He did it again! He bounces back quickly. Doctor was very happy with him so he had his cast wrapped with fibreglass (he always destroys them) for protection. Tony explained a bit more of what was done to his foot as I had missed the doctor's rounds while I was home with Katie and Ben. Sounds like he has done pretty much everything he can. Plan is still to go back in two weeks to get some wires removed (currently screwed into his tibia, ouch) which are pulling his foot straighter. The doctor will manipulate the foot further still, stitch him up and re-cast him. I don't know yet if he gets something else next month, or whether that cast is the one that stays on for a few months.
It was bitter cold today. Very windy and raining, sleet and snow. Thank goodness the hospital is only a few minutes away, we were blown all over when we went to visit. Tony had been very bored, I don't blame him. Katie gave him a nice greeting though. I forgot she missed him all yesterday too, so that was cute.
We finally got home - I was really expecting to be in until at least the weekend - and he seemed ok, but the pain is really bothering him now. I gave him his meds and it only really seemed to take the edge off it, but he was also very tired so I put him to bed. He slept for a while but has been crying in bed so I gave him the maximum dose and he is quiet for now. He has no way to say he hurts so I'm just going to give him his Calpol every 4 hours whether he appears to need it or not. He likes to sleep on his front too so I bet he is very uncomfortable.
Poor guy, I hope he feels better over the coming days.
Oh, and Ben is definitely a crawler, he's finally cracked it. I know he was later than most kids, but he still beat Katie by 2-3 weeks :). It is very sweet to see, but I'm in trouble as he wants *everything*! Katie never really messed with things or put stuff in her mouth, Ben just does not stop no matter what and tries to eat everything. Time to be more vigilant in the childproofing.
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
It is done
Update tomorrow, I need to go to bed. He is doing well so far though. Relieved.
Pre op.
Pre op.
Post op
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Tear out my heart
Why don't you.
Jack is having his surgery tomorrow for his talipes (clubfoot) - please, please, please no more delays. I'll be nervous until tomorrow when he sees the doctor for his final all clear. His cold is really just a crusty nose, so I'm going to give him a bath in the morning to clear him all out. We need to be there for 7.30am sharp. He's second on the surgery list so he should go down quite quickly.
I'm also nervous for the surgery. I would hate to put him through this and not have it make any difference. He's had lots of intervention since birth and a previous surgery on his foot, but no success so far. A lot of that may be down to extremely low muscle tone, also hindered by him having Cerebral Palsy on his left side, but if he has any chance of walking, we need to try. I can't even imagine his foot to be straight. But, this operation is the big one. His consultant told me this is all they can do for him and whatever the outcome, it is as good as it is going to get for him. It will be done in 3 stages. Tomorrow they will operate on his leg/foot/tendons/bone, etc and he'll get metal pins in his leg and casted (but his would will be open as since his foot is currently "deformed", the skin won't fit together to be stitched). He'll have this on for two weeks, come back for the second stage, a revision and his foot can then be stitched and back into another cast. I think this one is for 4-6 weeks where he'll have another revision and the metal pins removed? Then another cast for up to 4 months.
ANYWAY, the point of this post was going to be... since we're up for an early start tomorrow, it wouldn't be fair to Katie and Ben to have to get them up and ready, so they are staying with my mam overnight and for most of tomorrow while we're at the hospital and will figure out childcare from there. We took them over and were just playing for a bit when Ben decides he will try out *forward* motion, finally!!! Yes, I'm pleased I was there, I at least have that. He crawled 6 knees forward! He is good at crawling/pushing backwards or just twisting and turning until he gets where he wants to go, but this is the first time he's officially crawled. I'm going to be sad to miss this emerging skill over the next few days (they are going to have to be shuffled back and forward to different people, I'm going to miss them too). Maybe the next time I see him he'll be a fully fledged crawler and I'll miss all the wobbly figuring it out stage :(.
I never did get his 11 month pictures uploaded, I'll need to do that probably at the weekend, we'll be in hospital for a while. I'll have no access there, but will be coming home while other people visit Jack. The one consolation is that this hospital is only a 5-10 minute walk away.
Will try to check back as soon as I can. If that turns out to be early tomorrow morning, that will mean the surgery has been cancelled for whatever reason and I will be very upset!
Jack is having his surgery tomorrow for his talipes (clubfoot) - please, please, please no more delays. I'll be nervous until tomorrow when he sees the doctor for his final all clear. His cold is really just a crusty nose, so I'm going to give him a bath in the morning to clear him all out. We need to be there for 7.30am sharp. He's second on the surgery list so he should go down quite quickly.
I'm also nervous for the surgery. I would hate to put him through this and not have it make any difference. He's had lots of intervention since birth and a previous surgery on his foot, but no success so far. A lot of that may be down to extremely low muscle tone, also hindered by him having Cerebral Palsy on his left side, but if he has any chance of walking, we need to try. I can't even imagine his foot to be straight. But, this operation is the big one. His consultant told me this is all they can do for him and whatever the outcome, it is as good as it is going to get for him. It will be done in 3 stages. Tomorrow they will operate on his leg/foot/tendons/bone, etc and he'll get metal pins in his leg and casted (but his would will be open as since his foot is currently "deformed", the skin won't fit together to be stitched). He'll have this on for two weeks, come back for the second stage, a revision and his foot can then be stitched and back into another cast. I think this one is for 4-6 weeks where he'll have another revision and the metal pins removed? Then another cast for up to 4 months.
ANYWAY, the point of this post was going to be... since we're up for an early start tomorrow, it wouldn't be fair to Katie and Ben to have to get them up and ready, so they are staying with my mam overnight and for most of tomorrow while we're at the hospital and will figure out childcare from there. We took them over and were just playing for a bit when Ben decides he will try out *forward* motion, finally!!! Yes, I'm pleased I was there, I at least have that. He crawled 6 knees forward! He is good at crawling/pushing backwards or just twisting and turning until he gets where he wants to go, but this is the first time he's officially crawled. I'm going to be sad to miss this emerging skill over the next few days (they are going to have to be shuffled back and forward to different people, I'm going to miss them too). Maybe the next time I see him he'll be a fully fledged crawler and I'll miss all the wobbly figuring it out stage :(.
I never did get his 11 month pictures uploaded, I'll need to do that probably at the weekend, we'll be in hospital for a while. I'll have no access there, but will be coming home while other people visit Jack. The one consolation is that this hospital is only a 5-10 minute walk away.
Will try to check back as soon as I can. If that turns out to be early tomorrow morning, that will mean the surgery has been cancelled for whatever reason and I will be very upset!
