What We Read This Week (Words of Comfort)

September 27, 2021 / annamurray / Leave a comment

This week started well. And then, on Thursday C came home from daycare and told me that sharing is caaaaaaaring and one of her friends vomited at the end of the day.

Oh dear.

Sure enough, the gastro bug has hit our family. C was unwell from Thursday night until Saturday morning and still a bit wobbly on Sunday. I was thinking we had escaped the worst when E came down with it, hard, Sunday afternoon. Sunday night was rough and I don’t think she’s entirely out of it yet.

One thing that has been very apparent in all this has been the comfort of words. In her middle of the night wakes, what C wanted was for me to read Stick Man to her. It was given to her for her 1st birthday and has been a regular story since. (Plus, the animated version is beautiful.)

We have been dipping in and out of Anne of Green Gables for a few months now and, although she has no real reference point for it, I think C enjoys hearing the flow of the words. We read a chapter at a time, usually, and that means lots of cuddles happen.

My best friend is in lockdown in Sydney but still sent US a care package. She and her family are so so kind and thoughtful. Included in it was a book, The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. C has asked for it several nights – she calls it the ‘new apple book’ which caused some confusion at first. It is so beautifully gentle.

The Most Special Person

September 21, 2021 / annamurray / Leave a comment

Something that our 3yo (C) has been saying lately is that she wants to get married. Yes, I snorted with surprise the first time she said it. I think it’s coming from seeing my wedding dress in the wardrobe and having one of her day-care friends going to a wedding recently. But this is something I am not keen to have happen too soon. Obviously.

“You have to be a grown up to get married.”

– “But I AM a grown up girl.”

“You have to be 18 at least.”

– “I’m nearly 18!”

“Well, who do you think you’re going to marry, anyway?”

– “YOU!”

“But I’m already married to daddy. You and baby E are special, but daddy is the most special person in the whole world for me. You can only get married if you find the most special person in the whole world for YOU.”

I’ve been hearing me through her for a little while now, in her playtime and more recently how she talks to E. But because we’ve had this marriage conversation a few times, I wasn’t sure it had sunk in just yet.

Until a week ago. We had my brother over for a little visit, and something was mentioned about him getting engaged (VERY exciting). And in the middle of all the grown ups talking about weddings and how he proposed, C pipes up with “because she’s the most special person in the whole world for you?”

I teared up a little, knowing that yes, she has really heard this, and yes, my brother has found his most special person, and yes, I found my most special person. In the whole entire world.

Glenn and I celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary today. 2 years doesn’t sound like much. But 2 years also feels like an age, for all the right reasons. Mostly because I can’t imagine my life without him.

And we are building our most special life together.

A Trip to the Hospital

September 15, 2021 / annamurray / Leave a comment

[Trigger Warning: baby trauma]

Last Thursday – RUOK Day – we were not ok for a large part of the day. We had to take our baby to the hospital, and not for the first time. [Spoiler alert: everything is fine.] There were many emotions.

I am so aware that, for some parents, a trip to the hospital is a regular thing. For some parents, a trip to the hospital doesn’t have a happy ending. And for some parents, they’ve never had to take a child to the hospital at all.

What happened was nobody’s fault. It wasn’t from rough play, or neglect, or distraction. Bubs straightened her arm at the wrong time. We couldn’t tell what was wrong, just that something was wrong. Last time we were there, saying in our befuddled panic that we weren’t sure if we should have gone in, the triage nurse cut us off and said, always, ALWAYS when they are this little, just come in. So, not knowing quite what the problem was, we went in.

Thankfully, she was quiet on the way there. Thankfully, we were assured we had done the right thing by going in. Thankfully, we live where we live. The Children’s Hospital is not far away, and treatment is excellent and free. All it cost us was some time. Because she was calm (except when anyone looked at her), we had a bit of a wait.

But in that time we became less and less worried. When we were eventually seen, the diagnosis was a pulled elbow. Very common in children under 5. Very easily fixed. A wiggle and a waggle and her arm was as good as new.

There was so much relief. What more could any parent want, really? She was fine. Her arm is fine. She will be able to grow up to play violin and dance and swim. We didn’t have to stay in the hospital, or even have an X-ray. And we were out of there in good time for the daycare pick up and treat night for dinner.