Sunday, 21 June 2009

Chicken Pox

Garden Girl has chicken pox. It explains the grumpy behaviour yesterday that stopped me from getting anything done. Garden Boy has a temperature and was equally grumpy yesterday so I suspect his spots will follow soon. As a result I am doing something I haven't done in well over three years. I am spending a Sunday morning watching a movie, Robots, to be specific.

It is strange, because since having children I have sometimes yearned to have that freedon to wake up and choose to do nothing but sit on the sofa on a Sunday morning. It hasn't been possible before today. And now I have the chance, I find myself sitting here, keeping Garden Girl company, fidgeting and looking for anything I can do that keeps me occupied while I watch the film.

Garden Girl feels ill and itchy so doesn't want to be alone, Garden Boy is very tired and so is sound asleep and Garden Dad is enjoying working in the garden. We have agreed to swap places every hour or so and I am watching the clock. Garden Dad has already made a trip to the local tip to get rid of the old fence panel and some other old bits of wood and he is now taking nails out of the wood he saved for making frames. He will then dig some soil improver into the bed where I will then plant peas. I also hope to get the heel cuttings from the rosemary planted before lunch. As I didn't manage to get them in the soil yesterday I soaked them in water overnight but they really need to get planted as soon as possible.

I am hoping Garden Girl will fall asleep watching Robots. If she sleeps she might feel well enough to come outside later on. Helping out in the garden might just take her mind off the itching and the fresh air will help her sleep through it tonight. And here's hoping Garden Boy's little sleep gives him renewed energy. It is so hard when they are ill and there is nothing you can do to help.
Posted by at 10:42

6 comments:

  1. Oh no - I really thought the spots came out BEFORE the grumpiness etc - but obviously completely up the pole! Calomine lotion is best thing for chicken pox itch - and if the itch is stopped they're less likely to scratch the spots - therefore less likely to scar.

    Check out http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-propagate-semi-ripe-stem-cuttings - concentrates on semi-ripe but at Step 10 they show heel cuttings.
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  2. Ohhh, poor little mites. I remember my two having Chicken Pox. My daughter didn't have them too bad (we were in Minorca at the time) and the day after we got home my son got them. He was in a right state with them and couldn't even bear to have clothes on. I would suggest using calomine lotion to take the itchiness out of the spots.
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  3. oh dear! I hope they all feel better soon xx (and our dont get it for our holidays) I think im going to patent the phrase 'the joy of kids!'
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  4. Can you get your hands on Raffaella Barker's Hens Dancing? It is such a fun, light read for when your attention is partially fixed on little ones in misery. Sympathies from Maine for your itchy ones (and for the one itching to be back out in the garden...)
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  5. Hi sorry to hear about the chicken pox out break, here is a tip if the calamine is falling short you could also let her sit in an oatmeal bath/ baking soda bath which also helps reduce the itching (bath with four to eight ounces of baking soda or one to two cups of oatmeal), don't rinse the solutions off just pat them dry. And if all else fails there is also a couple doses of children's piriton for really bad itching or for a less disturbed night due to itchiness. Hope the worst of it passes soon.
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  6. Mine hated their spots being touched, even with calamine, and the one time I managed to get them to agree to try I may as well have used a paintbrush, I needed so much!

    I would advocate the judicial use of piriton. It stops them itching, and makes them sleepy, which means they aren't awake and itching and grumpy.

    But chin up: The feeling miserable bit doesn't last long. They look awful for much longer than they feel awful, and if the weather holds you will be able to spend your quarantine time in the garden.

    Or, when she feels up to it see if my namesake has any friends whose mummies would like them to catch the pox - or who have already had it. Not so boring with company.
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