Babies!
So many on my online friends are having babies or getting pregnant this week. Congratulations!!!
I love children. I would totally have more if we'd had more time, money and space, but we don't and it isn't an option any more. I still feel broody though and it can never be.
Anyway, loving all the little new people coming into the world! So exciting.
I love children. I would totally have more if we'd had more time, money and space, but we don't and it isn't an option any more. I still feel broody though and it can never be.
Anyway, loving all the little new people coming into the world! So exciting.
Monday, 28 January 2008
11 months
Happy 11 months Ben!!!
My baby is one next month... no!
He got his third tooth today, top front and is working on the other.
Pictures and milestones to come :)
My baby is one next month... no!
He got his third tooth today, top front and is working on the other.
Pictures and milestones to come :)
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Workout roundup
I missed my run today as I caught Jack's cold and AF has decided that since we are done having kids, it would be a good time to give me my 28 cycles back. (I need a raspberry blowing smilie)
I ran on my treadmill Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Time - 105 minutes
Distance - 10.3 miles
Calories - 414
I would have easily beaten my totals from last week if I'd been able to run today.
I have GAINED 1 lb. Definitely need that smilie!
I ran on my treadmill Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Time - 105 minutes
Distance - 10.3 miles
Calories - 414
I would have easily beaten my totals from last week if I'd been able to run today.
I have GAINED 1 lb. Definitely need that smilie!
Saturday, 26 January 2008
You're kidding, right?!
£26! £26 ($50) for ONE wiper blade.
We took the car in this morning as the gearbox wasn't shifting properly and asked them to look at the blade as it wasn't fully clearing the windscreen since Tony washed the car. I knew we should have gone through the car wash ;-)
Of course, they had to be special thingymabobs and we couldn't just buy a generic replacement, it was something to do with the bracket. It's not our car (it's licensed through the Motability scheme for Jack) so we have to buy dealer parts. The most we've ever paid before is like £12 for a pair, so this hurt!
Oh well, at least the engine is sorted. It was very disconcerting braking while approaching a roundabout, seeing there was time to get out so putting your foot on the accelerator and the car deciding to go forward a little bit then practically stopping in the middle of a junction with cars swiftly approaching before it finally moved off!!
We took the car in this morning as the gearbox wasn't shifting properly and asked them to look at the blade as it wasn't fully clearing the windscreen since Tony washed the car. I knew we should have gone through the car wash ;-)
Of course, they had to be special thingymabobs and we couldn't just buy a generic replacement, it was something to do with the bracket. It's not our car (it's licensed through the Motability scheme for Jack) so we have to buy dealer parts. The most we've ever paid before is like £12 for a pair, so this hurt!
Oh well, at least the engine is sorted. It was very disconcerting braking while approaching a roundabout, seeing there was time to get out so putting your foot on the accelerator and the car deciding to go forward a little bit then practically stopping in the middle of a junction with cars swiftly approaching before it finally moved off!!
Friday, 25 January 2008
Wow, that was fun
Not.
Just had a visit from Jack's psychologists. It went on forever so I've missed my doctors appointment again!
Anyway, got the distinct impression that yes, they're not disputing that he has problems, but that I have maybe a "defeatist" attitude. That's my words and I may be wrong in my impression, but way to go to make me feel worse than I do. I think they think that when we go out, I am already thinking it's going to be awful, so it is. Many times I've kept my outlook light and conveyed that to Jack "we're going to have a great time, Jack", it makes no difference. They think he will outgrow it, but I'm sure they think it is as much me as it is him.
He has not been diagnosed with anything, he's had CT scan, pressure monitoring, they say there is no medical reason and is learnt behaviour. He does not act like this for school, even if they are out on a trip for hours, so for whatever reason, it is something to do with his relationship with me, or maybe the kids or whatever. They don't know what sparked it for him, why he'd do it even for fun things (park, library) but it is a bad habit.
You know, I've tried just about everything. I don't think it is only communication frustration, I can tell the difference. There is an obvious difference in his gestures, intonation, actions when he's trying to tell us something, or he wants something... compared to this sheer screaming and shouting (angrily) as soon as we even pull into a car park. And then continuing until we stop it. He doesn't get his way. It may not be fun, but we need to do things so he has to do it. He doesn't get an out, so it's not like he thinks "if I just make some noise I can go home and I'll get what I want". We've tried rewards, tried different modes of transportation, or when he's in the trolley/cart - forward facing, rear facing, in his pram, sitting on his own, next to Katie, next to Ben, carried.
She seemed to project a lot onto her assumptions of what I must feel like. That I usually let Tony push the trolley and bear the brunt of Jack while I'm a little ahead if shopping and just getting what we need = I'm detached? No, it means I'm not big enough to manoeuvre the thing with at least two kids and food in it, so Tony does it. Plus, I know more what we need ;-)
Just feeling despondent at this moment.
I know there are some changes I need to make, I know I need to use more Makaton with him and I need to experiment more with taking him somewhere with one specific goal in mind, short sharp attack if you will, then get out, give him a reward, stickers, whatever so he knows he can trust me that it is not always unpleasant to be out, then build up from there. Really though, like I *want* him to act like this? I would give ANYTHING to be able to go out with my husband and children as a family for even 30 minutes and everyone have a good time. Of course it is not easy. Of course it's not nice wondering whether we'll ever be able to even have a holiday together. Am I just supposed to trust this is a normal phase (been going on precisely 2 years and 3 months now)? Believe me, I would love to believe he will grow out of it.
I rang Tony, he said they are patronising, I hope he doesn't escalate it until we talk properly.
Blah.
Just had a visit from Jack's psychologists. It went on forever so I've missed my doctors appointment again!
Anyway, got the distinct impression that yes, they're not disputing that he has problems, but that I have maybe a "defeatist" attitude. That's my words and I may be wrong in my impression, but way to go to make me feel worse than I do. I think they think that when we go out, I am already thinking it's going to be awful, so it is. Many times I've kept my outlook light and conveyed that to Jack "we're going to have a great time, Jack", it makes no difference. They think he will outgrow it, but I'm sure they think it is as much me as it is him.
He has not been diagnosed with anything, he's had CT scan, pressure monitoring, they say there is no medical reason and is learnt behaviour. He does not act like this for school, even if they are out on a trip for hours, so for whatever reason, it is something to do with his relationship with me, or maybe the kids or whatever. They don't know what sparked it for him, why he'd do it even for fun things (park, library) but it is a bad habit.
