It’s been a while…

A quick photo update!

We’ve had lots of fun, a day out at the national railway Museum in York was a particular highlight. Would totally Recommend it for a fantastic family day out, entry to the museum is free, parking is about nine pounds but to be fair If you are getting free entry you don’t mind paying it! It was feb half term and the hogwarts express was there. As you can imagine the boys were VERY excited! Unfortunately we queued an hour and a half for a two
Minute ride, slightly disappointing really as we had to rush on and off the train because of the queue sizes. We met Harry and dumbledore and Harry even commented on jack’s mohawk! There was plenty of space to eat our picnic and we had a full day there. The boys loved the bullet train, although jack doesn’t look impressed in the picture above! We will definitely be returning I think!
We’ve also done lots of walking and walked the teversal trail the other day. Luke’s turned into a mountain goat and insisted on climbing every hill and embankment along the way. We managed to get away without andy scrapes and bumps too which is a bonus.

It’s the Easter holidays now so no doubt More photos will be added as the fortnight progresses

Its been a while!

Whats been happening in the Derner household?

Well Jacks started nursery in a morning. He loves it, but STILL hasnt stopped crying when I leave him in a morning. I think its more for my benefit than actually not liking school. He’s happy enough once Ive left him for a couple of minutes and is really excited and tells me what he’s been up to when I pick him up. He’s been invited to a couple of party’s too so Im hoping he starts to settle soon.

I think one of the problems is the noise levels, its really loud in there (As its bound to be with lots of pre school kids running round) and he doesnt cope well when theres lots of background noise. Its because of his glue ear I think. Which brings me nicely onto the next update.

I took him for a hearing test last week and the Doctor finally cottoned onto the fact that Jacks not actually hearing the noises during the tests half the time, he’s just reacting in the way he’s expected to. He does a test where he has some spinning top shaped discs and he has to tap them against a machine and then when he hears the noise he puts the disc in a box. Ive said the last few times that he’s just putting the disc in the box because he knows thats whats expected of him, not because he can hear the noise every time.

They’ve tried a different test on him this time and its proven how low his hearing is. The doctor has decided to send him for a consultation with the Ear nose and throat surgeon to see about having gromits fitted. Im hoping that this does the trick and that it makes things easier for him. His speech has caught up a lot but I still feel that his hearing affects his day to day life. Especially now in nursery as he cant always hear what his teachers are saying to him and when we visit places like play centres he is a bit overwhelmed at first because of the amount of noise. I dont think people realise how much Glue ear can affect kids and thier behaviour, and dont realise how much it can slow thier development down.

Luke has started pre school, I had nightmares about him screaming the place down when I left him BUT he’s been the complete opposite. He’s settled in really well. He loves going to big boy school and wanders off as soon as we get in there to play and doesnt bat an eyelid when I tell him Im going. I honestly think its because he goes with children he’s grown up going to groups with and its in the same room as all the playgroups we go to with the same staff. He’s picking things up quickly like where to hang his coat and what to do with his coat tag etc. Basically Im really proud of the way he’s coped. After expecting the worst possible scenario he’s made us proud! He’s definately getting more independant. Its only 2 hours a week but its definately worth taking him!

In other news I’ve got a new job. After five years of working on and off at the cricket club Ive been offered another job at a local pub closer to home for more money with gaurenteed hours and they are a bit more sociable hours too. Im not getting in at 1 and 2 o clock in the morning and Im working four nights a week instead of 5. Its early days yet but Im enjoying it. I miss the club though, but more for the people I work with and the regular customers than the work itself. Its different I suppose waitressing but I’ll get used to it in time.

Karls still working hard. He’s bought a comressor recently and has started respraying bits and bobs for people and seems to be enjoying himself. The window tinting side of things has slowed down considerably this year, but thats down to the credit crunch I think. Everyone we know with thier own businesses has said the same thing. People just cant afford to spend money on luxarys for thier cars!

Thats about it I think. Not much been happening, we’re all getting used to things changing so havent really had the time to do much else!

Here’s some recent photo’s

My New Nephew Jovi.

Jack supervising Daddy and Uncle Blane fixing Daddys brakes last week.

Mean and Moody Luke.

Blue tongue!

“My got a blue tongue too Mummy!”

I love this picture!

Chillaxing

We’re having a duvet day….

i know its not child related! But……..

I have just had my ultimate nightmare at work!

I work at a local sports club doing a few evenings a week and a couple of full nights where i have to lock the building up etc.

The main part of the shifts been brilliant, we’ve had a good group of staff on, its been busy enough to pass quickly and everythings gone well.

