No.1, riding high on the effect of his new found wellness, decided he was up for a day at his best friends. The day involved swimming (and sliding and diving and much naughtiness according to the lifeguard) at the local pool, pizza lunch quickly followed by a trampoline session in the garden, then a frenetic game of hide and seek, and finally a jaunt down to the river for some serious Boy Stuff in the mud and trees to round the day out nicely.

I picked him up and he was flushed and excited, eyes sparkling, face beaming… Happy.

By the time we got home he was walking slowly and his shoulders had droope, his flushed cheeks quickly paling.

By the time I was trying to wrestle Bear in to bed he was quietly crying in frustration at the pain and tiredness overwhelming him once again.

Sigh.

The evening has not been a nice one for him, but he has coped stoically, as he does, with just a mini meltdown after speaking to his daddy (working in London tonight) to say goodnight. It’s nearly 10.30 now, and he finally appears to be drifting towards sleep – I just checked on him, sat with him a while and gave him a hug goodnight.

He sighed deeply, and muttered into my shoulder “I had a great day Mum. I knew it would hurt tonight, but sometimes you just have to say blow the consequences and do it anyway, don’t you?”

I’m very proud of my boy tonight.