Kids got H1N1 Vaccines

I took the boys to get their H1N1 vaccine tonight. Craig had to work late so I had to go alone and as usual I wasn't prepared. I stood in line at this huge conference center with hundreds of other people and shuffled through the lines of paperwork and screenings and questions and more screenings.  Poor Danny was hungry and I'd brought his food but forgotten his spoon. I did wonder if I could feed him with a pen but then thought better of it for fear that one of the other parents would publicly humiliate me. I found a little cafe and they had plastic forks so that had to do. 

Jack also had no water or food and was bored. He did all of these things to me and I have ranked them in the most annoying order:

• Laid on the floor and refused to walk and did the rag doll act when I pulled him up by his arm. 
  
• Pulled on the yellow boundary tape
  
• Hid behind curtains and chairs
  
• Shouted
  
• Launched himself off the stroller
  
• Rolled his jeans leg up, lifted his trainer-clad foot up and put it in Danny's face
  

Thankfully, there were dozens of other parents having the same drama and we looked at each other and smiled wearily. I did lots of hissing in Jack's ear too.

The actual vaccination was drama-free. Jack had the mist and did a big sniff like the nurse told him to. Danny cried a bit when he got the injection but just for a few seconds.

So that's it, my kids are vaccinated and it only took an hour and a half. I'm a bit apprehensive about them getting ill over the next couple of weeks but I feel better knowing they have a chance of fighting it off more readily if they get it.  I however feel terrible - tired out and weary. I hope it's just post-traumatic queue syndrome and not the flu!

A Bit of Lancashire Lingo

I called our Jack a daft apeth today and it made me laugh afterwards. As warped as it seems I like the idea of keeping the old Lancashire lingo alive here in the states. No doubt it'll cause some confusion for the boys at school but a rich vocabulary is something I think they should have. Plus, I don't want them visiting England and being stumped when someone is pulling their leg.  I did see that "Ee" ( a popular northern England exclamation) made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, so times are changing!

Here's our Jack, doing his best Ecky Thump impression. He's saying "Ee bah gum", which roughly translates into "well I never!" 

He got his flat cap from here at a posh shop, which is a million miles away from the flat caps of olden times!

Relieved of My Pushing Duties

A word that would describe the weather this weekend would be glorious. It reached 70 today and there was a bright blue cloudless sky. 

We spent most of the weekend outside in the garden or at the park but I didn't want to venture too far as Jack's not well. Croup again I think, if the seal bark is anything to go by. He had a low-grade fever last night but seems okay during the day. Every time he hacks I cringe and wish I could make him better. I am down to my last bit of Calpol medicine from England so will need to do some investigation into which Tylenol one is best.

Anyway, the reason for my post is this - I have been made redundant of one of my mummy chores! Jack can now officially swing himself and won't let me anywhere near. "Don't push me momma!" he says indignantly as I creep up to see if I can help him out. I feel proud of him but sad for me and I think that's pretty much how I'm going to cope with his independence through life!

Here's a 30-second video of his latest accomplishment. Oh, and Danny trying to eat grass.

Rave Review for Benjamin

Last night we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is by far one of the best but saddest films I've seen in a while. I cried a lot towards the end and went to bed with a puffy face. How Brad Pitt looked so old and then so young during the film is a special effects marvel to me.

We used to watch a lot of films but don't seem to have time these days. Once the kids are in bed and actually asleep and we've done laundry, made milk and packed lunches it's 10 pm.  The film we watched was from Netflix as we signed up for a free month but I'm going to cancel it before they start charging the standard $8/month because we've only been able to watch two films in 4 weeks! How sad it that.