You know, I've tried just about everything. I don't think it is only communication frustration, I can tell the difference. There is an obvious difference in his gestures, intonation, actions when he's trying to tell us something, or he wants something... compared to this sheer screaming and shouting (angrily) as soon as we even pull into a car park. And then continuing until we stop it. He doesn't get his way. It may not be fun, but we need to do things so he has to do it. He doesn't get an out, so it's not like he thinks "if I just make some noise I can go home and I'll get what I want". We've tried rewards, tried different modes of transportation, or when he's in the trolley/cart - forward facing, rear facing, in his pram, sitting on his own, next to Katie, next to Ben, carried.
She seemed to project a lot onto her assumptions of what I must feel like. That I usually let Tony push the trolley and bear the brunt of Jack while I'm a little ahead if shopping and just getting what we need = I'm detached? No, it means I'm not big enough to manoeuvre the thing with at least two kids and food in it, so Tony does it. Plus, I know more what we need ;-)
Just feeling despondent at this moment.
I know there are some changes I need to make, I know I need to use more Makaton with him and I need to experiment more with taking him somewhere with one specific goal in mind, short sharp attack if you will, then get out, give him a reward, stickers, whatever so he knows he can trust me that it is not always unpleasant to be out, then build up from there. Really though, like I *want* him to act like this? I would give ANYTHING to be able to go out with my husband and children as a family for even 30 minutes and everyone have a good time. Of course it is not easy. Of course it's not nice wondering whether we'll ever be able to even have a holiday together. Am I just supposed to trust this is a normal phase (been going on precisely 2 years and 3 months now)? Believe me, I would love to believe he will grow out of it.
I rang Tony, he said they are patronising, I hope he doesn't escalate it until we talk properly.
Blah.
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Katie's first day pictures
I'm a bit disappointed in the quality of some of them, I didn't check them properly as I was in a hurry.
Here she was on her first ever day of playgroup. This is her new camera face!
I quickly stood her outside before we went to get more light, do you think she was cold?
And on her first day without me. Again, her "smile!!!!!!" face.
Here she was on her first ever day of playgroup. This is her new camera face!
I quickly stood her outside before we went to get more light, do you think she was cold?
And on her first day without me. Again, her "smile!!!!!!" face.
No no no!
Jack woke up with a cold this morning. Please let it be short lived, we can't afford for his surgery to be postponed a third time. 7 days to go, please!
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Monday, 21 January 2008
What a Chump
Had a good morning :)
As I mentioned the weather was awful. It was even heavier by the time I went to pick Katie up (rain/snow) so I switched coats and buggies. I was trying to make sure I had everything, phone (thankfully!), hat, wellies, gloves for Katie, umbrella for me, etc. Pushed Ben out the door, pulled it behind me - UH OH! Realised my keys were in my other coat. I was struggling with the umbrella, which picked the perfect moment to break in half on me! I had no money so desperately tried to ring Tony and my phone only had one bar left for the battery and I know it runs out quickly. Luckily he could leave work, so I headed off for Katie.
All the kids have to sit in a circle until the parents come and when I went in I saw her looking around, then she saw me "Mammy!!!" and ran to me for a hug. She kept saying "Aww, mammy!" and hugging me :). She had a great time. No accidents. I tried to take as long as I could to get her ready and we walked *slowly* home and I let her splash in every single puddle on the way. So much so that Tony got home before us.
She was well bundled up, Ben was in his little cocoon, but I was drenched! Stupid umbrella, although it was very difficult to push the buggy and hold it at the same time. Stupid me! I won't be making that mistake again - I hope.
As I mentioned the weather was awful. It was even heavier by the time I went to pick Katie up (rain/snow) so I switched coats and buggies. I was trying to make sure I had everything, phone (thankfully!), hat, wellies, gloves for Katie, umbrella for me, etc. Pushed Ben out the door, pulled it behind me - UH OH! Realised my keys were in my other coat. I was struggling with the umbrella, which picked the perfect moment to break in half on me! I had no money so desperately tried to ring Tony and my phone only had one bar left for the battery and I know it runs out quickly. Luckily he could leave work, so I headed off for Katie.
All the kids have to sit in a circle until the parents come and when I went in I saw her looking around, then she saw me "Mammy!!!" and ran to me for a hug. She kept saying "Aww, mammy!" and hugging me :). She had a great time. No accidents. I tried to take as long as I could to get her ready and we walked *slowly* home and I let her splash in every single puddle on the way. So much so that Tony got home before us.
She was well bundled up, Ben was in his little cocoon, but I was drenched! Stupid umbrella, although it was very difficult to push the buggy and hold it at the same time. Stupid me! I won't be making that mistake again - I hope.
Peace
And tugging on those heartstrings, it feels a little lonely.
Katie started playgroup properly today. All by herself. I dropped her off and she was not phased in the slightest. I kissed her goodbye, told her I was going to the shops and I would come back for her later and to have a good time. She just ran off to play. I'm pleased she is not the type to get upset.
So, back home, gave Ben his breakfast and put him to bed. Had breakfast myself!!
It's now bucketing down with rain, the house is silent and I'm on my laptop. This is new.
Weird, I don't really think of what Jack's doing in school now that he's been going for so long, but I'm wondering what she's doing, who she's playing with, whether she's going to remember to ask to go to the toilet! She'll be fine, I'm fine, they're all growing up. I could get used to this.
I was going to do my run but thought why waste such precious free time ;-). I'll do it when they go to bed for the afternoon (she only goes until 12).
Edit - and now it is raining/snowing. Luckily, it is only a few streets away!
Katie started playgroup properly today. All by herself. I dropped her off and she was not phased in the slightest. I kissed her goodbye, told her I was going to the shops and I would come back for her later and to have a good time. She just ran off to play. I'm pleased she is not the type to get upset.
So, back home, gave Ben his breakfast and put him to bed. Had breakfast myself!!
It's now bucketing down with rain, the house is silent and I'm on my laptop. This is new.
Weird, I don't really think of what Jack's doing in school now that he's been going for so long, but I'm wondering what she's doing, who she's playing with, whether she's going to remember to ask to go to the toilet! She'll be fine, I'm fine, they're all growing up. I could get used to this.
I was going to do my run but thought why waste such precious free time ;-). I'll do it when they go to bed for the afternoon (she only goes until 12).
Edit - and now it is raining/snowing. Luckily, it is only a few streets away!
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Workout Roundup
That makes it sound like I actually did something, doesn't it! Don't laugh, it's my first week back in years.
I ran Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday.
Time - 128 minutes
Distance - 11.7 miles
Calories - 467
467? Is that all? I'm hoping it is not accurate and has actually been more than that.
