Days Out

Another early start!!! And we got to bed SO late last night as well. I hope this early rising doesn't become too much of a habit... although I suppose it will have its uses...

Up, dressed and breakfasted before 9am. Charley is consigned to the bumbo on the floor at breakfast on account of him wanting to see what's within reach. He ate LOADS. I think. Toast, mainly, and some of my porridge - he's stopped going mad on fruit and now he wants the carbs.

Then off to Grandma and Grandad's again where Charley fell asleep on the way there, and as we pulled up I saw Dad walking down the road with a few others. I called him in a panic but he and Mum were just going up to the canal with the Japanese cousins to show them the town centre, as they had a train to catch at midday. The Aussies and my brother were still at home. So we went in, Charley still asleep. Hung around til he woke up, got Happy Feet playing again, had a little nibble to eat, and then the Aussies popped out for a bit. Charley wanted more sleep so I wrapped him up at which point a tired and grumpy Ben wanted milky cuddles. And failing that, he wanted chocolate fingers. Neither of which I could provide! So after the meltdown was cuddled through we compromised and headed out to the papershop to buy chocolate fingers while Charley slept.

Halfway there, Ben says he doesn't want to go to Grandma and Grandad's shop, he wants to go to OUR shop. He meant sainsburys, not tesco. And as we walk to sainsburys, he says he wants to go to the café... for chips... and cheese sauce and pasta! And that he needs a wee.

Charley wakes up as we sit down in the cafe. I don't have the changing bag: he'd better not poo. I get a highchair for Charley and Ben has a meltdown because he wants one too. He can't have one because a) he doesn't fit in them any more (ok that was a lie) and b) he'll kick it and drive me insane (complete truth). We cuddle. Eventually he sits on his chair. The chips and pasta arrive. Ben tastes the cheese sauce and announces he doesn't like it. We swap. He and Charley share the chips and I stress about eating the pasta when my insulin is back at the house. I figure I'll live. Charley ends up covered in chip gunk. I finish the pasta and steal a chip. Ben goes into meltdown again. I apologise for stealing the chip but he wants it back so eventually I do some magic and bring it back. Penguin style. (With another chip from his plate, after telling him to close his eyes.) Amazingly it works - who knows if he saw through my trick, but he was gracious enough to play along if he did realise!

Off round the shop to get our chocolate fingers after that. Another meltdown in the chocolate biscuit aisle because he wanted Eric the Elephant biscuits, which I'm sure he won't eat, and I don't have the money to waste on biscuits that won't get eaten. I can't remember how we got through that one but we did, and headed off to pay and have a quick play on Thomas the Tank Engine outside.

Everyone else was eating by the time we got back. Ben went straight off to watch Happy Feet again (I have lost count of the number of times he's watched it this week), Charley was deposited at my feet with a toy tractor, and I had my insulin and some more lunch. Hurrah!

This afternoon we went on an hexpedition into Castlefield, to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the engines. Ben was fascinated, he's got a thing about engines. (He thinks the penguins in Happy Feet have bubble engines. It's good logical thinking! He'll learn one day.) We did Lots of walking. Eventually we got to a restaurant and Ben had another meltdown as we waited for our chips - and when the chips came and they had bits of herbs stuck to them that was just the final straw and he went into another very tired meltdown. Lots and lots of cuddles, and he eventually conceded that I needed insulin and we'd go home straight away once I'd had a bit of pizza. Then he ate a whole load of chips once he'd had a taste. Charley feasted on yet more chips, black olives, and pizza crust! We made it back to the tram station with no more meltdowns. A kind lady offered us her seat and we gratefully took it, almost falling over as the tram lurched forward. Both boys fell asleep at the same time with only one station stop to go but of course Ben had to walk home from the station, whereas Charley could sleep! Back home Ben had a quick play with the playdough again, then went and collapsed in front of Happy Feet again (I fell in love with that film too!) while Charley slept on in the wrap.

Tea drunk, blips backblipped, blog written, stuff gathered, car packed. Charley nursed, Ben DVD'd. Goodbyes said, bundled into car, got a chocolate finger out of a bag in the boot for Ben, off to inlaws' house. Ben was asleep in minutes. I think he fell asleep as he was asking to make sure his bag of toys was in the car. Charley did Not fall asleep and stressed his way here. Unloaded, got Ben out, got him into pyjamas and he crawled into bed and shut his eyes. He stayed awake just long enough for a chocolate finger supper, but only just. I'm not convinced he's swallowed all the biscuit! He's done a lot of walking today, on not a great deal of sleep. At least he's eaten and drunk fairly well though. And he's not had milk since this morning. I'm preparing myself for a LOT of nursing tonight and tomorrow...


Oh and the picture: the boys having lunch at sainsburys cafe, the MORI cogs outside the museum, and Ben and Aunty Sue playing with a tiny origami jumping jack frog she made at the restaurant in the evening!