Having her nappy changed is more exciting than swimming

Made two attempts at family swimming. 


First attempt. Disabled swim session at a pool in Partington. The water was freezing. This lead to Scarlett shivering and being taken out within thirty seconds of getting in. Leaving Zack and Dan to enjoy a bit more swimming as The Pants wasn't arsed about cold water. 


Second attempt. Duckling swim session for pre-schoolers at Woolston. Really nice swimming pool. Asked to use the disabled changing facilities at the side of the teaching pool. All fantastic and lovely and lots of room. I was getting Zack and I ready. Dan was getting Scarlett and himself sorted out. Then Dan was getting Scarlett dressed again as he had forgotten his swimming shorts. 


Aqua Zack really enjoyed our swim. The water was very, very warm. And Dan sat upstairs with Scazlah watching. I think our family swim time is somewhat cursed. Reading this you would think aaah poor Scarlett she's not got to go swimming. Trust me. She really isn't that bothered about it. Having her nappy changed is more exciting than swimming. Zack on the other hand loved it.


The moral of this tale is, you must take responsibility at all times for bag packing. Do not assume that when you say, your swimming pants are downstairs that they will be collected and put in the bag. Here endeth the lesson.

Dan has discovered what a lady magnet Zack is

Sleep seems to have found it's way back into our house once more. 

We have increased the Melatonin and for the past few days we have been getting Zack to sleep at a reasonable time. Okay one night it was a late one but that's only because he went to a swimming party (more on that later). We have done the odd night of leaving him to settle himself and he has done so a good few times, even though it meant crying and moaning for a while. However the last couple of nights I have just sat with him, giving him a cuddle and managed to get him to sleep. So we are slowly getting our evenings back. Yay.

At the weekend Zack went to a swimming party organised by Families United. Dan took Aqua Zack into the pool whilst Scarlett and I watched from the balcony.  Well, Scarlett slept and I sweated upstairs, it was tropical up there. We got to chat to some of the families we have gotten to know over the past year and it was nice to hear some positive stories about children who are doing well developmentally. What's more, Dan has discovered what a lady magnet Zack is. He was surrounded by ladies in the pool and told me on the way home that if he was ever single, he'd just take Zack to the swimming baths as he seems to have a gift for attracting female attention. Well, it's good to know Dan has a find a new mate plan using our son. 

Despite having an additional child I have still managed to keep on top of Zack's therapy and we are due back to Brainwave for an assessment in May. And not to exclude Scarlett in therapy playtime I made a little mat and roll up towel for her own tummy time session. See below. Nothing like a bit of competition to help push you forward.

Look Scarlett, you do it like this.

No, like me, look.

Oh and this is what happens when you don't get any sleep.

There was no way I was getting up early.

This was the day Zack had a three hour nap and we got him dressed and took him for a mile walk around the block and he still didn't wake up.

I haven't a costume big enough

Zack went to take a look at a school this week. I know, not two years old and already checking out his education but you would be surprised how quickly things come around. This school is out of our area but I had heard good reports and they take children in an Early Years setting from three which I think is a good thing.


Dan really liked the school as did Zack. They had some really good facilities such as a pool, massive sports hall, objects of reference by each door to help children with visual impairments and all the extra support such as physio, speech and language and occupational therapy on site. 


There are still other schools to look at but overall I did like it.


In the afternoon Zack went swimming with his daddy. Yes it was the return of Aqua Zack. I didn't go in. I haven't a costume big enough to cover my ever increasing stomach size. So I sat on the side-line and watched for a bit before being told to get up on to the spectator seating and watch from afar. Aqua Zack had the pool to himself and was loving being in his water seat. He also loved being pulled around the pool really fast and they both looked like they had a good time. 


All this busy activity had absolutely no affect on Zack's ability to go to sleep at night and his iron will meant he carried on moaning and crying until 1.15am. Yep. One in the flippin' morning. He eventually went  to sleep in 10 minutes flat after some warm milk and a cuddle from me. This boy is stubborn beyond belief. And oh yes, the evening is also not helped by the fact that as soon as night comes Zack takes a dislike to his Daddy. Don't know why but he just won't settle with him which makes my life harder but then I can understand why I am his favourite....I am prettier.

It was sheer bliss

We took the Pants swimming the other day. Decided to try out a new swimming baths and Zack's snappy little yellow rubber ring. 


