Putting the squeak back in the squeaker

There is a penguin in Toy Story 2 which loses its squeak - I'm sure you remember it. Well, even though Emily has not yet seen Toy Story 2, she did a cracking impression of that penguin over the course of this weekend.
I got her up on Saturday morning and when she opened her mouth to say "ba ba ba ba" or something equally intellectual, all that came out was a hoarse, high-pitched little croak. "Croak", she said, "croak, croak". She didn't seem desperately fussed but did look a bit confused. Over the course of the weekend her throat got more and more sore so we kept dosing her with ibuprofen - luckily the doctor says it hasn't progressed to the state of a throat infection, and she seems better today.
It didn't help that her second top incisor came through on Sunday, so she was croaky and dribbly. And when I say dribbly, I mean dribbly. She went through 3 or 4 bibs each day, and they were soaked - when I dropped one into the laundry basket it went "plop" - not really the noise I was expecting from a bib! Yuck.
And all this of course means that she's not keen on food. I fooled her into some weetabix and banana this morning but with some difficulty. However, she has discovered the deliciousness that is Angel Delight, so she'll have a diet of Petit Filous and Angel Delight until her appetite returns. I can't tell you how jealous I am.....

The Election Post

I like an election. Mostly because there aren't too many of them, and the run-up isn't too long. I don't like elections enough to want one every day, you understand. And this one's a doozie since it's actually, for once, not apparent who's going to win. Exciting! I've been trying to do a bit of research so as to be able to cast my vote properly. After all, suffragettes and so on.

However, it's not as easy as it looks. First of all, until today we'd had no electioneering bumph from anyone through the door. And second of all, once you do get election bumph, you realise it all looks the bloody same - less crime, better health services, improvements in schools etc etc etc. I know there are differences e.g. over immigration, but they seem few and far between sometimes.

So I went to the BBC's election pages which are pretty good because they do at least tell you who the candidates are in your area, and what the results were last time. And in our leafy Bucks constituency, you'll all be shocked to learn that the winner last time was a Tory, with over 50% of the votes. Interestingly, however, the LibDems were in 2nd place, with just over a quarter of the votes. So in our area, it looks like a vote for Labour is the wasted vote, not a vote for the LibDems, as is traditional.

Anyway, I've decided to base my decision this year on the issue which really matters for me personally, at this point in time. Which is Education. I don't think Labour have a great record, but then again I think we're struggling with issues that all developed economies are struggling with - namely, that our education system was designed in and for the industrial age, and we're now deeply embedded in the knowledge economy, which our education system is clearly out of step with. I say clearly because so many employers are complaining that that kids coming out of schools aren't equipped for the workplace - they were, on the other hand, when most of them were going into manual labour.

Is this the right way to decide how to cast my vote? Is there a right way? After all, it's my vote, and I'll make my decision in my own way. I'm looking forward to heading for the polling station on 6 May, once I've finally made up my mind. I have a vision of the four of us, as a family, wandering down the road on a balmy Spring evening, and exercising our constitutional rights - now it'll probably pour with rain, and no-one will turn out, and it'll all be a damp squib. But I hope not!

She's turning one!

Tomorrow is Emily's first birthday, and I can't believe it's here already. It's been one of the fastest years of my life, as opposed to Isabel's first year which was without a doubt the longest year of my life! I think this is partly because Isabel's at school - those terms shoot past awfully quickly.

We've not got Emily much for her birthday - a tunnel for the garden, and a couple of other toys, but we are having a little party as we did with Emily. Lots of other babies coming, about 10 in total, and a few token grown-ups of course. And a cake from Costco - where else do people get cakes for large numbers of people? Costco do a personalised cake which easily serves about 40 people, and it's £12. £12!!!! If you were to order a cake like that from a bakery it'd set you back about £80 - I know, I've investigated the options before.

Thank goodness we're predicted good weather, or I don't know where everyone would end up - today was glorious and tomorrow's meant to be the same, which is amazing for April. Isabel's been scooting around all day in a little summer dress and flip flops, and I've even painted my toenails for the first time this year. But this is what happened last year - April, May and June were nice, lulling us all into a false sense of security, and then the summer itself was a bunch of arse. This year we shall flee the country in search of better weather.

Anyway, here's to you darling Emsy - happy birthday for tomorrow! I hope next year goes a little slower though, so I get the chance to enjoy it as it scoots past.

