Donkeys and rain

Before leaving England, we camped in the New Forest and the munchkin was acquainted with donkeys. He desperately wants to see them again and often asks to see their photos on my phone. The other day we went in search of a donkey (to be heard braying throughout the day), which unfortunately we didn't find, but he was contented with examining windows, ants, lizards, vehicles and various flowers and bits of debris. Today he spent some time gazing out of the door at the rain. The life of a toddler is truly an experience in wonderment, novelty, exploration and curiosity.

Blue dinosaurs

So we've now been in Croatia well over a week, I'm sure. I'm mostly spending my time running after the munchkin, playing in dubious-looking sand, batting away mosquitos in one of the two playgrounds we've found and swimming with him, which is my favourite pastime. He's developed a liking of climbing onto my back, so I swim for both of us. Sometimes he lets go and waves his arms through the water as if he's also swimming and sometimes he kicks his legs, but mostly he climbs as high up as possible to get away from the cold, occasionally seemingly trying to climb onto my head. He's enjoying the sea, especially waves which make him squeal with delight, and he enjoys the pool too, the last time launching himself from the side into my arms, often unpredictably, often in response to an awareness of being watched by someone. He likes to put on a performance!

He's developing a lot at the moment, new words, new sentences, greater understanding of concepts, such as numbers. His imagination is also developing. He assures me most earnestly that we have a blue dinosaur outside our front gate. It might be a triceratops. The imagination is vivid and active, as mine always has been, and he has started also waking from anxious dreams, I think caused by daddy not being here, grandad leaving and other uncertainties and unpredictabilities. He has been talking all day about the bad dream he woke from at lunchtime, which is apparently on top of the wardrobe. Something to do with a hurt man - at one point it was the man on the crucifix in the living room, then it was daddy, then it was grandad.

Although we're both tired (developmental sleep disruption enchanced by a bout of final set of molar teething) we're both enjoying being outside most of the time. I think he also enjoys having so much time with mama (and bakica), though he loves chatting to strangers too (if they're men, cats or dogs). I'm also shedding baby bump fat, confirming my suspicion that most of it was bacon, bagel and chocolate fat, not baby. I'm now a more sensible size. Tiring work pushing the munchkin and his apparatus up and down hills, but good to be getting fitter again.

Now, I must go, so I can share our donkey ramble with you. ☺

Precious things

This morning you would have found me sitting on the front doorstep in the sunshine, while my toddler pottered around gathering precious things. You'll notice a piece of toast. That was the remains of his breakfast. The grass was a gift from me. The rest are his precious things. Some small polystyrene balls. A few stones, his favourite being the broken bit of patterned tile, an apple apparently (which I had to pretend to eat, making crunching apple sounds). Two whole buttercups and one shredded buttercup, handed to me petal by petal.

I wondered what went through his little head as he carefully selected these items. I still can't imagine. It is a good reminder to enjoy the present moment and to find joy and satisfaction in the small things of life.

This morning we were contented.

Reflections on motherhood

I slept terribly last night and woke too early, both facts facilitated by my toddler, who I believe is teething again.

When 'we' finally woke at 6am (having already seen every hour since midnight) I remembered that today, Mother's Day, we'd agreed my husband would go mountain biking at 7am (yesterday having been my yoga morning). Why I agreed to this time, I don't really know. I love how happy cycling makes him and I am aware that it as necessary to his wellbeing as yoga is to mine, however him leaving at 7am means no lie in for mama.

So, forget romantic notions of Mother's Day! I began my day, after a kiss goodbye, with a small child trying crawl backwards out of the front door in just his PJs - no shoes, no jumper, no hat. I clothed him and he happily toddled off for a few minutes in the garage with daddy, before mama took over. He wailed, because he wanted the garage, the bikes, the car...somewhere full of interesting shapes and sharp, spiky, dangerous bits, to explore.

I sat a while, cuddling him. Then, before breakfast, I made all the beds, tidied up the bedrooms, picked up dirty socks and pants off the floor (the man's), put strawberry-stained clothes in the linen bin (the boy's, left in his room by the man last night), emptied the dishwasher, put the dirty dishes in, put on a load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, wiped the boy's nose, changed his nappy, dressed him and, then, finally, I made myself a cup of tea and made us both breakfast.

I ate my smoked salmon and strawberries alone, interspersed with my little one eating with me, throwing two lots of food on the floor, cleaning him up and most of the floor before he could crawl or sit in it, stopping him hitting hard things on the window, wailing because I'd removed the hard things from his grasp, more nose wiping, and, around 8am, eventually, carrying him upstairs for what he obviously needed after a bad night's sleep - his nap (about four hours earlier than usual).

As I lay in the semi darkness, listening the steady sound of his new clock ticking and feeling his hot breath on my cheek, wishing I could have some time out...wishing I could have had a relaxed and enjoyable breakfast as a family, all together...wishing I could have had a lie in...wishing the man had made me a cup of tea...the light of my heart snuggled up to me, his arms around my neck, and I realised...this is what Mother's Day is about. This bundle of love, soft and fluffy, warm, full of energy and curiosity. This unconditional and absolute love is what makes me a mother - nothing else really matters. This, beyond anything else, defines today.

Socks

My son's dubious choice of toy to take into the car today was a pair of his daddy's socks, which he cuddled for approximately half an hour.

He has now just retrieved a pair of my old holey socks from the rubbish bin and has taken to cuddling my feet.

What is it with the foot area in our home, I wonder?

The concept of friendship

I'm pretty sure, a few days ago, my (then almost) 17 month old signed that we should see more friends (having spent the best part of a month being ill indoors), but as he'd neither signed 'more' nor 'friends' before, I wasn't totally certain. I didn't think he knew what friends were, for starters!

