Magic Moments: Play Time With Auntie A

My sister is a bit awesome. She spent most of the weekend with us, and most of Sunday taking care of S so that I could work and write an essay that was due in.

On Sunday morning I went and hid upstairs while S stayed downstairs with A. 

As I sat on my bed, trying to concentrate on a ridiculous assignment in which I had no interest, I could hear whoops of laughter, screaming, running, giggling. 

S climbed on things, jumped, ran around, played peekaboo, clambered over bean bags, sloshed water bottles, pulled faces, practised her new words. At one point I could hear her making "wibbly" noises as if she were being jigged on someone's knee, but when I looked she was sitting on the trolley her building blocks live in... with a big blanket wrapped around her, with my sister quickly wobbling her back and forth while they both grinned from ear to ear!

At one point my other sister Z came to visit with her partner and their son, E, who is only 9 weeks old. I think S enjoyed showing off, prancing about in her vest and wellies saying "oh dear... oh no!"

A often looks after S for me. Whenever she does, I remind her that I want it to be a treat for S to spend time with her auntie. She should look forward to it, and not feel that she's been dumped on someone so that I can go out or something. This weekend was the first time I've left A looking after S, but not left the house. The noise that came from downstairs while I was messing about with my stupid assignment made me smile. I wanted to sneak down here to see what was causing so much merriment! 

Later, while I cooked our tea, S spent half an hour running up and down the hall way, shrieking with delight as A opened and closed the living room door. I have no idea what was so funny, but it was positively hysterical.

I still feel very guilty that I barely spent any time with S this weekend... but I know she had a fantastic time!

Summer Holiday Shenanigans #2

Following on from this post about last week, here's what we've been up to this week:

Monday 19 August
Up early and off to Longleat for the day with my friend C and her son H. Fabulous time had by all, including two trips into Postman Pat's village to press buttons and generally run around having fun.
The thing about taking two grumpy 1 year olds out for the day is that if one isn't grumping, teething or due for a nap, the other one will be - so we didn't see all of the park, and missed out a lot of the animals. We drove around the safari, but S was crying for the first half and asleep for the second. It didn't matter though; we all had a fantastic time running around, and C and I had a good old natter at nap time.

Enjoying pressing buttons in Postman Pat's Village

Tuesday 20 August
Lazy day. Didn't make plans because we had to go to the health visitor at lunch time. Now that I'm back at work I can only see her when we're on holidays... A walk in the morning, followed by a nap, then a mad dash to the other side of town... only to find that we had the wrong day, her clinic had been moved to Monday. So we did some pootling around town, then came home and played with the toys and made a mess.

Having a little run around in the bedroom

Wednesday 21 August

Walk in the morning followed by a nap; S is teething pretty badly, so lunch was a bit of a non event. My sister A came round and played with S for a while, building Duplo models and giggling. We went into town to do some shopping and feed the ducks, then came all the way home only to remember we'd not put any money on the electricity key, so we went straight back out for a walk to the shop. Once we were home, S spent a long time running up and down the hall, laughing like a maniac and generally having fun.

Having a little walk together

Thursday 22 August

Another fairly lazy day. A long walk in the morning, followed by a nap, and a visit from my sister A. We went to the Cathedral Close and S spent an hour exploring, wandering around the grass, then along the paths, and into the stones next to the entrance. She enjoyed stepping between the different surfaces and finding her footing on the stone. I had to draw the line when she started rubbing her hands in the stones though, as she was making a bit of a mess and I wasn't entirely sure it was safe. We also spent a fair bit of time walking between the lights that are set into the ground around the cathedral. She loved to stand directly on them, turn around, and then move onto the next one. It's safe to say we'll be going back to the Close again soon!

