Elizabeth is three!!!

Well, the illness lasted a while... I came down with whatever Elizabeth had at the weekend, and Edward the weekend after that, so we had a period where everyone was exhausted and full of cold, with a horrible cough and so forth. Not swine 'flu though! Then we had a mad cap lead-in to Elizabeth's birthday. Last week I set off to ToysrUs on Wednesday night to buy 'dolls and more dolls' which translated as a high-chair and bath for her dolls and a changing bag full of plastic lotions and potions from Edward. We had a busy day on Saturday - Sainsburys for party essentials, then Halfords to get her bike helmet (using £10 voucher) for Christmas, then M&S for adults sandwiches, then I baked all afternoon - fairy cakes, muffins, birthday cake, jelly. We got up EARLY on Sunday and I made the children's cream cheese sandwiches, cut the cucumber and melon, washed the grapes, packed the car with the painted banners, balloons, borrowed amp with mp3 player attached, extension cable, toilet rolls, blu tak, tape, pins, cakes, party bags - you name it. We collected the keys at 10am, then had a mad hour setting up with my Mum and Dad helping out. We set up the tables at end of the hall for the littlies, with red table cloth, cups, plates, hats etc (all from Matalan), got the music sorted and set all the toys out. Her friends arrived from 11am, and the party went on until 1pm - wine and music a very good idea (note for future years!). Elizabeth seemed to really enjoy it, even though she didn't want to blow her candles out!

We cleaned up in about half an hour, and packed up the car - home exhausted, then Edward didn't sleep that night so utter exhaustion on her birthday. She opened her presents in our bed - loads of things from her friends and aunties and uncles, and she loved Edward's present. I'd made her a Peppa Pig card... Spent the day playing with her toys. Husband came back from work for lunch, and at tea time Nanny and Grandad came and brought her dolls house which I made up that night so she could play with it the next day.

Can't believe she's three, three long years since she came into the world! Thoughts have turned to #3 quite a bit more, with all indicators looking like ttc in January with a target date of September. Not a clue what we'll do about more space. We had thought about talking to Chris' dad with a view to extending this house, and are keeping our eyes on properties for sale (one came up for sale at Tanglewood close today), and we went to see the new houses in Hadley built by the same company as the ones being developed at the back of the school.

Concerns at the moment include Edward not sleeping (still) and being awake for one and half hour stints in the middle of the night. Also swine 'flu - to have the vaccine or not. Also, me going back to work. I've been really stressed about what day I'm going to work, but a new development as of last week: could be working Saturdays on a 16-week fastrack GCSE course, which although it sounds difficult, could actually work to our advantage. So apart from being very very tired, feeling slightly more positive. I start counselling for PND next week, and Edward's hospital appointment is the following week!

Elizabeth is ill!

Note to self: Just when you think things can't get any worse invariably they do! Yesterday morning Elizabeth woke up crying, coughing, then was sick all down George's back. Not major sick. But unpleasant. The morning passed peacefully. Too peacefully. She slept for most of it. Back to her normal self for lunch, then "My tummy hurts" followed by some dozing in bed. I put a load of tumble drying out, and returned to her bedroom to find her standing in the middle of the room next to a pile of vomit. Spent seemingly ages trying to scrape it off the carpet, and console here, get washing in, and surround the area in dust sheets to prevent further horror. As it was she wasn't sick again. Remembering my mistakes last time (i.e. I thought it was a 'one off' and she would be alright to drink a purple smoothie) I with held food for the rest of the day, gave her small sips of water, and a fluid replacement sachet. She woke up several times in the night asking for water, so I was even more tired this morning, but no more sickness. I rang the Swine 'Flu Pandemic Hotline but was told that as she didn't have a temperature it isn't swine 'flu so thats something.

She's a bit better today - more of a full-blown cold with streaming nose, and feeling very sorry for herself. Lethargic all afternoon, and straight to bed with no bath at around 6pm, so if she is better she might well be up early tomorrow... just hope she's better soon!

Halloween...

Elizabeth and I carved our first ever pumpkin lantern on Friday, and very good it was too! We lit it yesterday as our gesture towards Halloween, and she seemed to really enjoy it... In fact, over the last few days Elizabeth and I have been enjoying doing things together - we've made a madeira cake, some flapjack, she's helped with the evening meal, and we've introduced 'the creature' at bathtime, who can be scary or friendly depending on how good Elizabeth's behaviour is. She still has her moments, but perhaps we are turning a corner. She's much more independent now - walking upstairs by herself, and fetching things on her own from her bedroom. She can pretty much go to the toilet by herself, and starts to wash and dress herself in the morning. She's long been able to put her own shoes on, and recently she's started feeding Edward his medicine and fetching his socks and clothes and so on. She says so many things, sometimes funny, sometimes amazing, sometimes you just can't imagine where she's got it from. There are so many things that I wouldn't know where to start trying to record it all!

Edward has got his sixth tooth, and seems to be settling down a bit after a horrendous week of (no) sleep last week. He took to staying awake for 2-3 hours in the middle of the night, and it was slowing killing us! He's feeding less and less now, less than five minutes at a time generally, and doesn't feed to sleep any more. He still doesn't like to be put down in his cot, but seems to be having a short(ish) morning nap, and then a longer sleep after lunch. He is eating more and more, and has eaten cod, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, eggs, pasta, cheese, yoghurt, lots of fruit and vegetables, oatcakes, bagels... loves his porridge and toast in the morning... has taken to drinking his water from his blue beaker...

We went to his friend William's christening last week and managed to feed Elizabeth from the buffet, and feed Edward pasta and cheese. It was exhausting as the hour went off, and we had been up since 5am, but another relative success. We've had some minor problems - leaking toilet, broken tumble dryer (i.e. the new one, still not fixed!!), end of my freebie phone contract... Husband is now ill and suspects it might be swine 'flu as one of his colleagues' wives had it, so time will tell, he was developing symptoms this afternoon so he might be a lot worse or a lot better tomorrow.

We've booked a party venue for Elizabeth's third birthday but still not sent out invitations - need to get on with that this week. I baked a loaf of bread today following Jamie Oliver's instructions, and it actually turned out ok! My back hurts. I'm knackered. I'm sure this post is all over the place as are my thoughts. The general outlook is sunny intervals though, rather than the persistent rain of recent weeks. Elizabeth is more of a pleasure to be with, Edward is marginally less sick, and easier to manage in his walker and high-chair. Onwards to Bonfire night and then our little girl's third birthday!!!