On Tuesday I had a brief meeting with Matthews teacher while he was at football practice regarding his possible ADHD.
We went through his personal profile and a checklist of things that we find he does or does not do and how regularly certain things occur.
Matthews teacher has a very good understanding of my son! I am really impressed. I am also really pleased that she IS going out of her way to help him if she can. She is a good teacher, Matthew loves her and I see why. On his paperwork she sees him as a caring generous child but his main problem is keeping still. On the large section about anger, temper, nasty to other children, fighting and anything else similar to being an aggressive child, every box was ticked as "Never" so I am really pleased with that. It just seems to be problems with sitting still, he has to fidget, he has to fiddle, his teacher often feels she is losing his attention. I can vouch for Matthew having the attention span of a goldfish. The times I repeat myself over the simplest things. "Matthew put on your shoes" "Matthew, have you got your shoes on?" "Matthew, you still don't have your shoes on" "OK, so we're going to school without shoes today then are we?" I have to have everything super organised for him. He has no organisational skills whatsoever and I feel that at almost 8 this is a problem. Some days, it's harder work having Matthew than 2 toddlers.
Anyway, the ball is finally rolling in getting some more help and advice on how to address some of these problems better.
I am no supermum, I admit at times I really lose my temper with him. I shout and have a go when I know he's not doing it deliberately, it's just so frustrating that I feel like I am a broken record or banging my head against a brick wall!
Liam is a funny little soul at the moment. His speech is getting clearer and upon clearing out cupboards the other day Liam was impressed by a bottle of Calpol (UK version of Tylenol I believe) and looked intently at the bottle before loudly declaring "I like dat!" with a big smile on his face.
James is a funny little guy in his own right. He's discovering his OWN sense of humour. Today he couldn't walk past his playgroup for laughing so much as the kids were holding the gate shut. They were all playing and James found it hilarious. Bless him. We finally told the playgroup yesterday that we will not be returning after christmas. I feel a little guilty with them having the threat of closure but I want to get the kids in our local school before the rush if it does close later next year.
I'm less annoyed with my mother than I was the other day. I still think I should have been told but I know my problems with my mum are nothing in comparison to many others.
Four years ago today I met my lovely husband. In a way it feels much longer, but that's because we've crammed so much into a short time. We've done more in these 4 years than some people do in much larger number of years. A wedding, two sons, moving to the country, lost 3 grandparents between us, numerous job changes, periods of unemployment, a childs operation, a diabetes diagnosis and so much more along the way. Madness!
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Some Things I Believe I Should Hear First Hand
Things are currently going well in our little home - well mostly.
I am a tad peed off with my mother yet again. On Saturday we were round my nans visiting as we often do and my nan pipes up with "What about your dads work accident then? "
This was news to me. It happened that at work one day last week my dad had had a fall when on his lunch break. He had tripped when leaving the building and landed badly on his hand. He heard a crunch and his hand swelled to double the size in a matter of seconds so a colleague drove him to the local hospital emergency department where he spent half his afternoon. Following x-rays they sent him home with some painkillers and a bandaged wrist saying it was just badly bruised.
My dad - ever the trooper - was back at work the next day as normal.
This accident happened on Monday and not once did I hear about it from my mum. It would have taken a 2 minute phonecall to say he's ok but dad had a trip to hospital as he hurt his hand at work. The fact I hear about it almost a week later from someone else has annoyed me.
My mum is quick to call when my ex phones her but for anything else I feel it's me making the effort all the time. She did actually phone me TWICE that week as she was taking Matthew to an International football match on on Thursday but didn't think of telling me about my dad either time. Nor did she say anything when picking Matthew up on that Thursday. There were plenty of oppertunities but I never got told.
When my nan died in 2008, I had no idea how ill she was. I knew she had cancer but I thought it was going well with treatment and such or at least it's what I was lead to believe. I knew she was due an operation but was under the impression it was routine. When she died less than 48 hours later I was of course upset, but had I known how ill she was I would have visited her at the hospital before the operation. Ok, there may have been a lapse in communication between what my mum and dad had been told by my nan and grandad but it's always the same that I am the last to find out anything in my family and I DO get fed up of it all.
