1.  The Planning

2.  The Party

3.  The Power

Son 1 aged 4y 5m slid into bed in the night.  Son 2 aged 18m woke early and cried.  The Man went down to him to try to get him back to sleep.  ”Mama!” cried Son 2.  I was undone and got up. He wasn’t well.  Temperature, snotty, dry cough.  He felt wretched. He flopped. He clung. He cried.  I tookhim downstairs and it took Ibuprofen, Calpol, milk, raisins and a yoghurt to cheer him up.  Son 1 woke up “Is it my special day?”  In January, I made the mistake of telling Son 1 that when he and Son 2 were older, instead of having one joint party to celebrate their birthdays in September, we would probably start having a party in Spring as well.  From that moment onwards he scouted venues like a bride-to-be. “Shall I choose here for my Spring Party?” We chose the Bird Park.  

The first Good Thing was that The Bird Park was expecting us.  They were supposed to ring this week to confirm… they didn’t, and I didn’t have time to check.  The weather was fab, the boys slept in the car on the way, we pulled into the car park and remembered we’d left the Ben 10 cake at home, half an hour’s drive away.  I had steered Son 1 away from the idea of balloons, party bags, a bouncy castle and presents, but I had promised a cake with candles.  The Man tore off in search of another.  The guests arrived, the children played.  Son 2 stood on the airjets in the Ball Pool, his teeshirt and long fringe blowing upwards. The hair on the top of his head was glued down with Bio Oil and didn’t move.  (I have been reading Mumsnet Talk cures for cradle cap.)  We had 12 Boys and 1 Girl.  The Girl (aged 3) wanted to look after Son 2.  We went on the Big Slide.  Son 2 loved it, and pointed back up. “Again?” I asked.  Mad nodding.  The Girl was a revelation.  She picked up a mat and handed it to me, smoothed our our mat at the top of the slide before Son 2 and I got on it, and checked we were all right at the end.  She picked up litter.  She waited for us.  An amazing insight into another world.

Lunch was wolfed.  Ice cream and chocolate cake also.  Son 1 went back to play.  I had a coffee and Son 2 was looked after outside on the balcony by The Man.  We went out to the animals.  The selection is red pandas, otters, owls, parrots, cockatoos, macaus, hornbills, rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, goats… Son 2 stood and stared at the little dump truck re-building the outdoor playground. “Dum Dum Dum” he said.  “Di Di Di” he said at the diggers.  Just as I wondered what we’ll have in common when he’s older, he hoo hoo-ed at the owls. Down by the goats, he wouldn’t let Little Girl hold his reins.  Son 2 doesn’t realise the reins are to stop him running off.  He thinks they’re to keep Mummy close while he explores. We charged to the penguins for feeding time.  Packed, three deep.  I lifted Son 1 over the top and he was picked to feed them.  He was wearing a bright red Power Ranger outfit.  Best Friend didn’t even get near and was sobbing.  I promised him we would come back on a quiet day and I would make sure he was picked.  Goody, hooray.  I love the Bird Park.

1.  A Quiet Coffee

2.  Bird Park Revisited

3.  Bedtime

Downstairs with Son 2 aged 13m at 0545 to get him some milk.  A starfish hand stretched out to the fruit bowl.  Two old apples and an ancient lemon.  I made a big pot of coffee, bacterio yoghurtie thing for Son 2 aged 4 (no pineapple juice,) and snacks for them both.  Upstairs we all read a big photo baby book - Son 2 likes sitting looking at pictures while we tell him what they are.  And occasionally joins in by poking a soft baby finger at a picture with an “uh,” making Son 1 and me cry out “peas!” excitedly.  Son 1 went to the loo, Son 2 followed him.  I could hear Son 1 laughing madly, but no sound from Son 2.  I settled back on a big pillow, savouring my coffee.  They were in the bathroom, so if they were messy it would be easy to clear up.  There was plenty of entertainment for Son 2.  They were safe.  And Son 2 wasn’t squealing like a stuck pig, so Son 1 was clearly keeping his hands to himself.  He came in again, giggling. “Come and see.  We’re up to mischief.” An empty loo roll holder.  Son 2 had unravelled it, Son 1 had stuffed many, many yards of loo paper into a yellow wicker basket.

Today’s trip was the Bird Park.  I took bags of change from Son 1’s money boxes and paid for everything in coppers and 5ps.   Both boys loved it.  Son 2 couldn’t get enough of the ball pool. “If you’re happy and you know it, click your balls,” we sang, smiling happily and clicking, one in each hand.  He climbed, he went down the slide, he laughed.  Son 1 still likes the toddler area best.  There are very high, very steep slides at the Bird Park for older children and younger (than me) parents.  Son 1 and I stood at the top of one, peering down.  A boy and his father jumped off.  “You do it, Mummy” said Son 1.  “You do it,” I replied. ” I can’t. I’m too scared.”  I was scared.  But I did it anyway.  Because you should push through your fears to see what’s on the other side.   I climbed up over and down I dropped, crashing into the ball pool at the bottom, buried two layers.  I pushed my way out.  “Do It Again!” came the instruction from the top.   I Did It Again.

I couldn’t get Son 2 to sleep tonight.  I went up with the boys at 1820. I got down at 2015.  And he woke again within 20 minutes. We have now done four days without a breastfeed.

1.  The Good Idea

2. The Big Slide

3.  How to feed the kids

Son 1 aged 3y 11m is missing The Man very much.  He rang him this morning.  “I miss your voice.  I miss your body.  I want you here.” So to cheer ourselves up, we decided on a trip to The Bird Park.    We picked up Mother on the way and arrived at 1115.  I gave Son 2 aged 11m lunch, and then we went in the pre-school area with Son 1.  Son 2’s eyes were on stalks at the ball pool - he went in one last week at The Big Zoo and allbut hurdled the side to get in. I ‘m getting better at the one-mummy-two-boys play, so I did manage to keep including Son 1 as I looked after Son 2.

Son 1 wanted to go on the Big Slide, so I left Son 2 with Mother and the perennial standby for Son 2 “give him a fromage frais.”  Son 1’s never wanted to go on that Big Slide before.  It makes his tummy funny.  I wonder if he’d worked out that Son2 couldn’t come down it with us.  We sat on our mats side by side, and went down FAST.  Son 1 was delighted, and up we went again.  I like it.  I haven’t been on that slide with him since   very soon after I found I was pregnant with Son 2.   I remember zooming down on a mat with Son 1 thinking “you’re pregnant one month after a miscarriage, what do you think you’re doing?”   Today I did many, many laps of the big boy equipment with him.  I went up, down, under, over, through and round, clambered over everything and hauled him up and down too.  The thirty-something me would have signed up for that exercise class.     

Son 2 adored it.  It was the first time he’s needed to be out of The Pram/highchair for a Bird Park visit.  But he crawled over the toddler area, loved the Ball Pool, climbed up (with me) the frames and then held my hands while he walked round the top, enjoying pushing things out of the way.  He loved the animals too, reaching out for the birds, staring fascinated at two huge rabbits with mighty ears (yes I know they may have been hares.  But they were fat and tame and slow. Surely hares are thin and wild and jumpy?)  We bought goat food, and I fed the baby goats for him, being very sympathetic as these extremely young beings struggled with the tongue and teeth control needed for pelleted food.  And then Son 2 stuffed his starfish hand into the packet and held the food out for them himself.  The kids tugged at it with their tongues, but Son 2  has a death grip and wouldn’t let go.  A great day.  And then when we got back home they both ate microwaved salmon for tea.  All this and Omega 3 too.  Such A Perfect Day.