The Adoration of the Christ Child

The Adoration of the Christ Child
See if you can spot why I like this image

Everything in its Right Place

A blog about disability, life, parenting, and learning what it means to live well in this world.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

It all adds up

It's getting close to bedtime after a long and busy day, so logically that means it's the perfect time to sit down and write the first blog in 6 weeks!!

I felt guilty for a few days, then forgot all about blogging, then felt guilty again, and now I just wonder how on earth can you sum up the last 6 weeks in a few paragraphs? You can't, is the short answer. What I thought I would do instead is write in short blurbs some of the things that have happened over the Christmas period, in no particular order of importance:

We had snow upon snow before school got out, making the Christmas season indeed festive in appearance, though all of our Christmas parties got cancelled, as did swimming club and school on two occasions, and getting about was tricky at best and downright impossible at worst. So we are glad to have had a snow-free few weeks and lots of blue skies and sun the last few days especially.

Adam has turned over a new leaf and now goes around the house "tidying up", an improvement over throwing things around though I still can't find most of the stuff he "tidies"! He has also developed his love of drumming, dressing up, and watching Mr Tumble (BBC CBeebies character on the show Something Special). He is great at saying hello and bye-bye, and is learning and using more signs, correctly, these days too. He knows the difference about which shoes he needs on which days (i.e. trainers on the weekend, school shoes during the week), and can find them himself. We still await word on the Coordinated Support Plan we applied for, and should be hearing soon. School continues much as before and we are hopeful that things will change for the good this year.

Caleb has spent much of the last few weeks, and most of the time he was sick over the holidays, drawing various animals/characters/vehicles. He wants to know how to write their names, is learning to spell and write, count, recognises letters and numbers everywhere, and never lets more than a few seconds go by without asking me some number or letter question. He is the tallest and oldest in his nursery class, and I have just finished doing the paperwork for him to enter Primary one in the fall. I think he is both excited and nervous about the baby, though in following his father's footsteps he doesn't seem to need to speak about it too much, yet. I keep a close eye on him, and am very much enjoying his company in these rougher days recently.

Brian is enjoying a busy "break" from term duties, finishing up a book that he has been editing and attending meetings away now and again. He notes the lack of physical exercise though I try to reassure him it's just a season. He faithfully carried the family while we were all sick over the holidays, and even shared his Planet Earth videos with us!

I am now nearly 34 weeks pregnant and very much feeling it. It did not help to have the flu over Christmas, along with the whole family, and a cough that has left me with sore ribs still four weeks later. But the baby is growing well, moving vigorously, and hopefully plumping up nicely for his/her debut in a few weeks' time. I'm mostly functional again now after several weeks out, and just today painted two radiators and cleaned a windowsill, thus the reason my body is particularly ready for bed tonight!

Shortly before Christmas we found a house for sale just around the corner we are thinking of buying. Of course, the first step is to get our flat ready to be surveyed, photographed, viewed and sold, which of course is the reason to paint radiators at this point in my life. And a LOT more work than I thought it would be, especially with sore ribs!! I often, as in every 10 minutes, wonder about the logic of taking these steps so late in this pregnancy, but both Brian and I are at peace that if it's meant to be it will happen and if not we are ok with that too. It doesn't hurt to have clean radiators no matter what, and maybe, just maybe, we'll end up with a shed and garden and loft to boot. Though at this point probably after March 10th!

I do wish the radiator in the hallway was less salmon than it is, though.

And now, I am grateful for Paracetamol, which will help me get into a horizontal position, slowly get comfortable, and hopefully sleep for long enough to feel like doing this all again tomorrow. Hello again, and goodbye again for now, hope to see you again before too long.