In better news, I got to have a good old catch up with a good old friend last week. We fell out at the start of the year but having a coffee and getting our youngest kids together was like nothing had happened and it was great to be laughing together again and meeting her gorgeous little girl. Next week I have another old friend to catch up with. It's not always easy when you live in different places, when your old friends work and you have the 3 kids at home mostly so it will be lovely to find out how things are going for my old dear friends and find out any gossip I miss out on from the old going out crowd.
I really am feeling quite a social being at the moment and this can only improve when I pass my driving test and can visit friends at thiers too I'm looking forward to the freedom driving will bring me already.
Matthew loved his football match. We've all known about it a couple of months but it was a complete and utter surprise to be picked up after school and taken to Colchester Uniteds football ground for an England Under 21's match against Iceland. It was full of big football stars (whom I've never heard of but Matthew knew every single one and what teams they played for) and the best thing for him was that England won 5-0 so he came home a very very happy little boy.
I am a tad peed off with my mother yet again. On Saturday we were round my nans visiting as we often do and my nan pipes up with "What about your dads work accident then? "
This was news to me. It happened that at work one day last week my dad had had a fall when on his lunch break. He had tripped when leaving the building and landed badly on his hand. He heard a crunch and his hand swelled to double the size in a matter of seconds so a colleague drove him to the local hospital emergency department where he spent half his afternoon. Following x-rays they sent him home with some painkillers and a bandaged wrist saying it was just badly bruised.
My dad - ever the trooper - was back at work the next day as normal.
This accident happened on Monday and not once did I hear about it from my mum. It would have taken a 2 minute phonecall to say he's ok but dad had a trip to hospital as he hurt his hand at work. The fact I hear about it almost a week later from someone else has annoyed me.
My mum is quick to call when my ex phones her but for anything else I feel it's me making the effort all the time. She did actually phone me TWICE that week as she was taking Matthew to an International football match on on Thursday but didn't think of telling me about my dad either time. Nor did she say anything when picking Matthew up on that Thursday. There were plenty of oppertunities but I never got told.
When my nan died in 2008, I had no idea how ill she was. I knew she had cancer but I thought it was going well with treatment and such or at least it's what I was lead to believe. I knew she was due an operation but was under the impression it was routine. When she died less than 48 hours later I was of course upset, but had I known how ill she was I would have visited her at the hospital before the operation. Ok, there may have been a lapse in communication between what my mum and dad had been told by my nan and grandad but it's always the same that I am the last to find out anything in my family and I DO get fed up of it all.
In better news, I got to have a good old catch up with a good old friend last week. We fell out at the start of the year but having a coffee and getting our youngest kids together was like nothing had happened and it was great to be laughing together again and meeting her gorgeous little girl. Next week I have another old friend to catch up with. It's not always easy when you live in different places, when your old friends work and you have the 3 kids at home mostly so it will be lovely to find out how things are going for my old dear friends and find out any gossip I miss out on from the old going out crowd.
I really am feeling quite a social being at the moment and this can only improve when I pass my driving test and can visit friends at thiers too I'm looking forward to the freedom driving will bring me already.
Matthew loved his football match. We've all known about it a couple of months but it was a complete and utter surprise to be picked up after school and taken to Colchester Uniteds football ground for an England Under 21's match against Iceland. It was full of big football stars (whom I've never heard of but Matthew knew every single one and what teams they played for) and the best thing for him was that England won 5-0 so he came home a very very happy little boy.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
In The Dark
Last night I had my first lesson in the dark. It was great.
I loved every second of it!
This is a VERY big statement coming from a woman who just 4 months ago was a real car and driving-a-phobe! It took me a few lessons to stop feeling sick and stop shaking.
The last 3 lessons I can see how I am now going from strength to strength and it makes such a difference.
Last night I took a two hour lesson that is normally done on a Pass Plus test! This is an advanced driving test and the part I did is the requirement for night driving. I did a good few miles on a dual carriageway, went through a town centre and came back through villages, twisty turny windy lanes and beings we are in the middle of nowhere at times I had some lovely fog to contend with. I also drove into the next county of Cambridgeshire. It gave me a good experience and I am so glad I gave it a go.
