Sunday 8 April 2012

Illness

21-03-2012  to  28-03-2012

We've suspect that Jack is coming down with something for a while now. He's extra whiney and sluggish lately. He's had a bit of a cough for the last week and it's definitely getting worse.

A few days ago Jack didn't eat most of his breakfast, that's the real thermometer, when Jack doesn't eat it's a sure sign that something is up. His temperature was a little high when he first woke up so we dosed him with Calpol and figured we'd leave it as long as we could before shipping him off to school, or not. Jack moped and coughed around the house for a little while but gradually started to brighten up. By school time we checked his temperature again and found that it was back to Jack normal, he runs a little warm. Even the cough had subsided. So we sent him on his way. He looks a little pale but seems better. The whining has turned back to mind numbing chatter and the sluggishness has gone back to distracted slow paced walking.

This is how it's been for a week or so now. Jack is sluggish and coughy at night and in the morning but perks up a the day goes on. Until this morning when I got a call from the school asking me to pick him up. He'd been particularly sluggish this morning. When I brought him home he was clearly ill, he didn't want to talk or eat or even move...
I'm heavy, all of me is too heavy.
I toted him to his chair where he lay and dozed for most the day. After a sudden bout of sickness I determined Jack had likely contracted the stomach bug that's been wiping out his classmates lately.

It's interesting watching Jack combat illness. As you can generally see him go through in a couple hours what other children will be stuck with for weeks. This bug has knocked out many of his classmates for as much as a full week. Some of the survivors still aren't quite right two weeks on. So far chicken pox is the only disease that he's caught that had the strength to stick it out for anywhere close to it's usual stint with Jack. Even it seemed to just give up after only three days. Jack's immune system is obviously made to stern stuff.

Its now five thirty and Jack is almost back to his usual self. We're working our way back up to solids and so far it's going well. It's a huge relief as Grandma and Grandpa are currently on an airplane headed this was to see him.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Mad Hatting

27-03-2012


The school has a habit of springing things on us. We seem to be the only people that have this problem. I'm not sure where the other parents are getting their information but it always seems that we're the odd ones out when it comes to things going on at the school.
Yesterday we received the newsletter saying that they were looking forward to the kids' easter bonnets tomorrow, by which I mean today. This was the first that we'd heard of it but we accepted the challenge.

Jack and I cleared our afternoon schedule and set too as soon as we got home. I made him a simple hat out of paper and he decorated it. A little glue, an easter bonnet decorating kit and a few hours later we declared it a success.
In the morning I walked Jack to school with our millinery in tow. As we neared the school we got a look at the other hats and I must admit I felt a little inferior. Each bonnet was more extravagant than the last. I recognised several elements of the same decorating kit we'd used put to much more proficient use in many of the hats. Jack's was the only stove top style, the only one made of card paper and clearly the only one decorated exclusively by a 5 year old. I consoled myself by reminding myself that we only had a few rushed hours.

Later today I arrived again at the school to collect Jack. He enthusiastically handed me all his belongings including his hat, which had fared well through the day, he also handed me a big cadbury easter egg.

What's this?
It's my prize.
For what?
For having the best hat...


I must admit I welled up a little bit with pride. I revelled in shortly afterward hearing some of the other children admit to their parents that they didn't win the easter bonnet contest, "Jack did with his funny hat." I proudly paraded Jack out of the classroom under the critical eye of all the other entries' parents and recalled a Simpsons episode where Lisa and Ralph (I'm Idaho) won awards for being the only two kids that obviously didn't have any help from their parents.