Poorly Boo

Our little Boo has been very poorly. There is apparently some sort of sickness bug going about and lots of children locally have been unwell, poor little things. The Boo woke up last Friday, right as rain as normal, but her eyes got darker and heavier and she got quieter and more clingy as the day went on. (Her eyes always give it away!)

I thought she was just overtired, so I took her upstairs for her nap a bit earlier than usual. When I cuddled her in close and kissed her forehead, she was burning up! Her temperature was up high, but not enough to be classed as a fever thankfully. But something was definitely there that her body was fighting.

That evening she refused her dinner and only took some fine oat cereal and milk. She didn't want to play before bed and just sat cuddled into me on my lap. Then suddenly she just sat up, looked at me with a slight worried look and threw up. All over me. Repeatedly.

Poor Boo. Needless to say, we had to strip her down, wash her and change all her clothes. And mine. And strip the sofa covers. And scrub a large area of the carpet. She seemed a bit happier after the event and her interest in her toys returned for a while, but she wasn't right. We had a repeat of this over the course of the weekend and she was notably less active and off her food, only really accepting her milk or water. 

This week she has been gradually getting back to her normal, lively self, but has still not really wanted to eat. But yesterday, she awoke with a grin, eagerly wanting to play and welcomed breakfast, which I was really pleased about. I took her to a play group and she really enjoyed herself. Right up until the part when the children sat to have milk and snacks. She had some buttered toast and then a bit of apple. She coughed and struggled with a bit of the apple and as I picked her up and patted her back, she threw up on me again, but this time it was followed with a laugh! I blame the apple for that one, not the bug.

She's been fine since then so I hope that's the end of it now. It's been quite hard for me to watch as she's not really been sick like this before. Not for days in a row. She's had colds before but not a proper bug like this with vomiting and burning up. 

I confess that it made me worry a lot, do the usual thing of looking up her symptoms on the internet and fretting over all those horrible diseases out there. I've spent hours giving extra cuddles and kisses, feeling her forehead, taking her temperature, worrying if she's hydrated enough and hovering over her in the cot in the middle of the night checking on her for a lot longer than usual. I guess it's called being a mummy.

Autumn walks and cuddles

What glorious weather we had today! I went outside this morning to hang some washing on the line and couldn't believe how warm it was! What a treat.

I invited one of my sisters over for Sunday lunch and it was lovely for us all to gather in the kitchen with the back door wide open, my sister playing with The Boo, us chatting and sipping red wine, whilst I prepared and cooked the roast chicken and Frank Sinatra played on the iPod. (I love to listen to Frank when I cook.)

At the end of another week of my non-diet, I couldn't wait for some comfort food and I enjoyed every single gravy soaked mouthful! The Boo had her own portion served up and chopped in the blender. Thankfully she loves her mummy's cooking and ate hers up greedily. When lunch was over and the clearing up was done, I suggested we all get out into that warmth and take the dog and The Boo for a walk in the park to feed the ducks. It was lovely. My mum and her dog even joined us on our stroll.

The Boo had a lovely time and gave out lots of cuddles. Oh, how wonderful her cuddles are! She gave me her first one earlier this week. I was sitting up in bed with her on my lap, when she just leaned towards me and wrapped both of her arms around my neck tightly and lay her face against mine! I was so moved and blessed to receive such affection from this little girl of mine. I wanted that moment to last forever! I absolutely love her and can't get enough of her!

She's really trying to communicate now. Along with all the pointing, The Boo now talks away in her own little mumbled language and then looks at you as if to say "don't you think?" I would love to know what she is trying to say and I can't wait until the day we start having conversations!

It's her first birthday in just over 5 weeks time. I'd better get my party planning hat on this week! I have a head full of different ideas and questions. Do we keep it low key or go all out as it's her first? Or should we save all the best ideas for when she is older? I think I know what to do. I just need to make a decision and get on with it! We've already bought her presents and are starting to think about her Christmas presents! Where has the last year gone!?

This last week I have been working on a photo book of The Boo's first year. I'm a big fan of photo books! Since we went digital we never bothered to get photos printed unless they were for a frame, so most of the pictures we took sat on the computer or on CD's at the back of a drawer gathering dust and never looked at! I first did one with our wedding photos and loved everything about it. I do mine online and design it myself. You choose the layout and colour themes and put your own pictures where you want them. It takes ages but is fun to do and well worth all the effort. Then hey presto, you have a wonderful book, with pictures that can never fade, be lost or damaged and it can be taken from the shelf and enjoyed at anytime in an instant! Yep, if you have ever considered doing one, do it! You won't regret it. Great idea for a Christmas present too!