Upon arriving home my instructor congratulated me on such good driving in the lesson. On the way out I was honest and said I was looking forward to it but a couple of times I had looked forward to lessons I had messed up more than I should have. I also told him that he couldn't see it but this is the first lesson I have been smiling throughout the whole lesson.
I really loved it and the outlook of having a driving license in the future is looking a lot brighter as I am getting more and more confident and enjoying what I do.
Totally unrelated here is my favourite song of the moment. I have it in my head continuously and I wish this local young man lots more popularity in the future. For now, here's what Rupert Grint - Better known as Harry Potters Ron Weasley - is up to these days (besides looking very grown up) :
I loved every second of it!
This is a VERY big statement coming from a woman who just 4 months ago was a real car and driving-a-phobe! It took me a few lessons to stop feeling sick and stop shaking.
The last 3 lessons I can see how I am now going from strength to strength and it makes such a difference.
Last night I took a two hour lesson that is normally done on a Pass Plus test! This is an advanced driving test and the part I did is the requirement for night driving. I did a good few miles on a dual carriageway, went through a town centre and came back through villages, twisty turny windy lanes and beings we are in the middle of nowhere at times I had some lovely fog to contend with. I also drove into the next county of Cambridgeshire. It gave me a good experience and I am so glad I gave it a go.
Upon arriving home my instructor congratulated me on such good driving in the lesson. On the way out I was honest and said I was looking forward to it but a couple of times I had looked forward to lessons I had messed up more than I should have. I also told him that he couldn't see it but this is the first lesson I have been smiling throughout the whole lesson.
I really loved it and the outlook of having a driving license in the future is looking a lot brighter as I am getting more and more confident and enjoying what I do.
Totally unrelated here is my favourite song of the moment. I have it in my head continuously and I wish this local young man lots more popularity in the future. For now, here's what Rupert Grint - Better known as Harry Potters Ron Weasley - is up to these days (besides looking very grown up) :
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
All The Small Things
Regarding the last post, I suppose the simple question would be why did I ring him? Why didn't I just ignore him or leave a message and nothing more? Well, I am on a bit of a mission this week. Tying up a few loose ends if you would like to call it that. Rather than sweep things under the carpet I am charging in like a bull in a china shop to get things done and seen to.
I rang my ex. Took my verbal beating. Task complete.
I took the hospital letter we received about Liams Hernia referral and booked his appointment in Cambridge. It's for November 30th so a little wait but the ball is rolling on it.
I've booked myself a dentist appointment next week. I haven't been since Matthew was a baby. In general my teeth are in good condition. I don't have any problems and most of the time things are good. However, I lost a filling about a month ago. Now I am starting to feel around the missing filling it is beginning to get a bit jaggedy and feeling thin so before I get any pain or further problems I have found myself a new dentist in the adjoining town and will be expecting it to be fixed and I am sure they will find other cavities to fill.
I have just seen that I have been awarded a Versatile Blogger award from new friend Maren.
Thank you very much, I will do the 7 things for my next post as well as link some of my favourite blog friends to have a go.
Later today I am having a driving lesson. Not just any old driving lesson but something completely new! I am having my first lesson by night. Woo! It's going to be dark, possibly wet so it will be a totally new experience but I am looking forward to the challenge. I may not be so happy about that after 8pm.
Tomorrow I am meeting up with an old friend I haven't seen for far too long. We had a fallout earlier this year but we've got talking again and back to laughing like we used to. I can't wait to meet up for a proper catch up and to meet her new daughter.
And Finally..... You all should know by now how much I LOVE Indian food. Before hubby got me my spice kit for my birthday we would often use the local Indian restaurant. We have two in the village but got on particularly well with one in particular. It seems that we are not the only one that enjoys the food here. A whole range of tasters have been trawling Great Britain in search of the best Curry Houses and Tandori restaurants. The British Curry Awards (I kid you not) has placed it in the top 20 Indian restaurants of the British Isles. This is based on service as well as food so they have done incredibly well. The final takes place at the end of the month and though it is unlikely the boys at OUR Indian will win, we are very pleased for them to have accomplished this.
I rang my ex. Took my verbal beating. Task complete.
I took the hospital letter we received about Liams Hernia referral and booked his appointment in Cambridge. It's for November 30th so a little wait but the ball is rolling on it.
