Moving on

Cherryfudge

Today has been about childcare and preparation for DH's medical check tomorrow. It's one of those things where he has to go through undesirable preparation to ensure the procedure goes well, so we are under the shadow of it till tea time tomorrow, after which we may be able to forget about it for a while.

I did most of the childcare today, even the early start, which is zombie time for me. The younger child has hit the terrible twos and there was no way she was going to wear a coat or boots to go out in the pram, so I gave up and shoved them in a bag. Then the older one wasn't going to leave without a 'treat' and told me she was allowed a chocolate biscuit - good job I checked with her dad as she most definitely isn't! Anyway, we got them out and about with the promise that the older one could go with DH to the library (which she much prefers to toddler club) while I took the little one to toddlers. However, just short of arriving there, the pushchair rear tyres both collapsed so we were pushing on the rims. We got the children into toddlers and I stayed with them while DH went back for the single pushchair (good job it fits in the car easily) and I took them home while he battled the double pushchair with the deflated tyres. Eventually he went back to the toddler club helpers who were also unsuccessful, and ended up leaving it in the building till A could collect it on his lunch break.

This probably saved us a few pounds as I wasn't going to take the kids round any shops with the older one tucked into the baby seat and the younger one on the standing board! This also meant that neither fell asleep so we had quite a quiet afternoon. I'd taken along a book I'd bought them off V1nted which set a new record of having to be read five times on the first day. The older one and I did some drawing and we all looked at photos from yesterday's party, though they weren't all that interested in the pictures that didn't have then in.

I made myself sandwiches to use a few ingredients that needed it. DH can't eat properly till tomorrow night, so I've gone lazy: high on protein but sadly low on veg and am trying to compensate by eating fruit now. I fell asleep after tea and am thinking of an early night as I keep making mistakes while typing. When I woke up, I had a long browse on V1nted and bookmarked lots of books, of which I've bought two. One is a stocking filler for DH and the other is a hobby one that I missed a few weeks ago at a higher price. So much for an NSD: about £10 spent, I think.

Cherryfudge

Wednesday was rather full on. DH didn't have to leave for his medical (in another town) till after lunch time, but around twelve I had a phone call to say one of the grandchildren had to go home from nursery with a temperature, and would I be able to look after her? DH gave me a lift, then went on to catch his train.

I'd not had lunch, but when I arrived, H had collected her child from nursery and said child was asleep on her while H had an online meeting, so I was able to get something to eat before taking over. F wasn't happy at being handed over and wouldn't be held for some time, but Mum had to go so we compromised with F sitting on the floor watching Bluey while I tried to find something she would eat. After quite a time she accepted a drink of milk and came to sit on me, still glued to children's programmes. She didn't even want a story.

After a while, she fell asleep and her temperature went down, and when she woke up, she was cheerful for a couple of hours. It didn't really last though: she dozed off again, coughed, was sick and I was just sorting that out when H arrived home. I helped with bath time while A went to collect his Dad who can't drive till the midazolam has worn off, so he then gave us both a lift home. So it's been a bit of a shared care day.

All this meant I didn't go to the shops at all, but tea was tuna pasta and we had the ingredients in store.

DH's medical notes indicate his condition is active and they've prescribed a couple of medications he's not happy about, but this is a different doctor so DH will talk to his usual consultant. I don't think the lifestyle adaptations, helpful though they've been, will satisfy the doctors as adequate, but I've seen the side effects that DH wants to avoid with the drugs he's been prescribed, so I can understand him doing his utmost to avoid them.

DH thinks he will be okay to be left tomorrow afternoon and to collect me from work, though he's been told not to to go to work for 24 hours himself. That wears off in the afternoon and I will be around most of the morning.

That said, I still need to get some things together so I had better sign off for now.

Watty1

Hope your DH is feeling brighter this morning.

Cherryfudge

Thanks @Watty1, I think he's back to normal! Yes, there are still the issues with the prescriptions to be sorted out but I think he's going to have a word with his consultant about that.

As for little F, we woke up this morning to a text from A that she was in hospital, blue lights and all. They had taken her to the local hospital overnight as her breathing was bad and the local hospital sent her to the big hospital where she was diagnosed with RSV. Thankfully she is responding very well to treatment though she's staying in for now. We've called in loads of support from the church which has been a big help.

Meanwhile DH wasn't allowed to drive so he has done lots of jobs around the house including cleaning out the U bend under the kitchen sink. I went to my TA job in the afternoon and cleaning in the evening, while DH gave me a lift (once he was outside the driving prohibition) then went to look after N while her Dad took overnight things to the hospital for Mum and sister. DH has seen photos of F and she's clearly much more herself.