This baths was much nicer than the usual one plus the life-guard chappy threw some toys into the water for us to use. We hadn't used the swimming aid for Zack before so weren't sure if he would like it or not. 


Ha. Why worry. Zack's as laid back as they come. He sat in his little yellow boat and loved it. He had a good look around the swimming pool and even tried to track things around the room, this is a good thing. It all helps with his vision development. He didn't move his legs whilst in the water so we did it for him and he liked being pulled about the pool. If we were on holiday I reckon I wouldn't be able to get Dan or Zack out of the pool. I reckon he could have fell asleep in there.


Zack had another new experience at the swimming baths, the showers. I thought I would try him and see if he liked it. Like it? He loved it. At one point when the water fell on his head he tipped it back closed his eyes and looked like he was in heaven. I almost expected him to say, "aaaaahhhhhh the water feels so nice have you brought my Wash and Go mum, because I only take one bottle into the shower."


I had a day release today. I left Dan in charge of Zack whilst I went on a little galavant to Manchester. It was great until my feet started to hurt and my arms ached from carrying my bags. Dan and Zack picked me up from the station. In fact I was met by Dan zooming round the corner with Zack laughing his head off in the back. Apparently when daddy drives you get to fly round the bends really fast and its hysterical. Safe. i don't think so. But muchos funny.

just because he was wearing his Daniel Craig shorts doesn't mean that he's James Bond

Aqua Zack is back. I took the Pants swimming today and we had a lovely time. The original baby wetsuit we had bought now seemed somewhat tight on Zack but I managed to velcro him in, eventually.  Under this he wore his new swim shorts, Daniel Craig style. I looked less attractive in my swimsuit and tried to forget the image that looked back at me as I checked out my swim-wear in the mirror. I really must stop eating those mini chocolate brownies.


Zack enjoyed his swim. Well enjoyed it as much as he can. He was more bemused, bewildered and yet very, very into it all. I pulled him round on his front through the water and he kept his head up taking in the scenery. I also caught him checking out a little girl that was with her mum. He was looking behind me when I turned round to see a cute little baby in a pink costume. I told him just because he was wearing his Daniel Craig shorts doesn't mean that he's James Bond. We stayed in the pool for a good half hour, I reckon we could have stayed longer but I was getting a bit cold and wrinkly. I think it was fair to say that we both enjoyed our water adventure and shall be returning very soon.


I got a check up call today from the epilepsy nurse. She asked how Zack was getting on with his Vigabatrin. I explained that whilst he seemed more alert he was probably still having a couple of seizures a day so maybe it isn't work. She said that we won't know for sure until he goes for his EEG in a few weeks time, but it could be that this may be the best that we can get to with Zack. 


I said that if it hasn't worked we wanted to speak with the neurologist. I also asked why we were going through all this when the original plan was to stop the hypsarrythmia, why are we now accepting that this may be it. I can't really remember the outcome of the conversation but I think I made the point that we want to talk to the person making the decisions rather than the ones just administering the medication. I felt like I had been a bit tough on her as it isn't her fault she is just doing her job but I am not prepared to give in so easily, there has to be more options. If we look at the positives Zack is a lot more alert, he is responding more and tonight I even managed a little conversation with him. Nothing exciting, we didn't chat about Eastenders or the state of the world today, it was more like, helllooooo little man, gggggggghhhhh, ggggghhh, oh did you, gggghhhhh, that's lovely, ggggghhhhhh gaaaahhh. Not very interesting but so exciting for me.


We also had a call from the Family Support worker. She told me that we will be given some Direct Payments for three hours a week. This is great I said and we arranged an appointment for next week. I ended the conversation by saying, okay then, thanks, yeah, love you, bye. 


I put the reciever down and immediately thought, oh my God did I just say love you, oh shit, I bloody did, I said love you, noooooooooo. Now I bet she thinks I am a right crazy lady, bloody hell, she will be marking up her social workers chart for crazy ladies!!!! I am hoping by next Wednesday she will have forgotten about it. Oh God. I hope she does forget.

I was so concerned that I even questioned Dan's dose of his anti-epilepsy drug

Zack had the pleasure of his mummy and daddy with him all week. Dan took a few days off work. We hadn't planned to go away anywhere, but we managed to keep the week free of appointments so that we could go out and do lots of nice things together as a family. The weather, on the other hand, had other ideas. Considering it was a really crappy, wet, windy week we managed to have a rather good time. 

