Life and death in toddler world

Toddler found a dead bumble bee. He said very excitedly "I have a new pet. I have a pet bumble bee. I love my pet." My heart melted and I felt a tiny bit bad he doesn't have a real pet. Not bad enough to get one. He loves bugs. He had a 'pet' ladybird too until it disintegrated and then he was utterly bereft on and off for almost two days. Cannot imagine the level of bereft if a real pet died.

What happens if you screw with a toddler's routine

As if today wasn't tough enough (a very overtired toddler and a puking infant, I blame teething for the latter), the doctor's only appointment (for the toddler's infected BCG scar) was at toddler teatime, so we had an early tea.

Started fine, then the pharmacy didn't have his prescription because it's apparently out of stock. This meant going back to the doctors, where my lovable (and very overtired) toddler ran around the waiting room, arms flailing and ripping off all the important laminated posters, and constantly threatening to run out of the wide open (and non closable) doors into the road.

I then had to take this toddler to another pharmacy (in Waitrose, the only place with the medicine in stock), where he proceeded to relieve the shelves of their contents.

All this took so long that it was now into bath time and already overtired toddler was at mega tired levels. On top of this, infant missed her teatime nap and was starting to get rather irate (and hungry). Thankfully she was in the sling so I could feed and walk and comfort all at once. Cue to toddler to run as fast as he could from me, arms flailing, aiming for the automatic doors into the busy carpark. Cue me running as fast as my flip flopped feet could carry me, while trying to stop infant bobbing out of sling or tearing off my nipple.

Finally managed to get toddler's hand in an iron grip, when infant decided the outside world was far too interesting to feed any more. Smiled sweetly (and very cutely) up at me, thus revealing a boob I was not able to put away until toddler was safely in the car.

I managed all this with only one shout (necessary to get the attention of toddler across the other side of Waitrose), but it took all my energy to not bawl my eyes out driving home. A crash due to inability to see would have been just too much after the day I've had.

I love my children dearly, but tonight is one of those nights where absolute bliss = sitting on the sofa in my PJs, all alone, surrounded by toys I can't be bothered tidying away.