The Pox has finally reached us

After being in close proximity to a lot of cases even since Noah came down on Boxing Day, Jamie has finally come out in the spots - lots of lovely bright red spots! We told him that they are Lucy's spots and he keeps saying; "I want to give hem back to Lucy".

Work have agreed to give me two days Carers Leave as Nursery won't take him until the spots turn to scabs!

Been on the Internet and the NHS website says; Chickenpox is a mild and common childhood illness that most children catch at some point. It causes a rash of red, itchy spots that turn into fluid-filled blisters. They then crust over to form scabs, which eventually drop off. Some children have only a few spots, but in others they can cover the entire body. The spots are most likely to appear on the face, ears and scalp, under the arms, on the chest and stomach and on the arms and legs.

One thing I did not know was that Children usually catch chickenpox in winter and spring, particularly between March and May.

Chickenpox is most infectious from one to two days before the rash starts, until all the blisters have crusted over (usually five to six days after the start of the rash).

Chickenpox in children is considered a mild illness, but expect your child to feel pretty miserable and irritable while they have it. Your child is likely to have a fever at least for the first few days of the illness. The spots can be incredibly itchy. Jamie has been very clingy and grumpy but has not been too scratchy. The worst place seems to be in his mouth; where he keeps saying "There is something in my mouth". We have watched a lot of CBeebies this week!

There is no specific treatment for chickenpox, but there are pharmacy remedies which can alleviate symptoms, such as paracetamol to relieve fever and calamine lotion and cooling gels to ease itching. Calamine cream was recommended. He has had some Ibuprofen liquid but refused to take it today!

In most children, the blisters crust up and fall off naturally within one to two weeks.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/Pages/Introduction.aspx

A Conversation between two Toddlers

While at cousin Lucy's (see: http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/happy-birthday-lucy.html) I attempted to write down a conversation between Lucy and Jamie. I am not sure whether or not they were actually having a conversation but some of it made sense!!

It went something like this:

I’m having hearts in my do-nut.
I think it tastes of vanilla.
That one’s Brown Sauce.
This is mine. You can’t have it.
I’m not having conkers.
I don’t like yours. Chop, Chop.
Want to try yours a little bit.
Eat your dinner.
Mine not yours.
You can’t have it.
That’s the problem. You don’t like conkers.
I’m having some peppers on it.
I just made this dinner and its yummy.
I’m not having any more dinner. Its having me.
I’m full up.
Can I come to the cafe again?
We want to eat your dinner.
Get off the settee (to me).

Since coming back from the weekend Jamie's talking has once again come on in leaps and bounds. Even one of the ladies at Nursery commented on it this week. He is getting to be a right little chatter box - i wonder where he gets that from??

Generous in Love....

Having a sort out today and came along an email from Roderick that was sent to me just after Jamie was born;

Congratulations to you all on having become a family. Many new things will come to you now. One of the most important realisations to have in mind as a crystallised thought (which is ignored far too often and rarely spoken of) is that although your own life gets turned upside down by the arrival of a baby and the demands on your time and energies of a little boy can be very great indeed (which others will readily tell you), the truth is that babies are infinitely more generous in the love and joy they give to those who care for them. You will know love and intimacy in ways that you probably could not ever have imagined as possible.

So enjoy, because another fact is, that babies do not last forever. They grow up much too fast...

I cannot believe that my baby is nearly three. He is at a truly wonderful stage at the moment. Talking, talking, talking and so full of life. I love being with him so much. There are times when I don't love him quite so much - like 6am in the morning after I have got up to have some 'me' time and Jamie wanders in to find out what I am up to and then won't leave me alone! "I want to talk to you mummy." I can't argue with that and feel guilty at getting mad at him for interrupting my 'me' time.

All this means that I am having less time to actually participate in 'me' things, but you know what, I actually prefer being with Jamie than doing some of these 'me' things at the moment.

How long does it take to get back to "Normal"?

Recently I went for an interview and although I did not get the job I went along afterwards for some feedback on how I did. For some reason we got chatting about Jamie. I was asked how old he was and when I replied "nearly three" the response was "I have been told it takes 5 years for you to return to normal after having a child". I am still not sure what she exactly meant by this but I put the comment on Facebook and here are a few of the messages I received:

Sorry Jo what a load of tosh, Alex and Daniel will be 8 this year and i don't think I'll be normal again!!!! but that could be a twin thing?

You were never normal...hope this helps ;-)

Not a chance my mum had four kids and she's still mental. Lol

Yeah... Sorry, think the general consensus is right - I don't think you ever get back to 'normal' after having kids, you just settle into a different kind of 'normal'! I think impending middle-age probably has something to do with it too... Ouch..!

I am still waiting - and my baby is 35 years old!!!!!!

Me and My Shadow...

