Category Archives: Being a Mummy

Morning Routine

Posted on by

Oh how I hate that word. Routine. Despise it. Always have. Always will. And yet they seem to create naturally in my life.

There is one part of our morning routine, on non-nursery mornings, that hasn’t changed since Adam was born and Simon went off Paternity Leave that I adore.

After he gets out of the shower, Simon calls to Adam to join him in our bedroom. Obviously when Adam was a baby, Simon would come get him! And that’s Daddy and Adam before work time. When Adam was a baby he would lie on our bed, securely in the middle, and Simon would play and talk to him. Now that he’s older they still play on the bed but there’s usually tickling and poking and rolling around going on.

SDC10682

That’s my time, that 20ish minutes. To drink a cup of coffee. To read the internet in peace. To gear up to being 100% responsible for Adam until Simon comes home from work.

I didn’t get that 20 minutes the last week or so since Adam’s been so ill again. And I didn’t realize how truly precious it was until yesterday when he felt well enough again to go play with Daddy on the bed.

That was the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

Hands down.

Let’s Talk About Internet Forums in General

Posted on by

And Mumsnet in particular.

For anyone who missed it, the official launch of the Mumsnet Bloggers network was yesterday. Me and hundreds like me are now being fed directly to their Blogger Network Site as and when we update. They also have some ‘famous’ bloggers working with them but the main number of bloggers are also MN members.

Now, a lot of MN members like being anonymous. They change their user name frequently (this is allowed on MN, BTW) to keep their privacy intact. In fact, a lot of MN users don’t even like telling people they use MN.

I, personally, don’t get either of these attitudes, but each to her own. What ever makes you comfortable is fine with me.

But I was thinking about why I and millions like me even use MN and other parenting networks and had a very unoriginal thought. It’s because it proves we are not alone in this great ocean of parenting choices. That others have been there before and others will be there after.

Like I said, not original. But it was really brought home to me yesterday after I posted the following story from this week:

(Note: Copy and pasted from this thread that I started yesterday)

“So my mobile rings and I see it’s my son’s day care.

The manager is on the other end and she’s saying ‘Hi, how are you?’

To which I reply, ‘I’m fine, is my son okay?!?!’

‘Yes he’s fine.’

To which I had to reply ‘You know what? He’s not even there. He’s home sick.’ blush blush

Of course, she had no idea he wasn’t there as she hadn’t been in the fledgling room yet today. And she was calling about something completely different…”

And 4 or 5 different people posted that they had done very similar things. And I felt a little less loony!

And that’s the power of MN. Not just that we come together when people need us, whether on a live labour thread or a cry for help with an ill child. Not just that we have a good laugh and lots of in-jokes.

It’s that we are never alone.

No matter how loony we are being!

This Past Weekend My Leg Was Quite Bad

Posted on by

after a week of a 28 pound child spending most of his time in my lap, on that leg, it’s not surprising.

Sitting on the floor, which I used to do all the time and prefer to sitting on a chair, hurts. A lot. Especially if my leg already hurts.

But, for the first time ever, on Saturday, Adam came over to me and took me by the hand and asked me to sit on the floor and play with him. He usually prefers to play by himself so him asking me to play was momentous.

So, despite the pain in my leg, I got down on the floor. We looked at books and pushed cars around and, for some reason known only to him, held the pieces of the big puzzle in our hands. When I tried to lay them out and put them together, they were very decidedly picked back up and put back into my hands!

Iggle Piggle Card!!

Did it hurt? Oh hell yes.

Did I do it for long? Not really. Maybe 20 minutes.

Was I happy to do it? Oh hell yes.

And I think that’s the thing non-parents and even, sometimes, my husband, don’t understand about being a mummy. That you’ll do anything for your child. Even cause yourself pain, lose yourself sleep, hold your bladder or not eat, if your child needs you for something.

Granted, playing on the floor or not playing on the floor is not a need, per se. But my son asked me very directly to join him for the first time ever. He came over to where I was sitting on the sofa and took my hand and most definitely asked me to sit on the floor with him.

And so I swallowed my pain and went with him.

And would do so again in a heartbeat.

Would You Believe…

Posted on by

Adam is ill again? Fever, vomiting, diarrhoea (which I can never spell the first time). This included a lovely puke at 0023 this morning. Oh and a runny nappy around 0200.

I am really beginning to think he has an allergy. His eczema flairs horribly after he’s been playing outside. We spent quite a bit of time outside on Sunday. Sunday night his eczema was very bad in big patches. Monday morning the first fever appeared.

The GPs don’t seem to be listening to me when I enquire if this is more than just bad luck. I get knowing looks and metaphorical pats on the back when I suggest there might be a greater cause.

We will be seeing our Health Visitor on Friday for his 2 year check and I am going to see if she can get him referred to allergy or paediatrician or someone who can maybe run an allergy test or something and see if I am right.

Even if he’s too young for treatment, maybe we can adjust his diet or be ready to react when he’s been outside or something.

