Jackson returned to school this week and we made it through the whole five days without a phone call telling us that he needed to self-isolate again. Yippee! I was worried that we were chancing it by letting him go to stage school last Saturday, but it looks like we made a clean getaway.
So Jackson had a full week of crafting, socialising, learning, and playing--and little Freddie had more time alone with me and Lee. Since there aren't any "Mommy and Me" groups running at the moment, I've turned our living room into a baby learning hub. We have set-up the keyboard for rhyme time and sing-alongs, the baby gym for reaching and kicking practice, and a motorised baby cradle for Freddie to have little catnaps. Freddie has started grabbing and pulling things towards him like some of his toys and our hands. He also started smiling a lot this week! Freddie was already a very sweet and calm baby, but now he has the wide smile to match his loving personality.
Since England entered a new stricter lockdown on Thursday, all of Jackson's activities have come to a halt. His guitar lessons will still continue over video calls, but stage school, swimming, and gymnastics are all on hold. I'm learning guitar chords along with Jackson, but he's much more skilled at it and has a knack for strumming the strings smoothly. He says that he can't wait to do "shows in Southport" because he's seen the other buskers and wants people to throw money into his guitar case when he performs. It's a nice break for Lee and I from taking Jackson to all of his activities, though. Also, I won't feel like we're risking the exposure to the virus and I can relax a little bit about that.
We had our new washing machine delivered on Wednesday, however, that didn't come without its stressors. When the delivery/installation man turned the valve, it cracked and started spraying water everywhere! He managed to turn it tight enough so that only a little bit of water was dripping out, but it was still another problem that had to be fixed. Nothing's ever easy. Lee and I called about 10 local plumbers until we reached someone who said he could come around 5 o'clock (it was around Noon at the time). Some of the plumbers were available, but didn't want to do the job! Weird. And another one said that he could come 'next week' which really wasn't that helpful. Anyway, five o'clock rolled around and no one showed up. We waited until six and decided we'd try again on Thursday. I did try again, but that plumber never picked up his phone so we had to find another one. Finally, we found someone who could come by quickly, and he was very efficient and friendly. If anyone ever needs a plumber in the Southport area, call JDR Plumbing and Heating (07846 316320).
So, we're hoping for another fairly uneventful week but we never know what's in store. We just take one day at a time and make each day as fun as we can for our little boys.
Our photogenic little chaps
Freddie curled up and cosy with Daddy
Jackson showing off his amazing Bonfire Night crafts
Our sweet little autumn baby
