Crafty monkey

Today seems to have been busy - logically it hasn't, but it has involved the hospital, the most draining place ever.  Sam went to school, then I collected my grandparents and took my Grandad in for his chemotherapy. Home to fetch Sam, then back to grandparents' to get Gram, drop Gram off at oncology ward and take Sam to opthalmology. Wait to see two consultants for Sam, go back to find Gram and Grandad, then to pharmacy, then home. Phew. I'm shattered!

And I'm not the only one - or so I thought... My beautiful son fell asleep in the car, so I gathered him up and brought him in the house. It is a standard performance here that when we get through the door I will ask Sam to remove his shoes and coat, and he will claim not to be able to do one or both. Of course he can, and eventually does, but he tries to persuade me to do it... Anyway, since he was half asleep today I whipped off coat, shoes, and glasses, and settled him into his bed. At which point he jumped up and said 'No Mummy! Not bed!' Cheeky little urchin had stayed quiet while I did everything for him, but is now wide awake!

On a much cuter note, he has a frequent mini conversation when he looks out of the window at the moment. it goes 'Ooooh, snow. Cold. Merry Christmas! Oh, no, Christmas finished. Snow?'  This is the first year he has been particularly aware of snow (last year he just knew it was cold and wet!), and already he associates it with Christmas. Subliminal learning is a scary thing....

S xx

Tiddly pom

Well after the absolute hecticness (yes, that's a word, I just made it one!) of last week, this weekend has been bizarrely quiet. Friday night involved a hot bath and magazine, yesterday I was on shift from 12-3pm then home for a lazy afternoon, hot bath again and early night. Today I picked Sam up early from his dad's and we went to a friend's birthday party. It was a bit of a weird one, as Sam and his classmates get picked up by taxis / coaches and taken to school so the parents very rarely meet each other - Sam was trying to tell me the names of children but he wasn't clear and I couldn't help! Still, I've met a couple of them now so that's progress.

Great couple of hours, but Sam was well ready to come home by the end of it - tired and grizzly, and very uncooperative. Unfortunately for him I'm getting grumpy now too as missing Rick really starts to kick in! Ten days until he's here, and only a month before he has worked his notice at work and can move to somewhere a bit more local.
The good news this weekend is that I spoke to Sam's dad on Friday and he agreed that Sam can stay with me for the first weekend of the month from now on - when relaying this information to Rick he informed me that he has spoken to his ex, and she agrees to Ez spending every other weekend with him when things have settled down. Things are looking very good for the future :)

S xx

Exhausted, but in a good way

Wow, it's been a crazy week! BF got off shift so came over last Wednesday, and since then seems to have been a constant whirl of activity. The end of last week revolved around job applications and party preparations, as Sam turned four on Monday. BF and I were like ships in the night on Saturday, as I already had various commitments in the day, then Sunday we went into town for some last minute shopping and a leg stretch.  Sunday night saw Sam so tired that he only managed to wake up for a bath before he was back asleep (I pick him up at 4pm!), so I called school and he took the day off on Monday. This allowed him to come to Boston with BF and me to collect BF's daughter Ez, although Sam refused to sleep at all throughout the journey, and managed to wake Ez when she fell asleep!  Junk food lunch followed by a party at Wacky Warehouse, home for an hour or two and then out for dinner: big mistake Mummy, too ambitious for one day! Ez was very tired and clingy, Sam was very tired and whingey....hard work, but good to see the other side of the family, and Lilly, and to introduce BF's daughter to them all.

Having packed Sam off to school on Tuesday morning we hoped to take Ez shoe shopping but otherwise chill out - unfortunately she woke up very under the weather; we took her back to bed with us but she promptly vomitted over everything :( Generally a very quiet day which involved Rick soothing Ez, and me doing constant clothes washing / drying! Rick took Ez back to her mum's, and we had just settled down for the evening when his friend texted to say he was in the area, could he come for a cuppa. Lovely to meet him, but we were in bed the second he left!

Wednesday I somehow allowed myself to be dragged to the gym with Rick (worth pointing out here that he trains and competes at strongman, the gym is a big part of his life) - it was great to see him training and to gain some more understanding about what he does, but when I asked him to show me a few things to do I discovered that he'd be a great personal trainer - encouraging and hateful in equal measures! My goodness am I aching today!!

Very lazy morning today while Sam was at school, then this afternoon we have spent a good couple of hours at the swimming pool, as well as a bit of time at the soft play area. Rick's currently at the gym, Sam's watching Mr. Tumble, and I'm trying to convince myself that my muscles don't ache quite as much as they do! Climbing wall tomorrow, but it's okay because Rick's going back to Wales for a while so I can return to my slobbish ways!


