Category Archives: Personal

Adam’s Newest Adventure

Posted on by

I realized I haven’t really described the house, so I will do that in a few days, with some pictures. ::waits for the sounds of fainting to stop::

Everyone okay?

Anyway, we are more or less moved in but, of course, not unpacked. A lot has been unpacked but the office and all of our books still need sorting out. Hopefully this weekend a lot of that will be finished.

So we are settling in and Adam is having the time of his life, with stairs to climb and a big back garden and a park nearby. And the bus! He gets to ride the bus! Who knew the bus was so much fun?

And do you know the best bit? Imagine, if you will, a bus full of commuters, just before 8am. I climb on and turn to help Adam up the steep stair and say ‘Go on, go sit down over there’ and put my Metro Card on the reader. I turn to join him and every one of those tired ‘OMG is it only Wednesday’ faces had lit up with a smile as my big boy climbed up on a seat all by himself and settled in for the journey.

Living in the ‘burbs is grand.

D&V: Day 8… (MAJORLY TMI)

Posted on by

I think. I’ve lost count.

Adam’s contribution to the big house move was a fever on Saturday, diarrhoea on Sunday, vomit on Monday, and diarrhoea ever since.

We went to the GP on Thursday who said his ears were red and gave us some antibiotics. Which seemed to make the diarrhoea worse. So I’ve stopped them. Feel free to name the next super bug after me, okay?

This mornings wake up nappy was overflowing with pee and full of poo. The poo was soft but not the liquid we have been having. I’m seeing if he poos again in the next hour and what it’s like. If it’s like it was this morning we won’t go to the GP. If it’s still liquid then I’ll ring. If he doesn’t poo again, I’m going to assume the antib’s did indeed make him worse and call him done.

No other symptoms, BTW, once the fever passed. He’s not pulling his ears. He’s eating as normal. He’s drinking. He’s just got runny poos.

And the reddest bottom ever.

The Move Report

Posted on by

So the move started around 825 last Friday morning when the packers arrived to begin, well, packing. 🙂 Adam and Simon had left at 8 to get Adam to nursery and Simon to the Agent’s to sign the lease and get the keys.

I gave them a quick tour of the flat and they were pretty wide eyed when they saw all the books. Although the booker/estimate guy knew about them!

And so the packing began. We own, thanks to a certain relative coming to stay and getting ill and leaving them behind, about 10 suitcases, so I packed our clothes myself. Besides, would you want a big burly packing man to pack your lingerie? Me either. 😉

Around 930 Simon rang from the Estate Agent saying they wanted a full months rent and then we’d pay the partial month rent in the middle of November. This is not what the Agent told me when I asked a month ago, but we had the money so, okay! I was amazed they actually took a cheque for it. In the US first month’s rent and deposit has always required a bankers cheque, in my experience. In any case, Simon finished up with that and headed up to the house with some things for Adam’s room. The plan was that he and Adam would go up on the Saturday before the movers and get him at least partially settled.

So anyway, the packers and I were packing. Simon was sorting the new house. Adam was at daycare.

Around 12 Simon got back with lunch for us and the packers took their lunch break. I had been chatting to one of them, as they flew through the packing, to see if they thought it might be possible to do this in one day. It was finally determined, no, they couldn’t, because the truck they brought was too small. They had been loading the truck as they packed, so they were 99% sure they didn’t have enough space and all those books are very heavy and the truck was definitely sinking on it’s tires!

So they finished about 430. At around 5 Adam got home from nursery and was like this: O_O at the empty flat. He ran from room to room for a bit before realizing that almost all of the previously off limits and locked cupboards were wide open. A small boy never had so much fun opening and closing doors!

The next morning we got up and finished the bits of packing we could do. At around 830 the movers arrived again and Simon and Adam took off for the house. We finished the packing and I called the taxi and we headed off.

Adam was having a great  time in his new garden:


When the trucks arrived Simon and Adam took off again to explore the neighbourhood while I directed the unload. By about 1130 it was done. We were moved in to our house.

The past week has been fairly hectic, not helped by Adam being ill with D&V and ear infections for most of it, including not sleeping well. There are some maintenance issues that need to be sorted, but the house is pretty much perfect.

There has been one amazing side effect, for me, in all this. I have always sworn I didn’t want to own a domicile. I do believe I’ve changed my mind. To the point that I am pricing houses in the neighbourhood…

I Haven’t Forgotten Y’all…

Posted on by

So we’ve moved. Big post about that in the works.

