Busy Bees or 'No Rest for the Wicked'

So we're halfway through our temporary abandonment by my husband. He's been having a whale of a time - meals out, drinking in bars, swimming in the pool, seeing the sights, LIE INs! - whilst I've been dealing with challenging behaviour from eldest and a teething baby who's been up most nights.

Now deep down I know that he's keeping busy so that he's not sat in a hotel room missing us but that doesn't help when you're telling a 6 year old that no, he can't speak to daddy today as daddy's gone out and won't be back till eldest is (supposedly) asleep.

So we're trying to keep busy too:

Mon:
School run, baby & toddler group, phone call from Oz?, emergency supermarket trip, school run, sibling photos at school, swimming lesson, dinner, bed. Not sure when baby is going to nap.

Tues:
Coffee with the school mum's, buy bits eldest needs for first Beaver Scout sleepover - including uniform, cake baking, finishing off craft fair stuff for Sat, eldest at friends for tea but that will make a difficult bedtime. Last call from Oz?

Wed:
Friend coming over (so will have to clean Tues night) after morning school run, soft play (hell) after school, trying not to panic about OH flying and waiting for text at stopover.

Thurs:
Husband hopefully lands before morning school run but not sure when he will drive home. To minimise the chance of eldest spontaneously combusting with the anticipation of his dad's arrival were going to see Disney on Ice with grandparents - whilst trying to hide the fact that daddy will probably be at home before we even leave to pick eldest up from school and go.

Fri:
Catching up with my husband then out in the evening preparing hall for Saturday's craft fair. Also need to prepare eldest's Beaver sleepover kit

Sat:
Scheduled to be at craft fair venue (with baby) for 7:30am - should be home for 3:30 in time to take eldest to Beaver Sleepover that starts at 4!

Sun:
Husband back at work so no time to relax. Pick up eldest at 4.

But hey, that's life- who'd change it?

Lonely Without You

It's been 34 hours since I became (temporarily) a single parent. My husband is currently on a flight to Sydney to attend his sister's wedding. I would be with him - if funds allowed - but children weren't invited, my eldest is in a SATs year and who would want to fly with an 8 month old for 26 hours?

I estimate that my husband has just finished a stopover at Singapore - 2 flights this week have run into trouble when leaving Singapore bound for Sydney.

As he had to be at an airport 4 hours drive away first thing this morning he actually left us yesterday afternoon. This resulted in my eldest not letting me out of his sight until he finally sobbed himself to sleep an hour and a half after he should have been catching zeds. This evening was similar - except that I had 10 people on my living room trying to have a committee meeting!

It's really hit my eldest how far away daddy actually is - I had to explain that we couldn't ring him as he was on the plane and he couldn't switch his phone on.

I think it's been more difficult than any of us thought that it would be. I definitely don't want to be single with 2 kids permanently.


-- Post From My iPhone

What do they put in the water?

As I predicted eldest settled right down when he went back to school! He's really enjoying being in year 2 and has been soaking information up like a sponge. We've had a fantastic parent's evening and his behaviour improved at home too.

That was until the half term holidays! What on Earth do they put in the water at school?

-- Post From My iPhone

Holiday! Celebrate?

Well 4 months have flown by and we've just about survived the school holidays, just.

Baby is now sitting up and making his presence felt. Eldest is a live wire who finds it impossible to sit still or be quiet. As a result I have exhausted all funds in an attempt to keep him busy and entertained - soft play, bowling, walks in the park, trips to the seaside. These exciting trips haven't stopped the tantrums though - after the second game of crazy golf at the seaside we declined to play a third and received a tantrum of monstrous proportions - stomping, shrieking, crying and thumping - we never do anything for him only the baby and we don't love him and he doesn't want us as parents any more!

Almost as difficult as these episodes are the apologies later when he is filled with remorse and hits himself for being 'so stupid'. It pulls on the heart strings but you can't help wondering if it is all a ploy to get a bit softer treatment next time the red mist rears it's ugly head.

I'm looking forward to school starting next week to try and get some routine back into our lives. When people see me with a baby they invariably ask me if he sleeps well - yes, like a log, would go for 12 hours if it wasn't for his elder brother. For most of the holidays we've been woken at 3, 4, 5am by our eldest who just can't wait for the next day to begin - and then he's full on for the rest of the day. Every time the baby drifts of to sleep during the day he's woken by over enthusiastic hugging and kissing or impromptu singing sessions - this of course backfires as the time I could devote to him whilst baby is asleep is lost but he doesn't seem to learn from this.

So whilst many of my friends are mourning the end of the Summer - I can't wait for September and the school run to start!