We popped over to Chester on Monday for a spot of luncheon and a whizz round the shops. It will also be known as the 'Chilled out Zack Day'. The Pants isn't really one for sitting in his car seat, he can take so much but then if he decides he's had enough, he's had enough, same with being pushed about in his pram. Lately he has started to be, lets say, more accepting of his car seat and pram. I don't know whether he had words with them, or if he has just resigned himself to the fact that he's always going to get plonked in one of them but he seems to not mind so much.

However, on Tuesday, he decided he really loved his pram. Yep, liked being pushed round the shops and was even kind enough to go to sleep for a good hour whilst we had a nice lunch and a bit of a relax. Even when he woke up he just lay there, holding Weedy (no we aren't giving our child narcotics, its a mini mobile that's shaped like a large flower, it reminds me of Little Weed off the Flower Pot men). I was so concerned that I even questioned Dan's dose of his anti-epilepsy drug that he had given him that morning, which led Dan to question if he had in actual fact given him 2.2mls or not.

I don't know what was up with him but he was a little lethargic to say the least. But not to worry an hour after we got him home he was back to his usual self and kicking off because he wanted his food.

Wednesday was Swim Day. Zack got to become duh-ta-daaaaa........AQUA ZACK. We took him for his very first day at the swimming baths and to mark the occasion I had bought him a special little baby wetsuit. It's like a body-warmer, so they don't get too cold when swimming. Dan said he looked like a baby action hero and christened him Aqua Zack, I suppose that would make Dan his side-kick, (suggested names in the comments section please).

Zack, aka Mini Rocky Balboa before his swim session

We went to the Tadpoles session, which is basically the teaching pool with all the play toys thrown in. It wasn't too busy and reasonably clean for a public swimming pool. We think Aqua Zack quite enjoyed it. He had his curious face on, it's hard to describe but it's almost as though he knows that something different is going on but he can't quite work out what it is. He seemed to like the water and being bobbed about, he liked the lights in the pool but couldn't be doing with the toys. Aqua Zack has no time for swim toys he's just there to save the planet!

Fifteen minutes later and the frown appears, followed by pouty lip and then crying. Swim time was over.

Aqua Zaaaaack!! Oh and daddy.

Aqua Zack takes a nap after his swim.

Friday was Sensory Room day. I've mentioned this before, I take Zack along, he watches the bubble lamp and then falls asleep. Well, Friday was no different. We got in, bubble lamp on. Bubble lamp fun to watch.......fibre optics...mmmmmm....quite interesting.....oooooh bubble lamp.......goodnight! So that just left me looking at the bubble lamp and Dan dozing off on the big bean bag with one shoe on and one shoe off. I took the opportunity to do a little of Zack's Scotson therapy whilst he slept, well, best not to waste the hour completely.

I think I need to note down in these entries any small changes that we see in Zack so that I can remind myself of how far he has come along. You see, usually we could measure Zack's abilities by milestones that most babies would meet, well so far we can put down a big fat zero for that as it is going to take him a lot longer than most to meet them. For us we have to look at the finer details, the small stuff that I suppose most parents would miss with their children or even take for granted. For example, most recently we have noticed that he is making more purposeful movements to try and get hold of things in his Little Room. I bought him a little musical rattle with bells on it and the other day he kept hitting it until he very slowly tried to control his left arm and hand in order to touch it and hold it. He didn't do this once he did it a few times. For Zack this is a good step forward.

He is also improving with trying his little bits of food. He is starting to open his mouth a little for the spoon and even sucking some of the food off, messing it around in his mouth and swallowing it. The other day I gave him a little bit of apple puree on my finger and his sucking was really strong. In fact, I was amazed at how good it was, it was continuous and not at all weak like it used to be.

He is taking notice of more sounds now when he has his hearing aids in and when he doesn't have them in he startles to noises a bit more. By far, I think the hearing aids are greatly improving his understanding of the world.

Finally we have managed to get Zack's feeding down to four times a day. He is taking much larger amounts of food so that means we can get him to bed my 9.30pm and he sleeps through until about 6am. No more feeding at midnight. However I say that now, no doubt the dietician will increase his food soon so that may need re-thinking but for now we have a great routine and he is sleeping really well.