I've booked myself a dentist appointment next week. I haven't been since Matthew was a baby. In general my teeth are in good condition. I don't have any problems and most of the time things are good. However, I lost a filling about a month ago. Now I am starting to feel around the missing filling it is beginning to get a bit jaggedy and feeling thin so before I get any pain or further problems I have found myself a new dentist in the adjoining town and will be expecting it to be fixed and I am sure they will find other cavities to fill.
I have just seen that I have been awarded a Versatile Blogger award from new friend Maren.
Later today I am having a driving lesson. Not just any old driving lesson but something completely new! I am having my first lesson by night. Woo! It's going to be dark, possibly wet so it will be a totally new experience but I am looking forward to the challenge. I may not be so happy about that after 8pm.
Tomorrow I am meeting up with an old friend I haven't seen for far too long. We had a fallout earlier this year but we've got talking again and back to laughing like we used to. I can't wait to meet up for a proper catch up and to meet her new daughter.
And Finally..... You all should know by now how much I LOVE Indian food. Before hubby got me my spice kit for my birthday we would often use the local Indian restaurant. We have two in the village but got on particularly well with one in particular. It seems that we are not the only one that enjoys the food here. A whole range of tasters have been trawling Great Britain in search of the best Curry Houses and Tandori restaurants. The British Curry Awards (I kid you not) has placed it in the top 20 Indian restaurants of the British Isles. This is based on service as well as food so they have done incredibly well. The final takes place at the end of the month and though it is unlikely the boys at OUR Indian will win, we are very pleased for them to have accomplished this.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
That Time Of Year Again.
Be warned - this is an angry post.
About twice a year I get into a big row with my ex. Here's the latest installment.
On Sunday I got a call from my mum asking me to call my ex. She is still the inbetween and it pisses me off that she just can't tell him to get lost like I do.
So, against my better judgement I gave him a call. He must be on like his 20th new mobile number. He is impossible to trace.
I call him from a with-held number as I don't want him to know where we live. He never found it important to tell us where he lived when he moved to London 3-4 years ago and since he hasn't seen Matthew since November 2008 we weren't too keen on giving in so he could bother us at our new home.
We moved here for a better life and that included leaving him behind.
We've heard from him TWICE this year and both times I have called as requested. Never to get through to him. I leave messages but he changes numbers so often I don't even know if I have an up to date number although my mum always says its the number he calls from.
I try to stay calm but I swear that the longer I'm away from him, the more I grow to hate him and resent calling him. But I went in quite calm.
I tried his number 3 times for him to not answer. I left two messages. In the end I thought I would try once more.
I finally got through.
I got a barrage of abuse. "Why do you call me on this fucking number? Why do you keep phoning me? Why do you hide your number? Why do you ring at a bad time for me? blah blah blah."
I switched off from it and calmly responded. "I am calling you because you asked me to, so what can I do for you."
"I fucking don't understand why you fucking do this, you really piss me off." he shouts
"Look" I reply calmly despite being irritated beyond words. "You asked me to call, I am calling. If you don't want a conversation like a normal adult then I will hang up."
"You fucking do this every time. You never call just leave messages"
"It's not my fault you never answer it. So what do you want to talk about?"
"You are a fucking bitch and I hate you."
By now I lost my temper.
"You know what" I replied, "the feeling is mutual. In fact I am sure I have a lot more hatred towards you than you have towards me. I called because you asked. I did not call for a mouthful of abuse once again. I am just returning your call so can we please be civilised?"
I didn't even listen to the next pile of expletive shit he piled out but I did shout over him.
"For Gods sake, I don't know what your problem is. You ask me to call I've called. It took 4 attempts for you to answer so don't give me that "I only leave messages" crap! I don't have to put up with this shit. This will be the LAST time I EVER call you. You can forget about me wasting my time, Please do not keep using my mother as a messenger. I'm sick of all this. I don't want you bothering me or my family ever again. If you have a problem, take it to a court. I have my calls recorded by my mobile operator and if you want this to be further evidence that you only want to contact us to harrass us, then it could be used. And thanks for asking how your son is, he's fine. Now goodbye." With that I hung up leaving him unable to verbally abuse me any further.
We split up mid 2005. Our divorce was through January 2008. You'd think it would be easier by now right?
Not at all.