And if she can’t do anything? Mama Bear is going to come out at the GP next week.

The same Mama Bear who came out and insisted I get some tests and not just keep taking sleeping pills when I stopped sleeping about 4 years ago. The one who got me a diagnosis of Fibro and pain clinic management and acupuncture.

So watch out. Here she comes…

Playing With My Son

Posted on by

Today Adam and I are off to view at flat at noon so have spent the morning playing in the house. He watched some CBeeBies, managed to draw on the front room door while I was on the phone, so had timeout (it wiped right off, BTW), played with his barn and then sort of wandered around so I asked him if he’d like to play with puzzles? He loves puzzles so I got an enthusiastic nod of the head.

Now anyone who has read this blog for more than 2 seconds knows I have some minor mobility issues so playing on the floor is very very hard for me. Alas, the puzzle Adam picked was this Tractor Floor Puzzle that his aunt and uncle sent him for his birthday

I love this puzzle with it’s big colourful pieces and interesting ending shape but it has to be put together on the floor or a table. Adam isn’t quite up to sitting at the table so on the floor I go. Which hurts.

But I do it anyway, because it’s a chance to sit with my son and do something we both enjoy. Once it was together I suggested he grab one of his board ones that can be done sitting in my lap but he was done with puzzles just then.

So maybe I can’t play with hours on the floor, or run around after him the way Simon does, but we do play. In fact, he’s just brought me a board puzzle. I think we have just enough time to do it before we have to get ready to go out.

 

Another Sleep Deprived Night

Posted on by

Adam has been ill again and so not sleeping great. I helped that some what the night before last by sleeping with him but last night I was out at a gig and Simon decided he was well enough to sleep in his own bed.

Unfortunately, that was a wrong plan. Adam woke up about 130, apparently, and wouldn’t resettle. I finally heard him (I was in the spare room as it was my ‘night off’) around 230 and moved Simon to the spare room and got into bed with Adam. At 330 Adam was done even lying down. So we are in the front room, Adam is playing and I am writing this blog post. In about an hour I’ll get Simon up and I’ll get a couple of more hours before Simon needs to get to work. I have a ton of work to do today as well so I’ll see how Adam is and if he seems okay send him off to daycare as usual. Well, not usual, he usually goes on Thursdays, but I switched it last week so I could process the video from last night’s gig. But if he’s impossible he’ll stay with me and I’ll work around him. It’s not ideal, but I’ve done it before.

So I have decided that we are going back to co-sleeping. Adam has not been sleeping well, or all night, in his own bed and I am done with my own sleep being disrupted to bring him into bed and shift everyone around in the middle of the night. Some will say Simon and I have ‘made a rod for our own back’ on this issue, but I think that phrase means nothing. My goal is to get everyone as much sleep as possible. If that means going back to co-sleeping, such is life. It won’t be forever.

This Too Shall Pass. I wonder if I have the skills to embroider that on a sofa cushion…

Random Thoughts From City Centre

Posted on by

Tour guide saying ‘Belfast is a town of religious balance’ is the ultimate in irony as half of city centre closes for a bomb alert.

Oh, you poor dear. Your son is adorable but just because my son is nearly 2 does not mean he sleeps through all the time. Enjoy your 8 week old. And don’t worry about him grizzling. My two year old screamed through most of Tesco today.

The choice was between 2 bottles for £5 and a bottle for £4.99 that said the vineyard was started by the Knights Templar. Knights Templar bottle won, hands down.

No chocolate tarts available yet at Spring Continental Market. Chocolate Belgian Waffles acquired instead.

Speaking of which, I swear they were 3 for something last year, like £2 each or 3 for £5. Now they are either £2 or £3 each. Yes, we have 2 providers of Belgian Waffles in Chocolate this year. And 2 ice cream stalls. Oh and a candy floss stall.

Adam’s screaming fit was due to Castle Court not being open so he couldn’t go to the play area and/or ride the lift. How do you explain bomb threats and security alerts to a 2 year old?

There was an H&W ship called Traffic?!?

To Harness or Not to Harness

Posted on by

This issue is debated almost as much as breast versus bottle and SAH versus WOH.

When walking down the street, my son wears a harness. He is a small boy. He’s not very street savvy. We live in the middle of the city. He doesn’t like to hold hands.

Therefore, he wears a harness.

Do I get looks? Yes.

Do I care? No.

This is one of those issues that makes me question humanity at times. Dogs need to be on leashes. In fact, in a lot of places no leash equals a fine. So why is your dog, who is not very street savvy and won’t hold hands, more precious than my son?

Also, I’m not very tall, but I am taller than Adam. How uncomfortable it must be to be more or less pulled along by an arm that is over your head. Imagine doing that yourself. No chance to explore or stop for a second to look at that interesting bug over there before running to catch up.

Adam has perfect freedom within the length of his harness lead.

He loves it.

And so do I.