My Marching Band

We've had to make some changes with the younger kids' arrangements at home over the past week. I have been teaching my daughter to bathe herself to free up some of my wife's time. I've swapped her clothes to a lower drawer so that she can also dress herself. She's been managing really well. Under the doctor's advice, the ensuite bathroom which I use is out of bounds to the rest of the family. This is to minimise the family's potential exposure to chemo drugs that I may let out. So the two younger kids use the bathroom attached to the guest room. And they brush their teeth there before bedtime without as much chasing required.

I've tried to keep away from them because my daughter is at the tail end of a cough. I don't think she is infectious because it has been almost two weeks since the cough started, but I have to be careful. This is tough. I really miss being around them. I feel terrible that they are stuck at home during this month of school holidays. I try to bring them downstairs for a swim or a walk in the evening so that all of us can get some fresh air. It's wonderful to see them happy playing with each other. Really lifts my spirit up.

As much as I try to keep them out of my bedroom, every now and then they will pop in to see how I am doing. They keep me posted on what they have been up to and reports any mischief that the other has been up to. Yesterday they each brought their drawing to show me. My daughter was upset that her brother had drawn her to look so tall that she reached the sky. She insisted that she is the better artist. At night they would march in like a parade around my bed, say their goodnights and head on out just as quickly as they come in. We also have this arrangement to FaceTime each other whilst they are having their bedtime milk.

When they are completely out of ideas on how to occupy themselves, they would just lie down at the corner of my bed. I would put on my face mask and enjoy their presence.