Lolling about on the sofa.....

....in his Star Wars jim jams, with his fleecy tiger rug over him. Dosed up on Calpol, asking me for apple juice and bowls of Curiously Cinnamon, watching Cbeebies, guitar across his lap.

Yes Tigs is off sick. He had a high temp last night, and didn't want to get out of bed this morning (unheard of for him), so here he is. Here is our whole day upset. Himself had to go into work late to get Pup to school, My lunchdate cancelled, Tigs playdate cancelled.

It's never a good idea to make too many plans or depend too much on the plans you have made. They do 'gang oft agley' in this house, that's probably true in most houses with small children in. At least Tigs is great company when he's sick. Not if he's really unwell, but if he's a touch of colour his energy levels drop to those of a normal 5 year old, and he becomes very cuddly. I like it!

  At least the cats are ok. Our neighbour came round to us in a state yesterday afternoon. He'd left some out of date pate outside his back door to put in the bin, and it had gone missing. He was really worried that one of our cats may have eaten it and got sick. Nice of him, as they are not cat lovers and chase our two out of their garden if they spot them. (Both our cats have been guilty of decimating the frog population of their garden pond) Anyway I was able to reassure him that both cats were fine. They don't seem to be suffering any loss of appetite today, thankfully, so if one of them did eat the pate it hasn't done them any harm.

  And some other good news for today. Pup put on clean school trousers this morning but they were too tight for him. This is something that gets me disproportionately excited. He hasn't put on any significant weight for months! Maybe that hospital stay did do him some good! I resist the urge to weigh him at home - he gets weighed every 2 months at clinic anyway.

  Anyway, better go put the kettle on, then cuddle up with Tigs and watch Cbeebies for a while.  I may get round to some washing or a little light housework later. Maybe.

Contrast

My boys are extremes.

Pup. Unco-ordinated, gross and fine motor skill delays, hypermobile joints so he is knock kneed with unstable hips and inturned feet, always banging into things, falling over his own feet. Struggles to put on muscle mass, tiny hands and feet. Struggles to do things with his hands both because of their size and the 'floppiness' of his fine muscles, so his writing is very delayed. Everything is such an effort for him, it's not surprising he is 'slapdash' sometimes, and rushes through tasks; it's easier for him just to 'get things over with'.

He still has the edge over Tigs for speed - the 3 year gap holds. But it won't be long. Already Tigs can do things he can't. Life isn't easy for him. His concentration span is short, so it's hard for him to learn new things. But he does try. And I cheer for him (silently in my heart) when I see him achieve things his brother can't yet do.

On Saturday he started his Riding lessons - we've signed him up with Riding for the Disabled, to help his muscle tone and balance skills. He did great. He was the ablest child in the group - that was good to see. He had to have the reins taken away from him, because he was fiddling with them. But he sat well and confidently (when I wasn't even sure he'd even be brave enough to get on the horse) he behaved well,  he didn't shout or scream. Well done Pup.

Tigs. Poetry in motion, graceful, always active. Could ride a 2 wheel bike before he was 3 years old. Taught himself to do somersaults on the trampoline. He's a joy to watch. his energy levels exhaust me. He was running in circles round the garden this afternoon just for the joy of it. Its not just we that think he is extreme in his physical abilities, other mums have commented on it. Life can be very easy for Tigs. He isn't a 'tryer' because he's never had to be. If he can't do something he doesn't bother. Stuff that we've had to teach Pup slowly and painfully. Tigs just absorbs. Like doing up buttons, tying his school tie, climbing.

He is always trying to compete with big bro, but he gets furious when he can't keep up (he will stop running and shout in frustration if Pup gets too far ahead.) he is jealous of the activities that Pup does, especially this new one of  horse riding.

One day he'll understand (I hope) why we get Pup to do so many activities. One day he'll outrun him. I hope it's not too soon.

He's free!

Pup  got out of hospital last week.    Despite his protests. 

Pup is The One and Only*, sometimes he doesn't do things the way anyone else does them. He did NOT want to come home.

And why should he? Spoiled by the nurses, the play therapists, the physiotherapists. One to ones with the hospital teacher. Trips to the hospital gym; the use of the playroom (which had a Wii). A parent with him at almost all times, a parent who was not weighed down by housework and dividing their attention between him, his brother and other parent.

Having said that he immediately relaxed in the car on the way home, crashed out,  (an hours rush-hour journey) and slept until his Dad carried him into the house

Our meds cupboard.

We did home IV's for 3 days, until the line blocked on me. That was scarier than I thought. I've been cheerfully doing IV's at work for years, but my hands were still shaking the first time I drew up his antibiotics and gave them to him. It felt like we were living in a hospital. But now it's over, we're creeping back to normal. Whether he's better for his antibots I don't know for certain. I haven't heard much coughing recently. We have to wait for his next brething tests at his outpatient appointment to be sure they've helped. But I think he is better, it's not just the coughing. he's still pale but maybe a tad less tired. Not at first, the few days after he got out he was shattered.