I don't have my calls recorded but he doesn't know that. I still have all the clauses of my injunction paperwork and all the divorce agreements including the visiting rights that he has ignored to attend. He moved away a few years ago, never to tell us where he went but we're bad for doing it back.
He still doesn't realise I've remarried. We've never had a conversation where he's been calm and willing to talk normally for me to mention it.
In almost 7 years I have recieved around £80 child maintenance from him.
For the past 4 christmasses and birthdays Matthews not had so much of a call, card or present. It was only last year he didn't know where we were so it's the only year it's excusable.
It's not about money, it's not about presents. I would HAPPILY go without a penny, payback what he has given as CM and for Matthew to never recieve any gifts if it meant that we never had contact with him again.
What really pissed me off was not once did he ask about Matthew? I would have put up with the angry start if he took a breath and thought for a second about what he was saying and asked about Matthew or asked to speak to Matthew. But not one word about him.
He only wants a fight and I am not the one to mess with. I've said my piece, made it clear. I expect that will be all we hear of him for a few months then he'll be the doting dad again.
I would rather be seen as a bitch that stops my son having contact with his real dad than to be an irresponsible mother that will let her child grow up with such an abusive bullying adult in his life.
I'm willing to go to court over it. I'd hope the law was on my side and would recognise that Matthew doesn't like talking to him as he swears at him and makes him feel sad (Matthews words) and that he is scared of him.
People can change but he is giving me no reason to believe that he is a changed character and I never will believe it all the time he is foul mouthed and aggressive.
This man never destroyed me before and he never will. One thing an abusive relationship did for me was make me stronger. I just don't think he realised how strong he made me.
But you know what? After years of psychological and verbal abuse both when I was with him and after, it did feel good letting rip and sharing back what I thought of him. I very much doubt this will be the end. It never is.
About twice a year I get into a big row with my ex. Here's the latest installment.
On Sunday I got a call from my mum asking me to call my ex. She is still the inbetween and it pisses me off that she just can't tell him to get lost like I do.
So, against my better judgement I gave him a call. He must be on like his 20th new mobile number. He is impossible to trace.
I call him from a with-held number as I don't want him to know where we live. He never found it important to tell us where he lived when he moved to London 3-4 years ago and since he hasn't seen Matthew since November 2008 we weren't too keen on giving in so he could bother us at our new home.
We moved here for a better life and that included leaving him behind.
We've heard from him TWICE this year and both times I have called as requested. Never to get through to him. I leave messages but he changes numbers so often I don't even know if I have an up to date number although my mum always says its the number he calls from.
I try to stay calm but I swear that the longer I'm away from him, the more I grow to hate him and resent calling him. But I went in quite calm.
I tried his number 3 times for him to not answer. I left two messages. In the end I thought I would try once more.
I finally got through.
I got a barrage of abuse. "Why do you call me on this fucking number? Why do you keep phoning me? Why do you hide your number? Why do you ring at a bad time for me? blah blah blah."
I switched off from it and calmly responded. "I am calling you because you asked me to, so what can I do for you."
"I fucking don't understand why you fucking do this, you really piss me off." he shouts
"Look" I reply calmly despite being irritated beyond words. "You asked me to call, I am calling. If you don't want a conversation like a normal adult then I will hang up."
"You fucking do this every time. You never call just leave messages"
"It's not my fault you never answer it. So what do you want to talk about?"
"You are a fucking bitch and I hate you."
By now I lost my temper.
"You know what" I replied, "the feeling is mutual. In fact I am sure I have a lot more hatred towards you than you have towards me. I called because you asked. I did not call for a mouthful of abuse once again. I am just returning your call so can we please be civilised?"
I didn't even listen to the next pile of expletive shit he piled out but I did shout over him.
"For Gods sake, I don't know what your problem is. You ask me to call I've called. It took 4 attempts for you to answer so don't give me that "I only leave messages" crap! I don't have to put up with this shit. This will be the LAST time I EVER call you. You can forget about me wasting my time, Please do not keep using my mother as a messenger. I'm sick of all this. I don't want you bothering me or my family ever again. If you have a problem, take it to a court. I have my calls recorded by my mobile operator and if you want this to be further evidence that you only want to contact us to harrass us, then it could be used. And thanks for asking how your son is, he's fine. Now goodbye." With that I hung up leaving him unable to verbally abuse me any further.
