36

It was my birthday yesterday. I am 36. A 36 year-old mother of three (one present) recovering from a nasty bout of chicken pox involving around 400 spots but one which didn't require hospitalisation or have further complications, and thank goodness I was not pregnant.

I did spent 7 hours waiting in emergency for a blood test after my doctor sent me there out of hours. Not a good day, that one. The very young doctor - all the experienced ones have gone skiing - diagnosed me with an additional ear infection for which I am taking antibiotics, which in turn have destroyed my intestinal flora and given me a tummy upset. I keep taking Bioflo.rin and my antibiotic keeps on destroying my good bacteria as well as the bad stuff. Oh well, only two days of antibiotics left.

So chicken pox is no longer one of my pregnancy fears. I still have parvovirus and toxoplasmosis but chicken pox is ticked off the list. Of course it would have been better to have ticked it off via vaccine, but now I'm almost through it, ticked off is fine.

I'm going back to work next week instead of this week as I am allowed to spend more some time recovering. Beanie's nanny starts properly tomorrow anyway.

Beanie has recovered well from his chicken pox. Overnight he went from creeping around occasionally to creeping around everywhere, hauling himself inefficiently but effectively by his arms. No more parking him on the rug whilst I pop to the kitchen to do something. We've already started baby-proofing the apartment, a job which needs a rush-finish now

My birthday was a bit of a washout and DH's, which is on Boxing Day, was the same as he had to look after Beanie all day apart from when he went out to lunch on his own. He's done very well actually and has spent a lot of time looking after him. My mum spent the time recovering from flu and sinusitis, on antibiotics of her own. She left on New Year's Day.

I did finally manage to get to V and A's lake on my birthday, which was the only thing I really wanted to do anyway. Beanie's hair is so soft - I so wish I could ruffle V's hair as well. Just before Christmas I saw a little boy in a shop who looked just like an older version of Beanie, and therefore looked just like I imagine V would be looking now had he lived. He took my breath away for a few seconds.