I had a look at the little free library that I go past on the way home and found a Topsy and Tim book about helpful people, including a story about paramedics, so I've collected that in case it helps explain things to N and F. It's very much pre-loved (and there's a child's name in the front which coincidentally is the same as their Dad's name) so I've neatened it up as much as possible.

I went to the supermarket on the way home to replace some store cupboard things that were getting low, and added items for a care package for the beleaguered family, though how I'm going to get them to them, I don't know as I have my last mentoring session tomorrow afternoon and somehow need to get to the shops for some flowers for my mentor during the morning.

I also found that Mr T was selling boxes of narcissus bulbs off so for £1.20 I have two boxes of 10 bulbs each. Happy with that.

Expenditure:
Gift and
Housekeeping £24.56
Bus fare: £3 (will be reimbursed).

ladybird1106

Hope the little one feels better soon.
love 🐞

WelshmansDaughter

Oh dear, RSV can be so scary. Thankfully they vaccinate now. Best wishes for a speedy recovery 

Watty1

That must have been frightening for them all.  Sending speedy recovery wishes.

rtandon27

Oh - how scary for you all, how the baba is on the mend and feeling much better now!  Good on your Mr for tackling household chores instead of climbing the walls while grounded!

Cherryfudge

Thank you everyone - no news this morning but last night was looking good so I'm assuming all is progressing well.

We have sunshine here and I'm procrastinating: I've decided against laundry as the weather is set to become wet and windy. I'm going to go out for the flowers, so I can wash my hair when I get back and it won't get rained on (I hope). Some tidying needs to be done, and a snack bought for my friend as well as dinner for me. I have work at 4.30 so DH is catering for himself.

I also need to find my folder for the course and check if there's anything outstanding for this afternoon! I texted my mentor with a few ideas for my life statement yesterday (while waiting at the bus stop. I believe in the power of the last minute!) - - but did I agree to get anything else done?

Cherryfudge

Some of the above plan happened. When I went out, it wasn't particularly cold but wet and very windy. I bought an orchid instead of flowers, with some blackberries and nice biscuits for us to nibble. I was nearly home when A called and I had time to dive into the house, shove the care package in a waterproof bag and meet him at the end of the road for a hasty handover as he was imminently due to collect N from nursery.

F is doing okay today though she was less well overnight. A has told the wider family now. The medically qualified person in the family asked lots of questions but without the readings couldn't really tell us more apart from that she will probably have to be 24 hours clear of the nebuliser and the added oxygen before she can go home.

I had enough time to change out of wet jeans, shoes and socks, grab some lunch, have a quick tidy round and write a thank you card before my mentor arrived. We had a good final session though she's asked how I feel about following up with more. She wanted me to do one more exercise around a session that we didn't cover properly so I've said I'll get that back to her for this time next week, and report back longer term before about Easter as I want an element of accountability to make sure I go over the material again, now that I have the benefit of knowing where those early sessions were leading.

When I went to work this evening, the wind was bitingly cold, possibly made worse by how wet the air is, but by the time work finished, it felt warmer (or I felt dryer). Only two hours at work tonight, and I must remember to get my timesheets sent in soon. My bus fares claim went through this morning so I'm £6 back in pocket.  

DH was at the Christmas choir rehearsal so I loitered at the supermarket looking unsuccessfully for metal drinking straws. All of a sudden the usual pre-Christmas 'you need tubs of chocolate NOW (in September), because otherwise you might not get them' has been superseded by some sort of manic urge to fill not just every shelf with Christmas things, but the partitions between the shelves have to have strips of small ephemera hanging from them in case last year's blue tack has ossified or the elf has run off to join the Foreign Legion. Just crazy. Mind you I could buy a pack of paper straws to teach the grand kids to make corn dollies.

Interestingly, I was going to buy chipolatas to put in the freezer as I have a coupon and we like to have them with Christmas dinner. There weren't many ordinary sausages left on the shelf, but lots f packets - and, would you believe, different presentations - of pigs in blankets. People don't seem to have bought those, for some reason. Could it be that they want to wait till nearer Christmas? I wonder why there are so many in the chilled cabinet when people are most likely, with some weeks to go, to put them straight in the freezer? Why not cut out the middle man and sell them frozen?

Anyway, enough of my witterings.

DH and I are agreed that we have finally found how to get the least chatty member of the family in on a conversation: have a medical emergency. I don't think I'd recommend it.

Expenditure:
Housekeeping £31.32 (including bits towards Christmas - yes, I admit it).
Gifts approx £15 on Vinted (a book for DH from me and some mugs from DH to me - it will eventually be Christmas)
Book about £4.50