Then Adam had a fever. Then D. Then D&V. Then D. And now D and a double ear infection. And he’s not sleeping well either due to the aforementioned D, V and ears or because it’s a new house and things are different and his schedule is wrong as due to the D, V and ears as he hasn’t been to nursery all week.

To say I am tired is the greatest understatement in the universe.

The Catch Up Post

Posted on by

I realized there have been posts that I’ve not followed up on that people might be wondering about, so here it is, a catch up post.

The silver pot: never completely unburnt. I did everything everyone recommended and couldn’t get it clean. So I’ve gotten rid of it as part of the great moving clear out of 2011.

Adam’s ENT appointment: total disaster. Was told that there was nothing they could do as his hearing and speech were fine. So I went back to my GP and said ‘Fine. Then can we try allergy medicine?’ She said yes and he now takes Neo-Claritin 2 times a day. He’s had one fever and one cold since he’s been on it and neither one has gone any further. He really is a small version of his daddy, as Simon gets horrible hay fever and always has.

To everyone suggesting we put a dishwasher in the house: I’d love to, but we’re renting. I’m going to get us settled and then discuss the possibility with the landlord. We’d have to pay for it, I’m sure but I can’t just willy nilly add plumbing to the place!

I think that’s everything that was ‘outstanding’. Do let me know in the comments if there’s anything else you’ve been wondering about!

So I Haven’t Written About My Health in Awhile

Posted on by

Mostly because there is so much other stuff going on. But, truthfully, I’m not doing very well.

Part of it is all the stuff I am trying to get done with the move. Although we are paying for the moving company to pack us, I still have a lot of sorting and organizing to do, along with cleaning the flat to ‘leaving’ level. A lot of that cleaning will happen next Sunday after all of our stuff is moved out, but I am doing some of it over the next week.

All that bending and stretching and leaning and pushing and pulling means I am sore. A lot sore.

Muscles anterior labeledAll the places I am sore.*

It’s not helping that I am not resting as much as I should, and I know this. On a regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday, when Adam is in daycare, I usually work in the morning, have lunch, work for about another hour and then have a rest until pick up time. I haven’t been doing that this past week or so, so I can get more done, and probably won’t be doing it this next week either for the same reason.

I am also, of course, working. Major stuff going on with my biggest client. Other majorish stuff going on with another client. Possibly another client in the pipeline.

The good news is that my mental state is excellent.

But I’m going to be sore and tired for awhile. I’ll try to not be too cranky!

*Having the ‘are pictures necessary’ debate on MN again. Still think it’s silly in this instance. I mean, do you really need that image?!?!

So, As Has Been Mentioned…

Posted on by

We are moving soon.

And I’ve been thinking about what I am going to miss about this apartment, this apartment that was my dream apartment when we found it, with it’s hardwood floors and nice large kitchen. This apartment that I am really going to miss over all. But what specifically?

  • The double oven. New house doesn’t have one.
  • The gas stove. New house is all electric.
  • The dishwasher. New house doesn’t have one of those either.
  • The kitchen. Although I am not sure the kitchen in the new house is actually smaller, just differently configured, and definitely has less cabinet space.
  • The bare floors. New house is carpeted.
  • The location. Although there are some shops within walking distance to the new house, nothing like being at City Centre!

I’m sure there are more things, but those are the one from the top of my head. And what do I love about the new house, that I don’t have now?

  • The garden
  • The garage
  • 4th bedroom as my office. Simon can call it the den as much as he wants. It’s still my office.
  • The living room
  • The dining room
  • The closet in our bedroom that goes the length of the room
  • The cupboard under the stairs. No, I won’t be making Adam sleep there. He’s not Harry Potter. 😉
  • The downstairs toilet
  • The quiet neighbourhood

I’m sure I’ll add to the list once we’ve moved and settled in.

M-day minus 7…

RIP Steve Jobs

Posted on by

Whether you love Apple or loathe it, you can’t deny this man and his company changed the world.

RIP Steve. Enjoy your iCloud. 🙂

Note: The above image was not created by me. It is all over Facebook and I 100% admit I stole it. So if it’s yours, please let me know and I will gladly give you full credit!

Update: just noticed it says it’s by Dillon Rhodes. Thanks Dillon. Great image.