Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

My wife has been speculating about whether or not Maeve will be walking by Christmas given her unrelenting desire to stand up at every opportunity. Earlier in the week I saw Maeve standing up for 5 seconds without any hand support.

Anyway today, Maeve took her first three steps unaided at her Grandmothers house in full view of everyone. Maeve is 11 months 10 days old. Now I will need eyes in the back of my head!!

Poor Maeve is ill – but on the road to recovery thank God. On Monday Maeve became lethagic, sleep, whiny, not  and more worryingly had a high temperature – some 38-39 degrees; very hot to touch. “The Redhead” gave me a call in work and said that she had made an appointment with the local Doctor to find out whats wrong with our little bundle of joy. Fortunately I managed to get home and down to the doctors before the consultation took place.

As it turns out Maeve is suffering from Tonsillitus – a very painful affliction for an adult let alone a 11 month old baby. The doctor perscribed a 5 day course of antibiotics, and there the fun started.  The antibiotic does not taste nice and it got to be a real game to try to Maeve to take her medicine. She would purse up her lips, and move head from side to side – a real problem. The best solution we found was a plastic dropper bought from the local chemist and the expediency of sticking in my finger so she could not close her mouth and the insert the dropper and squeeze.

Its been three days and at last her temperature has returned to normal and some of her bubbly personality has started to resurface.

I did not realize that more than a month has passed since my last post – but things have been busy at work with multiple drops to QA so this blog has been put on the back burner.

So what has been happening with that little bundle of joy that is my daughter Maeve. Well I suppose the “big” thing is that Maeve has started the Giraffe Creche in the IFSC. I am surprised how easy she has settled in and taken to being put in a car at 7am and driven the 15 miles into central Dublin. My wife and I find the stress of leaving her with ’strangers’ and Maeves cries at us leaving wretches the heart. We need not have worried, Maeve has settled in to the creche and is having a great time enjoying herself.

In the last month Maeve has lost some of the chubiness in her face and can stand quite well (but not walking yet) and can walk her way along the furniture using her hands for support.

Yesterday Maeve met Father Christmas for the first-time when he made a “surprise” visit to the creche.

These last three days I have had Maeve to myself because my wife is away in Germany until tomorrow. Its been a tiring and busy three days – like most men I barely register the amount oh hard work put in by their wifes (mine also has a full-time job too) in just feeding the baby, changing nappies, washing the clothes, washing the baby etc. That said its been a lot of fun.