Until it came to locking the building up that is.

Ive done the usual stuff, made sure everythings locked and turned off etc etc. Gone out the front door to lock it and put the shutters down, First thing I noticed is that the outside big floodlights are off, occasionally they trip but its absolutly pitch black outside as its quite far away from the main road and other houses. Thought nothing of it until it came to locking the front door. The lock wouldnt budge in the door. I tried, and the girl I was with tried too. Neither of us could do it. Went back in and tried to ring my manager, she didnt answer so we decided to bite the bullet and ring the People who Are in complete charge of the club.

Went into the office to find thier number and Emma followed me, couldnt get through to them either. As i put the phone down we heard banging outside in the members bar. Its not a place thats got drafts or has anything anything that could bang so they were definatly noises like someone else was in the building. We immeadiatly locked the office door so that if anyone WAS outside they couldn’t get into us.

We rang 999 and literally minutes later the police turned up. They had a good check and said that if anyone was around chances are we frightened them off by me shouting to Emma to lock the door. They checked internally and externally and said that there was no-one around.

It took them about ten minutes of trying to frce the lock to work for them to operate it! Eventually they managed it and agreed with us that it could have been forced back and tampered with. There were just to many coincedences.

Also last monday one of the other girls said that she had had a white transit van driving round and watching her lock up. They drove off eventually but she was frightened and luckily had her boyfriend with her.

Im convinced that someone has been watching the place and planning this.

Im NEVER locking up on my own again, and if somethings not done about it I will be very surprised!

I’m just goig to add that I dont spook easily, Ive worked in some rough pubs etc and dont normally let things like a few noises bother me, but this was completely different. Its now over an hour later and I can still hear the blood pumping in my ears and my hand is still shaking!

Another (not so) quick update….

Thought I had better update you on whats been going on here….

Having a good day today. Had an email through yesterday offering us discounted tickets to Playhouse disney live in nottingham. VERY discounted tickets, a quarter of the price to be exact!!!!

Instead of them being £20 each, they are just a  fiver! So in effect, you buy one ticket, get three free lol.

Madness!

Anyway, we’re booked to go see it the day after Jacks birthday (Good timing eh?) for the 5pm showing.

I honeslty dont know who’s more excited, Me because of seeing the kids faces, or the kids becasue they are going to see Handy Manny etc etc

 

Anyway, enough with the smug faces…

Its suddenly dawned on me Ive not updated this for ages properly and need a post to catch up

Jack went for a hearing test again yesterday. He suffers from glue ear (Too much fluid in his ear canal) He did very well and for the first time really understood what they were asking him. He played the “games” well, did what he was told and even had them all giggling at his reactions. He let the doctor check his ear and didnt flinch once! (A huge improvment from last time) I think it helped that I had been pretending to be a doctor looking in his ears before we went in, and explained what would happen beforehand.

Apparantly his hearing is “adequate” but if it stays at the level it is at the minute WILL need some sort of intervention. Something to drain the fluid from his ears. Im guessing gromits. It could affect his learning ability in school as he struggles hearing things when theres a background noise. We are goin back in four months time to test again, as he has a cold at the minute, and then we will see what happens.

The positive thing is, that now something actually seems to be happening about it. His speech has improved 200% recently, he actually holds conversations with us rather than just talking gobbldygook.

Another positive thing is that I have regular hours at work, I can budget better, and I can plan my time and the kids routine more. I also am able to take them with me for half an hour till Karl can pick them up after work.

Jacks started pre school one afternoon a week and is settling in really well. He whinges a little bit when we leave, but by the time we’re walking round the outside of the building he’s off and playing with whatever toys are out that week (I can see him through the window). He actually asked to go this week and wasnt impressed when I said he had to wait a few hours!!!!

Lukes clingyness is wearing off a little bit. He still wants me if he’s tired or hungry, but he’s trusting a few more people now. Before, he would sit on my knee for the first half an hour of visiting anyone, including my mum and dad, and Karls Mum and Stepdad. Now he’s happy annough to run off and play at theier house straight away and will even follow certain friends around. I cant wait till he starts pre school, its going to be difficult I think because he wont like me not being there to start with, but hopefully he should soon settle.

Our house is almost ready for selling though thank god so we can move out of this shitty area and hopefully move somewhere that world war three isnt starting every two minutes! Im desparate to move in some way, but am wondering wether we should hang on because of this supposed credit crunch dropping house prices….

Other than that, not much to report really…. Ive been busy trying to find stuff to decorate the rooms with for thier party. I spent about two hours last night making bloody invitations!!!!!

(They do look good though!)