We split up mid 2005. Our divorce was through January 2008. You'd think it would be easier by now right?
Not at all.
I don't have my calls recorded but he doesn't know that. I still have all the clauses of my injunction paperwork and all the divorce agreements including the visiting rights that he has ignored to attend. He moved away a few years ago, never to tell us where he went but we're bad for doing it back.
He still doesn't realise I've remarried. We've never had a conversation where he's been calm and willing to talk normally for me to mention it.
In almost 7 years I have recieved around £80 child maintenance from him.
For the past 4 christmasses and birthdays Matthews not had so much of a call, card or present. It was only last year he didn't know where we were so it's the only year it's excusable.
It's not about money, it's not about presents. I would HAPPILY go without a penny, payback what he has given as CM and for Matthew to never recieve any gifts if it meant that we never had contact with him again.
What really pissed me off was not once did he ask about Matthew? I would have put up with the angry start if he took a breath and thought for a second about what he was saying and asked about Matthew or asked to speak to Matthew. But not one word about him.
He only wants a fight and I am not the one to mess with. I've said my piece, made it clear. I expect that will be all we hear of him for a few months then he'll be the doting dad again.
I would rather be seen as a bitch that stops my son having contact with his real dad than to be an irresponsible mother that will let her child grow up with such an abusive bullying adult in his life.
I'm willing to go to court over it. I'd hope the law was on my side and would recognise that Matthew doesn't like talking to him as he swears at him and makes him feel sad (Matthews words) and that he is scared of him.
People can change but he is giving me no reason to believe that he is a changed character and I never will believe it all the time he is foul mouthed and aggressive.
This man never destroyed me before and he never will. One thing an abusive relationship did for me was make me stronger. I just don't think he realised how strong he made me.
But you know what? After years of psychological and verbal abuse both when I was with him and after, it did feel good letting rip and sharing back what I thought of him. I very much doubt this will be the end. It never is.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
November 1st Revisited.
I wanted to do this post a day or two ago but since a couple of friends have had scares within their own pregnancies (which now seem to be just fine) I thought it wrong to post for now.
Meet my nephew Nelson.
Here is my son James on the very same day 3 years prior!
Anyone else see how similar these birthday sharing cousins look from their first photos?
I think the biggest difference between the young cousins is that having been born 18 days later (gestationally) and over 1lb in birth weight difference, Nelson looks a little more padded out. Even the proud daddy messaged us to say he thinks that his son looks just like James did as a baby.
I get a feeling these cousins may go through life looking alot like each other and may even look more alike that James and Liam. They both definitely get the T family genes rather than my own and his mummys own genes.
I'm hoping that the boys grow up to be close and it's already crossed my mind to have a joint birthday for them both next year. Yes, I am getting very ahead of myself. And No, I haven't offered the thought to the other parents as yet.
So James birthday was a quiet affair. We went out for dinner the night before James birthday to a restaurant of James' choice. He opted for a traditional carvery and loved his roast dinner meal.
My boys love thier roast dinners and beneath those gigantic yorkshire puddings were piles of steamed veg. James also loves his gravy! They did very well eating (Liam ate the most) and followed thier meals with an ice cream with strawberry sauce. They did very very well.
On James actual birthday we got up as normal and James was greeted with the scene below.
He had a lot of his presents when grandparents visited. He had lots of Disney Cars items, a big car transporter and lots of cars and building bricks. My grandad sent money so we bougt him the trike and just about everything in the packaging is all Fireman Sam merchandise including the much anticipated deluxe fire station James has been wanting for a very long time for. With the old fire station and the shop, 3 fire engines and a fair few characters (pictured the the left) we pretty much have the whole village. He also got the helicopter rescue hut and something else. I've lost track. We have alot of Fireman Sam in our living room right now.
I only made a handful of cakes this time. James loves Smarties (same as m&m's) so I made some chocolate Smarties cupcakes.
They went down as well as I expected. For the birthday itself, we had a quiet day in playing with toys. We took the boys to the zoo as an early birthday treat in the summer. A trip to the zoo in November just isn't the same. James just loved the oppertunity to play with all his toys.