Sigh.
I ran Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday.
Time - 128 minutes
Distance - 11.7 miles
Calories - 467
467? Is that all? I'm hoping it is not accurate and has actually been more than that.
Sigh.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Birthday surprises
Ooh, I was good. I really pulled off the secrecy perfectly.
Tony & I haven't had a night away since mid 2006 (well, he has for work). I had it all planned for one night of peace and relaxation.
I booked a hotel room in a swanky, posh country hotel back in November. Dinner, bed and breakfast, 4 poster bed! The day after, I took Ben for his ortho appointment and the doctor gave me the date for Jack's postponed surgery on his foot - January 16th! I deliberated and asked them to change it. Luckily the next date was only two weeks later, if it had been longer I'd have just cancelled the hotel. Good job actually as Jack was terribly sick over christmas and had another g-tube infection. It is just about cleared up now so he should be good to go by the 30th (please!)
Anyway.
Made sure he took 2 days holiday from work - check.
Hotel - check.
Mam on standby for babysitting - check.
Reservation double checked - check.
Suitcase packed the day before departure when Tony was at work and put back on top of wardrobe so didn't look out of place - check.
Schedule for kids written up, talk about complicated - check.
A few small gifts wrapped for his "birthday" - check.
Map/reservation printed - check.
On the morning, we did his gifts and cards before Jack went to school and just waited for my mam to come from work. I needed a reason to actually get him there as I wanted to spring the surprise last minute. So, I texted my sister to say I was going to ring her and pretend to ask where would be a good place to go for lunch. I rang, tried to play cool while she's laughing on the other end of the phone and winding me up about the 4 poster bed. "Is it? Linden Hall? I dunno where that is... Tony, do you know where that is?" Ha, ha. So I strung him a line about the apparently had a reasonable lunch menu and secretly put the case in the car while he was distracted.
I couldn't pack the toiletries until literally last minute otherwise he'd definitely have noticed. There was a small panic where he was looking for his new shirt to wear (which I had packed!), I was sure I'd get rumbled so just pushed him to choose something else as I was hungry. My mam came, Tony thought she was just coming for the afternoon so we could have lunch, I asked him to make Ben a bottle and then whipped everything out of the bathroom into a bag and stealthily made it to the car, then pushed him out the door.
It wasn't far away, so we had a nice drive and as we turned off to the hotel (or pub as I was leading him to believe we were going), we approached the hotel. Very impressive building and grounds. I joked "I hope Rachel's idea of reasonable is the same as ours, it might be out of our league here" and we pulled into the car park. The hotel was off to one side and the restaurant/pub to the other, he started to walk for the pub and I said "No, this way". "What?". "Surprise!!". He was gobsmacked.
I did good, he didn't suspect a thing :)
It was quite a cold and rainy day, but it couldn't have been more perfect. We had nothing to do, which is just what I wanted! Simple peace and relaxation. We got the the hotel door and the concierge opened it for us. He was dressed like a butler. I know this is common place in the US, but it isn't typical here. We checked in and he carried our bags, again not typical so I panicked a bit as I didn't have cash and didn't know if I was supposed to tip him, but he showed us around, dropped our bags and took off with no hesitation so I don't think we could have tipped him if we wanted to. And get this - the key to the door was a...gasp...key! Haven't seen that for years. We usually stay in city hotels so have those swipe card things.
Our room was ground floor overlooking the gardens/grounds, it was silent. We set our things down and went to look around the hotel. They had huge drawing rooms with real open log fires. Huge, not these little pretend ones. I mean, this used to be someone's house! It was a bit too nice, I was falling asleep reading my book with the warmth.
I also had the best night's sleep in a long time. Usually hotel beds are uncomfortable, or the pillow isn't right, or the light shines under the door, or you hear traffic, blah, blah. It was pitch black (which I love!!), so quiet and the bed was just to die for. I set my alarm for 8.30 (!!!!!!!) for breakfast. I was shocked when it went off as it seemed like it was only 5am.
So, I'm recharged. One evening did the world of good for us, we connected. Of course I missed the kids, but it was nice to be *me* without having the be in mother mode. It was comparably expensive for our usual choices, but worth every penny. I would definitely like to go back. If I did, I'd remember to bring our swimming costumes as I forgot and we couldn't take advantage of their pool/steam room/leisure facilities. Bummer.
I know this post is very boring and far too long, but it's been a while since we had any luxury and I want to remember this feel good feeling. It was just bizarre as there were little cards in the room saying "Please call room service for milk, ice, etc" and we're not used to being waited on so felt a bit guilty for people just bringing it to us :)
Tony & I haven't had a night away since mid 2006 (well, he has for work). I had it all planned for one night of peace and relaxation.
I booked a hotel room in a swanky, posh country hotel back in November. Dinner, bed and breakfast, 4 poster bed! The day after, I took Ben for his ortho appointment and the doctor gave me the date for Jack's postponed surgery on his foot - January 16th! I deliberated and asked them to change it. Luckily the next date was only two weeks later, if it had been longer I'd have just cancelled the hotel. Good job actually as Jack was terribly sick over christmas and had another g-tube infection. It is just about cleared up now so he should be good to go by the 30th (please!)
Anyway.
Made sure he took 2 days holiday from work - check.
Hotel - check.
Mam on standby for babysitting - check.
Reservation double checked - check.
Suitcase packed the day before departure when Tony was at work and put back on top of wardrobe so didn't look out of place - check.
Schedule for kids written up, talk about complicated - check.
A few small gifts wrapped for his "birthday" - check.
Map/reservation printed - check.
On the morning, we did his gifts and cards before Jack went to school and just waited for my mam to come from work. I needed a reason to actually get him there as I wanted to spring the surprise last minute. So, I texted my sister to say I was going to ring her and pretend to ask where would be a good place to go for lunch. I rang, tried to play cool while she's laughing on the other end of the phone and winding me up about the 4 poster bed. "Is it? Linden Hall? I dunno where that is... Tony, do you know where that is?" Ha, ha. So I strung him a line about the apparently had a reasonable lunch menu and secretly put the case in the car while he was distracted.
I couldn't pack the toiletries until literally last minute otherwise he'd definitely have noticed. There was a small panic where he was looking for his new shirt to wear (which I had packed!), I was sure I'd get rumbled so just pushed him to choose something else as I was hungry. My mam came, Tony thought she was just coming for the afternoon so we could have lunch, I asked him to make Ben a bottle and then whipped everything out of the bathroom into a bag and stealthily made it to the car, then pushed him out the door.
