Last night Melissa broke out her new iron, but before she started ironing she was complaining about feeling a bit rough. I thought it was just an excuse to get out of the ironing. I was made to feel quite bad when, a little later, she was on her knees spewing her hoop into the bog. This was a common theme for the rest of the night and at 4:30am, when Penny awoke it was my job to tend to her as Melissa was unable to move. At this point she told me I was going to have to phone in sick for work, which was genuinely annoying as I had several things I'd planned to do today, one of those things was go into Gamestation at lunchtime and buy some new games for the XBox.
Anyway, I tended to Penny, gave her a bottle, put her back to bed and by then it was a little after 6am. Both me and Melissa were both exhausted at this point and neither of us had trouble drifting back off. Well, Melissa did a bit, due to crippling stomach cramps, but I didn't. And soon it was 8:40pm. I text my boss to ask him to mark me down for a holiday so I could tend to my sick family.
I made Penny a bottle up, fed her, and after that she and Melissa both fell back to sleep so I pottered with my computer, setting up my new router, installing Windows8 and so on and so forth.
They woke up a bit later, I don't know what time, and we all went downstairs. Penny went in her Jumperoo and I made breakfast for me and Melissa, just two slices of toast for her, and a coffe. It made a re-appearance a little later on.
Before long it was 1am and nanny Judy came to check on us all. By this point I'd loaded Penny into her buggy and we were ready to head out to do our chores. We left Judy with Melissa and stepped out into the incredibly pleasant March afternoon. The two of us walked to the Concourse (for my computer games), Subway (for coffee and a cookie) where we saw Linda, who callously woke up a sleeping Penny, and then (the) ASDA where I purchased some tea and some dishwasher tablets. Then, to the chemist to pick up Penny's meds, then home, dripping with sweat.
Melissa still wasn't in a good way, despite a nice long nap, so nanny Judy offered to take Penny off us for the night. She was going to be babysit for us anyway, as we had baptism practice tonight, so it sort of made sense. And it gives us chance to get a good nights kip too, provided Melissa's bowels have calmed down.
So, I helped Judy load the car up, then we chilled for a bit. I cooked myself some tea, then showered, put on my nice trousers, a shirt, suit jacket, nice shoes and tied my hair back. I wanted to look good for the church people. I looked good, "handsome" Melissa said. Melissa also looked quite lovely, all things considered.
And so, to church!
I was anxious, nervous and trepidatious, all words that mean more or less the same. We met with the people who were guiding us through the meeting : Hugh (very handsome) and Elaine (not so much) and 3 other couples who were to be getting their offspring baptised in the coming months. My fears were ill-founded. We were asked about our religious beliefs and I skirted round the subject quite expertly, but a big fella whose name I've forgotten flat-out said he didn't believe in God and couldn't understand why anyone did. I leapt to his defence, but I didn't need to. There were no right or wrong answers and everyone was very accommodating to everyone else's beliefs and points of view. I said that while I didn't necessarily believe in God and so forth, I wouldn't change my upbringing for the anything, and while I had originally wanted to let Penny decide on her own faith when she was old enough, if she had no basis for comparison, it's entirely likely she'd end up without direction. At least from an early age, a Catholicly directed upbringing would instil in her the fundamental views and principles that I believe made me the man I am today (and of course, Melissa the woman she is). I was dreading the evening, but I genuinely had a really good time, listening to other peoples opinions, sharing mine with people who I wouldn't normally get the chance to. I'd recommend it.
Went home via the in laws to see how Penny was, as Melissa was feeling much better. Penny was fine, fast asleep as it typical, then we headed home.
I checked my lunch for today that I made yesterday would still be OK for tomorrow, poured myself a lovely bottle of Oxford Gold and settled in to write this. Melissa's watching American Idol.
Friday tomorrow, only my third day in work. It's been a busy old week. Let's hope tomorrow is a little more sedentary.
See you then!