Why do I put myself through it?

I keep watching medical documentaries at the moment. I'm absolutely glued to them, particularly if they involve children. I inevitably cry at some point, and yet I keep watching. Why?

The first one that sucked me in was One Born Every Minute. I think I kept watching not only because it was just fascinating, but because since I know I won't be having another child I was oddly enjoyable to watch other women in labour, safe in the knowledge that I wouldn't be experiencing that again! It reminded me about my experiences, which were both very positive, although Isabel's arrival into the world did drag on a bit, and I did vomit in the birthing pool and then broke the hydraulic hospital bed. That would have made great television!

Then earlier this week Hubs and I watched an episode of Panorama called Spoilt Rotten, which looked at kids with preventable conditions. The programme featured a five year old who was so fat his mother had to wheel him around in a wheelchair when he got too tired, and several kids ages two and up who had to have their baby teeth removed because they were so rotten from eating too many sweets or permanently sucking on a bottle. Worst of all were the kids with glue ear - one of the parents refused to admit that his smoking was a contributory factor, and just blithely continued, while his son complained of deafness. This documentary rebounded on our kids, both of whom had their teeth brushed to within an inch of their lives today!

Finally, I watched Great Ormond Street, which was just amazing. The episode I saw focused on a cardic unit, and featured the discussions amongst the surgeons as they worked out who to treat, and how. Those discussions are usually kept very much behind closed doors, and were very moving. But again, I cried, since not all of the children survived, and even those that did had other problems. Sigh. Makes me very grateful for my two happy and healthy bundles of fun. I'm not tempting fate by rubbernecking, am I...?

Textbook, schmextbook

I'm going to blame the lack of blogging on work. Not necessarily the quantity of work, but the fact that I've been writing my first report in my new-ish job role. Since it's the first report I wanted it to be right, clearly, and it's been pretty much dominating my working hours, which is a pity since I now have another big deadline which has crept up and which I only managed to start work on today. More slog tomorrow and Friday I think, but this evening I submitted the first draft of the report, and it feels gooooooood!

It's not the world's biggest report, at a mere 15,000 words, but after reading, thinking and writing all day, it's very difficult to pick up the laptop in the evening and carry on writing. Particularly since I've had 8.30pm calls on several evenings since it's difficult to find a time to interview people based in the US if your working day finishes at 3pm UK time. I suppose I could have photo-blogged, which isn't cheating, honest. But I simply left the laptop upstairs most evenings, and vegged on the couch. Not very productive. I haven't even finished the patchwork cushion cover I started for Isabel ages ago. Must do that.

But now I'm back, I hope, so here are the highlights of the last few weeks:

• Isabel lost her two bottom front teeth in quick succession. One came out while she was asleep, causing me to panic that she might have inhaled it. Clearly she didn't - I'd have blogged that, after all!
• Emily's a mean, lean, crawling machine. She's a proper crawler, unlike Isabel who only crawled on one knee. It looked very odd, and I now realise it means that all of the trousers she wore at the time, and which Emily now has, are worn out on one knee only. Sorry about that, Emsy. She's not put on much weight though, and is still under 15lb. We had an appointment with the nutritionist (or was she a dietician? and what's the difference anyway?) so everything Emily eats is now examined closely for calorific value, and if it's not high enough we dip it in cream or fry it in butter. And then make sure she's eaten plenty of chocolate and cheese. Lucky thing!
• Isabel's been on Easter holidays this week and last, and this week has spent 3 days at Supercamps, a local activity day camp. She's loved it, thank goodness, since she'll be there for a couple of weeks in the summer as well. Funnily enough, she met a girl there who she was at nursery with, and loathed her. This girl was her nemesis, and her name lives on in our household. But Isabel got on well with her at Supercamps, and came home asking if this girl could come round one day for tea! Over my dead body.....
• Husbandio has gone back to work, and once Isabel's back at school then we'll be back in a normal routine. That also means Emsy has started nursery properly - she did 3 days this week, from about 9am to between 4pm and 5pm. Long day for a wee one, but she's done fine - she'd rather be at home, but that report would never have got written then would it?
• And my news is.... I've finished my report! What a sad reflection it is that this is the most exciting thing I can think of.

I'll try to write more often but can't promise anything. Since I'm on a roll tonight though, perhaps I'll draft tomorrow's post and save it!