1. Under The Weather
2. Under Surveillance
3. Under Pressure
Son 2 aged 23m’s dramatic, croupy cough rattled out after we’d gone to bed. I couldn’t see how Son 1 aged 4y 11m could sleep through it, so way past midnight, I sent The Man downstairs into the Double Bed, scooped Son 2 up from his cot and took him up into the Big Bed with me. Mummy Serotonin makes them get better quicker. The idea of sleeping with Son 2 is always lovely. I agonise over him snugging himself up in his sleeping bag in his cot - I’m sure Son 1 was in with us most nights at that age. So I dream about Son 2 and I cuddling, dozing, drowsing, in tune with each other’s sleep cycles. In reality? Even ill and exhausted, he’s always up for a party. PUshing and towing pillows off the sides of the bed. Feeling for nose and ear holes and sticking fingers in them. And endlessly, endlessly, turning over, crawling, pulling the quilt up, kicking the quilt off… Until: “Son 2! If you don’t lie down and go to sleep I am going to put you back in your cot and leave you there!” He laid his little fluffy head on the pillow and went straight to sleep.
We’d planned lunch with Nanna. She said she’d brave our colds, so we decided on the Big Town. We arrived, parked, and went to TK Maxx to look for shoes for the boys. Nanna was left in charge of Son 2 in the toy section. The Man was with Son 1 in Children’s Shoes. There was an argument about a grey pair. “He won’t try them on,” said The Man. “I don’t like them.” “Why not?” “I want bright shoes.” It’s TK Maxx. Their entire business plan provides leftover pairs of orange shoes for little boys like Son 1. We got him sorted, and I looked up to see Nanna walking out of the open double door and then back in again. “Where’s Son 2?” I asked. “I’ve lost him.” She continued to look round clothes racks. “Where?” “He just ran off!” I looked for The Man. “I’ve seen him!” He strode off halfway across the shop. Son 2 nearly made it back to the escalator. We got the reins out. The boys were heavenly at lunch.
On the way back we stopped off at fish tank shops. The Man is looking at tanks the size of Swan Vesta matchboxes. I am looking at tanks you could pickle cows in. This is supposed to be a joint birthday present… we have less than a fortnight before Son 2’s big day. It took us 17 years to decide to have children. We have asked Son 1 if he’d rather have a rabbit.
Tags: co-sleeping, colds, croupy cough, fish tank, flu, illness, insomnia, lost boy, Nanna, orange shoes, TK Maxx