Emerging from the fog

My baby boy is almost 2 months old now - and is now in 3-6 months clothes as he's a very hungry boy. I'd forgotten how delightful they can be at this age - smiling at you and making you feel like you are the most important person in the world, starting to try to communicate with coos and laughs, and developing a character all of their own. I could quite happily closet myself up with him all day but the school run must be done. His older brother is getting better but we're still prone to extreme tantrums over something minor with no warning. On Sunday my parents came over for dinner - youngest was asleep, eldest playing with Lego and I was cooking when eldest suddenly threw what he was building across the room, stomped upstairs and slamed his bedroom door! 'that', my dad said 'is what you call karma'. I'm sorry Dad for every temper tantrum I put you through ... Now tell me the secret of coping with them!


-- Post From My iPhone

Holidays again?

Last time I looked it was February half term, I was heavily pregnant and couldn't face a week with my 5 year old demanding entertainment. Suddenly the holidays are here and I have a month old baby to throw into the mix. Unfortunately there was miscommunication on the relative front as our school broke up this Friday whereas the schools where my mother lives don't break up until next week. So my son has next week attending various drs appointments and baby clinics with me with the promise of a few days after Easter with grandma - if we survive next week that is.

I knew that life with two children was going to be harder than with one. Unfortunately I had to go into hospital to be monitored and eventually the baby was induced and my eldest hasn't quite recovered from seeing mummy hooked up to monitors and drips. He is very proud of his little brother though and wants to hold and cuddle him all the time. We thought with the almost 6 year age gap that he'd understand more and take on board that we'd have slightly less time for him in the first weeks. We forgot that he's only 5 and used to having us all to himself. We had some awful behaviour - towards us rather than his new brother - but it seems to be subsiding and our lovely big boy is back (fingers crossed).


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Waiting is different this time

So I officially started my maternity leave 12 days ago and my due date is in 2 days time - we've just had a week of 1/2 term with both my husband and my son at home - so today is only the second day I've been 'alone' with nothing to do. Goodness I'm bored.

When I was on maternity leave I had (what seems now) a wonderful relaxing time. I finished work 4 weeks before my due date and my son was 10 days late. I caught up with movies that I'd always wanted to see, napped during the day, met up with my antenatal classmates, went to aqua-natal classes and antenatal appointments.

This time there's none of that. Where I live now there is little provision of antenatal classes - especially for second time around mums, my friends are all busy with work or children. I have a stinking cold so can't go to aqua-natal. My midwife is off this week - though 'someone' will be here on my due date. None of my maternity clothes still fit - well some do but it is too cold to wear them in this freezing weather, not only my ankles but my legs are all swollen and my hip is quite painful which makes it difficult to walk. The cold I have makes it difficult to breathe so sleep at night - and napping in the afternoon - is difficult. I can only just - with a struggle - get the car seat belt around me and it is difficult to drive with that painful hip. Oh and all I ever seem to do is moan!

But come 3pm my first born will be out of school and will catapult me back into normality again and bring me out of the dumps. Let's just hope there's not much waiting left.

Due date and failing tests

Well I'm 9 days away from my due date with baby number 2. There's no sign of anything happening yet and my first was induced and arrived 10 days after his due date so I'm sure I'm here for a while yet. Unfortunately that is depressing! If the baby had remained breech - as it was a few weeks ago - I would have had a c-section this morning and be holding my baby now. But I am glad that I didn't have to have an operation.

I've managed to sail through this pregnancy passing every test that they've thrown at me - I'm 'overweight' so I should by the medical professions predictions be a 'special case' - but so far my blood pressure, my glucose levels, my weight gain and my urine samples have all been fine. Until last week when my urine sample was ever so slightly out - expected in pregnancy I was told. I did another test and dropped it off for the pathology lab at the hospital. Today, a week later, I get a call to provide another sample at the doctor's surgery. I get there and whisper to the receptionist why I'm there. 'A URINE SAMPLE?' she shouts just in case the people at the back of the packed waiting room couldn't hear. She gives me a test tube and a plastic bag and tells me to go home and come back with it when it's done. Having struggled to get my huge bump behind the steering wheel of the car I can't face making a return journey so I ask if I can do the necessary there - she pulls a face but agrees that she could put it in the fridge to be collected (nice!).

Now if you've ever been 9 months pregnant or known anyone who is 9 months pregnant you will know that we can't be far from a loo for long but when we get there you kind of wonder what all the fuss was about - the baby pressing on the bladder means that any amount of liquid - no matter how small - has to be expelled immediately. I had drunk a pint of water in preparation so hoped that this wouldn't be a problem. No the problem was that the 'test tube' sized vessel is too small when 1. you can't see what you are doing because of the bump and 2. you're a woman and you can't aim! Added to that you are advised to take the sample 'mid flow' and you can understand why I failed before I started. Never mind I put in the bag, wrapped it up so that the receptionist couldn't comment on the paltry amount and I'm now hoping that the baby arrives before the results are proved inconclusive again.