On the subject of Rick, I'm still finding it hard to believe - we seem to be in a proper grown up relationship! I mean, when we disagree about things we actually have a sensible conversation, exploring our opinions and the reasons behind them. What the hell?! Everything is great, we make a fantastic team and he makes me so happy - I'm now one of those people whom I hated a mere few months ago: unbearably happy and positive, and all *in love* and stuff. Bleurgh!

S xx

Joys of spring

I wandered out into the garden yesterday and saw a few little spring bulbs delicately rearing their heads. Funny how such a little thing can make me smile.

We've had some beautiful sunrises and sunsets recently (although Lis does seem to think I'm seeing the world through rose-tinted specs.....!), hopefully Mother Nature will be happier this year than she seemed to be last year.

Having a lovely chilled out afternoon with Sam at the moment, whilst Rick is at the gym, then we're off out for dinner with my dad.  I wonder how it will compare to the dinner I cooked for Rick yesterday:

Two chicken breasts baked in a dish of ratatouille, coupled with brussels/cabbage/spinach/broccoli tossed with bacon and toasted walnuts. Apparently I'm a brilliant girlfriend....we both acknowledge it probably won't last for long!!

S xx

I feel you're not listening...

Sam: Chocolate buttons please.
Saz: No, no more.
Sam: In a bowl.
Saz: No Sam, no more chocolate buttons.
Sam: Please Mummy?
Saz: No.
Sam: Chocolate buttons? Yeah? (Getting up and walking to the door.) Chocolate buttons in a bowl? Yeah? Okay. Mmm, chocolate buttons. Yeah. (Reaches kitchen door, it is locked) Oh. Mummy - chocolate buttons?
Saz: I said no, Sam.
Sam: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! Chocolate buuuuuuuuuuuttons :(

Poor child!

S xx

We're still alive...

Okay, so I haven't blogged for ages. I had a few comments on previous posts from complete strangers, very suspicious sounding and it made me nervous about the fact that anyone can read my blog. Still, I might do a post every now and then :)

So, what's new with us? Biggest change really is in my lovelife - the guy I have been seeing on and off for a couple of years now has finally become my official boyfriend. Literally could not be happier! We've been through so much together and apart, and it feels so good to have finally made it to this stage where we can tell the world we are together. Sam loves him to bits, and I just feel so positive about the future knowing that it will have Rick in it. Things will take time, he is currently based in Wales which makes for a long old drive everytime he comes to see me, and Sam's existing commitments to his father and school make it impractical for me to go to Wales. But hopefully we won't have a long wait and he'll soon be able to relocate to Lincoln :)

Sam is progressing fantastically - he's been back into hospital recently to have his right tear duct probed and washed out again, which will hopefully work this time to cure his sticky eye; and he has also had grommets reinserted (one had moved, and one disappeared altogether!). 
This morning's gem: picked Sam up from school, usually I take the car but today I walked up with the buggy. Sam walked for a while but I wanted him in the buggy at the main road - he refused, so I got in. Thought he would laugh but instead he tried to push me along, and offered me a banana and a drink - exactly what I do when he sits down!

I've temporarily withdrawn from my OU module, finding that I have too much on my plate just at the moment and wasn't enjoying it at all. No point forcing myself to do it and coming out with poor marks, when I can just have a few months off and get back to it in October. I've been studying continuously since June 2009, haven't even had the summer breaks that most students get!

Anyway, enough of an update, maybe I will get a few more day to day blog posts done in the nearish future - who can tell???

S xx

Where does the time go?!

Wow, it's a very long time since I wrote a blog post. And I do apologise - not to my readers, as I've said from the start that I'm not writing for you, but to the future-Sara, who wanted this to read back on as a reminded of Sam's childhood days. But it has been above a month since I last blogged, and a lot has happened in that time.

We've been to the Bach, in Norfolk. Many times.  We've shopped, a lot.  We've been swimming.  We've been to farm parks.  We've debated buying rabbits (and decided to wait...).  We've visited relatives in hospital.  We've argued, we've cried, we've laughed.  But we've survived our first proper summer holiday (before now Sam hasn't been at school enough for it to have made a difference) - and we're both still alive!

For the past ten days Sam has been with his dad in Scarborough - and I think it has been the most eventful ten days of my life, and probably with the most extremes of emotions too (barring the ten days after Sam was born).  Since dropping him off I have been out for dinner, been to music gigs, been clubbing, been to Wales, met a new baby, had my heart broken, had my heart fixed, made cakes, booked a holiday, scrapped my car, been shopping, chased and captured an escapee guinea pig, joined the gym (and visited every day since), had lunch with family, and even done a (very) small amount of studying. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. As I write I am suffering with a cold, no surprise, and thinking about the future with hope and excitement.

So, tomorrow it's back to normal. Sam starts his new school in the morning, and besides seeing some friends on Friday there is nothing in the diary. While he's at school I have to do some serious studying myself, and I also want to fit in some trips to the gym. And who knows, maybe some blog posts???

S xx