Apologies for the radio silence over the weekend. It’s not that I got too busy to update the blog, but more that I didn’t actually get around to it. A brief summary of pertinent details:

• Akra Jr’s mystery temperature turned into a mystery rash, but as I first noticed the rash at exactly 5.04pm (4 minutes after surgery closed for the weekend) and this morning it’s completely gone, we shall never know what it was. I suspect we would have got a generic “viral rash, go away” diagnosis anyway.

• I’ve been family treeing. Researching your family tree from the comfort of your own computer is great fun, but incredibly time consuming and addictive. On the plus side, I’ve got back to about 1806 in places (7 generations and a total of 22 different surnames). There’s one couple though (my paternal grandmother’s parents) who are absolutely refusing to be found – probably not helped by the fact that every time my uncle speaks to my grandmother their names seem to morph and they end up being born on completely different dates. So I think we’re going to have to start researching the harder way – by actually purchasing full birth certificates.
• We have selected tiles for the kitchen (yay!). Akra’s mum and dad were visiting yesterday, so they entertained the children while we dashed around the local tile shops. This is what we chose:
  

Well I must say that I am very very glad that today is almost over (at least from a kids in bed, evening is my own point of view). Akra Jr was sent home early from nursery as he was lethargic and complaining of being cold – very uncharacteristic for him as he’s normally running around with tons of energy. A brief while after coming home he’s running a temperature of over 40°C.

In the meantime, Li’l Bhaji thinks this would be a great day to really ramp up the teething and separation anxiety, clinging on to me with arms, legs AND choppers whenever possible. Fortunately, in the morning, Akra Jr was very poorly and was content to doze on and off on the sofa in front of 26 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine (how I now hate that theme music, let me count the ways…)

In the afternoon, however, I realised the eternal conundrum. Two arms, two kids ought to be enough, but in practise it never is – especially if one of the kids is releasing pressure from his gums by chomping chunks out of the other one. Not good. So a very unsatisfactory Mummy Timeshare system was organised which basically involved ignoring the non-cuddled child for as long as I could get away with before switching.

Looking forward to a cuddle-free evening. Sorry Akra.

This lunchtime, on a whim I found myself at Tescos looking for some camera magazines as a source of inspiration. Can anyone tell me why they’re all located on the top shelf next to those publications with opaque cellaphane wrappers? Do they assume that all photographers are men who invite you back round their place to look over their portfolios? All high quality artistic nudes, of course…

It’s almost on a par with bookshops stocking the Astronomy books on the same shelf as Astrology.

Anyway, I picked up one or five mags of which one (Practical Photography) looks vaguely useful – and you never know, I may actually manage to find time to read it.

Any idea of the nutritional content of a Tumbletots sticker?

No, me neither.

I only ask because Li’l Bhaji has just consumed half of one. You know how it is, you get a little suspicious because it’s just gone a little *too* quiet. I look down. There’s HALF a sticker on the floor (one of those big circle stickers) with the ends soggy and chewed, and one baby with his “nothing to see here” face on, with his cheeks slightly puffy and his lips tight shut.

I try to get a finger in there to take a look – nope, no luck there. Mouth clamped tight. Take him up to Daddy to see if he grapple with the jaws of death. Just before I get there, a slight swallowing motion is seen and as he gets in sight of Daddy there’s a big toothy grin – beautifully timed so Daddy thinks I’m making it all up.

Oh well. Extra fibre.

How do the other parents do it?

Is it just the developmental stage my baby is at? We were at our music group this morning and Li’l Bhaji was having none of this “staying still” lark. He wanted to be moving and he wanted to be moving NOW! All the other little babies happily sitting in their places, banging their wooden blocks in time to the music… mine tosses his to one side and goes on a rampage, falling in love with each and every cuddly “prop” the organiser brings out of her bag.

Actually, I tell a lie. He did sit still for a short while. When the organiser gave him a cuddle (because he was attacking her plastic ducks during the 5 little duck song) then he ended up sitting next to her chewing merrily on a little set of hand bells good as gold, completely disowning me. I’m obviously a bad influence on him.

Secretly, though, I’m rather proud of the fact that he’s so inquisitive he wants to explore everything. He’s got lots of years where he’s going to have to conform and learn to “behave”. Still, I also don’t want to be one of those mummies everyone talks about behind her back because she never reigns in her child and spoils it for everyone else… *sigh*. The complicated etiquette of baby groups.

Li’l Bhaji had his first taste of cheerios this morning and, as can be expected for a 9 month old, made a terrible mess. Still, it’s much easier second time around as you can assign the elder child the very important role of “Cheerio Hunter” so they get to scrabble around on the floor collecting the rejected ‘O’s.

Fan of child slave labour, moi?

All credit to our builders, they really are doing a fantastic job. They turn up when they say they’re going to, they work long days with hardly any breaks and the quality of build so far (to a layman’s eyes) looks very good.

Considering all the warnings people gave me about builders slacking off and cowboys in the trade I am completely in awe. It’s been remarkably hassle free so far.

Of course, I’ve just jinxed that now.

Maybe I will get a webcam after all…

Serial Burglar Caught On Webcam.

Such a shame he got such a pitiful sentence though.

Time to show the other side for once.

Akra Jr has a really lovely personality. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a fabulous little being, but he really is gorgeous, even when he’s being very three.

I’m quite a negative person – I’ve spent a lot of emotional energy “re-programming” myself to have a positive outlook on life. One of my worst fears is that my children will pick up on this and become negative themselves. Akra Jr is the one who tells me “never mind, it can be fixed” if I’m stressed about something – it’s not a rote phrase he’s picked up either, he really means it.

Neither has he inherited my impatience and general bad grace. He truly enjoys his little brother’s company and loves him with the cheerful abundance that only little children seem to manage to express well.

We haven’t been getting on too well recently. What with him being very three, most of us being ill repeatedly and almost all of our relationship being conducted after a tiring morning at nursery. This half term (while unproductive in the activity sense) has been really good for the both of us.

I love my boys so much it hurts. And I know it sounds trite, but I am so damn proud of Akra Jr – he is an outstanding human being.

Well, I’ve put the last of the Monopoly Board pictures up on my Fotothing today (the first in the sequence is GO!). I really enjoyed doing it but now feel strangely at a loss … need a new photographic sequence to amuse myself with, but lacking inspiration.

Quick, someone think of a new theme.