Jamie loves playing with his shadow. This photo was taken at Pittville Park in Cheltenham at the weekend. Whether or not he loves this game because of an episode of Humf we saw a few months back, I don't know!! But he loves watching his shadow follow him about, and when we come inside he often asks where it has gone. If he gets too upset about his missing shadow, he is soon cheered up when I show him his shadow on the wall and the ceiling from the bedside lamp!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Just come back from a lovely weekend in Cheltenham celebrating Lucy's 3rd Birthday! Cake and presents and dancing and balloons and more cake and bubbles and Chinese lanterns and dressing up and going to the park (with a sprinkling of snow) and jumping on daddy and uncle dean and too much food and a great time was had by all!!

However, the weekend did not do much for Jamie's sleeping. He has been going to bed late and sleeping in late since his chest infection when we just let him sleep when he wanted to. Now he is rather out of sync. Over the weekend he slept in an inflatable bed which he loved - especially the detachable Eeyore - but did not go to bed til very late as we were sleeping in the lounge and of course we all slept in late(ish)!

The weekend did do a lot for Jamie's speech though. As Lucy is older - and a girl - and therefore a little more advanced in her speech, Jamie seemed to talk so much more. The pair of them were chatting away to each other as they were playing. I even wrote down a whole conversation as it had started off so funny.

As for sharing.....we had a couple of incidents but these were over very quickly and Jamie has missed Lucy terribly since we got home. Yesterday he filled our suitcase with toys. When I asked what he was doing, he said "Packing. I am going to Lucy's".

Sharing...

Jamie has had a few play dates over the past few weeks and there have been a few 'incidents'. Saw this on gurgle:

My toddler won’t share… Sharing is one of the hardest things for toddlers and young children to do because they’re still at a stage where the only needs and wants that matter are theirs! Read books about sharing to your child – your local children’s librarian should be able to suggest some good choices. Praise him when he shares. Tell him how happy it made you feel that he shared a toy with a friend and remind him how good it makes him feel when someone else shares with him. Each day, do an activity where you share or take turns with your child. For example, you could play catch or take turns to colour a picture, or you could share a snack. Put away precious toys before a playdate. If you know your child is likely to have big problems with sharing certain toys, it’s best to take the precaution of putting them away before friends come over.

http://www.gurgle.com/articles/child-behaviour-development/getting-your-toddler-to-co-operate/1406

All feeling better (almost)

Jamie still has a little cough and mummy has now started using a nasal spray in an attempt to sort her ears out, but other than that we are all feeling better. Mummy and daddy had an 'almost' date on Friday night when daddy had a gig and mummy went along to watch with a couple of friends. She also got a chance to try out her new camera; although still hasn't worked out how to really use it! As we were leaving the venue, it was incredibly cold and it started to snow. So it was a good job we were all feeling better as Sunday morning we had a fantastic few hours in the garden; sledging and building a rather large snowman.

We sent cousin Lucy a copy of this photo as they have not had snow but they do have chickenpox.

Month 34

This month your toddler is starting to become more social. Every month his talking and comprehension skills advance a little further so that he can communicate not just with you but also with other children. Some children this age have the ability to recognise when they are speaking to a younger child, and slow down what they are saying. Encourage your child’s socialising by praising him when he plays nicely or shares a toy. He may even become attached to one other child he prefers and some children create imaginary friends at this age. Jamie has always had imaginary friends he talks to, as well as his teddy's who he has always bossed about. Not sure he has a favourite friend but he has begun to remember who people are, so when you tell him you are going to see someone or someone is coming to visit, he remembers (and then is upset if they don't).

Your child’s memories are starting to develop and he will love to hear all about himself. Showing him pictures of when he was a born, pointing out family members and telling him how happy you were when you first met him, will boost his sense of self and his self-esteem. Show him pictures of his first and second birthday. Also, encourage him to think about his third birthday, which is fast approaching. If you traced his feet when he was little or painted hand prints, put his hands and feet against them now to show him how big he has grown. Draw around his hands and feet again and tell him you will look back in a year to see how much more he has grown. Consider making a height chart for his room so he can help plot how tall he gets from month to month. Jamie loves looking photos of himself. There is a small photograph in our bedroom of Jamie from when he was in hospital and Jamie likes to carry it around and say 'Baby Jamie'.

This month your toddler is not too young to understand the concept of being tidy. You can teach him to put away his toys, or not to take all the toys out of the toy box, just the one he wants to play with. You can include him in simple chores such as sorting though the washing and loading it into the machine. He can help you to sweep the floor or help to prepare easy parts of a meal. Making a cake remains a firm favourite with most children, if not, just for licking the bowl of icing at the end! Jamie loves to help mummy if he can - even if mummy would rather he didn't! Washing up can be a wet nightmare, as can making his own breakfast, as most of the Bran Flakes usually end up on the floor! I know he also helps Nanna when he is there. He especially likes cooking with Nanna - though he still won't share what he makes!! As for tidying his room - we have yet to understand this concept; although he will push all his clothes into the wardrobe if mummy says she is tidying his clothes!!

www.gurgle.com/stages/Toddler/34_month_old/default.aspx?ReadMore=true