Wednesday 3 December 2008

CHICKEN POX AND CHRISTMAS SHOPS

We had Youngest Step-daughter's two littluns over at the weekend. Eldest Grand-daughter was just getting over chicken pox and Youngest Grandson was just starting it. I was up all night with him on Saturday as he writhed and screamed - although he did manage to snatch two and a half hours sleep from around 2.30 a.m out of pure exhaustion. It is a long time since I held such a sick infant in my arms and I felt so sorry for him. He is only ten months old, he didn't understand what was happening and couldn't tell me how he was feeling so he did the only thing he could - cry. Youngest Step-daughter did offer to come and get him but I told her to hold off. She and Clever Son-in-Law recently split up and I knew she needed the break - particularly since she'd already seen Eldest Grand-daughter through it single-handedly. Chicken pox is just so nasty, isn't it? I didn't get it until I was about 12 which is quite late. But it seems horribly unfair for a ten-month old to get it and he really was so unwell.

Youngest Step-daughter arrived to collect the children around 10.30 Sunday morning and looked as if she'd been up crying all night. I felt very angry with Clever Son-in-Law - or Former Son-in-Law as he shall henceforth be known - for not being around to support her when she obviously needed it but of course as a parent - even a step-parent - I know not to get involved or to show my own feelings about the whole sorry mess. We did ask her if she'd like to stay for the night but she refused saying she wants to keep the routine as normal as possible for the two children and Eldest Grand-daughter had nursery the next day. Fortunately by the time she arrived, Youngest Grandson had perked up quite a bit. His temperature had returned to normal and he'd eaten some weetabix for his breakfast - which was more than he'd managed the previous day when the worst was only just beginning - and he beamed up at her, spots and all, as she walked through the door.

After they'd gone, Hubby and I had a whole hour to clear up before Youngest Sister arrived with her hubby and youngest son for lunch - soup and French Stick - prior to meeting Mother in Croydon for a spot of Christmas shopping. Hubby was working so he stayed behind as the rest of us braved the freezing winds and hit Poundland and the new 99p shop with great gusto to stock up on Christmas Cookies and other festive delights. By the time I got home just after 5pm he had left and at 7pm I fell into bed, the lost sleep of Saturday night finally catching up and hitting me full-force! I only woke up once and that was when Mother called me at 9pm to see how I was. I went straight back to sleep afterwards and stayed that way until the alarm roused me the following morning.

This weekend Hubby and I are determined to get the bulk of our present buying out of the way so we are both looking forward to that and the following weekend we are off to Worthing to see Vampires Rock. Less than two weeks after that is the Big Day itself then the New Year will arrive and we'll start all over again - and hopefully, 2009 will be a better year all round.

Catch you again soon.

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