It wasn't far away, so we had a nice drive and as we turned off to the hotel (or pub as I was leading him to believe we were going), we approached the hotel. Very impressive building and grounds. I joked "I hope Rachel's idea of reasonable is the same as ours, it might be out of our league here" and we pulled into the car park. The hotel was off to one side and the restaurant/pub to the other, he started to walk for the pub and I said "No, this way". "What?". "Surprise!!". He was gobsmacked.
I did good, he didn't suspect a thing :)
It was quite a cold and rainy day, but it couldn't have been more perfect. We had nothing to do, which is just what I wanted! Simple peace and relaxation. We got the the hotel door and the concierge opened it for us. He was dressed like a butler. I know this is common place in the US, but it isn't typical here. We checked in and he carried our bags, again not typical so I panicked a bit as I didn't have cash and didn't know if I was supposed to tip him, but he showed us around, dropped our bags and took off with no hesitation so I don't think we could have tipped him if we wanted to. And get this - the key to the door was a...gasp...key! Haven't seen that for years. We usually stay in city hotels so have those swipe card things.
Our room was ground floor overlooking the gardens/grounds, it was silent. We set our things down and went to look around the hotel. They had huge drawing rooms with real open log fires. Huge, not these little pretend ones. I mean, this used to be someone's house! It was a bit too nice, I was falling asleep reading my book with the warmth.
I also had the best night's sleep in a long time. Usually hotel beds are uncomfortable, or the pillow isn't right, or the light shines under the door, or you hear traffic, blah, blah. It was pitch black (which I love!!), so quiet and the bed was just to die for. I set my alarm for 8.30 (!!!!!!!) for breakfast. I was shocked when it went off as it seemed like it was only 5am.
So, I'm recharged. One evening did the world of good for us, we connected. Of course I missed the kids, but it was nice to be *me* without having the be in mother mode. It was comparably expensive for our usual choices, but worth every penny. I would definitely like to go back. If I did, I'd remember to bring our swimming costumes as I forgot and we couldn't take advantage of their pool/steam room/leisure facilities. Bummer.
I know this post is very boring and far too long, but it's been a while since we had any luxury and I want to remember this feel good feeling. It was just bizarre as there were little cards in the room saying "Please call room service for milk, ice, etc" and we're not used to being waited on so felt a bit guilty for people just bringing it to us :)
Thursday, 17 January 2008
We have a sitter!
Ben got into a sitting position by himself for the first time today. Yay.
He's really good at sitting if I sit him up and I know he should have been able to get up for a while now, but he was always going to be a little delayed. I just arranged an appointment for someone to come out next week to check him out regarding his gross motor skills as I was getting concerned.
He was lying on his back while I was getting Katie ready for bed, he rolled over, more getting ready, then all of a sudden I looked over and he was sitting up! He'd tried to get up into a crawling position and just kept going until he was up.
He is soooooo close to crawling, so close. He'll get one knee forward and just grin, then go back to the floor, or spin around, or go backwards. He's trying really hard so I bet now I've made the appointment he'll be crawling by the weekend ;-).
He's since done it a few more times. Go Ben.
He's really good at sitting if I sit him up and I know he should have been able to get up for a while now, but he was always going to be a little delayed. I just arranged an appointment for someone to come out next week to check him out regarding his gross motor skills as I was getting concerned.
He was lying on his back while I was getting Katie ready for bed, he rolled over, more getting ready, then all of a sudden I looked over and he was sitting up! He'd tried to get up into a crawling position and just kept going until he was up.
He is soooooo close to crawling, so close. He'll get one knee forward and just grin, then go back to the floor, or spin around, or go backwards. He's trying really hard so I bet now I've made the appointment he'll be crawling by the weekend ;-).
He's since done it a few more times. Go Ben.
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Number ones in history
Inspired by Tiburon and Flashback Charts.
The number one song in the USA on the day I was born was "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright" by Rod Stewart.
On Tony's birthday (tomorrow) - "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. Hahahaha, he's gonna kill me as that shows his age!
On my wedding day - "Dilemma" by Nelly.
When Jack was born - "Baby Boy" by Beyonce. How apt :)
When Katie was born - "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey.
When Ben was born - "What Goes Around...Comes Around" by Justin Timberland.
And in the UK, Number 1s.
My birthday - "When A Child Is Born" by Johnny Mathis (I knew that, it has always been "my song").
Tony's birthday - "The Young Ones" by Cliff Richard. Hahaha again.
My wedding day - "The Tide Is High" by Atomic Kitten.
Jack's birthday - "Slow" by Kylie Minogue.
Katie's birthday - "Ghetto Gospel" by 2Pac ft Elton John.
Ben's birthday - "Grace Kelly" by Mika.
Monday, 14 January 2008
Good time
Katie had a brilliant time at playgroup, she just jumped right in. She was in heaven at the water table :). She did really well mixing in - she is still on the young side of the age group and so you could tell she was a little less able to control her impulses and copy "naughty" behaviour (running, banging), but for her first day, I'm really happy. She just played with the other kids for the most part, but began to get a bit tried towards the end - she's never been anywhere for 3 hours - and was looking for me a couple of times.
She went in underwear, she's been doing brilliantly. No accidents. Still a mixture of me asking/telling her to go to the toilet and her telling me, but she's taking over. She hasn't worn a nappy for a whole week, except overnight bedtime. This is from absolute hysterics even two weeks ago if I sat her on the potty or asked if she wanted to try so the change has all been within herself and she has initiated it. Got to tell you, going from 3 kids in nappies to two is marvellous!
Plan on Friday is to go with her for just 30 minutes and then I'll leave, see how she gets on, then she starts on her own next Monday. The session is in one big hall, but they did story time in another room near the end and I just let her go without me. When they came back, all the kids were holding hands in a line and she was smiling her face off. So cute!!!
She went in underwear, she's been doing brilliantly. No accidents. Still a mixture of me asking/telling her to go to the toilet and her telling me, but she's taking over. She hasn't worn a nappy for a whole week, except overnight bedtime. This is from absolute hysterics even two weeks ago if I sat her on the potty or asked if she wanted to try so the change has all been within herself and she has initiated it. Got to tell you, going from 3 kids in nappies to two is marvellous!
Plan on Friday is to go with her for just 30 minutes and then I'll leave, see how she gets on, then she starts on her own next Monday. The session is in one big hall, but they did story time in another room near the end and I just let her go without me. When they came back, all the kids were holding hands in a line and she was smiling her face off. So cute!!!