Sitting on Auntie Af's lap

Friday 23 August

Another long walk in the morning followed by a nap; am trying to get her back into some sort of routine before returning to nursery so we've tried to do the same thing as much as possible where naps are concerned. My sister Z finally had her baby, so in the afternoon we popped up to meet him. You're not really meant to take children onto the ward, and S was not in the mood for sitting still, so we didn't stay long. We left and had a nice long walk along the hospital corridors instead, before catching the bus home. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with as many toys as possible, often at the same time. We played catch with the big yellow sensory ball, read almost all of the books, and practised hanging upside down. S's latest thing is to investigate how things look from a different angle. So she'll lean backwards over the side of the ball pool to see what the TV looks like from that angle, and loves to be dangled upside down by me. Easy win for some giggles!

Leaning over the ball pit to see the TV from a different angle

Summer Holiday Shenanigans #1

As you may already know, I am currently on a 2 week holiday from work. S's nursery closes for 2 weeks, so I have no choice but to take that time off work.

As I mentioned in this post, I had been a bit worried that, after 3 months of her being entertained at nursery, S might be bored by just boring old me. I was worried that, since she has grown and developed so much over those 3 months, I might have forgotten how to spend time with her.

Actually, it turns out we're having quite a lot of fun. I thought it might be fun to make some posts about what we've been up to...

Monday 12 August

Went for a walk into town; bought some things for messy play, walked in and out of the M&S automatic doors about 50 times.

Had fantastic fun with messy play cake dough (which you can read about on Edspire); also made cakes and played with that silly soap stuff. S was not impressed with that though.

Went for a long walk with my 2 sisters and the trike.

S had tea and then the world's shortest bath before zonking out 10 minutes before bed time. Successful day!

Tuesday 13 August

Despite going to bed early, S had not slept well and was rather tired. We didn't go for a walk in the morning; instead she played on the mats for a while, then had a rather long nap.

Both of my sisters came round for a while, and iced yesterday's cakes while we went out to visit my cousin, who lives on the other side of town.

Once S had gotten used to seeing different faces, she had a fabulous time. She made friends with the giant Newfoundland dog, poked at the rabbits, almost allowed the guinea pigs to escape, and spent a good half hour just running up and down the garden.

When we came home S was a little cranky, so she sat on the work surface next to me and played with some bits while I made tea.

S had trouble sleeping again, so I put a dvd on for her; but she fell asleep really quickly, and slept through til 7 the next morning!

Wednesday 14 August

Out for a walk in the morning; I have learned this is the best way to guarantee a good nap! In and out of M&S automatic doors several times, but a meltdown when I introduced S to the escalator, and another when I allowed her to climb the stairs in Boots (holding my hands) but not to immediately go back down and do it again. We did spend 10 minutes in the downstairs window of Boots waving at passing cars though.

After S had had a nap and lunch, we went to soft play with both of my sisters.

We had never been to soft play before; it was fun, and S enjoyed herself; but I did not enjoy the lack of supervision of the older children, and the number of rude, obnoxious children who came into the baby/toddler area and jumped around or threw things so that it wasn't particularly safe for the younger ones. I got really angry to be honest, and in the end we gave up and left. S had a fabulous time though, and thoroughly enjoyed going down the slide!

Super messy tea (not on purpose), then bath and bed. Out like a light again! 

Thursday 15 August

Off to Bournemouth with my sister A, to visit the Oceanarium. We timed it with genius precision, so that S slept for almost the entire bus journey down there. Fabulous time had by all in the Oceanarium, slight rain situation did nothing to dampen our moods and we had a lovely toddle through the gardens before catching the bus home. Lovely day.

Friday 16 August

We had no plans, but we'd had a reasonably busy week so decided to have a quiet one. Accidentally went puddle splashing in the morning, when we nipped out for some bits and it started peeing down. S was happily splashing about in her rain coat; I was trying to be patient in my white top and no coat!

S had a massively long nap over lunch time, then we played a bit more, made cakes, and went back out for another wander. A nice lazy day!

You can read about our second week off here!

Small Steps, Amazing Achievements

This week, we're on holidays. S's nursery closes for two weeks in the summer, and so I'm having an enforced two weeks off work.

I've been petrified for weeks. S has been at nursery for 3 months, and in that time they've kept her interested, engaged, occupied and happy for 8 hours every time she's there. I was terrified she'd be bored and fed up, stuck with me full time. Especially since last week she seemed to be really enjoying nursery, and got to the point of fetching her shoes from the front door half an hour before we needed to leave.

