Party Time!!

We had a very excited Cat Girl this morning as the day of her party had arrived! She was up early and found out her party dress with cats on and got herself sorted. Boy Wonder took a bit more convincing but was soon up and sorted as it was his best friend's party first, which was more cool than his sister's!

After a visit from Super Gran we left for best friend's spy party which Boy Wonder really enjoyed. The birthday boy and Boy Wonder's team won the challenge out of the three groups which they were very pleased about. After party food and photos we left and went over to Cat Girl's party to set up.

Cat Girl really enjoyed her party with a very good turn out of children. She had, had a birthday cake made by a friend, it was a Sooty cat. It was one fabulous cake!

Boy Wonder got into a couple of scrapes during the party bit did really well to say that it wasn't really his sort of thing. He had taken his girlfriend a little present and card which was very lovely and all of his own doing. She seemed to like it which was a relief!!

After the party we came home and Cat Girl started to wade through her presents. Boy Wonder started off by being very helpful by reading out the cards and telling us who gave what so  that we could write thank you cards. He soon became bored though and went off to sing in another room.

Cat Girl played with some of her new things before going to bed and Boy Wonder played a game with Superman before going to bed to read.

The house looks like a tip with toys everywhere but generally speaking, an enjoyable, busy weekend !

The Minion Auction.

Friday started off in the usual mad way but like most Friday's seemed to be a positive day. Carol singing practice and Golden Time proved to calm Boy Wonder and as a result, Superman had a settled evening whilst I attended my staff Christmas party.

This morning Boy Wonder needed to be up fairly early as he had a football match to get to. He was very excitable and not particularly co ordinated. Superman got him on the right track whilst I sorted out the kitten's medication and the rest of the animals food and water.

When the boys had left, Cat Girl and I got ready to go to the hairdressers for a much needed hair cut and then onto work to set up for the Christmas Fayre. Cat Girl drew Christmas pictures whilst we battled with the marque. Super man texted to day that they had won the football 3-1. The team's first win!

Super man and Boy Wonder arrived at the start and Boy Wonder immediately became fixated on the silent auction, in particular the Minion! He put in a bid which I spent quite a while convincing him to lower as £60 is way too much to bid for a cuddly toy! He then moved on to other things, becoming stressy due to not being able to get to the football table. When he did get on it, the boy playing with him kept cheating so what little tolerance he had, dwindled quickly.

Cat Girl won Pin The Nose on Rudolf and some tickets to a museum and Boy Wonder won some dried flowers and of course The Minion!! ( luckily not for £60!) Superman took them home whilst I helped to pack away. I then went shopping for food and party bag tat for Cat Girl's party tomorrow.

We had a visit from Grandparents this evening and then watched Atlantis before Boy Wonder and Cat Girl went to bed. Hopefully an early night tonight in preparation for two parties tomorrow, Boy Wonder's friend's and then Cat Girl's. it's been a weekend of parties!!

Home Sweet Home!

After a reasonable night's sleep, Boy Wonder awoke in a very hyper, inattentive mood. He was very excited about Jet coming home today which was understandable but made it difficult to  ( more than normal) get him up, dressed and fed.

Once at a school, I spoke with his teacher about his high mood and wished her luck! Boy Wonder spent most of the day with his jet magnet again, although reported to be a lot happier and loud. Boy Wonder said that because of his sad day yesterday, he wasn't told off for silly behaviour ! Mmmm.

I received a call from the vets to say that Jet could definitely come home. I agreed that we would pick him up at 5.30pm, after Boy Wonder's dance class.

I also received a call from the Occupational Therapist today to arrange Boy Wonder's assessment for next week. She seemed very equipped for the job and we are really looking forward to hearing what she thinks and what she can recommend.

I picked the children up from school and went over to dance so that Boy Wonder could practise for his ballet exam. He appeared preoccupied but at least he attended without fuss.  We left to fetch Jet and got to the vets a little late due to traffic. Boy Wonder and Cat Girl were both getting excitable and anxious which manifested itself in shouting, constant questioning and silliness.

We got to the vets and were talked through Jet's medication regime and care plan. Boy Wonder asked  a lot of questions and presented them with a thank you card which was very nice and 'wordy.' They loved it and thanked him. He stated that he was going to put his life savings into the card for them but  decided against it in the end! How very nearly thoughtful of him!

Boy Wonder helped set up Jet's equipment when we got home and played with him got a short while. However he soon lost interest and started to play on Minecraft. The kittens started to fight, had to be separated, keeping them apart for the tests of the evening.

Boy Wonder went to bed at 9.30 and feel asleep just after 10 pm.