It starts
So...I got my treadmill back from my brother yesterday. New week, new start - today is my first day of really trying to make a difference. I haven't taken any formal exercise since before Katie was born. Actually, who am I kidding, I haven't done any exercise full stop. That changes from today. I hate the way I look and feel and even though I just did my first session and I'm knackered, I know in an hour or so I'll be feeling rejuvenated and over the weeks to come if I see some difference in my body I'll be very happy with the changes, physically and mentally. I used to belong to a gym years ago, but I didn't like the exhibition, so I'll just be using my treadmill at home and add in some stretches and toning exercises.I have an easy running programme that has worked for me in the past and will gently get me back in the swing of things. Today I did run one minute, walk one minutes x 10, so 20 minutes in total. An unimpressive 1.8 miles covered and 72 calories. How depressing is that?! That's not even enough to cover one finger of Twix chocolate. That will certainly make me think twice about what I'm eating if I can change my thinking "do I really want to spend 30 minutes running for the sake of a few biscuits? Nope!" :). I'm going to be my normal anal self and keep a spreadsheet to track my progress and compare my "scores" to the last time I did this. I know I pushed myself harder last time just so I could do better than the previous time (I think this is my 4th time).
Ideally, I would love to get to 9.5 stone (133lb), but realistically if I can just break that 10 stone (139lb) barrier I will be happy. I'm not overly worried about the actual weight since I know muscle weighs heavier than fat but takes up less room, blah blah, I just want to look and feel good and get down a dress size or 2.
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Big day tomorrow
Katie has her first day at playgroup tomorrow. She will be attending 9-12 on Monday's and Friday's. For her first week, they like the parent to stay, but from then on, she'll be on her own. We've done toddler groups together, but she has never done anything without me yet - apart from when she's with family. She really is growing up. She's done very well with her potty training, so I'm happy to let her go in underwear and see how she gets on, I'm sure they are used to it with the age of kids they have. I think she'll be ok. I'd imagine she'll be a bit nervous when I first leave, but she'll soon forget about me. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Ben and maybe I'll even make that doctor's appointment for myself that I've been meaning to for the past 6 months!
First word!
Ben has been babbling for a while, with no specific words. He does lovely vowels and some repeat consonants, but nothing I would class as a word, not even mama or dada.
However, last night there was a definite, clear "hiya". I kept saying it back and he kept repeating it back. So cute!! Wish I'd have my camera to video him since he won't do it today, but he wouldn't stop saying it last night. It sounded so adorable.
Friday, 11 January 2008
Concerts
I am astounded by Tib's list!
The only concert I have been to was Meatloaf. Twice - different years.
I have seen a few musicals though.
The Phantom of the Opera x 2. London.
The Phantom of the Opera. New York!!!
Les Miserables. London.
Les Miserables. Newcastle.
Miss Saigon. Edinburgh.
Miss Saigon. Newcastle.
Saturday Night Fever. Edinburgh.
The only concert I have been to was Meatloaf. Twice - different years.
I have seen a few musicals though.
The Phantom of the Opera x 2. London.
The Phantom of the Opera. New York!!!
Les Miserables. London.
Les Miserables. Newcastle.
Miss Saigon. Edinburgh.
Miss Saigon. Newcastle.
Saturday Night Fever. Edinburgh.
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Houston, we have...
poop!!! OMG. It is the first time she has ever done that, thankfully in her potty. And she went all by herself. Yay.
Having said that, OMG indeed. Internally, I was like "disgusting, I'm going to have to clean this!", whilst acting delirious with her to praise and encourage her. I think if she gets more control we're going to have to move to the toilet, lol!
Motherhood :)
Having said that, OMG indeed. Internally, I was like "disgusting, I'm going to have to clean this!", whilst acting delirious with her to praise and encourage her. I think if she gets more control we're going to have to move to the toilet, lol!
Motherhood :)
Tony's work
I hate when he needs to go away. He was in Manchester yesterday and Southampton today. Not only because it's more difficult to look after the kids by myself, but mostly because I miss him. I hate not waking up with him and knowing he's not just a few miles away at work. Hopefully there will be no delays - his flight gets in around 8.30 tonight and since he's entitled to dinner expenses, he's going to be bringing home Chinese takeaway. He has a hefty budget and is not afraid to use it :). Time to order those things we normally can't afford - crispy duck, here I come!
She's doing it!
It's 5.30pm and Katie hasn't had a nappy on since she got up this morning. No accidents! This is definitely new. It has been a combination of no underwear, but not naked, me telling her to pee twice and her doing it on her own twice. We even went to the supermarket for an hour with no underwear under her trousers - I was very nervous at that - and a 2 hour nap with just a waterproof mat under her! If she can keep this up, it will be fantastic. No doubt tomorrow will be back to normal :).
I don't have to go anywhere for the rest of the week, so I'm really going to work on it with her over the next few days. She starts playgroup next week on Monday and Friday mornings (I'm staying with her the first week), so it will be great if she can be half way trained by the week after. I've no idea if that is expecting too much, but I'll take any success we can get. I always hoped that once she decided to train, she would just do it.
Many cheers, singing, dancing and yes, chocolate, if she pees. Fingers crossed she'll want to do it tomorrow!
On another Katie note, I forgot to write this a few days ago. I can't even remember what I was telling her off for, probably her ignoring me, or telling me no, or destroying something, but it was hysterical at the time. I was kneeling down on her level and telling her to look at me and turned her face so she'd look me in the eye, then gave her the "when Mammy says x, you do x" spiel and she just yawned in my face. It must have been towards the end of the day so I just burst out laughing and Tony joined in, but I was supposed to be still telling her off, so was trying to compose myself to finish, but it only made it worse. Very funny. You had to be there ;-).
I don't have to go anywhere for the rest of the week, so I'm really going to work on it with her over the next few days. She starts playgroup next week on Monday and Friday mornings (I'm staying with her the first week), so it will be great if she can be half way trained by the week after. I've no idea if that is expecting too much, but I'll take any success we can get. I always hoped that once she decided to train, she would just do it.
Many cheers, singing, dancing and yes, chocolate, if she pees. Fingers crossed she'll want to do it tomorrow!
On another Katie note, I forgot to write this a few days ago. I can't even remember what I was telling her off for, probably her ignoring me, or telling me no, or destroying something, but it was hysterical at the time. I was kneeling down on her level and telling her to look at me and turned her face so she'd look me in the eye, then gave her the "when Mammy says x, you do x" spiel and she just yawned in my face. It must have been towards the end of the day so I just burst out laughing and Tony joined in, but I was supposed to be still telling her off, so was trying to compose myself to finish, but it only made it worse. Very funny. You had to be there ;-).
