1. Spelling Out
2. Pigging Out
3. Running Out
Son 1 tells us he Cannot Wait For Christmas several times a day. There are presents under the tree from some friends. They are driving Son 1 aged 4y 2m mad. He can’t stop feeling, poking, peeling and shaking. “Who are they for?” He asked. “We don’t know. We’ll have to see what Santa says.” Son 1 investigated further. “This one’s for me. Look. It says ‘Son 1′ on the card.” Another lurch further forward down the bye-bye-baby path. The one where you realise he’ll now always recognise his name when he sees it written. The veg man cameth, bringing vegetables, mince pies, cheese, yoghurt and bananas. The turkey is coming tomorrow. And the eggs. I showered with both boys playing in the bath at my feet, plug in, bubble bath squirted.
After breakfast Son 2 aged 15m played with the zoo, making animal noises, pulling the fence to pieces, stuffing animals in the pens. I put him down for a sleep, lying on the double bed next to him. Then I went upstairs with Son 1, who wanted to lie down and watch a video. Babe. He managed to watch the whole thing without clocking what upset Babe enough to run away. And as the closing credits ran, I asked what he wanted for lunch. “Anything,” he said. And then thought: “Sausage. And mash. And beans.” Splendid. One vegetarian in the house is quite enough.
Granny and Granddad have come for Christmas, staying in the hotel down the road. Son 2 and I went shopping, while Son 1 and The Man went down to say hello. We all met up in Boots. In Marks, Son 1 chose the cake for after Christmas Dinner. At home they all played upstairs while I made what seemed like industrial quantities of Shepherd’s Pie. The boys gobbled it up. Son 1 ate some kale - how I love my small triumphs. At bedtime Son 1 was playing his Ben 10 Top Trumps again. And showing no sign of speeding up so I could read to him. “I want to go running. Do you want to play Top Trumps or have your stories?” “Top Trumps,” he said. I kissed him and off I went. I won’t do that again. When I came back, he was asleep, so I had a shower to wake him up. He stayed asleep. And I woke Son 2.
Tags: Babe, Ben 10, Christmas, hotel, Learning to Read, presents, running, sausage, Shepherd's Pie, Top Trumps, turkey, Zoo
