Gingerbread and LOTS of icing...

We discovered during the course of eating these biscuits that, when it comes to this writing icing stuff, less is most definitely more. But when decorating, you can't get enough on it would seem. At least in Ben's case. At the top, left to right: Grandma's biscuits (one is daddy, one is mummy. Can you guess which is which?), Ben's biscuits (half eaten, he couldn't wait... then never finished eating them), and my biscuits (which, like a trooper, I ate.).

VERY slow morning. Ben didn't have a greatly settled night again. I didn't get dressed until gone 2pm when I had to get dressed to go out to see the doctor, and Ben didn't get dressed until gone 4pm when I figured he might as well make an effort seeing as we were going to his swimming lesson.

But we did biscuit icing, and had lunch, and did some painting - and I finally remembered (after searching for 15 minutes) that we'd run out of lining paper which is what we usually do our masterpieces on, so the latest masterpiece is on brown wrapping paper. Which might come in handy, you never know! Didn't get round to taking a picture of that but I might if we ever do use it as wrapping paper.

After painting it was time for an enforced nap for Ben. Enforced because he was not interested in going to sleep because Grandma was here, and of course he's NEVER tired. Except when he's falling asleep into his cereal. Did I mention that? I must get that little video clip online. He was so tired last night he couldn't eat any of that lovely ham, and so he had a bowl of cereal instead and he was so determined to eat this cereal but his eyes were closing and head was nodding and eventually we decided to be kind and stop giggling and put him to bed as he almost fell asleep trying to get another spoonful - he dropped his spoon and the splash of his hand into the milk woke him up.

He wasn't impressed and he screamed and screamed but that's what's going to happen if you refuse to have a daytime sleep two days in a row isn't it...

So the enforced nap was had: I had to talk him into it explaining that we were going swimming later and he needed to have a sleep now otherwise he'd be too tired and wouldn't enjoy his lesson. (Not to mention if he hadn't slept I wouldn't have bothered taking him as there is no way he would have made it through.)

And while he slept, off I trotted to the doctors to talk to them about how utterly exhausted I am so much of the time. I wanted to make sure my thyroid was ok, that my iron levels were ok, that there was no hint of anything untoward - and there's nothing wrong. Apart from being diabetic, growing a baby, and having a non-stop-super-active toddler, there's absolutely nothing wrong with me.

Which on one hand is great news, but on the other hand is just even more frustrating because there's absolutely nothing that I can do about it apart from keep trying to learn to pace myself which is turning out to be one of life's greatest lessons in my case. (That, and learning to eat properly at sensible times.) And the pacing myself bit wasn't even something the doctor suggested - he just said there was nothing he could do for me.

Bleh.

Anyway off to swimming, and Ben had a ball as usual, even though he wanted me in the pool room a fair bit. Back home for dinner which Ben wanted none of, only leftover ham which we kept saying we were stealing which got him running to grab it before we ate it. And then bathtime, and Grandma set off home during bathtime. Late night for Ben because I decided I was having a bath with Ben, which meant that Steve was on drying / moisturising / entertainment duty while I had my bath after Ben got out, and then we had bedtime cereal and went to bed.... just after 10pm!! It has to be a record. All of us in bed before 10.30pm.

I don't think Grandma realises just how much help she's been this last few days. The company, the playing with Ben, the cooking, the lovely day on Wednesday in the garden even though it nearly wiped me out, the lie-ins that I would otherwise never have got, the washing up - and that's just the things that she did. No more holidays left for mum though now, until she leaves in September. But she has already volunteered dad to come down between now and then if I have any more SOS moments :)