Wild 'v' Strict !!

It was the early hours of the morning before Boy Wonder went to sleep. Sooty (Cat Girl's kitten) slept  on the bottom of his bed and was up at 5am pining for his brother. We all ended up awake early and got ready in time for the vet to ring with an update. Boy Wonder looked pale and tired. He was emotional and on edge. He needed a lot of help to get ready as he just couldn't concentrate.

The vet rang to briefly tell us that Jet had a settled night and would be having his operation this morning. His bladder was functioning normally again and he was a little less swollen around the face.  They said that they would keep us informed. I explained the update to Boy Wonder and Cat Girl and reassured them that he is doing okay.

I spoke to Boy Wonder's teacher once at school who was very good with him. Boy Wonder had his 'Jet magnet' in his pocket which he kept with him throughout the day. The teacher explained that they had spoken with Boy Wonder on a few occasions today on a 1:1 to try and reassure him. Boy Wonder had spoken at length with them about how it all happened and what he thought. This clearly helped to clear his head.

The vet contacted me late afternoon to say that the operation went well and that Jet was recovering well. She made us an appointment to visit him after school.

I picked Boy Wonder and Cat Girl up from school, nipped home for Jet's favourite toy and went to visit him. Jet was quite sedated when we arrived and was wired up to a drip and had a cone collar on to protect his mouth. He brightened up when he saw us but clearly had been through a lot and was in need of rest. Boy Wonder interrogated the vet, asking about he treatment he had received and how he needed to look after him when he comes home. The vet said that Jet couldn't be left alone for a few days once home. Boy Wonder said that it was okay as Granddad could come and check on him. He then thought about what he had said and stated ' it would have to be Grandad J as Grandad B is too wild! He is not responsible at all! Granddad J is strict, very strict but he is nice too,' The vet, struggling to contain herself as she realised that this was an actual dilemma for Boy Wonder, suggested that Jet would benefit from strict more than wild! We then spoke about the medication he would need and the cage he would have to stay in for a few days to ensure that he doesn't bang his face. All being well he could come home tomorrow.

We came home, put the fire on, had tea and watched Home Alone. During the film Cat Girl made a get well card for Jet and later on Boy Wonder made a thank you card for the vets.

An early night was encouraged as Boy Wonder looked very tired. He fell to sleep at about 10pm,

A sad day

Boy Wonder had a morning much like every other. He had his build up drink and then promptly complained of feeling sick. This extended to aching legs and a headache  throughout the day. I asked his teacher to monitor his food intake at school which she later reported to be good.

On the way to Ju Jitsu after school, Superman rang with the news that Jet ( Boy Wonder's kitten) had been injured and needed to go to the vet. Boy Wonder became very angry and started to blame a neigbour's cat for hurting him. I tried to calm him down by playing down the kitten's injuries. I quickly took him into Ju Jitsu to divert him further and then rang Superman back to get a better idea of  what had happened. He said that there was a lot of blood around the house and that the kitten didn't look great.

The house did indeed look like a scene out of a horror film. Superman rang again to say that the kitten had to stay in overnight and had been hit by a car not injured in a fight which is what we thought had happened.  He had a badly injured mouth and swelling to the right side of his head.

I cleaned up the house, comforted Cat Girl and her kitten Sooty whilst Super man went to collect Boy Wonder. The vet rang to say that the kitten seemed more coherent but had a bad mouth injury which was very dirty and a lot of swelling to the head. She said that there was also a concern that he had a ruptured bladder but would know more in the morning. She explained that he was lucky to be alive and prepared us for the possibility of further complications through the night. I told her that they need to do whatever they can to keep him alive and make him better. A silly thing to say maybe but never the less I needed to say it.

Boy Wonder returned from Ju Jitsu and was very quiet. Superman had updated him and he then became preoccupied about how angry he had felt and how he blamed another cat. He stated that he had done something very bad. Superman explained that we often think a lot of things when we are upset but that doesn't make us bad. Boy Wonder calmly stated to me that he won't be sleeping tonight and that we mustn't tell him off because he wouldn't be able  to control himself. He said nothing further.

When Boy Wonder had something to blame he felt anger. Now that there is no blame he seems to have blocked it out. Or is it processing delay ? Either way this is likely to have delayed impact. The vet is going to ring in the morning to give us an update. I have asked that they try and do this before school so that we can offer a bit of reassurance ( hopefully.)to the children.

Anyway, here's hoping for a positive outcome .

This morning routine business

Back to the crazy school morning routine today. For the first time I can remember I lay in bed dreading it. Maybe it's a combination of being tired and the catch up of the last few weeks ( years!) It wasn't a nice feeling and certainly one that needs shaking off and sharp ish.

