Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

Maeve has contracted some unspecified viral infection (according to the Doctor); Maeve is running a temperature and has started having a rash. Today we know where she contracted it from and that poor baby has had it for a week and still out of the creche; This means that Maeve will be out for the week – causing chaos in her working mom and dads professional lives.

Yesterday her mom worked from home, today I did it.

Maeves has been pretty good. Her temperature varies between hot and normal. When she is “hot” she is thirsty and drinks a lot of fluid then falls asleep for an hour or so. When her temperature decreases she is back to her boisterous self happy and laughing. But its still a lot of work.

This evening, Maeve definitely threw her first temper tantrum. It came about after we gave her some chocolate and as with children it becomes caked all over her face and hands; at this point Maeve went to my wife for some comfort and cuddles – and the lovely lady my wife is, she provided; Only to become covered in chocolate slime. My wife was naturally unhappy at this and put Maeve down. Maeve came over to me and I said “don’t come to be me with that chocolate face” – and which she wailed and howled in an obvious tantrum, in her mind rejected by both her parents; Maeve stomped off into into her toy room and we saw her throwing her toys across the room and upturned her table howling her little head off.

Took ages to calm her down.

I noticed yesterday and today how tall Maeve is growing … I am not too sure exactly how tall Maeve is, but she can now open doors (just), peek over the bed matress, and peek over the fire-guard. What really brought it home was changing Maeves nappy this morning.

The first nappy change of the day is usually undertaken on the changing board that sits on the top of the cot Maeve sleeps in. When we first got the cot 17 months ago Maeve was barely bigger than my hand and was barely an “island” in the “ocean” that was the changing board. Now Maeve fills the board and her legs pops over the end of the board.

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Got a bit of a fright yesterday when at 14:30 my daughters creche telephoned my and asked me to pick Maeve up because she is ill – repeated Diarrhea and the creche has a “three loose craps and your out” policy. I got the call because my wife (who works by the creche) is away in Germany for a course. I was surprised when I turned up at 15:30 (I work a fair bit away from the creche) Maeve was all happy and smiley – did not look sick at all. But sick she is.

Its been a tiring afternoon and evening: The development group I am a member of has a software drop this evening – which usually involves staying to 8 or 9 in the evening depending on the issues. But I had to combine remote working (thanks guys) with changing nappies every 30 minutes since whatever Maeve easts passes straight though her, and keep an eye on my impish daughters exploits. Fortunately my wife comes home tonight.

Obviously Maeve has appreciated my stress and my help because I looked up late in the evening and saw my my daughter walking over from the door to the kitchen carrying a nice cold beer of the brand (as apposed to her moms) I like in her out-streched arms. Clever and strong girl for 16 months.

Now to get a lock for the fridge….

Maeve’s mental progress has proceeded a pace these last few weeks and she is definitely pushing the boundaries to find out what is right and gets a good response and what gets her scolded. For a while now she has developed this knack of saying the appropriate “yes” or “no” answer to simple questions we ask; You know the kind of question “are you hungry”, “do you want to go to bed”, “Was George Bush a good president” (no was her answer). But we never really knew if she understood the question – or understand the English language at all!!!

This weekend she did a couple of things that prove that her mind is associating words with concepts and actions and also being proactive in show us slow parents what she needs. The first illustration is from my wife who said on Saturday “did you know I was sitting on the sofa when Maeve came into the room with a nappy bag in one hand (to contain soiled nappies) and a nappy in the other!! I said ‘do you want your nappy changed’ and Maeve said ‘yes’ and went and lied down on the changing mat” – Maeve has never carried shown us before she needs her nappy changing other than by crying or becoming grumpy before. But she has often seen us get a nappy and a nappy bag from the changing kit before undertaking a nappy change.

The other story is my own. I was getting some food for breakfast for Maeve consisting of a pot of Yogurt after she had polished off half my bowl of Rice-Crispies. I gave her the spoon and off we went to the sofa. Along the way Maeve got distracted and started playing with some of her toys. Five minutes latter she comes up to me a says “mmmmmmm” by which she means “feed me”; But by this point she has lost the spoon. Showing Maeve the pot I said “Maeve get me the spoon” – upon which she promptly turned around and went over to the area where she was playing and retrieved the discarded spoon.

They say a babies mind is a sponge for new knowledge – that I think is an understatement.

Well my friends and occasional readers here his the latest member of the Leeson (O’Lishane) clan….

My sisters little baby girl born on Saturday June 1st and is called “Aife”.

Isn’t she a cute..