No Rest for the Wicked

Three trips to A&E and one trip to the GP (doctor's office):  this week was anything but the restful rejuvenation for which I was anticipating.  I keep trying to stay positive but it has been eight weeks of ongoing sickness in our house and I really need a week off!

Early Monday morning around 2 A.M., I woke up from a coughing fit that had been going on for three days at that point.  I realised that I had a pain in my chest and after staying up for two hours without the pain going away, I called 111 to see what to do.  They said to go to A&E and after an ECG, blood tests, and a chest x-ray, the doctor said it was a chest infection and sent me home with a box of antibiotics.

We were worried that Jackson's cough that developed the same time as mine might be the same thing because he was coughing all through his sleep, so Lee took him to see the doctor Monday morning.  Jackson's diagnosis was that he had another virus.  So he went to nursery, but then Monday and Tuesday, he ran a fever up to 39°C (102°F).  I was worried that this meant something more than a virus, therefore there was another trip to A&E to get things figured out.  After a few tests, the doctor said that Jackson had a very red ear and throat and to reduce any pain and soreness that may be causing, we needed to continue administering ibuprofen and paracetamol continuously every four hours in rotation.

After that trip and hours waiting in A&E, I was really worn out so Tuesday night I went to bed as usual; but then, when I woke up to get Jackson ready for nursery on Wednesday, I realised that I couldn't lift myself out of bed!  It felt like a weight was laying on the left side of my chest and any time I tried to turn, it felt like my lung was shredding apart.  My chest infection had slowly been getting worse for two days and it hurt more and more to breathe and it hurt horribly whenever I coughed, but I thought it was an illness that would get worse before it got better even with the medicine that I had been given.  I called 111 again to see what to do and after only three questions, they said they were going to send an ambulance!  I really wasn't looking to make a scene, but I also felt better that the paramedics would be able to tell me why I couldn't sit up and what was going on with me.

Lee called his boss and they said that Lee could work from home for the rest of the week.  He headed off with Jackson to nursery while I headed to the Southport hospital again.  After more blood tests and another chest x-ray, they gave me stronger medicine for the pain in my chest, but other than that, they just sent me on my way again.  It hurt to lift my left arm for the next couple of days so Lee had to do all of the driving because to shift a gear, it ripped at my lung (or at least that's what it felt like).

I didn't get as much work done as I would have liked to this week, but on the bright side, it does feel like I've been away from work for two weeks with all of the incidents that have happened.  My goal was to get ahead with my work load, but there were two days when I felt way too ill to function.  I did the most that I could, but still it wasn't enough.  One thing I was thankful for this week was the NHS system.  I was mad before about paying so much from each paycheck to the NHS; but, if we were to get bills from all of the A&E trips and doctor's visits we've made in the last eight weeks, there would be no way that we would make it through Christmas without having to sell our car and maybe our house.

On a positive note, Lee got to redeem his birthday present which was drum lessons!  I was more excited about it than he was initially, but when he got home after his first lesson, he seemed genuinely happy with the experience.  I'll keep you updated on his progress.  Also, we got work started on our hallway and landing and it should be done this week.  We're getting all of the layers of old wallpaper taken down and having the ceiling and walls repainted.  (All of the walls in our house have remnants of the rewiring we had done in the Summer of 2015 on them, so we're finally starting to get them redecorated.)  And finally, Jackson had his one-year-old photo shoot today!  We had to reschedule it two times before because of sicknesses, but we all made it today and the pictures turned out great.  We will be getting them later this week and we'll share them on the next blog.

Here's to hoping that this next week is happy and healthy for us all!  Happy Halloween!

Wrapped up and ready to go out for a trip to Southport

Happy Halloween!  Loving his astronaut costume from his Aunt Paige

Look, Daddy!

He thought about taking a nap in his costume

Looking at his reflection as an astronaut--he crawled behind the mirror to try and find the other baby looking back at him

Developmental updates:  Jackson is clapping a lot more now and likes to dance to music.  He has started drumming on things to hear the different tones they produce and he can keep a pretty consistent beat, as well.  Every time I drop-off Jackson at nursery, he goes straight to his teachers; but we realised this week that if Lee drops him off, he will cry and reach out for him like he used to at the beginning of his nursery days.  Jackson had his first school picture day on Thursday and luckily, Lee and I both went to pick him up right before the pictures were taken so that we could help make him laugh and smile at the camera--and to get him in his picture outfit.  On the same day, we also had his two-month settling-in meeting at nursery with the manager, Ruth.  She said that he is right on track with his development milestones and that he takes advantage of all of the activities that are planned for his group called the Minnows.  We were very happy with his general report and in a couple of weeks, we will have the chance to meet with his teacher to get a more in-depth report.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Breaking Point

After possibly the longest seven weeks I've ever experienced, I finally get a week's break from work!  I found that keeping on top of everything was easy to begin with, but then all of the various illnesses hit one after the other.  After that, I found out that I wasn't keeping up with all of the demands that the new management team put into place last year while I was on maternity leave.  So after many late nights and very early mornings trying to get all of my work done, I am going to enjoy a week of rest and relaxation mixed-in with work (in preparation for the next seven weeks of school).