Monday was the first day of our holidays. This is what we did:

• Went for a walk into town and bought some fun stuff
• Did some ridiculously messy play with my sister A
• Baked cup cakes with my sister A
• Played with silly soap (S still hates it; possibly because it's not edible)
• Threw balls in and out of the ball pit with my sisters A and Z
• Went for a super long walk in the trike with my sisters A and Z, including a walk by the river, ducks, screeching tyres around a supermarket, a massive toy shop, a sports shop like a maze, and riding home standing up on the footboard of the trike like some fearless teenager
• Had a super messy tea
• Had a super splashy bath
• Had super cuddly cuddles
• Designated A as Head Photographer, and took 383 photos.

S had a smile on her face for most of the day, despite the fact she is teething like a good'un at the moment.

So our amazing achievement this week is: we spent 3 months at work and at nursery, and we didn't forget how to have fun together (with a little help from my sisters).

Today we're off to soft play, and tomorrow we're off to the Oceanarium and maybe even the beach.

Pollyanna Ain't Got Shit On Me!

According to the source texts I am currently studying for an essay, expressing gratitude can boost our moods.

I could do with a bit of a mood boost at the moment, so I thought it might be useful to list the things I am grateful for:

• I have the world's most beautiful, happy, perfect child. I know you think yours is cute, but mine is the best. She is perfect in every way, and I love her like burning bush fires and chewing gum stuck in my hair. Every time I look at her - even when she is delighting in throwing her breakfast all over the floor, or wiping her snotty nose over my last clean pair of trousers - I remember just how incredibly, blindingly lucky I am to have her. 

• I have some amazing friends. Usually, it's the people you really wouldn't expect much from (not because they're crap, but because they have busy lives of their own, or their own traumas to deal with) who turn up at your door with a friendly smile, a shoulder to cry on, a lift to the shops, a cake. Sometimes it's the person you assume to be only a casual acquaintance who helps you through the darkest of nights.

• I have a roof over my head - and it no longer leaks! I may live in what many deem to be the rougher estate around here, but I'm in the centre of town, my neighbours are reasonable and we have a massive park just over the road.

• After 13 months of constantly feeling that my hair is dirty, I finally have a shower over my bath! This is a Big Deal for me; I cannot tell you how much I love being able to have a shower in the mornings.

• Having a small child means that I get a certain amount of lee-way with the housework. I'm no longer a slovenly disaster area; I'm a mum. The constant mess is more or less expected. Peanut butter on every surface is a given. As long as there's no obvious mould, I can basically say goodbye to the houseproud stress I've never been too fond (or capable) of any way.

• On top of being the most awesomest, bestest, perfectest child ever, S is also fairly independent. She can usually be left to her own devices long enough for me to do the washing up or make the bed (or dick about on Facebook). She has probably learned this from necessity, but it's still something I am eternally grateful for, being as I am, alone in this parenting lark. Now all I need is for her to learn not to follow me in to the bathroom...

• Having this blog has afforded me opportunities to try out things I wouldn't normally have thought of or afforded. Like the photobook I reviewed the other day, or the child-friendly paint I have yet to use in my kitchen. I'm quite lucky, really.

• My sister is pregnant, meaning S will have a cousin 16 months younger than her - the perfect age for shenanigans! We're already planning all the fun stuff we're going to do with them as they grow up!
• S also has two older cousins, who are 2 and 4 years older than her - just right for teaching her mischief!

• I might moan about going to work, and being knackered and what have you, but actually my job is not half bad. The people I work with are a friendly bunch, and between working bloody hard, we also laugh a lot.

And yes, I am definitely procrastinating, and writing this post instead of writing an essay on happiness. What of it?

Our Week: 28th January - 3rd February

Monday 28th January
Having been to the doctor for her nasty, snotty cold, S developed a rash over the weekend. So back to the doctor this morning. This necessitated cancelling both the morning appointment with a lady from Home Start, and an afternoon appointment for physio because of the time of the only available appointment. Home to find scaffolders encasing the entire building in poles and planks. Delayed visit from Home Start co-ordinator for a chat about life, death and the cosmos.

