Friday Focus 26/06/20 – Reactions

The toddler tantrums have begun! Thomas has decided that he doesn’t like closed stair gates and the word ‘no’; the reaction to these has been lots of tears and getting very cross at Mummy for being mean and not allowing him to play with the oven/pick berries by himself in the garden/open the front door and wander off. It’s a phase, I know, and he’s only voicing his frustrations while learning where the boundaries are and where he can stretch them, but that doesn’t make them easier to deal with.

 

The word 'reaction' in red

 

Thomas’s godmother’s reaction to my tongue-in-cheek request on Twitter to #sendgin was to do just that. She texted us to say she’d left a bottle on our doorstep which was a very nice surprise. We’ve been enjoying a glass or two in the evening sunshine mixed with pink lemonade.

 

Sophie had an allergic reaction to something which caused her face to become red and puffy. It’s the first time we’ve needed to contact the GP since lockdown and they were great. We had to send them a photo before having a telephone consultation with the nurse who phoned back again later in the afternoon to check that Sophie was still well in herself and that Piriton and cold compresses were helping ease the redness and swelling, and she’s going to phone again today. We’re not completely sure what caused it but it happened after she was helping me out in the garden and I discovered afterwards that there was a patch of spurge near where she was digging which may have caused it. I’ve now removed all the patches I can see in the garden.

 

Things that have made me smile this week

  • Thomas’s delight at being able to climb up onto Sophie’s bed and reach her bookshelf. He loves sitting on her bed looking at books.

 

Thomas sitting on Sophie's bed looking at a book

 

  • Seeing photos of my new great-niece who was born this week.

 

  • Doing some nature crafts with Sophie and making masks, wands, a leaf necklace and a leaf crown.

 

Sophie wearing a leaf necklace and a leaf crown, holding a grass wand

 

  • Another visit from the tooth fairy after Sophie lost her third top tooth.

 

Sophie holding her tooth out in the hand and showing a very gappy smile

 

  • Harvesting lettuce, radishes, raspberries and wild strawberries from the garden.

 

  • Sitting in the sunshine next to Jessica’s forever bed with Sophie and listening to the birds singing in the trees.

 

Sophie putting flowers in Jessica's vase next to her forever bed

 

  • Sophie and Thomas’s glee at soaking Daddy while splashing in the paddling pool.

 

  • Watching Thomas enjoying small world play. He’s discovered the various boxes with Sophie’s little character figures in and will bring them up to me to open saying “Mummy do it” (one of his new favourite phases along with “Thomas stuck!” which is usually an objection to the stairgate being closed!)

 

Thomas playing with PAW Patrol toys

 

  • Doing some Cosmic Kids yoga in the garden with Sophie.

 

  • Making a trophy as part of our sports and exercise-themed home learning this week.

 

Sophie with the trophy she made

 

Word of the Week linky

14 thoughts on “Friday Focus 26/06/20 – Reactions

  1. Oh I did feel sorry for Sophie when I saw her puffy red face, I’m glad she’s getting better though. I think boys are different to girls, I remember when my Little Man was Thomas’s age, I wrote a blog post about him (on a previous blog) about all the things he’d done in just one day. And which were typical of a regular day. Thankfully, he did grow out of most of it. Good luck, it will get better x
    #wotw

    1. Thank you Anne, she’s back to her normal happy self now thankfully. Thomas is a bit of a mixture of the girls although I don’t remember them getting quite as frustrated by stairgates as Thomas does. And I keep reminding myself that it’s a phase that will pass and there are also many nice things about this age too!

  2. Uh-oh! Toddler tantrums are no fun at all. Keep telling yourself it’s just a phase.
    What a great godmother Thomas has to send you gin. hehehe It’s been the perfect weather to sit outside on an evening and enjoy it.
    Aww! Poor Sophie. I’m glad she’s OK now.
    It looks like you’ve had a lovely week x

    1. Thanks Kim, she’s much better now. It was lovely to sit in sunshine with a glass of gin and pink lemonade. And yes, the tantrums will get better – it’s just hard work while they’re happening x

  3. Louise,

    Gardens can be dangerous places — you have to avoid the insects that bite, the stinging nettles, and so on. Poor Sophie. I hope she’s over the allergic reaction by now. But your Pretty Jessica and Charlotte roses are beautiful.
    After losing three top teeth, Sophie has quite a gap. Thank goodness the tooth fairy is a key worker.
    Thomas looks to be concentrating hard, trying to emulate Sophie’s reading skills. He’s a clever boy, but he’s got some way to go yet.
    Now let me see… If you have a great-niece, you must be a great-aunt? No, that can’t be right, you’re much too young!

    1. Thank you, Sophie is much better now. I’m very glad the tooth fairy is a key worker – we have kept her busy recently! Thomas loves books and it is lovely to see him looking so intently at them. And yes, I am a great-aunt and have been for a long time – my eldest great-niece turned 18 last week! But I became an auntie at 3 months old so I’m a young great-aunt!

  4. I’d forgotten about toddler tantrums. Hope the phase passes soon for you all. Lovely that he has discovered small play and books. Hours of fun. I’ve not heard of spurge or the allergy. Just googled it quickly. Poor Sophie. Whether it is that or not, it must have been uncomfortable and worrying. I love seeing all your nature crafting. Hope you have a good weekend. #wotw

    1. I’d mostly forgotten about them too until this week! I don’t know if it was the spurge that caused the reaction but I read that the sap can be a nasty irritant and I can’t think of anything else that could have caused it. Hopefully it was just a one-off and thankfully Sophie is back to her usual happy self now.

  5. Poor Sophie! hope she feels better now. Thomas and his tantrums made me smile, it does get better.. until they are teenagers… Hope you have a lovely weekend

    1. Thank you – I keep reminding myself it gets better and he can be quite delightful the rest of the time!

  6. It must be so nice to see Thomas’s character coming through, even if it is…challenging sometimes. Thank goodness for early bed times and gin!

    It’s a bit scary to think that an innocent looking plant could cause such a reaction isn’t it. I’m glad the GP was so helpful and the reaction cleared up on it’s own!

    Hoping you have a tantrum free week ahead! #wotw

    1. Thank you Emma. I can’t be sure it was the plant, but I can’t think of anything else that might have caused it. It is lovely to see Thomas’s personality growing and developing, but yes it is certainly challenging at times!

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