See what love can do

*clears throat*

I ought to apologise for the long absence [once more] - life is so hectic nowadays! With all the juggling of work/home/other stuff that has been going on, I'm on the right path to joining the circus.

Morgan went through a rough patch health-wise.  On Thursday, the 16th of August, in the evening, she had relatively high fever.  She spent the night waking up every half an hour, screaming.  That was one hell of a long night.  In the morning, HSS and myself took her to hospital - where we ended up staying until the following Wednesday.  They did a chest x-ray, took some 9 vials of blood, also did a spinal tap, did a kidney ultrasound, took a urine sample, gave her antibiotics via IV every day, and Gods know what else.  They tested her for Meningitis - but thankfully that came back negative.

18 August 2012 - in hospital, starting the long path of recovery

I spent that quasi-week with her in hospital - and HSS was with us whenever he had a minute to spare.  He was amazing [still is, actually] and I count myself bloody lucky to have him in our lives.

17 August 2012 - Morgan had horrendously high fever still.  HSS seemed like a good place for her to crash :)

The day after being sent home, he took Morgan back to hospital for her last dose of IV antibiotics, after which they removed the cannula needle from her hand.  The day after that - Friday - we ended up going back to hospital with Morgan wheezing and struggling to breathe.  Turns out she had bronchitis.  Yay! We got back home at 4am-ish.  Dead on our feet doesn't even begin to describe how exhausted we all were.

She was on Ventolin and Rectodelt for the bronchitis, and Septrin for the infection which landed her in hospital in the first place.  She's still taking Septrin, as that saga isn't yet over.

They weren't sure if this was a simple UTI or a kidney infection - and there are a couple more tests to be done to ensure that both urethra and kidneys work as they should and haven't been damaged.  The reason she's still taking the antibiotics is that one of the tests involves them attaching a catheter to check her urethra.  This can sometimes lead to - wait for it! - an infection! Therefore, she is being kept on a low dosage of antibiotics as prevention.

She's happy as always - growing up way too quickly.  She has almost outgrown her 9-12m sized clothing and she's still 7 and a half months old!!

Whilst in hospital - she was crying because she wanted her bottle.  I had a problem with the bloody formula milk since they put her on lactose-free formula for a short while.  The lactose-free formula doesn't dissolve properly unless it is prepared with BOILING water.  What happens sit hat the nozzle of the bottle's dummy gets clogged, making it impossible - and hellishly frustrating - for Morgan to drink.  I kept switching dummies, washing them out and reapplying them.  I must've done this process at least 20 times! At one point she was babbling-whining, when all of a sudden I hear "Baba".

I was shocked.  I thought to myself it must be a coincidence and she didn't really mean it.  A couple of days later though - she said "Ba" on two separate occasions.  Every time, she was referring to the bottle.


I suppose that makes it Morgan's first word!

She hasn't said it - or anything else - since, as she seems to have decided that her main priority at the moment is getting from point A to point B.  She is commando-crawling, and stands up with minimal support for long periods of time.  She can also sit up unsupported for quite a long time, and is constantly reaching out for things - and for us to pick her up.


Things with HSS are good [to put it mildly] even though we don't get to spend that much time together for the time being.

Right now, I'm recovering from a small accident which saw his bike falling on my foot when we skidded [whilst almost stationary] just a corner away from home.  Yay for limping around!

Oh - Morgan is now also enjoying her food in a somewhat lumpy format.  It'd be the equivalent of mashed rather than liquidised food.  Her teeth haven't shown through yet but she is still teething like crazy.  I am guessing they'll all show up at once when they decide it is time.

I am aware it is yet a few months until her first birthday - but I'm trying to figure out what kind of celebratory actions we'll be holding for her - besides the quccija.  It is perplexing - organising a birthday party of sorts for a 1 year old.  Any suggestions are welcome!

Ah yes - today Morgan turned on the TV by herself.  She grabbed hold of the remote control, pointed it towards the TV and pressed the on/off button.  Smart girl! 

29 August 2012 - Playing Tug O' War with my elder sis using a wet wipe

Once upon a time, books were affordable.

This morning I woke up to an article on the local newspaper about some 13 year old boy who asked for a book over a Kindle for his birthday.  "Big deal," was my initial reaction, along with "At least the love for books seems to still exist within a small proportion of the younger generations. Maybe not all hope is lost."

It always is pleasant to see a child reading a book. It is an unusual sight nowadays.  I don't blame the parents though. Not entirely. Books have become so expensive nowadays, you would think they are a luxury.  For example - a simple board book [i.e. a book consisting of less than 10 pages, made out of thick cardboard, with minimal words and colourful picture, aimed at babies/toddlers.] can cost anywhere between €8 and €15. [go to www.xe.com for a currency conversion if you live outside the Euro zone].  That, my friends, is silly expensive.  How are you meant to teach your child how to read and what the joys of reading and book ownership are all about?  Bookstore owners [as well as toy store owners who mark educational toys at silly prices] need a healthy dose of reality.  With the income most households have, and the expenses they have every month, most cannot afford to buy more than one book every... 2? 3 months?

With such expensive pricing being placed on what should be a child's gateway to other worlds... their faithful companion, friend and teacher.... it is no wonder that so many parents don't even bother and would rather plop their child in front of the idiot box, also referred to as TV.

I myself am a bibliophile, and have every intention of passing on this quality to Creature once s/he is born. What I don't intend to do, however, is to fill his/her head with all the Happily Ever After nonsense.  I know, shocking isn't it?  What I mean by that is - I find Fairy Tales so much more enticing in their original format rather than the lovey-dovey unrealistic Disney influenced modified versions.  If you're still confused, I would suggest looking up The Little Mermaid. The proper version. The one with no Happily Ever After.  You know, the one with suicide and murder involved in the picture.

I can only hope that parents do some shopping around, and perhaps try to find the cheapest possible option to stock up their children's libraries. Charity Shops, Car Boot Sales, Bazaars, The Internet - all feasible options.  Don't deny your child the joys of reading. Try to include it in your budget.  And never be afraid of giving a book as a gift. Check with the parent/a family member whether the book you had in mind might already be sitting on the child's bookshelf though. Getting duplicates can be frustrating for a child.  And getting book vouchers can be frustrating for the parent[s] due to the majority of book shops on this island having a very limited stock of interesting titles.