My original plan was to do a bit of work at night when Jackson goes to bed and take him on daily trips.  But when I made my to-do list for work, that plan is just not possible.  There were many days during this half-term that Jackson was at home with us because he was sick, and since we pre-pay for every month of nursery, I feel like that's another reason to take him in as many days as I need to in order to get my work done.  Although, I'm not going to take him in for as many hours as he usually goes (about ten) per day, but he will still get a chance to do crafts and play with his friends while I get work done around the house and all of the paperwork typed, printed, and highlighted for school.

My goal is to work ahead on the planning that took me the longest during the weekends so that I can spend more time with Jackson every week and more time going to church.  It's easy to push those things aside because if family time or church time is diminished, there's no immediate punishment--except for the guilt.  If work doesn't get done for school, then there will be a definite punishment and 26 children will be sitting behind blank desks with wide-eyed stares and I would lose my livelihood.

In university, training for teaching, some advice I was given was to handle everything in my power without complaining to the principal (head teacher) and to do as much work as I could at school, but then when I walk through the door at home, leave school-work behind me.  The latter is obviously not possible and I think it's because the former has been carried on for so long by the majority of teachers.  There are so many teachers chomping at the bit to take any job openings, so the pressure to hang-on to your job at any cost is definitely present.  In addition to this, head teachers must have the impression, year-after-year of piling on new requirements, that their staff are handling everything in stride.  This combination has really reached its breaking point for many in the teaching field as many of us barely see the light of day or have the patience or coherence left at the end of the day to be with our families.

Hopefully I can get ahead this week so that I can increase family time for the next seven weeks and maybe even enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas without thinking about my work to-do list in the back of my mind the whole time.

Opening more presents on Sunday--and relaxing after the big party day!

Playing with the conker necklace and bracelet after digging in the straw and pumpkin

At the play dough station, Jackson skipped the squishy, Autumn-scented dough and carried around two acorns the entire time.  No matter what room we went to, all of the teachers knew him by name and he was quite the popular little guy with his friends.

In honour of the new Troll movie, Jackson was our little Baby Troll through the aisles at Tesco.  He actually only wore this for about a minute, but we were happy with the amount of cooperation we got from a one-year-old.

Developmental updates:  Jackson was laughing a lot at nursery this week.  At lunch yesterday, his best pal and mentor, Arthur, told him to stop laughing, but that only made Jackson laugh even harder.  Then, he made his way to a mirror and sat and laughed at his reflection.  He also developed a new smile that shows all of his teeth and his chin points up to the air in pure delight.  Jackson has a new tooth that has cut through--his second right incisor.  He hates brushing his teeth, but we're hoping that one of these days he snaps out of his slump and likes the process again because he did for the first two weeks of brushing a couple of months ago.  In his Little Tikes Garden Centre, Jackson now crawls through the window to get out instead of through the door or slide as he always did before.  He loved all of his birthday presents, however, his favourite things to play with have been two balloons and a bow from a gift box.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Healthy, Happy Birthday Boy

Our second attempt at Jackson's first birthday party was a success!  After a week of the antibiotics (which we picked up on a second trip to A&E on Sunday), Jackson's impetigo rash is almost all gone and he is acting like his old self again.  He's had a tough week of crying through the night from the itchiness and sores that spread all over his body, taking the poisonous-smelling antibiotics, and having to stay away from his friends and teachers at nursery until Thursday.  By Wednesday, he was really happy again and we had a good feeling that we would be able to have his birthday party today.

We didn't count our chickens before they hatched though and we waited until this morning to buy the food for the party and to set-up the toys and games for the babies.  (All of the other decorations were still up from last week.)  Luckily, all of the people we invited could make it to the party today and everyone had a great time.

His best pals Penny, Ethan, Ralph, and Thomas came to celebrate and they had a lot of fun playing with Jackson's new toys.  After his friend birthday party, Lee's family came over for the second-part of his party.  In between the parties, Jackson had to take a nap to rejuvenate and came back with lots of energy and excitement to play with his cousins.

After last weekend, we're very thankful for a 'normal' day where Jackson is healthy again.  Lots of planning, time, and effort goes into a birthday party, but looking back on the day, it's the best way to commemorate the past year and kids deserve to have a day that is devoted to them every year.

Opening his presents with a little help from Mommy and Daddy to rip the paper

The party room

The sweets and treats table adorned with a fully decorated cake and flowers this week

Daddy and Jackson in the Party Photo Booth

Jackson wasn't sure about the Photo Booth

Ethan and Jackson at the sand table

Ralph stopped by for some sand time while Jackson explained the rules of the sand table

Thomas had a great time playing in the climbing frame

Jackson loved every second of "Happy Birthday" so we sang it twice

We tried to get a group photo with all of the babies...and this is it

Developmental updates:  Jackson climbed up the stairs for the first time this week and then that quickly became his favourite thing to do--over and over again.  Somehow, he developed the perfect method of left knee, right knee, left foot, right foot for going up the stairs so he must have had the stair idea in his head for awhile.  On Wednesday, he started clapping!  We've been waiting months for this milestone and it's finally come!  Jackson may have been celebrating the fact that his impetigo was clearing up and he was ready to go back to nursery the next day.  When he finally did return to nursery, his teachers told me that he went to everyone to give them a hug and gave all of the teachers cuddles, too.  He had two great days at nursery and is back to eating full meals and drinking all of his milk.  As we were singing nursery rhymes to him this week, he seemed to join in and 'sang' along until the song was finished.  He has also started dancing along to music and keeps the beat by hitting objects that are near or slapping his little baby thighs.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.