I gave Boy Wonder his medication a bit earlier in hope that it would help calm him down enough to help with his morning routine. It didn't make a difference which is likely to be because the whole intensity and time constraint of the morning routine is the issue. If he slept properly I would be tempted to get him up earlier to reduce the pressure on him but its weighing that up against an extra half an hour's sleep. 

The morning was a typical one, resulting in a mad dash to school. It was a trip to the community centre this morning to watch a Panto. Boy Wonder was very excited as was Cat Girl. 

I got back to the car and 'pause for thought' came on the radio. It was on the theme of mental stress and the only way to improve is to keep going and push through the other side. Very apt and absolutely right! 

So back to being productive. I spoke to the Pharmacist today as Boy Wonder is getting very skinny, to the point of skeletal. We think this is a combination of his appetite being suppressed due to the medication, being very active and his lack of attention when eating. He had lost weight at his last hospital appointment so he is now being monitored so rather than it becoming a big deal, I asked the Pharmacist if we could use a food supplement. He said that we could so will try this for a few weeks and see if it helps. I will also ask school to monitor his diet also so that we can keep an eye on things.

After art therapy, Boy Wonder went to football and then football again. Car Girl went for her swimming lesson and did really well. On settling down I gave Boy Wonder a build up drink milkshake that he loved (result!)

We will see how he gets on with it and hopefully it will do the trick! 

A Weekend of Two Halves

I left for a 'ladies do Christmas Shopping' day before Boy Wonder woke up this morning. Cat Girl was awake so I gave her the responsibility of looking after the boys. She thought this was funny. Superman had a play date planned for the afternoon that consisted of all the abandoned husbands and children going to a play centre. Before that however, Boy Wonder had his dance class.

The shopping trip was good and very productive. All Christmas presents are now purchased and just need to be wrapped. Santa has bought Boy Wonder a Raspberry Pi this year. We have been told that he should be able to use it but Superman is swotting up just in case!

On returning from shopping this evening, the children were settled and everyone seemed to have a good day with no notable incidents or accidents. A successful day all round then!

Sunday morning - we are putting up Christmas decorations, baking and then out to take Boy Wonder to his tap and theatre craft dance exams this afternoon.

I started off by cleaning out the animals, making sure their bedding was warm and dry before the snow kicks in! When I got back inside, Superman had the children up, washed, dressed and fed and the decorations out of the loft ready to put up.

The Christmas decorations took most of the morning, especially as Boy Wonder insisted on knowing the origin of each bauble! There's a lot of baubles on three trees! He lined the snowmen up perfectly and then hunted down the missing singing plane. ( Superman's favourite !)

We had dinner and then a visit from family. The children played outside with the kittens. Boy Wonder 'rescued' the kittens from next door's cat. They weren't keen on being rescued and once Superman had convinced Boy Wonder that they were okay and not going to get attacked, he reluctantly let them out again.

We left to take Boy Wonder to his dance exam , freestyle and tap today. He seemed absolutely fine on the way but as soon as we got there, his mood changed. The place was busy and crowded in the entrance where parents and children were waiting to dance or to pick up their children. There was a feel of seriousness / nervousness although I am not sure Boy Wonder picked up on anything other than it being different and crowded. He became anxious and agitated, so once he was dressed and ready, I had a quiet word with his teacher and left. He can hold it together a lot better when I'm not there and his teacher said that she would keep a close eye on him and take him outside if he needed some space.

Whilst waiting for Boy Wonder, Superman, Cat Girl and I did a bit of shopping as we needed white tights for Cat Girl's nativity play. We finished off at the soft play where Cat Girl is having her party next week as I had to finalise details. We then picked up a couple of reindeer gingerbread and went to pick up Boy Wonder.

I spoke with his teacher before Boy Wonder came out of his tap exam and she said that he had done well, a bit edgy and fidgety but okay. He wasn't happy that 'special needs' had been written on his form. I explained  to him later  that it was an old fashioned term for identifying that he may not understand the lady examiner's accent or gestures because he hasn't met her before. ' oh' he said ' is that all?' I think he was worried that they thought he couldn't dance very well. I told him that this is certainly not the case as all dancers are only put through for exams if his teacher thought they could do it.  He now has a couple of weeks to wait for the results which I seem to be more bothered about than him!

We came home and watched a DVD whilst having tea. It was 'A Diary of The Wimpy Kid' film which they both love. After lots of laughing  it was time for bed. Cat Girl seemed very tired this evening. Boy Wonder however seemed wide awake!