In the evening we treated the kids to a KFC meal as James loves the chicken fillets and returned home to unveil the birthday cake.
All the nboys had a go at blowing out the the candle and we all had a slice of the cake. We took 25 slices into James toddler group the next day.
Matthew was off school sick with vomiting. James and Liam were fine. James began vomitting around teatime (after his day at school - great!) and Liam had some really nasty nappies in the days that followed.
Now on Sunday, I think we are almost back to normal although James had been sick in bed last night, my poor boy. Matthew recovered quickly but was sick alot in a short period of time. He could not return to school until he had been free of illness for 48 hours so he's only been back at school 2 days this week.
James has just been sick like once a day since Wednesday but he is well in himself. In high spirits and eating and drinking fine.
I (touch wood) have avoided all the bugs and germies that have been floating round. It's part of a mothers mentality that we don't have time to be ill.
The rest of the week has been very relaxing. TOO relaxing. We finally got out of the house for a walk yesterday morning and I think the fresh air did all the boys a little good.
We're 6 days into November and thankfully the weather is still mild. We've not yet had to put on our heating. This is good for many reasons, mainly because the cost of energy rockets in our house in winter with at least 2 of us home at any time. The next few days are meant to be as good and remain in double figures oC for a good week or so. I would love a winter like this all the time and I may be wrong but I feel that winter will be less harsh this year than it has been for a couple of years. I am very aware of checking out nature for signs and this year there does not seem so many berries, acorns or nuts about. Living in the country I am more aware than ever of these little things. Nature works in such a way that it prepares for the months ahead and the past 2 years we've had more snow than is expected in little old England. However, this year there is less food for the animals to hoard so I remain hopeful that there is less snow this winter. Watch this space.
Meet my nephew Nelson.
Anyone else see how similar these birthday sharing cousins look from their first photos?
I think the biggest difference between the young cousins is that having been born 18 days later (gestationally) and over 1lb in birth weight difference, Nelson looks a little more padded out. Even the proud daddy messaged us to say he thinks that his son looks just like James did as a baby.
I get a feeling these cousins may go through life looking alot like each other and may even look more alike that James and Liam. They both definitely get the T family genes rather than my own and his mummys own genes.
I'm hoping that the boys grow up to be close and it's already crossed my mind to have a joint birthday for them both next year. Yes, I am getting very ahead of myself. And No, I haven't offered the thought to the other parents as yet.
So James birthday was a quiet affair. We went out for dinner the night before James birthday to a restaurant of James' choice. He opted for a traditional carvery and loved his roast dinner meal.
On James actual birthday we got up as normal and James was greeted with the scene below.
I only made a handful of cakes this time. James loves Smarties (same as m&m's) so I made some chocolate Smarties cupcakes.
In the evening we treated the kids to a KFC meal as James loves the chicken fillets and returned home to unveil the birthday cake.
Matthew was off school sick with vomiting. James and Liam were fine. James began vomitting around teatime (after his day at school - great!) and Liam had some really nasty nappies in the days that followed.
Now on Sunday, I think we are almost back to normal although James had been sick in bed last night, my poor boy. Matthew recovered quickly but was sick alot in a short period of time. He could not return to school until he had been free of illness for 48 hours so he's only been back at school 2 days this week.
James has just been sick like once a day since Wednesday but he is well in himself. In high spirits and eating and drinking fine.
I (touch wood) have avoided all the bugs and germies that have been floating round. It's part of a mothers mentality that we don't have time to be ill.
The rest of the week has been very relaxing. TOO relaxing. We finally got out of the house for a walk yesterday morning and I think the fresh air did all the boys a little good.
We're 6 days into November and thankfully the weather is still mild. We've not yet had to put on our heating. This is good for many reasons, mainly because the cost of energy rockets in our house in winter with at least 2 of us home at any time. The next few days are meant to be as good and remain in double figures oC for a good week or so. I would love a winter like this all the time and I may be wrong but I feel that winter will be less harsh this year than it has been for a couple of years. I am very aware of checking out nature for signs and this year there does not seem so many berries, acorns or nuts about. Living in the country I am more aware than ever of these little things. Nature works in such a way that it prepares for the months ahead and the past 2 years we've had more snow than is expected in little old England. However, this year there is less food for the animals to hoard so I remain hopeful that there is less snow this winter. Watch this space.