The next thing in store for him is riding lessons! He has been recommended to try riding to build up his muscles and help his balance skills. First lesson on saturday. My theory is that he will freak out when he sees an actual horse up close and personal.

Oh yes, I do have another son don't I? Tigs is as gorgeous as ever, as hyper as ever and has more scars on his face than ever - three knocks in one day yesterday; he went nose over toes over the front of his scooter on the way to school, he cut his wrist at school (rather vague about how this happened) and he and best friend both bumped their heads in the playground after school. Tigs face is now a disater area - if you count the eczema and the cut on his eyebrow from school last week. Oh and he's lost his new glasses at school. And Pup being in hospital threw his behaviour back a peg or two; he has invented a few new ways to be naughty - and wear us out. His naughty is usually very deliberate, I do wonder whether there is some 'testing out' behaviour sometimes. I asked him why he did something a couple of weeks ago and he said it was "to make you cross mummy". it is hard with adopted kids. I just don't know ho much of their behaviour is them and how much is their history. Confused. I am confused, and sometimes they must be. It stands to reason, thye've both been through more sets of parents than any child should.

I had the routine term 4 meeting with Tigs teacher on Tuesday, and she feels he is doing well, but he needs to do what he's told more often! His latest trick: when teacher asks kids to do something he will stop what he is doing ok, but then he will start telling the other kids what to do.

I have a pair of right little bossyboots.

*This is what I think of as Pups theme song: Chesney Hawkes 'The one and only'

I'm working on one for Tigs. 'Wild Boys' doesn't quite fit. After all there's only one of him (I think?)

Resolutions

Not new year resolutions, obviously. I am usually too busy and SAD in midwinter for that sort of planning. But now the sun is returning, the juices are flowing again I can feel the urge to SORT coming on.

For a start:

• To get the frog out from behind the piano that Nimrod the mighty hunter The Ginge brought in earlier.

• Every time new clothes come into the house I need to dispose of an equivalent number of old clothes.

• To dispose of more paper than enters the house each day (by post, from work, in child's bags etc)

• To file one or two items of paperwork each day (you would NOT believe how many unsorted piles I have lying around!)

• To sort all our photographs. This now includes my parents  and my grandparents old pics. Fortunately they were not such addicts as I am - I have several thousand on my PC that have to be sorted.

• To write the history of our boys adoptions.

• To get involved in some project to help our community or town.

That'll do for a start. Got a load more things to do, like redecorating the house (needs money) and getting the garden in order (needs lots of money). Or fostering. or a new job. Maybe priority to ask God if he has any ideas about the last two especially. He seems to be full of good ideas.

If anyone else has any good ideas I'd like to hear them too.

This, that and a hospital

Yes Pup is in hospital. No, it's nothing to worry about (well mild worry for us of course) He can't get rid of his cough, his lung function is down to less than 70% and somedays he looks so tired, and pale with great shadows under his eyes. So the Docs made the decision; he needed to be admitted for intravenous antibiotics. And that's where he is, since Monday. He had to be sedated on Monday to have a PICC line put in his arm. it's a long plastic tube that goes from above his elbow into his neck; and they are giving him antibiotics through it. I was so nervous about the line going in (so was he!!) and worried that the sedation would go the wrong way and make him hyper, but in the end he was just pleasantly drunk. They got the line in with no problems. And now he is totally making himself at home in the hospital, in fact when I go in tonight I fully expect to be told that he is now running the place. Himself was on hospital duty last night and today, while I 'did' Tigs, and tonight we swap over. Yesterday Tigs was telling the nurses off for being late with his drugs, and trying to manage all the toddlers in the department - he is keen on small children. He has wangled a laptop out of the hospital teacher, and is totally at home. He gets whatever he wants to eat, and loads of attention. There are tons of toys and books, and a Wii. What more could an 8 year old need?

What else is going on here?

Tigs went to school dressed as a busker today. On world book day, he could dress up as any book character he liked, and that is what he chose. it's a character from the book Tabby MckTat about a busker and his cat. He took his cat puppet and his guitar

Spring is sprunging here finally, the crocuse and daffodils are coming out, the birds have started to sing, and some days it is really good to be outside. We have been in the garden as much as possible. We love gardening and ours needs a LOT of work.  I'll get round to posting a few pics sometime soon. Essentially it was just a rough field when we moved in, so we've been able to start from scratch. Minor encumbrances like kids tend to get in the way of spending as much time and money on it as we'd like, but we are getting there. I planted 2 apple trees last week..

My brother in law who was a Feb 29th birthday is celebrated his 13th birthday last week (his youngest daughter turned 13 last year!) We were meant to go to his party on Saturday, but it's an hour and a half drive, and we coulsn't take Pup out of hospital for that long, and did not feel like some of us going and leaving Pup in hospital. So sadly we'll have to miss this quadrennial event.

We've finally go round to booking a holiday -  a week in Devon in the summer. Can't wait!

The Ginge has taken to using us a a doss house and restaurant. He is out gadding most of the time, spotting the neighbours chickens and other crimes.