My friend’s 14 month old son was diagnosed with AML Leukemia yesterday after being admitted to hospital over the weekend. Their world has been turned upside down overnight. They are some of the sweetest kind hearted people I’ve ever met and also have a daughter who will be turning 3 in a couple of months.
We are looking to raise some money for them to help with the months ahead, possibly setting up a non-charitable trust. If anyone can help in any way we’d really appreciate it.
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It’s been a busy time us of late. Rob is finally trying to get the patio laid but the weather has been against him for the past few weekends and when finally we get sunshine he has to work. He now has most of it sitting in the drive on pallets just now so hopefully the bog at the back of the house will disappear soon.
When Rob got a new job at UK Mail (same company but different warehouse) his hours changed so one week he works afternoons to evenings and the alternating week he works morning and afternoon. This certainly shook thing up. Instead of getting up at our leisurely 10 o’clock we had to shift everything so we are up and about by 6am and as a result I had to find new groups to take Duncan to since now he naps most days after lunch. Found a fantastic stay and play group and his loved his new signing class, Babies Can Sign, (although sadly this was eventually cancelled due to lack of numbers) but Rhythm Time was not at hit in the slighest. In the end he was refusing to even go inside the hall so that had to get knocked in the head.
As a result of this and the fact I want to work again, I’ve decided to set up a preschool music class, starting with Saturday mornings in Morley so that we don’t have to pay for childcare as Duncan and Rob can come along. So much to do though. As well as buying the kit I need and lesson planning I have to cover everything like Child Protection and Health Safety policies in order to rent the room at a school. There’s only so many ways the paperwork can be avoided but now I’ve almost finished the website there’s no avoiding it. It’s coming along nicely though and I’m hoping to start the class after the summer holidays.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it is scary how quickly Duncan is growing up. He’s a complete chatterbox with a huge vocabulary but as a result the signs have started dropping off unless he really wants to get his point across. He’s had a lot of visitors in the past few weeks – MoMo & Grandpa, Nanna & Grandad and Aunty Rachael. Grandpa gave him a much adored toy tractor and now he is definitely Grandpa’s wee pal, asking to speak to him and MoMo most days on skype.
We’ve also joined out local Netmums group which is fantastic as unlike everything else they are still meeting over the summer. Been great for us to get out and enjoy the company of other mums and kids.
His swimming in coming on in leaps and bounds. Instead of armbands we got him a little float jacket. When we took him last weekend he was starting to get his balance and could swimming to the side on his own from about a metre away. This Sunday though there was no stopping him. Almost as soon as he got in the pool he was off, swimming from one side to the other, twirling around in the water and getting us to help him jump in from the side. We had to force him to take rests as he just wanted to keep going and going. So proud that all the hard work is paying off.
Anyway paperwork waits for no woman so it’s back to work for me.
Sitting at the table just now chatting with a babbling Duncan who is demolishing his toasty starting with the crusts. Last night was the first night in months he spent all of sound asleep in his cot although he did refuse to go to sleep until 1am. Most of the time it’s a teething related issue that wakes him up so we can’t really complain too much. Numbers 9 and 10 are about half way through with 11 and 12 threatening to make an imminent appearance at the bottom.
It’s rather odd looking at him and definitely seeing a wee boy looking back at us and not so much of a baby anymore. He isn’t walking just yet but there’s no rush and he isn’t far off. On a good day he can hold his balance for few seconds then realises what he’s doing and panics. Everyday he seems to attempt a new sign and it is quite amazing at how much we can see he understands.
We have to go pick up Rob from work sometime between 9 and 10pm and one evening he was running a bit later than he thought he would so we are sat waiting in the car park. I told Duncan (with the signs as well as speech) that we were waiting on daddy and then going home. About 10 minutes later Rob gets into the car and Duncan signs home. Ahhhh parental pride.
And for certain he is a daddy’s boy. All hell breaks loose on a Monday afternoon so I think we will drop the arts and craft class we started going to a couple of weeks ago. Daddy rage mixed with over stimulation from about 15 other kids of varying ages is not fun for either of us. Rest of the week is taken up with baby signing, a music group and swimming. Swimming is probably the activity that sits with him best because he doesn’t get the chance to get bored. Far too busy chasing balls and ducks, playing with the watering cans, flirting with the lifeguards, going under water and trying to crawl away from me before I help him jump in.
Anyway must be off. Time for petits filous so accidental missiles are a distinct possibility as he loads up his own spoon. Take cover!
Yep been a while but the lord and master of the house keeps me busy. He’s growing fast and insists he wants to do everything we do. Sitting up (for a minute or two anyway), leading the way while being walked about and now the time has come for a good old chomp. He’s been having the odd chunk of bread here and there as well as the odd taste of our food, but now it will be a regular occurance.
What we decided to do with him is now being referred to as Baby Led Weaning which in a nutshell is introducing food that allows him to feed himself from about six months. So that means no mush. I have nothing against the traditional weaning, infact I have the perfect tools for making excellent mush (as tested by my friend’s kids) but I’d rather he was allowed a choice in what and how he eats and that we eat together whenever we can. ‘What about choking?’ I hear you cry. As Duncan has control of what goes in his mouth it is much less likely than if he was traditionally weaned. Infants have two gag reflexes, the first simply pushing the food out their mouth wit the tongue and the second at the back of the mouth (unlike an adults which is in the throat). Somethings like yoghurt will require a spoon but going by his previous playing with spoons that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
When his Granny was visiting, and again a few days later, he got some hummous and pitta. The hummous of course ended up all over his face and he wasn’t looking to sure of whether he liked it or not but it wasn’t refused. Pitta was thoroughly enjoyed and until it started falling to bits in his mouth prompting him to push them out his mouth and either into his bib or into his hand and straight on the floor. Today he set to work on some slices of apple whilst myself, Rob and his brother ate some lunch. Suck suck, chomp chomp, slobber slobber. Definitely be having some more of that.
June 2008
Well I do have some more to write about – trying to organise going back to teaching, a friend of mine ending up in court and in the news and finally managing to get a bit more done on the house – but it’s late. Tis time to get the lads up to bed methinks.