Friday, 4 November 2011
At Least I Am In Good Health - For Now
Ah, what a week!
It all started last Saturday when hubby started feeling unwell. He couldn't eat his dinner as he felt sick. Sunday and Monday he had bad stomach cramps accompanied by digestive issues and a full on tummy bug. Eating only added to the problems and had him up all night with trips to the toilet.
Tuesday he had to go to hospital anyway for his diabetes checks. Blood tests show his diabetes is better than it's ever been so all is good there.
Wednesday he was off work as he was so worn out from the restless, sleepless nights but it seems to have done the trick and he was almost back to normal and back to work yesterday.
Also on Wednesday Matthew had to take the day off school due to vomiting. Wednesday is normally just a mummy and Liam day as it's James toddlergroup day but James was the only one missing. Matthew was sick on and off throughout the day but the two little ones were fine.........Until teatime when James started vomiting too. He'd already been to toddlergroup so I REALLY hope that this bug is not going around there right now! He really wasn't himself, neither boys ate dinner and James eventually fell asleep snuggled up on his daddys chest. He was sick once during the night and around teatime again yesterday.
Liam seemed the healthiest of the bunch. However a nappy yesterday and one this morning suggests all is not well with Liams tummy. It's not the healthiest of households right now.
So far, I am escaping unscathed. I hope it stays that way a little longer.
It all started last Saturday when hubby started feeling unwell. He couldn't eat his dinner as he felt sick. Sunday and Monday he had bad stomach cramps accompanied by digestive issues and a full on tummy bug. Eating only added to the problems and had him up all night with trips to the toilet.
Tuesday he had to go to hospital anyway for his diabetes checks. Blood tests show his diabetes is better than it's ever been so all is good there.
Wednesday he was off work as he was so worn out from the restless, sleepless nights but it seems to have done the trick and he was almost back to normal and back to work yesterday.
Also on Wednesday Matthew had to take the day off school due to vomiting. Wednesday is normally just a mummy and Liam day as it's James toddlergroup day but James was the only one missing. Matthew was sick on and off throughout the day but the two little ones were fine.........Until teatime when James started vomiting too. He'd already been to toddlergroup so I REALLY hope that this bug is not going around there right now! He really wasn't himself, neither boys ate dinner and James eventually fell asleep snuggled up on his daddys chest. He was sick once during the night and around teatime again yesterday.
Liam seemed the healthiest of the bunch. However a nappy yesterday and one this morning suggests all is not well with Liams tummy. It's not the healthiest of households right now.
So far, I am escaping unscathed. I hope it stays that way a little longer.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
November 1st. What a Fantastic Day To Be Born.
Today we are celebrating the third anniversary of James birthday. Here is the little man around 3 months old.
There was no real birth story. I woke up very early morning needing the toilet. My waters broke, instant contractions. Called the hospital to say I was going in, called my mum to come and look after Matthew. She arrived, we went to hospital. 30 minutes after arriving and whilst I was still signing admittance forms James was born. I must have been in labour less than 2 hours. So that's it. Short and sweet, so all those expecting first babies in the new year - some of us are very lucky with births and it's not all bad stories out there.
Today, James is just as adorable. Just looking so much more grown up.
Secondly we are celebrating the birth of my nephew baby Nelson. He arrived shortly after 4am this morning (2 hrs earlier than James) and weighed a good 8lbs 4oz at 42 weeks and 2 days gestation. Phew. All mine were early so I never have been overdue or suffered the frustrations of a late baby.
As baby was now 14 days late, His mummy was taken into hospital Sunday evening to be induced. Labour started around midday yesterday and we now have a new baby in the family. She didn't get the home water birth as planned which she was disappointed about but they have got a lovely little boy and as far as I am aware it was a natural delivery. So all is happy in London right now.
I am SO pleased for them. S-I-L is American so he was actually born as a Halloween baby to her family's time scale. I can't wait to see pictures and I am pleased that they have finally got here after 5 years of waiting. I'm so so happy for them.
Our little cousins share the same birthday 3 years apart! Both hubby and his brother have become fathers to sons the day before thier own birthdays. How funny how things work out sometimes.
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