Tuesday 29th January
More scaffolders, more noise, less light coming through the windows. S super grumpy from poorliness. Stayed in the house all day. Brief afternoon visit from A with Costa and tissues. Did I mention she's a bloody legend?

Wednesday 30th January
Up early and off to visit the council and hand in various documents to show I have no money. The important document, the one they need in order to pay my housing benefit, has not arrived from the other benefit office yet, so I can't submit it. Brief trawl around town, then home to spend a day making mess and giggles with S. Managed to dye my hair and cook curry as well. House looks like a bomb has hit it. Who cares!

Thursday 31st January
Boring morning spent doing not a lot. Sister A came round at lunch time and looked after S for an hour while I popped out. Visit from F when I came home, afternoon spent playing with an S who refused to nap. There were a distinct lack of zeds throughout the day, evening or night.

Friday 1st February
Celebrated the first of the month with an early morning jaunt to the Job Centre in the rain. First time I've set foot in the place and I have to say it stinks of despair and despondency. Even the security guard looked dishevelled. Home for a brief visit from sister Z. Grumpy S meant an afternoon Baby Jake marathon. Heaven help us all.

Saturday 2nd February
Morning spent cleaning and tidying. Afternoon spent working (!) in a local pub while my sisters A and Z split S-sitting duties. S had a fabulous time, and so did I. To be explained in a proper post soon, most probably. S in bed late in a Tigger onesie.

My sister A

The other day I made a post about never asking for help from anyone... and my younger sister A texted me, reminding me that she brings me coffee all the time. I felt bad because actually, over the past few months she is probably the only person I have asked for help on a regular basis. She is 17 and definitely has her own set of rather difficult problems, but she never refuses.

When S was first born, she was rather tiny and I think A was probably a little scared of her. She didn't really hold her when she came to visit, unless someone told her to. She had a fairly crappy time over the summer and so did I, so we agreed that we would go for a walk together on Saturday mornings. And so, every Saturday morning A would come to my house, and once S was fed and watered we'd go out for a reasonably long walk. When we got back A would often come up to the flat with us and spend a little time watching bad kids' shows and mucking about. Over time she grew more confident with S, and S grew to be more interesting and interactive.

One Saturday it was raining, so we didn't go out for a walk. While S took her nap in her bouncy chair, I popped to see a neighbour to drop something off. I told A if S woke up and cried to just shout out the front door and I would come back. I got chatting to my friend, and was gone half an hour or more. As I came back up the stairs I was worried I'd walk in to a crying baby and a cross sister at being left with her. Instead I found them practising S's standing up abilities on the play mats, and having a rather good time. Since then I have left S with her auntie A on several occasions, while I went out on hot dates, or popped to the shop to pick up some essentials.

During her Christmas holidays from college, A was here nearly every day. She ran errands to town for me, picked up Costa for me on her way over, looked after S while I did things. On Christmas Day she was nothing short of legendary, helping to prepare dinner, entertaining S while I cooked, helping to clear up after the meal. When she went back to college at the start of this term, I found that I really missed having her around.

These days when A comes through the door S's face lights up. Now that she's used to the hair changing colour, style and length from day to day, she's excited to play with her auntie and associates her with fun and lots of walking practise.

So although I may say I don't ask for help, or receive any, that's a big fat lie. My sister is probably the only person I will regularly ask for help. And she never gets my Costa order wrong. She also has a blog, here, about her exciting life as an international double agent disguised as a teenage A Level student lodging with a family not her own.

One last point I would like to make: I have another sister, Z, who is equally as awesome as A. I have no doubt at all that Z would be here and helpful just as often as A if she could, but she has two jobs and a boyfriend, and she lives three miles away. A lives three streets away so it's easier for her to be here. I know Z wishes she could spend more time with us, and she is just itching to babysit for S... I'm itching for her to do it too!

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