Today, as my (now) 17 month old was lying on his changing mat, he pointed at the ceiling and made his sound for a 'fish'. I recalled that we'd been at a friend's house yesterday, where her little girl has planets hanging above the changing mat. I commented that she (using her name) had had balls floating above her mat and he agreed. He then did the fish sound again and I remembered they had an aquarium. He became excited about this confirmation of his attempts to communicate. I also reminded him of the cat they have and (for the first time) he miaowed! This was followed by a broad and very excited grin. He then signed 'friends' and my heart melted, because they are, indeed, friends, and this is the first time he has used a sign I have not yet used with him and a concept I have not explained.

It seems that the order of the week is relationships and being sociable. I must improve my diary planning efforts!

Latest skills of the toddler

I've just experienced my first toddler-speaking-to-boob - I was jiggling them around immediately before bedtime to see which one to give him and I think he thought I was trying to find them, so when I got it out, he shouted "there!!" as in "there it is!" So very cute.

He's also signing heaps now and can ask for more, asks where things are or what things are, tells me he can hear birds, cars, a helicopter or aeroplane, or daddy coming home, plus a range of foods. He also does a load of different animals and, more usefully, pain. I am totally with the signing thing now as it has helped us understand one another massively.

He can also drag steps to where he wants to climb and has cleverly (if worryingly) figured out how to open the front door. He helps unload the dishwasher, putting cutlery in the drawer and other items where I tell him to put them. He also unloads and loads the washing machine with me, and tidies his toys away! My clever little boy.

Before having kids I never really understood the fascination with their development, but it is really interesting watching someone learn so much and so quickly.

Finally, he is beginning to eat - hurrah! Last night he had Thai red curry veggies (cauliflower, potato, chickpea and tomato) with cous cous and yoghurt (all separately and all fed by himself - though he insists on using a fork to eat yoghurt).

Anyway, that's all my tired brain can think of right now - clearly he has not yet learned to sleep through the night!

Toddler ailments

Nothing worse than finding your toddler in bed with his face covered in blood. Thought it was a brain hemorrhage.

It turns out that it's very common when little people have stuffy noses and nasty colds; and it seems our little one has a very nasty 'cold' - tonsillitis and an ear infection. No wonder he's been extremely clingy, unhappy and not sleeping. Hopefully once the antibiotics kick in, we'll all get happier and start sleeping again.

I suspected as much last night when he signed 'pain' and I asked where the pain was and he kept hitting his right ear (the one with the infection in it). My clever boy. And my poor, poor, unhappy, hurty little boy.

All in all, it's been a pretty rough start to the year, with evil illness after evil illness, each one seemingly worse than the previous one. I'm ready for a good night's sleep, but I suspect it's not happening just yet, as our little person seems to have developed bed-avoidance, wailing every time he is taken near it.

Perhaps it'll be a case of dinner with a toddler on my lap, then bed for us all.

Behavioural changes

The boy was a little better today after a bad night (of waking every half hour to hour), but seems to not want to go to sleep at all this evening. He climbed off his bed and opened his door. As he clearly wasn't sleeping, I brought him downstairs again.

Wanted me to put on the signing DVD. Wanted to learn more, I think. He was very excited about learning 'horse' today. I said no, too late. He pottered around a bit and ate some food (biscuit and cheesy breadstick), but refused milk. Didn't want it at bedtime and has refused it since. Last night he sometimes asked for it and then cried other times when he wanted it. I'm assuming it's teeth again as he's been biting hard on my fingers. I keep telling him everything will be better once those teeth are all through...that the pain is temporary and won't be forever.

Anyway, then he kept telling me he could hear an aeroplane (through signing) and then about half a minute later, I could hear too. Such acute hearing! He just wanted to sit on my lap and stare into my eyes - rather unnerving - then he'd give the odd smile, half sided smile, just on the left, which he's started doing in the last few days. Sometimes he'd giggle. Sometimes he'd start chatting and telling me stuff, and I'd apologise and say I couldn't understand him. He'd stare intently and smile a gentle little smile, giving me a hug as if to say "Never mind, maybe one day you will." Then he was pointing at the door at saying brrm brrm. Two minutes later the man arrived home (10 minutes early). Quite incredible.

Anyway, he's been very affectionate this evening and given us both lots of cuddles with arms flung around our necks. We are hungry and tired and the man is now trying to rock the boy to sleep. Fingers crossed...

Job description

During one of my many evenings of lying in the dark cuddling my son until he falls asleep, my mind wandered and I wondered how much of my time I spend doing this. Mostly, this is a fairly enjoyable activity, that I use to think about things, meditate or just enjoy being with him. Sometimes I talk to him about the beauty of the world and what there is to appreciate. Sometimes I sing to him. Sometimes he chatters to me. Sometimes we just lie in silence.

Anyway, I was curious, both about the tasks I do during my working day and how much time I devote to them. Having made my first attempt at putting it onto paper (figuratively speaking), no wonder I think it is harder than any (paid) job I ever did. The hours are ridiculous! I definitely wouldn't take a paid job like this, but I also do enjoy most of it as much as (and on occasion more than) any paid job I have done - the reward, as all mothers that have gone before have ever told me, is worth it. Though, being slightly cynical, the idea of psychological consonance (versus dissonance) comes to mind...that is, the idea that our brains are built to make the most of whatever choices we have made so that we believe our current choice to be the best choice we could have made - a clever little trick designed to make us happier.*

So, see below for my working day! How my mother did this with five children, I have no idea.

 * To acknowledge that this 'trick' appears to have gone wrong with some people, but that is an entirely different blog post and so I shan't dwell on that here.