26/31 Close-up

Ben's crayons. Last-minute blip I'm afraid today. 30 second jobby while Charley was crying in Steve's arms! Injections have meant he's not wanted to be anywhere except in my arms today.


I'm getting used to the car / wrap combination now. I think Charley is too although so far he always seems to wake up just as we're about to go home and is then really unimpressed! We went out to a new playgroup this morning. But as usual, as for the past three years plus, we're still running a couple of hours behind the rest of the parent/child world. Whereas most kids (and therefore parents) seem to get up around 6.30am, we get up around 8.30am. So we're late to everything! But getting up earlier really isn't an option at the moment ;-)

Anyway we arrived at this new group at a little before 11am, registered, and settled down for a play. Ben was pretty happy playing by himself, I'm sure as he gets used to the other kids he'll start interacting more. Wasn't long before one of the workers came to say hello to me and Charley, and as we got chatting we started talking about church. I don't think encounters like this are by chance :) Some exciting chatter about messy church has got me all tingly excited!!

Home then for lunch and the age-old question raises its head.

Knowing full well that your baby will poo five minutes into a feed (well mine does anyway!) would you change his nappy beforehand; or wait until afterwards and hope that a) he doesn't fall asleep mid-feed or b) it doesn't explode?!

Another thing to ponder is why Ben decided to water down his bowl of beans - not only with water, but juice as well. Of course he didn't want to eat them after that.

Charley's nappy, as it turned out, held the poo very well thank goodness but he was very pleased to have it taken off.

And, Ben again. Got home from Charley's injections this afternoon (Ben rode his bike, Charley in the Ellaroo, all went swimmingly) (unless you happened to have been Charley, and got needles in both thighs at the same time - I don't imagine Charley called that swimmingly , in fact I think he may have been rather unimpressed) and Ben starts obsessing about fireplaces. Apparently the space next to the shelves is Ben's fireplace, where his bike lives, and his helmet and gloves. And Charley's car seat. And it has a door which only Ben can see, open and close. And the drawer where Ben's shoes live is also a fireplace, apparently. I'm not quite sure where this fireplace thing has come from.

Then as he frantically climbs the stairs after coming running to me ineedaweecomewithmemummyimalittleboy he's busy telling me which part of the stairs is my road, his road, and daddy's road. Guilty of not paying attention - he'll have to tell me again next time...

Lost my temper only once today and since apologised to Ben. He was crying but he looked at me and said, it's ok mummy... Then we had cuddles and then he got distracted by something. He doesn't forget though. He just chooses not to remind you of some of the things!

Tonight he's gone to bed after just a short milky cuddle downstairs. Part of me is happy for him that he's growing out of needing a milky drink before bed, part of me is going to miss that when it finally stops because of all the cuddles, milky or not, that we have in a day, that one is the special one where it's all about Ben and I get to spend 15 or 20 minutes just with him on his own. Such a tiny part of the day.

But tonight, well, tonight "twinkle twinkle" went out of favour!! Instead I had to sing all the songs we sang this morning at playgroup. I had to figure them out first though, that was fun. "Sing, monkey elephant bird, mummy." That'd be, we went to the animal fair. "Sing, rabbits, mummy." That's see the little rabbits sleeping 'til it's nearly noon. "Sing, that one, mummy." (Accompanied by arm waving.) That one's wind the bobbin up. "Sing, cows sleeping, mummy." Dingle dangle scarecrow.

But when I sang twinkle twinkle, I got told off! "Don't WANT that one again mummy!"

That's me told.