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Strange experience
I had an odd experience today, not unpleasant, I just felt funny about it afterwards. Me, Katie and Ben have been going to a baby/toddler group for around 4 months now. Around half way through today's session, a mother I'd never seen before came in with her daughter, she seemed to know some of the other mothers. I was around 90% sure that the girl had Down syndrome. She was lovely. Since I wasn't 100%, I didn't say anything, but I couldn't stop looking at her. I was trying to recognise some of the more prominent features for "confirmation", eyes, nose, palmar crease, how the little pinky finger curves inwards... I know I was staring, I couldn't help myself. I also know some children have very subtle features, hence I didn't want to open my mouth if I was wrong! It was strange as I don't see many kids Jack's age and he is so far behind his peers even, I was really happy to watch her running and playing with the other kids, feeding her doll. Not because it was anything out of the ordinary for her, it was totally normal (whatever that is) child behaviour, but just for me and what DS means to Jack. I'm not making any sense whatsoever here. I think what I'm trying to say is it *seems* more of a disability to Jack due to his level of development, although I know he has other diagnoses (is that the plural??), so that has skewed how I see things. Before he was born I fully expected that he'd do all the things that any other child could do, just on his own time-scale. As he got older, it became more obvious that that was not the case and maybe there are some things he won't ever be able to do. Since he is all I know, it just seems strange to me that there was this little kid, I'd guess she was early 3 years, so far ahead of him that she seemed extraordinary, but she is the one who is "typical". I have no idea what I'm going on about or what I'm trying to say.
The fact is, she was a delight to watch. Truly. I did get a little bit pensive, wondering if I'd ever see Jack doing those things and questioning why he was hit with so much (cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, club foot, heart defect, tube feeding, blah blah blah). I was also very conscious that her mother was probably thinking "wth is your problem? Why are you looking at my kid like that?!". I couldn't strike up a conversation with her though. If I see her again, I definitely will, especially as I don't know anyone "in real life" to talk with.
The fact is, she was a delight to watch. Truly. I did get a little bit pensive, wondering if I'd ever see Jack doing those things and questioning why he was hit with so much (cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, club foot, heart defect, tube feeding, blah blah blah). I was also very conscious that her mother was probably thinking "wth is your problem? Why are you looking at my kid like that?!". I couldn't strike up a conversation with her though. If I see her again, I definitely will, especially as I don't know anyone "in real life" to talk with.
Bens feet
Just a reminder to myself to post about Ben's foot progress and his new braces, don't think I've posted his new shoes yet. Laptop is on a go slow so will come back later.Benji boy's new shoes. They're better than his other style, but it's still hard. The shape of his heel/foot means they need to be fastened tightly, but he's getting blisters again so I'm stuck. They really should have been corrected by now, I guess my kids don't follow the rulebook! Oh, and I'm not a doofus, the buckles do fasten on the inside of the foot. I checked 3 times, I thought the doc had put them on wrong, but weirdly, it is correct.
No wonder he's not crawling ;-). On a serious note, I'm starting to stress. I keep getting the "Your child at... x age" emails and that he should be standing and maybe cruising/pulling up by now and he can't :(. I know it doesn't matter in the scheme of things, Katie was slow on her milestones too, but I always get paranoid. He keeps going over on his ankles when we practice so it's not his fault.
Here are his feet. The pictures are very deceptive, they look "normal" in some shots, but the angle is difficult to show. In their resting position, they are kind of upside down, turned in to each other and under. Erm, ignore the glitter between his toes!
I couldn't resist showing this one.
Snow pics
Like I said, very lame, but we don't get it very often. Not like when I was a kid when you used to get proper deep snow. It just seems to be a fluttering when it happens these days.
And Jack's hair. Shorter than I wanted, but he fought me too much. Excuse the rash on his face, he always gets like this at winter no matter what I do. Him having his hand in his mouth 24/7 doesn't help!!! We've seriously had to splint his arm so he can't bend it to get his hand in, it's that bad. As ever, click on any pic to enlarge to see those beautiful blue eyes :)
And Jack's hair. Shorter than I wanted, but he fought me too much. Excuse the rash on his face, he always gets like this at winter no matter what I do. Him having his hand in his mouth 24/7 doesn't help!!! We've seriously had to splint his arm so he can't bend it to get his hand in, it's that bad. As ever, click on any pic to enlarge to see those beautiful blue eyes :)
Monday, 7 January 2008
Back to school
For Jack. He's been home for 2 weeks.
Thank you!!! For him and me.
I love the little guy so don't mean it to sound like I don't want him home, but his face lit up very brightly when he saw his school bus this morning. He loves school, which is great! He loves the routine of school, his friends and teachers and I think he enjoys the peace and quiet ;-).
Thank you!!! For him and me.
I love the little guy so don't mean it to sound like I don't want him home, but his face lit up very brightly when he saw his school bus this morning. He loves school, which is great! He loves the routine of school, his friends and teachers and I think he enjoys the peace and quiet ;-).
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Still learning
After 7 years (next month), I'm still learning about my husband. I just discovered that he does not dunk his biscuits (cookies) in his tea. How did I not realise that before? He takes sugar in his tea so says he doesn't dunk/eat the biscuit before he drinks as he then can't taste the sugar. I take no sugar so I can't tell any difference either way.
We drink LOTS of tea. I've never consciously thought about it before, but it baffles me that I hadn't noticed he never actually dunks, like I do.
Does this happen to anyone? Been with someone for a long time and just realised something? If so, share some of your findings with me!
We drink LOTS of tea. I've never consciously thought about it before, but it baffles me that I hadn't noticed he never actually dunks, like I do.
Does this happen to anyone? Been with someone for a long time and just realised something? If so, share some of your findings with me!
Friday, 4 January 2008
Aren't children great!
Really, genuinely just great. This age is frustrating, but very amusing. I love seeing their thought processes and overhearing the things they say. I've had many chuckles over things they do, mainly Katie as she's the only one who can talk.
This was from today :
Katie - "Mammy, I need the toilet" (She has refused to potty train)
Me - "Really? That's great! Do you want to go to the potty or toilet?"
Katie - "The toilet. I need it".
Upstairs we go, nappy off, trainer seat on the loo, lift her up.
Me - "This is good, isn't it. You're such a big girl, you don't need silly baby nappies like Ben".
Sits. I wait.
Katie - "All finished, mammy".
Me - "You didn't do anything".
Katie - "Finished now. Tissue?"
