seem too bad. Eve is suffering a little with this, but is generally crankier through her teething. Heh – she also slept quite well. I heard her yelp as she woke up, so scampered upstairs. She was running down the hall at the time, & I was worried she was upset (she often wakes grumpy & upset) but she had a huge smile when she saw me appear at the top of the stairs & gave me a big hug. Ah, the sort of things patents love.
Hey ho – here be Manchester once more. Pack up – go to work – bah.

Hmm
I actually don’t feel completely shagged & useless. This does not mean that I actually have 2 brain cells to rub together; it just means that the paracetamol I had half an hour ago or so is starting to have an effect.
MMMmmm no headache….
Eve is teething at the moment. This means that she is acting barmy as her gums are driving her barmy. Her ‘loud-o-meter’ seems to have stuck on ‘intense’ & she has a constant frantic edge to her. She is also rather fragile.
Jack was saying the other day as I picked him up from school that he was missing William. William is the lad who was his main friend at school, & who has gone to Spain. It’s difficult to know what to say really. I empathise as we moved around a bit when I was young, but I still don’t know what to say. I will have to try find the address for them in Spain that his mum gave me. I know where I put it, but household clutter may have swamped it. I suggested that he write to him – but I really do have to ensure that we can before reminding him of that. Jack also said that no one would play with him at school when he was going to bed last night. I don’t know about the hurly-burly of the day to day at school – but Jack seems a popular lad. Other kids say hello to him when we are out. Not just ones from his ‘year’, but older kids. So maybe that’s just Jack missing William again. I don’t know. Again I worry for him & I don’t know if I justifiably worry.
Hmmm – I think there’s a ‘parent’s evening’ next week…

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.

Last 2 days I’ve been travelling on trains with no tables & half journeys on buses – so no chance for typing on the move.
The little evening with William went very well. Jack was a bit ‘gross’ with his Jelly & ice cream & they were a bit difficult with the concept of William having to go home – Jack cried as their car pulled away. The good point is that we got it wrong thinking yesterday was William’s last day. That seems to be next week & then Jack is invited out for an evening with William!
Eve is unwell. I am tired. Louise was worrying about her in the night & we three were awake as a consequence. She does have a temperature: 39.1 degrees, but the fact that she has a bit of a nasty cough & associated heavy breathing & her night time drowsiness alarmed Louise to the point where she needed to feel assured. My assertion that I thought she was fine was not enough as I sounded grumpy due to being awake when I’d rather be asleep. She called NHS Direct & talked to a nurse about the fever & so forth & got some sensible advice. She called again later as she was further worried, & got a better ‘diagnosis’ that allowed her to asses Eve’s symptoms a little better & have a few things to look out for. Eve is certainly not that well, & was very ‘clingy’ this morning, but she will hopefully be more sprightly as the day continues.

Jack was stirring as I got up this morning. He was in the same bed as Louise & Jude & I think wanted to go downstairs. Fortunately we put him off. When I went to take Louise a cup of tea & rouse her again he was asleep & holding on to Jude. One arm around his middle & on his head. Jude likes to sleep on his side a little & for one so young has already been able to move off his back to do this. He is quite strong for his age. He can hold his head up oh his own quite well. He sleeps quite well at night as well; we are lucky.
Jack’s pal at school – probably his best friend – William is leaving at the end of this week. His family is moving to Spain. Jack knows this, & William has been off school in Spain before, which made Jack sad. William, from accounts, considers Jack a very good friend as well. I think we are going to have to engineer a way of keeping them in contact electronically. William is coming to tea at our house on Thursday – a little party on his behalf is organised. A couple of presents from Jack to be bought & party style food for us all to be organised. Happy/sad.
Jack is still not settled & this may be part of it. He is easy to offend & disproportionate in his response. I foolishly took some water out of their bath last night to rinse out Jude’s baby bath bowl thing & Jack took great umbrage that I had taken water from ‘his bath’. He got mad & the bathroom & I got rather wet. Sometimes there is no reasoning with him, as he is resolute in his determination not to listen. We are going to have to try to figure out how to diffuse these events more effectively as it’s doing no one any good.
Still – reading the to sleep was quite good as they were relatively keen to hear some Pooh Bear stories & I quite enjoy reading them. Jack even asked for another story to be read… which was encouraging, but at the same time I had to remind him that he was in fact tired & it was in fact bedtime. He turned over & drifted as I read “On nearly meeting heffalumps again”.

Early evening: One handed typing holding Jude. The kids are round at Andy /Hamish/Amber’s; they came round to ask if they wanted to come round… Eve was keen – Jack reluctant at 1st but won round. Jude with Louise now as he wanted a feed.
How have the kids adapted to the ‘new family dynamic’… Hmmm. Well, I’ve been at home this week in an attempt to ease the transition, so the picture gets a little blurred.
The kids came back as I wrote the last sentence. It’s now 9:30 & Jack went to bed at least an hour ago & he’s still not settled down to sleep. It’s usually my task to do this, but every time he thought I might be dropping off, (something I often do) he would make to get up. After messing about with this for sometime, I confronted him asking why he was doing this? He said that he wanted to go to our room as the bed was more comfortable, so I disagreed, but let him slink off anyway. He didn’t go to our room as I suspected he might but nipped off downstairs to see Louise. Fortunately Jude is snoozing (& parping) in his perambulator. Louise has just taken Jack upstairs for a wee (which is probably the reason he could not settle – but that would not be admitted/understood). I sit at the table typing (there’s a thing, these words you read have to come from somewhere, do they not?)
Hey ho – I guess this is an example of Jack’s reaction to Jude’s arrival. He is unsettled. He is also unsettled as his pal William is leaving school next week for Spain. William’s mum said that when they asked him what he would miss about Todmoden, he said, “Jack Schroeder”. They seem very good friends. William has been invited to tea next Thursday – we will have a ‘party’ tea. Pizza, jelly, ice cream & all that malarkey. I feel for Jack a bit as I moved schools every so often when I was a kid & I remember crying in bed for what seemed like hours at the realisation I would never see my friends again. I find it hard to put together my school years sometimes & the others that populated it, I put this down to such things.
Eve seems a little unsettled these last couple of nights. Before Jude arrived she was sleeping very well, & through the night quite often. For 2 night running she has awoken inconsolable & needing Louise badly – so I have had to take her to our bedroom. She has also coincidentally managed to increase the volume of her crying to quite an ear piercing scream… yes, I guess she has learnt to ‘scream’ properly. She has always been loud. Jack’s behaviour is the most erratic. He does not cope with change that well, & although he has been very loving & careful with Jude he has had frustration that he has had to get out of his system somehow. There are other examples, but yesterday was the one that made me mad. He started throwing everything from the back room into the front room, creating an almighty mess. I cannot recall what started it all, (most likely being told that he could not do something) but he became very angry & we were unable to reason with him. Louise advised me not to react, but i should have started to tidy up or something, as his continuing belligerent behaviour (starting to tidy up, but putting Eve’s toys into a bin bag) wound me up until I lost my temper with him – which served no purpose other than making everyone in the house unhappy.