Me - sigh. "Ok, here's some tissue. You tried hard".
Katie - "Chocolate???"
Me - "Um, no. You only get chocolate if you do something".
Looks at me, just looks at me with a begging face.
Me - "Tell you what, we'll get your big girl knickers. No more baby nappies, Katie can wear knickers like Mammy".
Katie - "No Mammy".
Me - "Mammy's got them here, you put them on, then next time you need the toilet, if you do anything you can have your chocolate".
Katie - "No Mammy. Don't want it, need a nappy".
Me - "Nahhhh, you're a big girl. Put the knickers on and you can have ONE chocolate button".
Katie "No Ma..." (half way through shaking her head, then converts it to nodding "...yes Mammy!"
I suck at this ;-).
To her credit, she did actually stay dry in them. I forgot she even had underwear on and we went out in the car to mam's and was still dry.
She just refuses to do it. She knows what to do, but won't and doesn't care about being wet or dirty. Tried underwear, tried training pants, tried naked. Have always praised her, never showed upset if there are accidents. Hopefully the fact she asked to go to the toilet is progress though and once she decides to train she'll do it very quickly.
The joys of two year olds :)
This was from today :
Katie - "Mammy, I need the toilet" (She has refused to potty train)
Me - "Really? That's great! Do you want to go to the potty or toilet?"
Katie - "The toilet. I need it".
Upstairs we go, nappy off, trainer seat on the loo, lift her up.
Me - "This is good, isn't it. You're such a big girl, you don't need silly baby nappies like Ben".
Sits. I wait.
Katie - "All finished, mammy".
Me - "You didn't do anything".
Katie - "Finished now. Tissue?"
Me - sigh. "Ok, here's some tissue. You tried hard".
Katie - "Chocolate???"
Me - "Um, no. You only get chocolate if you do something".
Looks at me, just looks at me with a begging face.
Me - "Tell you what, we'll get your big girl knickers. No more baby nappies, Katie can wear knickers like Mammy".
Katie - "No Mammy".
Me - "Mammy's got them here, you put them on, then next time you need the toilet, if you do anything you can have your chocolate".
Katie - "No Mammy. Don't want it, need a nappy".
Me - "Nahhhh, you're a big girl. Put the knickers on and you can have ONE chocolate button".
Katie "No Ma..." (half way through shaking her head, then converts it to nodding "...yes Mammy!"
I suck at this ;-).
To her credit, she did actually stay dry in them. I forgot she even had underwear on and we went out in the car to mam's and was still dry.
She just refuses to do it. She knows what to do, but won't and doesn't care about being wet or dirty. Tried underwear, tried training pants, tried naked. Have always praised her, never showed upset if there are accidents. Hopefully the fact she asked to go to the toilet is progress though and once she decides to train she'll do it very quickly.
The joys of two year olds :)
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Snow day
It snowed today for the first time that I can remember since last year - a whole year ago, not just a few days ;-). Katie was very impressed with it. It doesn't lie here unfortunately, but it looked very pretty. It was nice being inside and being all cosy watching out of the window. I love the snow/rain - if I don't have to go out! I have a couple of pictures, but can't get my card reader to work at the moment so will try to post them later. Very unimpressive though, not like Tib's recent pictures.
Here's a first... how did I get to have 3 children the ages they are and have never bathed them all by myself before? Well, it happened today. Usually Tony sorts them out in the bath at bedtime, splashes them, washes them and I dry them off and get them dressed. We always do it together. Jack desperately needed his hair cut today so I did that this morning (he was VERY annoyed at me, he HATES the experience) and thought what the heck, I'll just bath them as he was covered in hair. Now I know why I do it with help, lol. Jack and Katie went in first, she's alright, but he still needs a bath seat as he'll just slip under, so I bathed them, then got Katie ready in the bathroom while Jack was still secure in his seat. He didn't want to get out and was mad at me again! They then played in his room and Ben went in. He loved it, though has recently discovered splashing! Between them all I was soaking. I have pics of Jack's new hair - what he has left of it, I'm afraid he ended up with it all buzzed since he was so upset. Again, I'll have to sort my memory card reader.
Here's a first... how did I get to have 3 children the ages they are and have never bathed them all by myself before? Well, it happened today. Usually Tony sorts them out in the bath at bedtime, splashes them, washes them and I dry them off and get them dressed. We always do it together. Jack desperately needed his hair cut today so I did that this morning (he was VERY annoyed at me, he HATES the experience) and thought what the heck, I'll just bath them as he was covered in hair. Now I know why I do it with help, lol. Jack and Katie went in first, she's alright, but he still needs a bath seat as he'll just slip under, so I bathed them, then got Katie ready in the bathroom while Jack was still secure in his seat. He didn't want to get out and was mad at me again! They then played in his room and Ben went in. He loved it, though has recently discovered splashing! Between them all I was soaking. I have pics of Jack's new hair - what he has left of it, I'm afraid he ended up with it all buzzed since he was so upset. Again, I'll have to sort my memory card reader.
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Happy New Year!
May 2008 bring you all that you want it to bring.
We don't really drink so I have no hangover to contend with, that's a good start.
I'm supposed to say something profound now aren't I? List some resolutions? I never really want to say as I just feel worse for breaking them, lol.
I do want to get fit though, try not to sweat the small stuff so much and hope our family time can improve (help Jack with his behaviour) so that we can have more fun. We need to be a bit silly more often and embrace and enjoy LIFE! We only get one chance and I don't like to have regrets.
If I can figure out where to put it, I'll be getting my treadmill back from my brother's house in the next few days and the first *me* thing that I'm going to do is the free online photography course I've had bookmarked for ages, just never had the "time" to do it. Well, I'm going to make time :). I should probably Google for a more up to date one as it's a few years old, but I'm sure the principles are the same.
Happy New Year.
We don't really drink so I have no hangover to contend with, that's a good start.
I'm supposed to say something profound now aren't I? List some resolutions? I never really want to say as I just feel worse for breaking them, lol.
I do want to get fit though, try not to sweat the small stuff so much and hope our family time can improve (help Jack with his behaviour) so that we can have more fun. We need to be a bit silly more often and embrace and enjoy LIFE! We only get one chance and I don't like to have regrets.
If I can figure out where to put it, I'll be getting my treadmill back from my brother's house in the next few days and the first *me* thing that I'm going to do is the free online photography course I've had bookmarked for ages, just never had the "time" to do it. Well, I'm going to make time :). I should probably Google for a more up to date one as it's a few years old, but I'm sure the principles are the same.
Happy New Year.
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